TURNING BACK THE CLOCK WITH OZ

I’m fifty-four years old, and I met Oz when I was forty-four. I now feel as if I’ve gone from fifty-four to thirty-four. When I first met him, I had hit the wall. I was running six miles a day, and all of a sudden I was exhausted. I was falling asleep every day at three in the afternoon. I went to see Oz because he was recommended by a friend. To say I was skeptical is an understatement. I told him up front: “I’m not going to take any of your stupid vitamins. I’m not going to listen to anything you have to say. But what do you have to say?” He told me that my adrenals were exhausted and that I needed to change my eating habits. I thought I had a good diet. I ate a lot of fish and salads. He said that I needed to do a cleanse and get my liver straightened out.

I followed a detox program for about a week. By the fifth or sixth day, I was flying. I was back up and running, and I’ve never stopped. Now I’m up early in the morning and up until eleven at night.

He said I needed to make sure I was off all caffeine. He was very strict. He said, “If you don’t get off the caffeine, I don’t even want to see you again.” I said, “You’re out of your mind. It’s probably Lyme disease.” I went and got tested. I got tested twice. It wasn’t Lyme disease. Finally I said, “Okay, fine; I’ll listen to you.”

For me, the coffee was a detriment. It was really hurting me, and I didn’t even know it. I didn’t even think I was drinking that much. But Oz asked me to keep a food log and to write down everything I was eating and drinking. I showed it to him and said, “You see, I don’t drink coffee.” He said, “What’s that?” I said “That’s the cup I have when I get up in the morning to get me going.” “What’s that?” he asked. “That’s the one cup after breakfast.” He said, “What’s that?” “That’s the late-morning pick-me-up cup.” “What’s that?” “That’s the one after lunch.” “What’s that?” “That’s the one at four in the afternoon when I’m really tired.” “What’s that?” “That’s the one after dinner.” He said, “That’s six cups a day! Of course you’re a coffee drinker.” I had no idea.

Working with Oz is a learning process. He helps you become a good detective about your own health. He helps you learn to take care of yourself. He always takes a sensible approach. It’s not extreme like Atkins or Pritikin. It’s his own way. He’s been a wealth of information and a wealth of knowledge.

In some ways I’m unique, because I have a chronic disease that can be very debilitating. Some people end up in the hospital. I take care of myself, and I feel great. I’m involved in several different businesses, I run around, I play. If anything, my problem is that sometimes I think I’m too young. I have to remember that I’m a little bit older now.

Oz taught me to be self-sufficient. He took me beyond healthy. He took me to a point where ten years later I feel ten years younger than when I started.

I am, however, a human being, so sometimes I’ll call him up in the middle of February and say, “I don’t know what’s going on. I have headaches, and I’m tired.” He says, “What are you doing? Let me guess. You’re eating ice cream and chocolate and peanuts. Cut that stuff out.” Sure enough, the headaches go away.

He always teaches that everyone’s got a margin for error. He doesn’t tell anyone what to do. If I ask him, “Can I drink alcohol?” he says, “If you can have one or two glasses of wine, great. But if you’re the type of person who can’t tolerate alcohol, then learn to recognize that about yourself. You have a smaller margin of error in that area.” He basically teaches you to be the owner of your own body and to educate yourself about your own margins for error.

Excerpted from "Redesigning 50," by Oz Garcia. Copyright 2008. Reprinted with permission from HarperCollins. All rights reserved.

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