Genetic Lottery
First, I need to say this post is about me. Not anyone else. It is not telling anyone else how to live, nor implying anyone else is doing anything right or wrong. It is entirely about me. I am being self centered today because six weeks ago there was 361 lbs of me to worry about, so today I do not have the space to write about anyone else. If you find yourself getting offended, remember I am not talking about you, or your friend or some lady you read about.
Today I want to talk about the genetic lottery. I won it. I hear often how genes play such a large role in fitness, weight, overall health. My genes are awesome.
Now the fact that I weighed 361 lbs was partially due to my eating habits, but also to a large part, my awesome kickass genes.
You see, unlike the poor souls who can eat piles of food and never gain an ounce, I can use the food I ingest. I waste nothing. Not a single calorie goes unnoticed. Poor skinny people, they can eat and eat and eat and not reap the benefits I reap from my food.
Their genes are wasteful.
My genetic makeup allows me to wear shorts and a t shirt and be comfortable in deep Canadian winter. It allows me to not keel over and die while I climb 21 flights of stairs carrying the weight of two people. It allows me to have an active life despite the fact that I am carrying 200 extra lbs.
Not many people can do this. People like me can. We are amazing.
Of course with great power comes great responsibility, so if I mismanage my superpowered genes, the consequences are dire. And I did mismanage them. I got myself into the vicious carb rollercoaster for years and years, mismanaging my awesome genes, and they did what they did best, not wasting a thing, storing all that extra energy. An amazing 180 lbs of extra energy.
See I did not understand how awesome my genes really were, I did not understand just how badly I was misusing them. But I did some homework, made some adjustments, and now I am making my awesome genes work for me. Those same genes that do not waste a single calorie also do not waste a single nutrient. I still use everything. Since I have broken the carb rollercoaster, I am now using my reserves. I am never hungry, full of energy, build muscle at an alarming rate, and eat only a fraction of what I once ate. Delicious, awesome, nutritious food.
I have quit consuming calorie dense, nutrient sparse foods. Why? They serve no purpose. Someday when I do not have the awesome reserves that I have now, I will alter my eating. Right now however, I need nutrients, not energy. In eating these nutrients, I am always satisfied, never hungry. I can go 24 hours without eating a thing and still be top energy, no hunger, ready to go. What a relief this is to go on a trip for the afternoon without worrying about what I will eat part way through. What a relief it is to not stress about my next meal.
Granted I need to be careful and I know this now. I put garbage into my body, I will use it, it will not go to waste. But I think I can live with that, knowing what I do now.
Today is the 6th week of me making my changes. I feel better than I have felt since my early 20's, I am excited for the future, excited to try the things that were not possible before, excited to see where my genes take me now that I know how to use them properly. Today I am 50 lbs lighter than I was 6 weeks ago.
Yeah, I hit the genetic lottery and I feel damn fortunate that I did.