We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. — Walt Disney
Curiosity is defined as a strong desire to know or learn something. Here are two examples of curiosity as it relates to my health journey:
- Wanting to know how to turn my body from burning carbohydrates to burning fat;
- Wanting to learn how my body metabolizes carbohydrates.
Both of these questions were motivated by my desire to conquer obesity and prevent diabetes – my most pressing and serious health issues.
I could have given in to confusion after reading so many books on what to eat, how to eat, and when to eat. I could have let anxiety win when I was confounded by different theories about calories in and calories out or counting macros or low carb vs. low fat diets. Instead, I kept my beginner’s mind on straight and followed my curiosity. I was motivated to keep exploring, to keep wondering. I asked basic questions: Why? How? I accepted that there were no definitive answers, but I collected and observed my personal data, and followed where it led, shedding one to two pounds a week.
Six months into my weight transformation, I was reading The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. He made a profound statement in that book that took my breath away: All diets will work and all diets will fail. That one sentence could have discouraged me just as I hit my first plateau. Instead, I stayed curious. I had the courage to keep reading, and learned that my brain held a setpoint weight. I decided that since I was my own science experiment, I had nothing to lose by changing my fasting protocol from 18 hours to occasional 24 hour fasts. It worked! I broke through my plateau and kept going down the scale.
In October, I purchased a subscription to Levels Health after I heard Dr. Casey Means interviewed at an Insulin Resistance Summit. She resonated with me in a similar way that Dr. Jason Fung resonated with me. The Levels program consisted of an app and a prescription for a Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor. With this device, which essentially measures glucose in the interstitial fluid under the skin, I could see in real time how my body responded to specific meals. I could find out exactly which foods triggered my glucose to spike sharply or stay on an even keel with nice rolling hills. What’s more – the program gave me target parameters (70-110 mg/dL) – optimal levels to strive to maintain. I don’t always achieve the optimal, but I am continuously learning because I want to know and understand. That is my determination. To me, knowledge is empowerment.
In November, I purchased a subscription to the Lumen device – an instrument that measures my CO2 (carbon dioxide), which can determine if I am in a state of fat or carbohydrate burn when I wake up in the morning or after two hours of eating or a half-hour of exercise. With this tool, I am learning just how much metabolic flexibility I have. I can use this knowledge to make decisions that will impact weight management and health.
Looking under the hood, I am getting granular information that no annual physical can provide. I feel good about what I am doing for myself. For some people, this might seem like too much work. But actually, beyond setting up the gadgets and their apps, it’s a no-brainer. I can look at these tools as often or as infrequently as I like. The important thing, to me, is to keep chipping away at my personal health goals. In the IIN program, we are reminded that the journey is about progress, not perfection.
Curiosity is a motivator. Be curious.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. — Albert Einstein
♥ Susan L. Ward
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach