This evening as I was preparing my client files for tomorrow, I was channel surfing for something to peripherally watch. I tuned in to a show on TLC channel called "The 750 Pound Man" which was already in progress. It was quite clear what the show was about. A morbidly, grotesquely obese man weighing 750 pounds was undergoing treatment at a center for people who have reached this point of seemingly no return. The first thing that always painfully strikes me when I see a person who has gained so much weight-- who has literally buried themselves in food--is "what happened to you that was so painful that you had to escape into a world of oblivion?"

It was difficult watching this man's journey. He was so huge that his knees had given out on him years before, and he was literally an invalid. He could not get out of bed. He spent nearly his entire existence on his back because his skeletal frame could not support his body. The show's narrator said that in order to remove him from his house, they had to borrow a whale net from a local aquarium to lift him out of bed because it was the only thing big enough to hold him. How tragically humiliating and demoralizing to have that documented for airing on national televsion. But the man said he was determined to change his life, so he was going along with whatever was required of him.

The first scene they showed of him in the hospital, his wife was pouring him a glass of diet Pepsi. Oh great, I thought, that's really going to help. This is where I get really frustrated with weight loss treatment centers and mainstream nutritionists. Where was the healthy food? Where was the water? The first meal they brought him was a salad made with iceburg lettuce, a few sprinkles of tomato and a bunch of shreddded cheese. How in the world will the man be nourished? A diet like that is sure to be deficient.

I know that someone who is that overweight has many more issues to contend with than just the food. However, without some foundational nutritional education, the man will never heal his body. The first thing I would do is get rid of those diet sodas and get the man on a detoxification diet. He and his wife would have to be re-educated on how to eat. They both needed education, because the second thing that came to my mind was "how does a man who cannot walk or get out of bed stay so fat unless someone else is providing the mass quantities of food?"

Whenever I see a person so huge, my heart breaks. Although I was never physically handicapped by my obesity like this man was, our "inner" stories are likely the same. There is no "cure" for a person who is a slave to food, there is only "reprieve". Simultaneous to dietary changes, the man needs support and healing. There are so many factors that lead a person to this point of self-destruction that can't be resolved by a simple dietary change. It's a huge onion that has to be peeled layer by layer, uncovering years of emotional and spiritual blockage. The man literally has 500+ pounds of pain to heal and release, whether or not he his aware of it.

I hope that this show has a purpose other than just shock value and reality TV entertainment. I hope that the people whose stories are aired are supported for years and years to come. Reaching a goal weight is only the miniscule beginning. Each day after reaching the goal weight is unchartered territory, and is therefore the greatest challenge and joy of anyone who overcomes a battle with obesity.

I spent the holiday weekend camping in the mountains above Sedona. It used to be easy to get quiet inside and relax. With all of the busyness of late I observed that peace did not come without first wading through the clutter in my head and letting go of the temptation to be "on".
Tranquility seeped through me slowly as I took off on Sunday afternoon for a walk by myself in the woods. Walking has always been my mode of transportation to another state of concsiousness. It lifts me out of the day to day, and into a magical world of tranquility. As has always been with me, I sang songs to entertain myself as I walked along the dirt path far into the woods. For two hours I walked without ever coming upon another soul. To me this was nirvana. I had no choice but to connect with myself, and connect I did.
When all is quiet within one's own world, there is time to think about how life is going and whether or not it is working. I realized that my world needs an overhaul, and that the delicate balance that I strive to teach to others must also be demonstrated in my own life.
The peace that came over me was long overdue and came to an end much more quickly than I would have preferred. But while I experienced it, it was joyous. This joy is what every soul needs to feel to live a balanced and healthy life. Joyousness must be the underlying emotion that pushes us to greatness and service. Keeping the joy in times of great spiritual, emotional, and physical demand is the key to a balanced and healthy life.

This is my first entry in my blog. I am getting up to speed with all of the available forms of communication on the internet. My husband, Michael, just finished creating a message board for me on my website and now, at my request, he created this blog. We will also be recording weekly podcasts that can be downloaded and listened to on your IPOD.
It is my intention to reach as many people as possible with my message of health and weight loss through holistic nutrition. Last night I was up quite late writing an article for a local magazine and I was reminded how discouraged I am at the deep denial our country is in regarding obesity and its related illnesses. The weight loss surgery industry's pockets are getting as fat as the people it claims to help, meanwhile no one is addressing the real problem. Each day in the news there is another story about the tainted food supply. The other day there was a story about benzene formation in soft drinks from a chemical reaction that occurs in the can. Benzene! We should be outraged! Benzene is on the EPA's list of highly carcinogenic chemicals. It is one of the most stable compounds and can hang around in the environment and in our bodies for years.
From the sound of the article, it was as if the whole thing was being shoved into a corner without much cause for alarm. When are people going to wake up and smell the benzene? Haven't we had enough "chemicalization" of our food?