Chat with Pat goes on a Diet
My Body has turned on me!

Nothing goes easy. I never knew that dieting could be so stressful.

I have always equated large, big and tall with power, strength and importance. I have always admired curvy. large women. (Be careful what you wish for.) I like big; be it dogs or purses.

When I married my six foot four large husband he said he was going to fatten me up. "Good job Slim, now stop I don't need any more help from up there".

Lately my doctor has warned me to cut the sweets. I am pre-diabetic. Four months ago he gave me the ultimatum - lose weight and make the blood sugar numbers go down or you're going on pills. "I want to see you in 4 weeks" he said. All my blood work was great other than that. He said I'd out live them all if not for the glucose.

He scared me. OK, I'll do it this time. "Change your attitude, thin is in." I thought.

I made the mistake of telling my son it might be nice to get a digital scale. I've had a balance scale for 30 years. It's very accurate but a pain to use. I should have known better than to say it to him. Two days later the box arrived. You guessed it - a digital scale.

This was my first mistake. This scale is down right EVIL! For one thing it lies!

One day I lost 2 pounds and the next day I gained them back. I decided to trick it. I got weighed, walked into the hall and back and it changed a half a pound. That's .5 digital. Counting percentages of a pound is maddening.

To hear my family, if I lost weight it would eliminate all the ills of the world especially my knees and back problems. I'd have more energy; need new clothes etc. Blah blah blah!

I decided, since candy is my main problem, to become a calorie and carb counter. I needed a Booklet. Years ago they were at all the checkout counters. My daughter, searched all the super markets, drug stores and book stores. They had calorie books but not for carbs. Finally on the web we found a place that had them and for only 99 cents. Wow I'll get 3: one for home one for the office and one for good luck (hey they are only 99 cents.)

The first thing I did was check the carbs in a pop corn ball. All kinds of popcorn items but no Popcorn balls. How about suckers? Nope. Hard candy? Filled candy but not the kind I like. The book has 462 pages with about 45 items on each. But not my favorites.

I realize as I write down what I eat each day (what a pain) it is not the amount I eat but making bad choices. And having to have something in my mouth most of the time. I always have a bag or two of ju jubes or spice drops at my desks both at home and the office. Do you know what those tiny little drops cost in Carbs? Ridiculous!

I am a sitter. Yes, sitting is bad too. I sit when and wherever I can. I have a back and knee problem and it hurts when I stand or walk (Solution - don't! Sitting is much more pleasant anyway). Also I admit that I have become lazy. Exercise over the years has become a bad word. I have all the equipment and DVDs. (Attention family! I don't need anymore) I know I have to start but tomorrow not today.

The four weeks have gone and now thirteen. I have passed up so many favorite foods.

How many pounds have I lost you ask? ZERO, mind you zero, pounds. Yesterday I could have said 3 ounces but today the evil scale put them back on.

My family says I have to move more. Easy for them to say. I will call the Doctor tomorrow and let the chips fall where they may (chips - I almost forgot the taste and crunch) I have switched to potato sticks (sticks should be less calories than chips, right?)

Rice cakes and dill pickles have taken the place of Hershey bars, dips and cheeses. How sad is that?

Has your body turned on you also? I hope not!

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Pat