Jimmy and this forum inspired this article that I wrote for my blog today, so I wanted to share it with all of you.
Coming out of the Closet -It’s time to Step Up
Ever been talking to a close friend and made a statement something like this, “I’m going to lose it this time so my husband will find me more attractive,” or “I’m going to make it work this time because I know it will make my boyfriend happy.” Your friend leans over to you and says, “Don’t do this for anybody, but yourself.” Good advise, huh? NO, I don’t think so. Let me qualify that. Yes, it’s good advise when you’re looking at the teeniest, tiniest, part of the picture, but in a larger sense, I don’t see it that way.
Let’s think about it in a more grandiose way. Let’s leave our microcosm for a different perspective.
Even if you don’t follow pro-cycling, there are not too many of us who have not heard of the great Lance Armstrong. Lance is one of the greatest athletes of our day, making a comeback from late stage testicular cancer, to win the coveted “Tour de France” for an unprecedented seven times. Do I think that Lance Armstrong’s mission in life was to become one of the great athletes of our day, or do I think he was spared from this horrible disease simply to become the greatest figure in pro-cycling. Absolutely not! While I am not a big participant in organized religion, I believe that the great “All Mighty” has plans for all of us. I believe Lance was spared from his ordeal because God had a plan for his life. Without the cancer, his accomplishments may not have garnered the attention of the entire planet. Without having experienced that cancer, he might have never gained the dedicated interest he has today. Without the seven wins he would not have had the support of the masses that he has used to direct literally millions and millions of dollars for research, and programs to help those who are suffering. Only by making his battle a public one has he been able to do his life’s work. Only from a position of power has he been able to do so much good for so many.
A little closer to home we have the incredible efforts of Jimmy Moore to educate and help those who are lost in the wilderness of misinformation about health and weight loss. I was reading his book today and was touched by his reference to a doctor’s visit with both “the good news and the bad news”. The good news was that had he not embraced the “low carb lifestyle” when he did, his life may have been cut short at a very early age of a fatal heart attack. While Jimmy has greatly benefited in a personal sense from his incredible weight loss, was that the highest and best purpose of his experience? I don’t think so. I believe he was spared because again, God had a plan. While Jimmy’s crusade is not for something quite as dramatic and immediately life threatening as cancer, and something certainly not as feared, I dare say that the cure rate for cancer is probably somewhat better than it is for obesity. Shocking isn’t it. Make no mistake, it might be slower, but it will get you somewhere down the road. If not in the fatal sense, it will ravage your life in many other ways. Only from the very public disclosure of his weight and what he had to do to gain control was Jimmy able to gain the attention of so many, and from that position of power he has gone on to help many, and hopefully many more in the future.
What does this have to do with me you ask? Let’s just say that this post was inspired by a man named Ron, (you know who you are Fred Flintstone) who posts to lowcarbdiscussions.com and posed the question, should we be politically correct about disclosing our dietary habits? I guess the timing of that question along with the passage from Jimmy’s book led me to this conclusion. NO,NO,NO!
When I first lost all of my weight (I’ve gained back twenty for various reasons) my trainer told me he had gotten a call from a lady who worked with my husband. She said, “I want you to train me. I want you to do for me what you did for Melodie Gale.” You and your successes are the best case that can possibly be made for low carb. Lead by your example and stand ready to help and be an inspiration to those who are still looking for answers. If you think about it exponentially, we could take a huge bite out of the obesity epidemic in this country by not being politically correct, by not being silent, or by hiding the truth. Collectively we have the potential to save thousands of lives, millions of dollars, and untold misery. Learn by the examples above, be brave, step up, and come out of the closet.
