A few things happened recently. I went to a physical checkup
and the numbers were great, although the Hemoglobin A1C grew
by 0.1% compared with three years ago. Back from the Chinese
New Year trip, I re-read the book "Grain Brain" by Dr. David
Perlmutter as I worried about dad's cognitive decline. I
started to understand much better the author's points and
take him seriously. Late Jan, mom took Tim to see the doctor
and I asked a copy of the test results. They were shocking:
Tim's pre-diabetic.
Dr. Martino, Tim's physician, gave some sharp advices the
last time we visited, almost four years ago, for his
obesity. And we did take action. Through listening to
podcasts and reading, he was exposed to the same physical
culture as I was. He switched from swimming to BJJ and
enjoyed it immensely. Instead of the "choice" lunch at
school and in spite of the buffet of options available
around us, every meal was cooked by me or mom. I kept
telling myself the kid had been eating healthy and had enough
physical activity and it might be in our genes to be big
when young (I was one of the fattest until the last year of
high school).
The fact is, my best years so far have made me complacent.
Tim has daily physical activities but also sits long hours
during class, homework, and Chinese and piano lessons. Like
many, he is addicted to the screen. Diet-wise, he has been
eating unhealthy behind my back, which he admits, and eating
too much. I have not been vigilant enough.
We responded by doing the following.
- I explained the causes (I need to keep reading and explain
more to make sure he understand) and consequences of
diabetes (types 2 and 3) which really scared him.
- I explained the concept of glycemic index. Tim would give
up sweets until he got his weight under control.
- I prescribed the weight-loss method that worked for me,
and Tim would write down daily every food he eats, tally
their calories, and keep the total under 1400 (some sites
say 1500 for a healthy BMI by mid-year).
- I would increase our physical activity by walking with him
for 20 min after supper and make sure he do cardio and
weight-lifting exercises in the weekends.
It is bad news. But the problem is within our power as I
have solved it for myself. Just as the Tao instructs (and
Jocko would have agreed) that one needs to know the bad in
order to achieve and appreciate the good, this is a chance
as well. Tim has matured enough to take the news and to take
action. I expect good things out of the experience. Hallelujah!
