Watcher's of weight unite

Some people count calories. Others count opinions. Here’s what I’ve learned about both — and why silence might just be my new superpower.

I joined a “Fat Club,” got more advice than a presidential candidate, and learned the best diet is saying nothing at all. Read on if you’ve ever been told what’s “best” for you.

We all watch our weight, our words, and sometimes our neighbors. Here’s a funny little reminder that peace — and laughter — are the best kind of discipline. Here's what I learned about some "things:"

Credit to Amelia for this drawing. She "gets" me.

We all watch weight—ours and everyone else’s. We all think we know best for everyone else. We’re generally too polite to tell someone they’re overweight, but most don’t hesitate to say someone’s too thin. Or, “Why are you dieting? You don’t need to lose weight—you’re just fine.”

All this fascinates me—the way people think and act. I have an inner child who is VERY active in my life. She gets critical of others who are critical of me. Go figure. Her favorite statement is, “You’re not the boss of me.” (Even though technically, I am.) My friend Linda was the first to teach me that line—I thought it was hysterical—and my inner child picked it up and ran with it. Thanks, Linda.

Diets don’t work, generally. I agree it’s more helpful to make friends with our food—eat food that loves us back—and find something that sustains life without increasing fat or dis-ease. No doctor, health practitioner, or human agrees on what that might be.

Now, on top of watching our weight (never admit you’re watching your weight—you’ll get advice from every human being who knows or is related to you and they ALL know better), we also have to watch every word we say, because someone will have an opinion about it. My daughter once said, “Mom, stop shouldn’t-ing all over yourself.” Excellent advice, and I still laugh about it.

My mom, when she was fifty pounds overweight, said my daughter was too thin. What? My chiropractor once asked my daughter who her fatty friends were—because she was putting on weight and, according to her, “we tend to take on the look of the people we hang with.” Hmmm. I've noticed that pets tend to resemble their owners, or vice-versa?.

At the moment I belong to what I call my "Fat Club,” who critique every word I say (and everyone else’s) to remind us that we “shouldn’t” put ourselves down. “Do you stress-eat?” they ask. My thought: Who doesn’t?

Never, never, never tell anyone that you’re working on releasing (not allowed to say losing) pounds, because apparently “you’re fine the way you are.”

So my advice? You do you—and weigh what you want.

As for me, I’m going to release twenty-ish pounds because, I want to and at my age, I’ve learned that excess weight equals chronic dis-ease and no fun. Oh, and don’t tell anyone your age either.

I’m seventy-five—three-quarters of a century—and I absolutely love being old. Age is another topic, like weight, where everyone seems to know what’s best for you.

Bottom line: I’m going to weigh what I want to weigh and going to keep on loving being OLD. I make no apologies and live by this: Until you’ve walked in another’s shoes or moccasins, you really don’t know what’s best for that person.

Life lesson: Do not respond when someone is having a meltdown. At my age, silence is both a skill and a superpower—and I’m finally old enough to use it.

• #WatchersOfWeight #LifeAt75 #SilenceIsMySuperpower #YouDoYou #AgingBoldly #OwningMyAge #RealTalkWithDeb #LaughingThroughIt

BE WELL ~ BE SAFE ~ BE HAPPY ~IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE