By the Numbers

I imagine that almost everyone knows what a "paint-by-number" is. Many of us have probably tried our hands at one; maybe we've even finished one. Or more. If we dutifully follow the instructions and carefully abide by the diagram and diligently paint within the lines, we can produce a pretty exact copy of the illustration on the box. If we take some liberties with the boundaries, we can turn out a somewhat-individualized version.

Is it best to "stay inside the lines" or should we dare to defy convention? The more individualized painting might better appeal to our sense of beauty. But maybe the creators of the product intended for it to look as closely identical to the box cover as possible. OK, probably not. The creators of the product intended for you to buy it - nothing more, nothing less. Once they have your money, they really don't care whether your finished painting looks like a tall ship in the sunset or a bowl of nachos.

I think that sometimes we live by numbers. Weight, cholesterol count, caloric intake, blood sugar, vitamin dosages, and on and on and on... OK, I get that sometimes we have to track these numbers. Sudden changes in weight, for instance, might indicate serious illness. Extremes in weight are practically illnesses in and of themselves. Blood sugar levels that are too high or too low are dangerous and possibly indicative of other problems. For some people, tracking certain health-related numbers is not so much a way of live as it is a condition of survival.

But for the rest (the majority) of us, the only reason we watch our weight and the umpteen other "health-related" numbers in our lives is that someone has told us to do so. Whether it's the latest "medical" breakthrough, or a long-term government "study," or a new "diet" book, or some "you can do it" type of TV show, someone is selling us a "live-by-numbers" kit. And for the most part, they don't really care what the finished product looks like - they've succeeded once we buy the box.

Several people have asked me lately if I'm losing weight. I've made some adjustments to the way I eat and I'm exercising 3-5 days a week. The "live-by-numbers" kit would tell me that I'd better be losing weight. And if I'm not, then I might need to count calories more closely, or adjust the number of grams of this or that, or...

Well, the truth is, I lost about 5 pounds over the course of about 6 months as a result of changing my diet, before I added any exercise. Since adding exercise about 6 months ago, I've lost another 6-8 pounds, depending upon what day I weigh. That could be discouraging, because I'm working hard. But I only check my weight out of curiosity. I'm not living by the weight numbers. I'm instead enjoying the fact that my pants fit more loosely around my waist and my shirts fit more snugly on my chest and shoulders.

I come from a "cholesterally"-gifted bloodline. My father and my two siblings take medication to regulate their cholesterol levels. My doctor checks mine every year, of course. And it hovers right around 209. I'm not worried that it's over 200, the old standard, nor even that it's over 180, which some "experts" are clamoring about as the newer, better standard.

Instead, I have chosen to follow Michael Pollan's advice in In Defense of Food - "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I've added 45 minutes or more of exercise several times a week, including walking and weightlifting. To me this seems to be a common-sense, healthy way to live. Sort of the way people lived before food became an industrial product. Or at least a sincere attempt to mimic that lifestyle, given the food choices available to me and the lack of physical work required at my job. It's something like the way people live in other parts of the world where the American diet hasn't yet insinuated itself. The way people live who've never heard of ailments like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and tooth decay.

I don't worry too much about weight, cholesterol numbers, calorie intake vs. calorie use, and so on. And while I'm not entirely "number-free," I've definitely chosen not to buy the "kit."