Dispensing the knowledge? It's AWESOME.

There are a few of you out there who claim to follow my Facebook antics with interest, and you know well that my life since April 1st has been dominated by fairly extreme (particularly for me!) efforts to reduce the volume of wheat/grain, sugar, and starch in my diet. For nearly four months now, I've eaten almost no bread, no sugar, absolutely no pasta, and almost no potatoes (except the occasional sweet potato fry). Gluten is g-g-g-GONE.

I didn't set out to 86 all that stuff so completely, but through near-obsessive research on how diet impacts overall health markers (see resources below), I increasingly became convinced that the carbs were the underlying cause of a few things I've felt plagued by: the psoriasis, the achy right shoulder and right hip, the sinus infections, the fatigue. And since I gave up the gluten and other carbs, all those things are either gone or noticeably improved.

The continual experimenting with my diet and workout regime is endlessly fascinating, and doing meticulous self analysis is rewarding. But what I didn't expect to happen has been my favorite part -- when others ask me questions that allow me to share my experiences.

Case in point: About a month ago, a friend who's been battling what I can only describe as severe IBS spent about 36 hours asking me all manner of questions about how my eating is changing how my body works. I gave her a few suggestions, and my fervent hope is that she's feeling better and making positive steps forward.

Then today, over lunch, I had another such conversation, wherein I felt somewhat at liberty to dispense with some accumulated knowledge and experience. It feels AMAZING to be able to report to others how this new paradigm of eating/living has changed my life... changes that themselves feel pretty darn amazing. :-)

As someone who has frequently made bold claims about her love of teaching (e.g., "I'd sooner teach for free than give up this job -- but don't tell the administration!" or "I tend to fall into a deep depression if I'm out of the classroom for more than a month"), it should come as no surprise that I am so eager to share my experiences and help others find the joy that comes with eating well and moving with purpose. But it has surprised me, quite a bit.

I continue to guard against becoming THAT Girl, the one who sanctimoniously parades out her holier-than-thou atttidue about her lifestyle is SO superior to yours. I try really hard not to bring up my quirky eating habits unless asked. And I trust that you all will let me know if I fail in either of these regards. Please!

But if you do want to peruse some of the resources that have made such a huge difference for me? Here's a list -- probably partial, but certainly including the things that have made the biggest difference.

Books

• Why We Get Fat
• Fat Chance
• Mindless Eating
• Wheat Belly
• The Miracle Workout <-- this is the foundation for how I construct my 3x/week workouts

Podcasts

• Cut the Fat
• Win the Diet War
• Dr. Rob Show (a letter I wrote them is featured in episode #100!)
• Let's Reverse Obesity <-- not tons of information, but a really compelling story of a guy fighting obesity

Also: SparkPeople.com, a great community, food tracker, and exercise tracker that I use daily!

You'll never hear me talk about this again.

Because it would be bad form, I won't go into why I'm about to write about this topic. Let's just say that a person in my outer orbit communicated -- to someone who is not me -- thoughts of a disturbing nature that have had my mind spinning for going on two days now.

Basically, this anonymous outer-orbit person suggested that, childhood obesity being the clear problem that it is (no arguments there from me), measures should be taken to ensure a kid with a marginally pooch-y stomach doesn't end up doomed (not my word) to a life as a "fat man."

The more I think about this, the madder I get.

Is being overweight really something you're "doomed" to? Is life as a not-skinny person really the stuff of nightmares and horror movies? Particularly in a world where the not-skinny are the majority?

To be clear -- 'cause I know lots of my friends are nice and trim and health-conscious and whatnot -- I just want to go on record as suggesting, as many others have, that skinny does not necessarily mean healthy. You can be blessed with the metabolism of a cheetah, eat like crap, and come out less healthy than someone who works really hard to maintain what is medically considered to be a slightly overweight figure. The insensitive comments that inspired this post weren't expressing a desire to be healthy, per se... no, no. She wants the kid to be skinny. Lest his life be filled with the horror of being a fat man.

And: What happens if this kid finds out about this conversation? What if he learns that someone in his life thinks he's too pudgy? Welcome to a lifetime of body-image issues, kid. Join the rest of us who spend our adult lifetimes trying to feel worthy of anything good that comes our way, just because one or more others in this world think we're not attractive enough. Jolly good times.

Interacting with children about what constitutes acceptable behavior/appearance/attitude is a delicate matter. The messages we receive as kids inform how we see ourselves for our entire lives. I'm pretty darn lucky in that I had parents who accepted me -- and more importantly, were proud of me -- no matter what I looked like. I had my awkward phases, like every other kid, but the only times I questioned my self worth happened because of things that happened outside my home. I can only hope that the kids in my general orbit can say the same when they're all grown up. Life's value and your life's worth comes from what you do with yourself, how you treat others... NOT how large your waistline is or what the label on your clothing reads.

Someday, maybe, I'll be able to meet someone new and not feel the pressure to be extra charming or witty so they don't think I'm a total loser because of how I look. Someday, I'll trust that friends of friends will, upon meeting me, give me the benefit of the doubt before judging me. And I hope, so desperately, that the kid whose slight -- tiny, itty bitty, minuscule  SLIGHT!! -- stomach pooch inspired all of this in the first place? I hope he never has to hope that maybe, just maybe, someday, he'll be able to do the same.