In the old days, you know, back when I was in the Corps, when I looked down, I could see my feet.
I could also eat what I wanted, then go run three miles without grabbing my chest and thinking I would die. I rode mountain bikes through single tracks in the woods, scuba diving was a hobby, and I didn't choose clothing because it hid things. 
Years later, after the body took decades of abuse, running is no longer possible and walking is limited. I can't exercise to lose weight. DIET has become a four letter word. People advertise them with the words attached like Miracle, NEW, and Amazing. As I watched my weight climb, and climb, and ... sigh... climb as the years did
I finally went to the VA MOVE program as the Docs recommended. We both knew I needed to lose weight since my lower back injuries and my knees would both benefit. Even rolling myself along in the chair would be easier if I lost a few pounds.The MOVE program staff, dieticians and nurses welcome you to the program, give you a basic physical and then recommend a combination of diet and exercise, tailored to your needs and abilities. MY assigned nurse was faced with a difficult task, help the old man lose weight without adding an exercise routine. I told her that FAD diets don't work and I wasn't going to take drugs.
What we need to do is change your diet, what you eat. It's a lifestyle change, because your diet is your daily consumption. (Funny thing, my Nurse was in perfect shape.) Round is a shape.
But, we discussed my current daily intake. Sheesh, around 3,000 calories. If I wanted to lose two or three pounds a month, I'd need to cut back to 2,500 calories a day. Really? Cut back 500 calories? They provided a Bluetooth scale that reported my weight to the RN for daily tracking. If I did the 90 day program, they would take their tattlescale back, but give me a nice scale in return that I could keep. "Try and keep your caloric intake below 2500," she said, "and you should see the pounds slowly begin to fade away."
I tracked my caloric intake, and set my goal at 1500. For 90 days, I never broke 1500 calories, and often hovered around 1,000. In 90 days, I dropped nearly 48 pounds. The RN balked at first, but they monitored by health and there was never a hiccup. She stopped complaining about the low caloric intake. She marveled at the self control. About the time I finished the program, we made a major decision.
We we decided to sell the house and move to Oklahoma. We began packing all our stuff and we were having to eat out. We moved cross country, and lived in a travel trailer for three months. We spent six months working on the new farmhouse. Too busy to cook properly or track my calories, I slowly gained back the weight over the next five years, five here, ten there. I tried to get back on the old caloric tracking diet, limiting my intake. The wife would complain that I wasn't eating. "What, you didn't like it, what was wrong with it?" She didn't think I needed to worry about dieting any longer. "Just eat it."
I stepped on the scale a month ago, and I had gained back nearly 40 of the lost pounds. I had been telling myself I needed to get back to that lifestyle change, of monitoring what I ate and watching my calories. Two weeks ago, I decided I would. I told Miss T I was starting the diet again, for health reasons. She finally agreed. It's amazing how easy it was to slip back into the mode of control, especially with her support. After the first week, I didn't miss the larger meals, the snacks, or the extra pieces of this and that. The weight isn't coming off as fast as before, but it's coming off.
Every now and then I wish I had a piece of pie or a slice of cake, but it passes.
