Food a Celebration of Life

My husband has been on the Nutrisystem diet lately. In the past I have gone on it with him, but since I don't lose like he does and then I gain it right back, I decided to do my own thing this time. So far I haven't lost a pound. Probably because I love the taste of food and since I don't have to cook for him, I've been making all my favorites. One thing I've noticed is that our life actually revolves around food. When we're on a diet, it becomes even more evident since we can't wait for the next meal or snack. I know people who eat to live. They don't care about food and often forget to eat. I've never forgotten to eat in my entire life. I may have been caught up in something and put it off, but I never forgot. And trust me when I tell you that when I finished what I was doing, I made up for it.

I get cranky and a headache if I don't eat regularly. Apparently it's so bad that whenever we go on a trip, my family packs snacks just for me.

All of our celebrations center around eating. For Mother's Day, my daughter and I will take my mother out to lunch. It's also what we do on birthdays. As a retired couple one of the things we enjoy most is having lunch out. Obviously, we haven't been able to do that lately, and I feel deprived.

All the diet books I've read suggest that I should substitute some other reward system, but I haven't come up with one. I don't like shopping and eating out is a whole lot cheaper. Exercise is not a reward and only makes me hungry. Yes, I'd like to be thin and I know that shopping would be much more fun if I were, but somehow I can't convince my body or my appetite that it's even possible or worth the sacrifice.

I've gone on every diet and read almost every diet book and no matter what the jacket may say, they all involve going hungry or giving up food that actually tastes good. Years ago, my doctor prescribed a pill that killed my appetite. I lost a great deal of weight because just a few bites satisfied me. I didn't have to think about dieting or going without. I could eat whatever I wanted. I just didn't want much of it. As far as I could tell, they weren't addictive and I didn't feel hyped up. I was in heaven. However, the minute I stopped taking the pills, the hunger soared back with a vengeance. I was willing to continue taking the pills, but of course, the government took them off the market.

So here's my plan. Someday, someone is going to invent a pill that I can take at night that will drain away all the fat by morning. As soon as they do, I'm going to stock up enough to last for the rest of my life.