My Own Advice

As a kid, I was really skinny.  A coxswain on the freshman crew team at under 120 lb.  I reached a nadir of 108 lb as a young parent with the help of giardia lamblia acquired from my infant daughter and her day care center.  Suit size 36S.  Some quinacrine resolved the infection and my weight returned and remained fairly static until my mid-30's.  During my endocrinology fellowship, I ate lunch more and gained about 10 lb,, feeling observably better in the process.  Weight gradually settled at 140 or , so, stayed there a long time, suit size 38S.  Then about 10 years ago, it rose gradually and as it approached about 160, suit size now 40S, I could tell that it needed some attention, which it got, with roughly the same result that my patients got.  I set a goal of 155, where I still felt well, got as close as 157 but intake is probably an ingrained regulated process so the new plateau settled at 165.  I still feel good, but since I am going on cruise shortly, I decided to have some clothing altered.  That venerable 40S sportscoat could no longer be buttoned.  I did not want to pay $50 for the alteration.  I bought new pants, my usual size, which ordinarily need the length adjusted.  Now it needs the waist adjusted.  Weight is not much different, distribution may be around the midsection.

Since retiring about six weeks back, I have been better than ever with diet and exercise consistency.  I have breakfast every day, I go on the treadmill two days of three with almost no lapses.  For a while supper was less and mid-day snacking less but a new feeding pattern may be setting in.  It's time to do what I tell the patients.  Pick a diet, any diet.  Minimize bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice which happen to be my staples.  Some things I can do easily.  On my kitchen table right now I have a box of Tastycake left over from my son's recent visit, a container of Trader Joe's Cat Cookies which really do not have a lot of calories and Trader Joe's Strawberry bars.  In the refrigerator I have fresh figs and baby carrots.  To my surprise a Shop-Rite crummy bagel has 250 calories.  I do not really need to make Hasidic Noodle Kugel except for a special occasion.  Keep it easy and measure. 

Keep the jacket unbuttoned on the cruise formal nights.