Do Diets Work

Gary

My husband is constantly on a diet, even though he says he isn’t. It is a lifestyle change, he says. That being said, he goes on oatmeal kicks, hamburger kicks. All the while ordering supplements through the internet that he takes for a short while, then leaves discarded on the bathroom shelf to gather dust. I’ve told him time and again that diets do not work. He continuously tells me he isn’t dieting and not to tell anyone he is. 

Stop Listening

He listens to his cousin, who he says has the same ailments as he does. Mirroring everything, he does and tries, and it makes no difference. 

Gary eats gluten-free foods. When we have them. Pasta is one of his favorites. But he doesn’t eat gluten-free constantly so whether it helps him or not is anyone’s guess.

He watches what he eats (I won’t say the word diet) because he feels like crap 99% of the time. He is slightly overweight. He has the ole man’s paunch. After all, we are both in our sixties. So, considering our age I don’t think either one of us looks that terrible. My saving grace is I run. Daily. Gary’s knees are bad so he cannot join me. 

I'm Good

I’d like to say I am a healthy eater. Indulging once in a while is something I feel everyone does. As long as it doesn’t happen all the time, I’m good with it. The one bad habit I’ve got is drinking Mountain Dew. (Diet) One bottle a day and I’m good. Although once in a while I slip up on that and drink two. I’m not perfect and since it is the only bad habit I have I deal with it. Gary drinks fountain soda. Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi. He goes through the McDonalds drive through, he says they have the best fountain soda. 

Don't Leave Him on His Own

Left alone, Gary isn’t the best eater. When he goes to the store he will come back with potato chips, buns, bread, ice cream, and popsicles.  If I go, we get watermelon, Brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, lettuce for salads, and beets. Pickled or regular. Do you see the difference? 

Give it Up!

For the past two to three years Gary has been telling me he is going to lose weight. I have told him time and time again we are too old to worry about our weight. Unless there are health issues connected to it. Live and let live. It isn’t like he has that much weight to lose (he may tell you differently.) He feels if he lost the weight, he would feel better. Physically and mentally. There may be some truth to that. I’ve known many people who have lost weight and seem to have more energy. This is Gary’s personal struggle and while many people are afflicted with the same problem, he sees his own as a weakness. He’ll say, “I’m weak." Many people substitute food as a way to cover up underlying issues. We all eat out of boredom from time to time. I’ve done it myself. Struggling with a food addiction is hard. Just ask my husband. He says, "I love to eat." We all do. Fast food places are not for me. Not entirely true as I’ll take my grandkids to A & W when they spend the night. They love it there. That doesn’t happen often though, so a treat every once in a while, is good. Telling myself A & W is better than treating them to McDonalds, eases my conscience. 

No Answer

What is the answer for Gary’s yo-yo dieting? Knowing the answer to that is beyond my scope of knowledge. Most of the time when he says he’s starting a new regiment with food I tell him, you do what you feel you have to do. The closest I’ve seen him stay with anything is with oatmeal. He has been having that for breakfast for quite some time now. So, kudos to him for that. 

There could be way worse habits for him than loving food. He could be a smoker. Or a bitter, resentful old man. He is none of the above.  So, I’ll take him as he is. 

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Lifestyle change or diet. I’ll wait for the next, honey I’m going to try this.

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