It’s been nearly 3 years since I first heard Howard Dean say, “You have the Power” and my life was changed. At first it was just politics. After a 15 year break from politics and hope, I threw myself into the Dean campaign. I was thrilled to find a candidate who so clearly spoke his mind. And he said so many things that I agreed with! Well, I can’t tell you how happy I was to work for him.
Howard Dean’s campaign for president is over. But what he said was true, “You have the Power”. And that power has been exercised in many different ways by former Dean volunteers. For me, Dean’s voice saying, “You have the Power” echoed through my brain last summer as I was considering how to get control of my health.
But, how to use it?
Last summer I was obese, diabetic and had constant digestive problems. In spite of knowing that I “have the Power”, I felt helpless and out of control. My future felt limited. And I was all too aware that if I didn’t get the diabetes under control, my future was actually very limited. This was the bleakest time of my life.
I’d been through so many diets. I’d succeeded with Weight Watchers, I’d watched my blood sugars, I’ve lost hundreds of pounds — all for what? If you saw me in the grocery store you’d have thought I was just any old fat lady.
It isn’t a matter of self-control, I quit smoking in a day without ever looking back. I knew that if a person could quit eating, I could do that without trouble. But, you can’t do that. We have to learn to eat, with control. How does a person with eating issues learn to do that?
And then it came to me — a genius idea. It is so simple, it can’t fail:
. Just Today. And I’ll try it for a year.
Well, I’ve been doing this for half a year — and it’s changed my life. I’ve lost weight at a constant rate. My blood sugars are at a normal, healthy level. My digestive problems are improving every week. I’ve talked about it with friends, and family and at the BoomanTribune. And it’s become clear from my conversations that there is a real need for a national conversation about food & eating and associated health issues — much like Howard Dean’s “Great American Conversation” of 2003.
So, I’ve started Eat 4 Today, a place for those conversations. If issues of health haunt your life, if you are struggling to take control of your future, visit Eat 4 Today.
It’s been open a week and the response has been tremendous. We’ve published stories from 5 authors and had hundreds of comments. It’s a lively place filled with smart, supportive people. Eat 4 Today is not for everyone, but if you’re interested, I invite you to come and visit.
I believe that a healthy population is a powerful population. As long as we are weakened by our ill-health we cannot effectively fight Bush and his cohorts. “You have the Power”, come to Eat 4 Today and exercise it.
[Cross-posted to the Daily Kos]
