The Closer You Get to You

Ok, Roberta, I know that’s not the exact title of your amazing song but this suits my purpose better. I was watching the season finale of Being Human – Ok I am a bit obsessed with the show but it was the season finale so you won’t be hearing anymore about it from me, at least.

But wait, I really must digress as I just got the best news this morning. Actually two really great pieces of news. The first is that the segment that I taped for Rachael Ray show is going to air on April 21, 2011 nationwide; but in the New York television market, it runs on ABC at 10AM. (UPDATE: the air date has been postponed, stay tuned.) Please set your DVR’s and remember to watch it. I also am going to ask you to call into the show and send them an email telling them how great I was- even if you didn’t see it, you know I will be fantastic so be a pal and help a brother out. Please tell everyone in your social network to do the same. I want this to go viral and you have to help me- please???? And besides, once you see me on TV, you can make fun of me and put me in your blog. We will continuously tweet this (what do you mean you don’t follow me yet? Sign up now and follow @drfredpescatore) and facebook it so we can really make this appearance count.

Getting back to the werewolf, Josh. Bizarrely enough even he can’t understand it, he finds himself in love with one of the nurses at the hospital where he works. He never thought he would be able to find love as a monster (need therapy much- who doesn’t have some bit of monster inside them- ok maybe I have been in too much therapy) but he does and we find out in last week’s episode that she is pregnant. Josh, for obvious reasons, doesn’t reveal too much of himself; but is committed to his unborn child. His girlfriend, Nora would like to find out more so she follows him into the basement of the hospital where Josh is about to change- it is a full moon people, keep up!

Anyway, she sees him change, has a miscarriage (cue tears and sad moans) and the next day they sit on her couch and have a conversation. Josh says something to the effect that she would probably not want to see him again and Nora turns to him and says that this is the closest she has ever felt to him because he finally revealed something about himself. Josh was always hiding who he really was and it was the first time Nora got a glimpse into the truth of Josh. Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with health and nutrition. A lot, so often, especially when we are overweight, or dieting, we do it alone. It is a monster inside of us, a burden that we share alone. I mean we may tell a few friends but the onus is on us. We hide these real parts of ourselves and are not honest- to ourselves or others.

How can we, like Josh, expect support from those around us, when they don’t know what we are going through? It isn’t easy being on a diet or trying to live a healthy lifestyle when we live in a world where it is so easy to be unhealthy. I am sitting in my office 19 stories above Lexington Avenue. I can see all the way down to the street. I can see the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and even all the way downtown to the Freedom Tower (or as I would still like to call it The World Trade Center) and yet, I can’t see a single store where I could get something to eat that is healthy and nutritious. One moment please, let me go see how many there are… I’m back and I can see 10 and I know there are five on my side of the street. Pathetic right? I wouldn’t eat from any of them. Yet, if we are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and/or lose weight, we have to make changes. We have to be willing to go hungry rather than eat the slop they call food.

Speaking of changes, what is up with that new housewife of New York? Better yet, what was up with Jill asking so many questions about the father of the twins, how she conceived, etc. The new season just began and it is so far a whole heap of crazy. Ramona is bug eyed and a trouble maker beyond repair. And Alex, seriously, dial down that attitude – you want to be a model now? And you live in Brooklyn? (not that there’s anything wrong with that) When Kelly appears to be the sane one…….watch out Bravo! As long as we are on this topic, let’s talk about Bethenny for a moment. Bethenny used to be on RHONY but got her own spin off. The interesting thing was that she revealed on Bethenny Ever After, just this week, that she was resigned to be single and to run her own business and try to make a successful career for herself believing that she was never going to find a husband, life partner, whatever. In walks Jason and shortly thereafter a new baby. By being truthful and expressing herself openly her life took, what appears now, to be a very positive turn. She was living her truth – the truth that she didn’t want to admit and her life turned around – both professionally and personally in ways she could have never have imagined. That is what we must all do in our quest to be healthy. Admit the truth. Admit it to ourselves and to others.

Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and ask for help. I can’t tell you how many overweight people hide what they eat and sneak food. That is not being honest. Making dinner plans without telling the people you are going with that you are on a special diet is not being true to your self. Accepting an invitation to dinner and not asking what will be served is not being truthful. Others can’t help you if they don’t know what to do.

What I don’t know what to do with are the new shows. There are so many – The Borgias (stick with it, it gets better), Camelot (not in the same league as Spartacus), Game of Thrones – starts Sunday, Mob Wives – how much fun will I have with that one? My head is spinning but somehow I will manage to find time to see the underlying drama in all of them. Oh, I did want to mention the Kennedy’s – I will never get those 8 hours of my life back, but for the most part, the acting was outstanding. Greg Kinnear of Talk Soup was superb as JFK and our little Joey Potter from Dawson’s Creek, aka Katie Holmes (aka the wife of a cult member, allegedly) played Jackie O really well. Why do I digress so much? Honestly. If you stay true to your convictions, how can you fail? We would never think to offer an alcoholic even just a sip of alcohol; or to ask them to meet you in a bar. We would never offer a drug addict just a short line or a half a tab of X. Why should food addiction or compulsive and unhealthy food behaviors be treated any differently? The truth is: don’t be around those who don’t support you but it isn’t their fault unless you ask for the help by acknowledging who you are and what is necessary. No, you can’t have just a little bite of dessert and no you can’t just have a small end of the bread and YES, you can live without any of those things. Be honest with what you want and be honest with who you are – I bet it will help in a lot of other areas in your life, and not just with being healthy. It will improve all your relationships – not just to the one with food.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you my other bit of good news. I officially have a Hollywood agent. Yes, the same one who represents the Kardashians and Bethenny (how happy am I?) amongst other real celebrities – Yikes, I really have to be careful of what I write now. Don’t forget to tune into The Rachel Ray show on April 21 to see me (UPDATE: the air date has been postponed, stay tuned.). I discuss the 3 day sugar detox. It can be done – thy will be done – it’s almost Easter –sorry. Follow all the late breaking Dr. Fred news on twitter @drfredpescatore and become a fan on facebook. Or you really are going to start missing important things.

Until next time………


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