One of the most difficult challenges about the new food regimen I’ve been following in the 11 months since my angioplasty is that so many people keep telling me it’s ok to cheat once and while by going off the diet to eat some of the foods I once enjoyed.
You’ve likely heard it too. It happens on away-from-home eating occasions, on holidays or at family gatherings where food, and often bad food, is the unifying factor of the event. “Oh it’s ok you can cheat once in a while,” they say. Or “how long do you have to eat that way,” they ask, somehow not fathoming the changes you are making are life-long and permanent.
Maybe if they had seen your artery blocked to where blood was barely reaching your heart they wouldn’t ask. Maybe if they heard a doctor tell them they had been five minutes from a fatal heart attack and possibly death, they might begin to grasp why this is not some fad diet you’re on. Maybe they’re trying to be nice or helpful, sad to see you suffering. It doesn’t really matter, they don’t get it and can’t possibly understand.
Feel like venting about what people have said to you? By all means post your thoughts here.
John
The No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal 