People know I like to set goals, especially summer goals, and in 2021, it was no different.
"I want to finish reading five books this summer," I told my friend Mark.
"What? Five books? That should be easy."
Mark didn't realize that I'm a B student with a 980 SAT score. I went to American University and didn't read five books in my four years there. After graduating, I moved to L.A. and pursued a career as a rap artist. Truth be told, I hadn't read five books since high school. This would be a Sisyphean task—and I wasn't even sure who Sisyphus was. Something about a rock?
"Any five books?"
"Actually," I said, "they all involve diet and fasting. I'm trying to learn more."
"Don't you already know a ton about fasting?”
Mark was right. I first discovered fasting in 1992 when I got into marathoning and wanted an edge. A friend recommended Harvey Diamond's "Fit For Life," a book that radically changed my approach to diet. Among many other things, it advised people only to eat fruit until noon because it should only be consumed on an empty stomach.
Each time I read it; it feels like a conversation with an old friend who knows exactly how my body worked. The words weren't just text—they were a treasure map, whispered secrets, the golden key to knowing metabolism, nutrition, and the incredible machine that is the human body. "Fit For Life" didn't just change my approach to nutrition—it transformed how I lived.
At some point in July, some of my friends, Sara and I were talking about my goal. And when I say talking, I mean they were poking fun at it in front of me.
"What more are you going to learn from reading these books on fasting?" Sara said. "Just don't eat! I mean, why are these even long books? It should be page 1: don't eat. Page 2: the end."
I laughed at Sara's joke, but it got me thinking. She was right that fasting is simple—just don't eat. But what fascinates me isn't just the act of fasting; it's understanding the intricate dance between our bodies and food, the science behind why it works, and the countless ways it can transform our lives.
Reading these books wasn't just about learning how to fast. It was about diving deeper into something I thought I knew everything about, only to discover there were entire oceans of knowledge I hadn't explored. It reminded me that even when we think we've mastered something, there's always more to learn if we're willing to stay curious.
Because sometimes the simplest concepts have the most profound impact on our lives.
For the record, I finished book number five on Aug 28th. And yes, Sara, it was more than two pages!
