Countdown On!

Thursday or Friday, I'll be getting on that scale that I keep tucked under the desk in my bedroom. The beastie is a little dusty. How much can dust can weigh? Seriously. I need to know. An ounce of dust on a scale can be the barometer of our day!

I think back to my time at Weight Watchers, with all the ladies arriving wearing the lightest clothing they owned. Most wore the same clothes to weigh-in every week, to avoid unnecessary fluctuations. Then the games would begin, as they removed as much of it as possible, and took off all their jewelry too, before stepping up onto the Moment of Truth Machine. Every ounce counts on the WW Machine, and the mini-version lurking under my desk counts them too. So you see, "how much dust makes an ounce?" is a question not to be ignored!

I'll be sure to clean it well before boarding.

By the way, here's the thing about weigh-in day at Weight Watchers: after meeting, everyone would head to one of the local all-you-can-eat buffets. Weigh-in over, on to a food free-for-all.
Ugh.

My previous post, on the grossly obese who were featured on The Learning Channel, for the purposes of education and compassion, I'm sure (said with some sarcasm), might have been a little...insensitive. I'm considering revising it. Just a little of it. Not to censor myself, but out of compassion, sympathy, and empathy.

I work with a sweet young man who is nearing the point where he might one day crawl in bed and not get out. He told me, after his thin father had a heart attack, that it was time to get serious about getting in shape. At the time, he believed his weight to be in the low 400's, but it has been a long time since he was on a scale, and I would estimate him to be at least 450, but probably higher. Everything about his body looks...uncomfortable. His eyes are small slits that seem to be fighting the heavy lids above them. He walk is awkward, and he breathes with difficulty.

For all his weight, he is invisible. When you are that large, people don't see you anymore. And if they do, well, sometimes it's better not to be seen. People can be cruel.

A co-worker told me that one night when this young man came to work, he brought along three bags of groceries and a cube of Pepsi. He ate a whole pizza. Then microwaved a Hungry Man dinner. Then went to work on the chips and cakes.

What causes this insatiable hunger? What causes us to eat, and eat, and eat, as though we were hypnotized? Thoughtless eating.

Lots of things. I have many theories...thus this blog.

from Michael Pollan:

Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.