The Infamous French Fry Diet [Day 7: Time to Reboot]

It started with the best of intentions, strong resolve and determination…but something went haywire. I think it was a few pieces of candy corn that fell into my peanuts for a snack. Or perhaps it was a fridge devoid of any creative ideas for dinner. I can’t remember. But somewhere around and about Day 4 something felt very amiss. That’s when old man sugar sneaked up on me. Then a veggie pizza broke into my house on Friday night and I’ve been nursing it all weekend. Don’t ask me how it got there. The point is mute at this juncture. But my French Fry Diet started to loose its luster before I even crossed the seven day mark. How could this be? I pledged it publicly on this blog and everything and even with the risk of losing face that still didn’t keep me from falling off the wagon.

Feeling guilty and shameful of what I might write for my next online exposé, I decided to drown my disappointment in a Netflix movie and stumbled upon the film Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. It’s a documentary about an Australian guy named Joe with urticaria (a.k.a. a painful, continuous, extreme version of hives) who also happens to be severely overweight. He decides to go on a juice fast and for the next 60 days, flies to America to consult with Dr. Fuhrman (who supervises his medical needs) and travels across the country juicing and monitoring his health. He also engages average Americans along the way with questions, conversation and insights about adopting a healthier lifestyle. The story struck a nerve to say the least. I was spellbound for the next hour and a half.

Joe also met a truck driver along the way who was over 420 lbs. and happened to have the same skin disease he had. Phil, the truck driver, was in constant pain, could barely walk because of his weight and was on a smorgasbord of pills when he started. You’ll have to watch the film, which I highly recommend, in order to see Phil and Joe’s transformation which is nothing short of a miracle.

As I was watching the movie I decided to give myself a symbolic swift kick in the arse and stop whining about how it’s sooo hard to give up cheese. These guys transformed their lives by any means necessary. True, Joe clearly has better means than the average American (or Australian for that matter). He could afford to leave not only his job, but his country for two solid months, stay in hotels, rent cars and travel across the United States without fear of financial repercussion. But Phil was a truck driver who lived in Iowa, he was by no means wealthy and he still made it work. Basically, it comes down to choices. And everyday, with every mouthful, we have an opportunity to make a new one. What will you choose?