Watch video on PeerTube or on Substack.

I’ve recorded a stream of consciousness about my situation. I share my recent progress and changes I’m trying to make. Things are going quite well, but I’m finding it all quite difficult. I’m really trying to learn how to keep the intensity up without sacrificing consistency.

I was able to filter out a lot of background noise with DenoiseIt. I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out and I’m considering using the script on my future walk with me installments. Unless you really like having the ambient noise, if so let me know.

🎉 Recent Milestones

• hit a new low below 440lbs (over 130lbs down!)
• able to reach my feet well enough to put on socks with the help of a chair.
• gone down a size in my shorts, everything I’ve started out with is far too big
• walking faster more consistently
• successfully stuck to my ambitious “active 5 days a week” target for the last month

📔 Reading Progress: Food Politics

Reading Food Politics by Marion Nestle was quite the eye-opener. As somebody quite new to understanding basic nutrition, it was fascinating to get a look into some of the contentious issues. It was interesting to learn about the ‘food fight’ over the USA’s Food Pyramid, as well as other more nuanced issues like food fortification and supplement regulation. The book introduced me to the complicated politics surrounding nutrition, which opened my eyes to the fact that even basic health has been political for longer than I knew.

This is something I want to learn all I can about, given that it seems that health is only going to become more political over time. The push to collect health information for the purposes of integrating healthcare with AI is a non-trivial concern that seems to have principle relevance to Canadian health care. If nothing else, it is clear that food and nutrition will not be spared from mass surveillance and control. Just as it is important for us Free Software advocates to consider how governments and Big Tech imposes a worse digital landscape, we should consider how “Big Ag”, Pharma, and governments are interested in shaping the future of food.

Reflecting on it, I think the book is very helpful for anybody interested in a more nuanced perspective on nutrition. In a time where many people are getting their information from sub-optimal sources, it was nice to get a perspective from somebody who worked ‘inside the system’. I certainly have different preferences than the author on many things, but I found the book very useful for understanding the broader context. In some ways, it has changed how I look at other issues I care about.

The author has quite a few talks and lectures on YouTube, which I’ll share for context. I feel the need to point out that with an open mind, one doesn’t need to agree with her politics or dietary preferences to learn a great deal. I have my own strong disagreements with the author on many things, but have learned a great deal about how we’ve arrived where we are.

• What to Eat | Marion Nestle | Talks at Google
• Marion Nestle, “Unsavory Truth”
• Marion Nestle: “Politics in Action: The Environment of Food Choice”

I do really appreciated having the opportunity to learn from someone with a radically different background and perspective. I’ve still got a lot more to learn. I’ll be on the lookout for more resources on nutrition and the broader health picture. I would really appreciate any recommendations! I’d be especially interested in suggestions on books that cover overall nutrition or even specific questions like GMOs.