The reader I responded to Saturday also wrote the following:

in the meanwhile i am writing to a medical doctor who is also a fitness expert so that i can meet her and set up a program that looks at both nutrition and exercise

She’s doing what a lot of people do, especially well-educated businesspeople who have developed habits to analyze things before acting. I do so too on many things, but you can also tell when someone knows what they should do and are analyzing to delay action. While I believe she’s looking for a program, I’m confident she could start before talking to the doctor. We all know substituting vegetables for sugar, alcohol, and other empty calories or some similar way to cut our caloric intakes and exercise more makes us more fit. Nobody needs a doctor for that.

I’m not a medical doctor, but I couldn’t help responding:

You don’t need more information or experts. I suggest that you need to change your environment, beliefs, and behavior. I doubt a doctor will help with those things. Any belief remotely like that you need an expert’s help will undermine your independence. Besides, all the information you need is online.

Filling your kitchen with vegetables, fruit, and legumes and no longer buying foods with fiber removed or packaging will get you more results than relying on an expert to tell you what you don’t need an expert to tell you. Same with exercise every day or do some calorie-burning sidcha. You’re just reinforcing a false belief of dependence. I recommend building independence.

I’m not saying don’t see a doctor. I’m saying we don’t have to wait to see one to start making ourselves fit.

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