Each night he slept on the floor. I suppose it was a type of self deprivation, a penance. As a product of the Catholic schools, I have vivid memories of all of the lessons of Lent. Us kids gave up little; if we had a nickel or a dime, we still bought our candy or comic books. Of course, only if we couldn't steal them. The good Sisters of Saint Joseph made sure that we at least did our small part, and herded us into the church once or twice a week to do the Stations of the Cross.
This man, Pope John Paul II was the real deal. He practiced self-restraint, abstinence. He was said to have spent entire nights lying with his arms outstretched on the bare floor. He fasted before ordaining priests or bishops. However, what made him real, the Pope of the average man, was that each morning he messed up his bed so no one knew.
As scientists begin to uncover the secrets of longevity, they are finding a prescription for long life that few will want to take: a diet so low in calories that to most Americans, it would feel close to starvation. The diet, dubbed "calorie restriction" in the clinical parlance of science, would be called severe deprivation in any other lexicon. Calorie restriction was first shown to create exceptionally long-lived rats in the 1930s. It later had the same effect in guppies, water fleas, yeast, spiders and a microscopic water invertebrate called the rotifer. Labrador retrievers became the first large mammals to join the list.
The experiments limit food intake to the minimum necessary to prevent negative effects on health -- or at least 30% less than the current "healthy" diet. Translated into human terms, that would be 1,120 calories a day for the average woman, or 1,540 for a man. For the average American, eating at that level would create deep hunger pangs. One meal at McDonald's -- a Big Mac, supersize fries, and small Coke -- weighs in at 1,450 calories. And if a woman on 30% calorie restriction had a cappuccino and a large muffin during her morning commute, she would already have consumed 75% of her allocation for the day.
That's a diet for a saint. I'll stick to my occasional junk food and three Our Fathers and three Hail Mary's once a year. I may not get a ticket on the express train to heaven, but I'll die fat and happy.
May I recommend for your enjoyment: I like giblets but have never tried pig brain soup
You may also enjoy reading: Dirt and sit ups can be good for us
See links for all the Genesis posts to date: Genesis Through My Eyes
Fortune has allowed me to come full circle and return to my earlier interest in photography. I am at that age were some weight loss would be beneficial. I certainly don't believe all photographers need to starve, but my initial goals are realistic, if not humble. The industry has changed tremendously, but the possibilities are unlimited. I am grateful that my parents' gave me a generic name. It's allowed me to explore numerous paths unhindered.
"I continue to seek exquisite beauty in my images, exploring all techniques, old and new".
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