Me and Food? We're on a Break*

Sounds funny, doesn't it? As likely as "Me and work--a trial separation," or "Me and Gravity? We just don't get along." Who can go without food for a year?

It's easier than you might expect. You see, the Doctors Who Study Things studied people trying to lose weight. They gave them unlimited access to pure nutrition in the form of "chocolate" or "strawberry" shakes with a little bit of flavoring. Test subjects ate a lot of it for a few days, then scaled way, way back, consuming less than 1,000 calories a day.

Trust me, I'm a doctor!

The Doctors still don't know why, but at a certain point, when all you consume is nutrition and not a wide variety of flavors, textures, fat, or salt, well, your body just sort of shrugs its shoulders and thinks "Whatever." 

I learned all this from the Nutrition team at UC San Francisco Medical Center. After a health scare, I tried without success to eat less and exercise more. Turns out three solid decades of bad habits don't give up easily. The kindly folks at UCSF suggested I try meal replacements as part of a medically supervised weight loss program. I would have to eat the modern equivalent of that bland stuff the Doctors had studied. It doesn't work for everyone, they warned.

For the first time in my life, I just didn't care that much about eating. During this past year, I ate only meal replacements and drank buckets of water all day long. The water kept me from getting dizzy or shaky. Hunger pangs were tougher to fight, but I did my best.

During my temporary breakup with food, I lost about fifty pounds and enjoyed life much more than before. I worked hard to resolve all the behavioral issues around overeating. That work doesn't conclude as quickly as the body grows weary of eating the same thing month after month, so while I still have things to work out, I am already transitioning back to real food again. No one can take a break from food forever.

One of the hardest adjustments to make has been around my writing ritual. It took a lot of fortifying to get me behind the keyboard. Lots of sweet and savory treats washed down with quarts of Diet Pepsi, and all manner of junk food it pains me to even think about now.

These days, my writing rituals include writing with friends, lots of hot coffee. water, and sugarless chewing gum, plus a little fruit or a few crunchy vegetables.  Comraderie and good health beats the heck out of Hostess Fruit Pies, any day of the week, but I would never have discovered that if I hadn't taken a break from food.

The only problem is, I wrote my whole novel without my main character ever eating. I'm fixing it along with all the other edits wrapping up this month. My protagonist can eat a juicy steak and not gain a pound! Lucky girl...

Could you take a year-long break from food? How would it change your life?

Enjoy your President's Day!!!! I'm celebrating by writing, without the fruit pies!

___________

*While grammar purists might decry my use of the object(ive or oblique) case for the pronoun in my title, it's what people say. "Me and Bobby McGee," for example. 

Comments

[Priscilla]

Bravo, Mysti! I have found that a healthy diet can help. The old Mediterranean thing seems to keep many health issues at bay for longer. At least I can talk about food with my characters because Prioress Eleanor insists on keeping to the dietary rules in Tyndal. It was a simple but very healthy diet. Of course, they did exercise....rats!

[camille minichino]

Nothing but applause for you, Mysti! Oh, and a tune: La da da; La da da da; La da da da da da da da . . .

[Mysti Berry]

Priscilla--I love how you use food and all the rich sensory details in your Prioress books. Yesterday I just held a pear, absorbed the color and felt the cool firmness and even rubbed it against my cheek--to ward off an invading bag of potato chips. It worked!

Camille--I can't name that tune! They're staring at me in the Starbucks as I try to sing it. Is it a waltz?

[Terry Shames]

Mysti, it takes an amazing amount of fortitude to do a year "off" of food. And you did it with grace. Hope the transition works well.

I loving having a protagonist who can eat what she pleases. Gives me vicarious satisfaction.

[Pat Morin]

Congratulations for accomplishing one of the hardest tasks I know! Not only to change your food for thought and thought of food, but a whole way of life. I envy the fortitude. So glad you feel better on all levels. And to answer your question: No, I could not take a year off from food. How would it change my life? Gee, I think without coffee and donuts, my muse might leave me. Way scary.

[Michael A. Black]

Way to go, Mysti. You're an inspiration in so many ways. And Me and Bobbi McGee . . . one of my favorite Kristofferson songs.