Fast Food Fast

 

One of life's few pleasures for many is the joy of eating. If you think I'm mistaken, go visit the Golden Corral in Great Falls anytime after 6:00 PM. When we go, we make a point to get there early, partly because we want to get a seat, partly because we want to make sure there's enough food before the Fat Pack come in.

Is it a sin to be overweight? Quite likely. I don't think of this as a religious issue, per se, so I'm not looking for a divine angle here. But I do know that being overweight is not healthy, and that bad health is a financial and emotional drain on our economy. It's one thing to suffer some chronic disease through no fault of one's own, but it is clearly another issue when there has been a careless, selfish lifestyle that has brought it on.

And I also know that being overweight may be more related to a lack of self-control—like losing one's temper, over-drinking, excessive gambling, and other vices. I can't think of one possible good that comes out of any form of an uncontrolled lifestyle. They say, in fact, that too much food can almost have the same giddy effect as drunkenness.

For years I struggled with a weight problem. And then I discovered I didn't have a weight problem at all: I had a height problem. You see, my weight was fine; it's just that I wasn't tall enough for the pounds I was carrying. With my weight of a few years ago, I should have been 6' 4".

One of the many traditions at our home is to have a salad every night. And it's not just any lettuce; none of that iceberg stuff, no sirree. My wife insists on romaine lettuce. She's probably right, and one thing I do know for sure is that my kids are very healthy. Limited exposure to sugars and processed food are also a key factor. Their understanding of fast food is when they're late for an appointment in the morning.

Part of the genius behind today's conversation is a reflection on the occasional colon-related fasts I go on. It's good to give certain body parts a break from all the work they do, a sabbath-rest for the innards, if you will. Many will see the connection between fasting and religion (and there is), but there is likely a greater link between fasting and good health.

Mind you, I hesitate to use the name "fast" when it comes to going without food for a few days. Nothing goes fast during a meal-less week. In fact, seven days without food makes one, er, weak.

They say that when you don't do what comes naturally for a few days (Maurice, I'm talking about eating here), certain internal organs respond positively. For myself, I have more energy, and my mind becomes clearer. However, during one fast, after just four days into it I started cheering for the Flames, so I had to quit. There's just something about the body getting rid of toxins that will do it every time.

I think we should all fast on a regular basis. I personally fast every day, from about 10:00 at night till about 10:00 the next morning. Mind you, I don't know if that means I am self-disciplined or just too lazy to make breakfast.

If we watched our weight, rather than looked at our weight, I think we would all be better off. That would also mean less "weight" (and "wait") at the Golden Corral.