Gut Pilot October 26, 2023

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“Start with the thing you are most motivated to do. It does not matter which domino falls first, as long as one falls." James Clear

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We have discussed some gut health how-to's in recent weeks, but how do we manage to make changes that last?

I'm no expert, but I've managed to cobble together about 4 years of sustained progress. I feel it in so many impactful ways, but most people notice my weight.

I'll try to explain why I think it has worked for me. There's no reason you can't do the same. Just skip the cancer part.

But I often get asked "how has cancer affected you?"

I'm quick to point out, a cancer story is something that will maybe draw a wince or shudder, but it's too easy to dismiss it as "it'll never happen to me".

I tell them my gut health journey is not a cancer story...it's a "what happened after cancer" story.

I want my gut health journey to resonate with as many people as possible and emphasize that it can benefit everyone.

Our motivations might be different, but the methods and outcomes can be exactly the same.

I've been known to say a time or two that while I don't wish for anyone to go through what I did; I do wish they could have the experience of living for 22 days without knowing the ending to this story.

What I learned about myself and worked through from cancer diagnosis to surgery is what drives me to this day.

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When you get the gut punch of "you have cancer", the unquenchable thirst for me was I needed answers to all my questions.

But only after I could breathe again.

I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me when I heard those words. I needed someone to hand me a brown paper bag.

Some of my rapid fire questions I needed answers to:

1. What stage am I?

2. Has it spread?

3. Will I need chemo?

4. When you remove the tumor and take part of my colon, what are the risks of reattachment?

And every single question had the same answer, "we really won't know until we get in there".

You get the picture. Not many answers were given.

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I was like Simone Biles for 22 days, playing an Olympic-Caliber game of mental gymnastics. Despite all the admonitions and warnings to stay off of Web MD, refrain from Googling myself silly, and repeatedly told to NOT grab a shovel to start digging my own grave....

but I did it all anyway.

I was brave on most days. I put on a helluva front, strong, resolute, "let's do this thing and get it over with. I'll be fine."

But I also took long showers. It was the only place I could break down and recover out of view of my wife and kids.

I stayed up late every night until the house got quiet. That's when I could research endlessly.

I could see successful outcome percentage rates. I could also see how bad things might go.

I also ran all 50 years of my life through my head. I wondered if I would be around to see my kids' major milestones in life.

And I realized that most of what worried me and stressed me out in life was trivial compared to what I was facing now.

But most importantly- I fixated on time. Especially how precious and irreplaceable it is.

I fully admit that my front row seat to all of this for 22 days made a difference. And to catch a daily gaze at a 4-inch scar on my right abdomen is an unfair advantage.

But here's where I think my story can help you.

It might not be as far-fetched as you think. We are on different paths, but they might be largely the same.​Sure, colon cancer shook me to my core. But I had no family history of colon cancer. I DID manage to earn a PhD in eating a western diet, ripe with ultra-processed foods and next to no dietary fiber.

I figured I could go a few more hard years of the good life before I needed to shape up.

I had no idea how poorly managed my stress was.

I was a train wreck when it came to sleep.

And exercise was not in my vocabulary.

This was a combination of lifestyle choices that set the table for poor metabolic health.

See how close our paths might be now?

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Now you don't need to do it for 22 days, but take some time to reflect.

Take a moment to conjure up memories of your deepest despair, the death of a close family member or friend, or maybe a brush with your own mortality.​Remember that feeling you had when you were going to squeeze your kids a bit tighter, send that friend a birthday card, or how you resolved to make the most of your time.​Whether it's a 22-day window like I had, or just a dedicated hour of reflection you take, intentional reflection on your life, your mortality, is MARKEDLY different than a fleeting brush with death, a close call, a near-miss car accident.

Those are fleeting.

I'm sure you've probably had as many close calls as I have.

(then again maybe not?)

This is a period of time where you can really think about life- successes but especially failures.​Sure I had a battle in front of me, but I was blessed with this incredible opportunity to re-calibrate my life. I figured out what was important and what was just trivial noise.

​​You have the ability to do the same.

You might be somewhere close to the way I was living- not particularly focused on your health, and sure to get started...tomorrow.

Maybe not. Hopefully not.

But resetting your priorities and taking your health seriously is a great place to start, or restart.​A gut health diet and lifestyle changes are so much more than eating funky foods with live cultures, crushing more fiber in your diet, and exercising.

But it CAN be a first, real step in arresting your descent, grabbing the steering wheel, and throwing everything you have at living your best life.​You don't need to get cancer to do this.​I was a slow learner.​You don't have to be.

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Next week, I'll do a deeper dive on how to measure success from your gut health efforts, which can manifest quickly... without spending a fortune on lab work.

Thanks for reading.

Jeff