Wednesday, October 10, 2018

The 20-pound weight loss diet I don't recommend



By Monica Vest Wheeler

Purchasing my August ticket for the ski lift in New Mexico, I saw the option for senior discount: 60 and over. It hit me that I had turned 60 in June and thereby qualified to save a few bucks. And the guy didn't ask to see my ID.

Hmm … I wondered afterward … did I really look that "old"?

Last month, I saw Midwest Pilot Club service organization friends I hadn't seen since April 2017 because I was caring for Mom in Indiana. They were so loving and complimentary about how "good" I looked, asking if I had lost weight. Yes, I had dropped some, though I laughingly didn't recommend the "grief diet" … losing Dad and Mom in 19 months.

I went for a regular checkup yesterday and discovered I had shed 20 pounds since July, when Mom passed away. What a "pleasant" surprise!

Yes, my "grief diet" has evolved in the last three months … from complete lack of appetite … to contemplating the need or consequences of virtually every bite I consume … to the elimination of junk food.

My poor husband Roger has had to not only get used to me living at home again full time after most of 10 months away taking care of Mom … but my drastically revamped eating habits. I simply don't have a hunger for anything beyond healthy essentials as I also walk at least every other day to rebuild my endurance. My comfort food? Pickled beets, like when I was a kid …

I still have an appetite for LIFE … though I have to stimulate it every day. Poor Roger also puts up with an almost relentless daily round of my tears, which seemed to have intensified in the last few weeks. A day without tears … well, it just ain't happening right now and I hate that loss of "control."

I can hardly make it through a conversation without succumbing to unexpected tears. Just ask the dear friends I saw yesterday … And without a word, they just hand me tissues and hug me as I laugh off the flood.

Yes, just keep holding me tight … as I make it easier for you to wrap your arms completely around me …

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