The dating of Easter is based on the old Hebrew lunar calendar. It is always the first full moon after the Spring equinox which is March 20^th. Consequently, the earliest Easter can be is March 22^nd , but that is very rare. The last time Easter fell on the 22^nd was in 1818. Easter on March 23^rd is also very rare. You have to be 95 years old or older to have seen another Easter on the 23^rd., and we won’t see one again until 2228. In other words, unless you are planning on living a couple hundred years, none of us will see an Easter as early as this year in our lifetime.

Sometime ago I made a post about fitness in your forties. To my surprise, it became one of the most read entries in my blog, and it continues to be a favorite. In this entry I would like to talk about diet in your forties. I by no means am expert on this subject, and what I have below is not professional medical advice. All I can do is share my own experience.

When I was in my twenties, I could eat just about anything I wanted with little or no consequences. Now, in my forties, I either eat right, or I pay the price. Eating right is not easy, but here are a few things that have helped me.

Lifestyle not Diet  If we need to take off a few pounds, the common thought is that we need to go on a diet. However, being on a diet is kind of like going to jail for some. We pay our debt, and then we get out of jail. Our goal is to get off our diet, so we can go back to our old ways. Such a formula never works.

A little over a year ago, my wife and I decided not to go on a diet but to change our lifestyle. We decided not to focus on losing weight as much as eating right. We both recognized that this was a permanent change in the way we lived not just a diet. Taking this approach will probably lead to slower weight loss, but it has been so much easier for us.

It takes time to get used to a new lifestyle, but once you do, the old lifestyle seems out of place. It is hard to believe, but in time our tastes can actually change. My wife and I have been eating a low fat diet for so long that the stuff we used to eat has lost a lot of its appeal. The other day we ate at a restaurant that served especially rich entrees. I told my wife afterwards that the dinner was OK, but I missed her cooking. She didn’t mind hearing that at all.

Get your spouse on board  Changing your life is hard to do on your own. It is especially hard to do if your husband or wife is going the opposite direction. Our mates have a mind of their own, so this is not always possible. Judging or condemning our loved ones for not eating right rarely accomplishes anything. Continue to love them, and maybe the will come around, but even if they don’t, love them still. Loving them rather than condemning them will actually make your own task a bit easier.

Snack healthy  For me eating healthy meals is not that much of a problem. Snacking is my biggest temptation. I must admit I have never been able to stop eating snacks, but I have been able to change to healthy snacking. I have replaced regular chips with the baked kind. They do not taste as good, but with a little picante sauce you hardly know the difference. I also eat oat based granola bars. I tend towards high cholesterol, so oats are good for me anyway. Nuts are also a great snack in moderation. Almonds and pistachios are great for lowering cholesterol. Of course, fruits and vegetables are also helpful for cutting hunger in-between meals.

Supplements  I believe vitamins and other supplements are very helpful especially if you don’t always eat right. If you start reading about all that is available, you might end up taking handfuls of pills each day. Yet, that can be very expensive. I would recommend at least getting a good multivitamin and perhaps some sort of Omega 3 supplement such as fish oil or flax seed. Make sure you get a quality multivitamin. They are not all the same. The American diet is generally deficient in the Omega 3 fatty acids. These help promote everything from healthy heart function to better memory. If you eat a lot of fish, you are probably good on your Omega 3 fatty acids, but if you don’t, fish oil capsules or flax seed is the next best thing. (Fish oil is a natural blood thinner, so be careful if you are taking prescription blood thinners.)   

Well, there are a few of my thoughts on eating healthy. I would love to hear yours.   

I have reached the age where the saying “use it or lose it” starts to be more than just words. Things like diet and fitness have always been at least a little important to me. I would exercise about two times a week and try not to eat too much junk. Recently, I had a wellness checkup. My doctor took my entire medical file and summarized it for me. He said you came in 15 years ago and you weighed this much and your cholesterol level was this much. You came in ten years ago,  you weighed more, and your cholesterol was higher. He went down the line until today. He said, “You now weigh more than ever, and your cholesterol is too high. You are going to have to change.”

With my wife’s help I started eating better. It helps to have a wife who can make a low fat diet taste good. I take that back. She makes it taste great. I have not missed all the red meat, cheese, etc. at all. One thing that has helped is those Kashi granola bars. They have replaced junk food like chips and pop tarts (Yes, I actually ate pop tarts.).

I started excising at least five times a week alternating aerobic and anaerobic routines. I’ve grown to like the thought of challenging myself. A little saying I often tell myself before a workout is “the behind you kick today may be your own.” Goofy, I know, but it works for me.

After six months I went back for another blood test. I had lost 20 pounds, and I felt about ten years younger, but had my cholesterol gone down? I felt like I was back in college about to take an exam. My doctor came in smiling and he said “you are not the man you used to be!” My bad cholesterol had gone down about 20%, and my good cholesterol was up. Moreover, he told me upon further examination my bad cholesterol was mostly the fat and fluffy kind, and that is good. Apparently, there is fat and fluffy cholesterol and small tightly wound cholesterol. The small stuff is what causes heart problems. I left the clinic with a smile as big as my doctor’s.

Have any stories about how you improved your health? I would love to hear them. We can help motivate each other to “use it or lose it.”