We got word earlier this week that one of our dearest friends is having double-bypass surgery today. This hit Matt especially hard since this was his college roommate. Matt keeps saying how unfair this is and how this is not suppose to happen to us; this happens to our parents. "And when was the last time you went to the doctor?" he asked me.
It is true. I have not been for a physical in at least two years; it may even be three. I am not afraid of doctors - I go every year to my gynecologist, I get my mammograms when I am suppose to, I even visit the dentist every six months. Why no physical? It all has to do with the scale.
I know what I weigh. I get on the scale at home so it is no big surprise when I get on the scale at the doctor's office and the number is higher than I want it to be. What I hate is the conversation. The doctor always tells me I need to lose 20 pounds. It does not seem to matter what I actually weigh - the advice is always lose 20 pounds. No advice on how to do that, no guidance on who could help. One doctor did offer me prescription diet pills, but the list of side effects was so scary I did not try them. Another doctor told me, "All you have to do is eat less and move more." Well if it was that simple, why is anyone overweight?
No doctor has spoken to me about good nutrition or healthy food choices. I could be downing diet soda and Twinkies all day, but as long as that scale says my weight matched up to some magic chart then everything would be fine. I don't want to have this pointless conversation with another doctor. I know I need to lose 20 pounds and if I could figure out a way that works for me to do that, I would have done it long ago.
Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." Too bad he wasn't a little more specific.
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