Survival Of The Fit

Sometimes it pays to listen to your doctor. I’d lost sight of that, gone off my meds, got sloppy with my diet and became increasingly sedentary with disastrous results. On the upside, I looked like Santa Claus and found myself adored by small children. On the downside, I wound up in the Valley Hospital emergency room complaining of chest pains. After my angioplasty, I was visited by an internist who, coincidentally, shared the same last name with the cardiologist who performed the procedure to unblock my arteries. I was also visited by an expert on type two diabetes and a dietitian. Each gave me advice on how I might achieve a better sense of well being through careful diet and exercise as well as sticking with the prescribed medications until such time as I could safely be weaned from them. I distilled all of the information I was given into lifestyle changes that I could, realistically, maintain and went forth from the hospital with the intent to exchange my bad habits for better choices. Fast forward a year. I’d lost a considerable amount of weight and everyone around me was taking notice; including the internist from the hospital who was now my regular doctor. He couldn't believe that his advice contributed to my turn around and thought that it was imperative that I write a book about my success. I’m frequently told that I look fantastic and asked how I did it…well, Survival Of The Fit is my memoir detailing both the why and how of it. In it, I explain my motivation, the changes I made to my diet and how I came up with an exercise plan that I believe I can stick with.