Lessons on Life from Sir Noel Coward...

Jul 2, 2012 by

Lessons on Life from Sir Noel Coward

You ever know when a good quote will come in handy. I was asked to appear on the local Fox News channel last week to respond to a newly published study showing that loneliness can be fatal to seniors. The study confirms what many people in the aging field know: loneliness is bad for your health and people who feel isolated are at high risk for a range of unhealthy results, death being the ultimate bad result. I am not sure how the host of the show found my organization, but I assume he did a quick search of the word Aging and found us. (My unofficial ‘mission’ is that whenever anybody puts the word ‘Creative’ in front of the word ‘Aging’, they think of us: Northwest Center for Creative Aging.  So whatever the...

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Hiding In A Huge Way

Jun 4, 2012 by

Hiding In A Huge Way

Big Question: Why did I think gaining weight would be protective? I’m just coming up to one month post-bariatric surgery.  There are still lots of questions going through my mind.  The first couple of weeks were fairly easy, I was on an extremely restricted diet and the weight just melted off. Now I’m supposed to begin eating a more “normal” diet, but I’m not sure what normal is.  My past portion size was my real downfall.  I was not much of a junk eater, though I did love my potato chips.  I really did not over indulge in snack-type foods.  What I did do was eat huge amounts of healthy food.  Healthy or not, super sizing leads to super sizes. So I’ve decided that I really need to look at my relationship to food. ...

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My Breast

May 26, 2012 by

My Breast

My age – on the other side of 50 My family history – breast, colon cancer, which tend to be linked in families  My mind-body problem – bouts of depressive episodes since age 11  Those risk factors haunted me as I went through the ordeal of two ultrasounds and one biopsy after the yearly mammogram. One phone call puts our life on hold and makes even the most independent of us dependent on the medical community. The receptionist for my primary care doctor made that call.  Although there was nothing wrong with the X-ray results, the radiologist recommended an ultrasound.  I said I would think about it.  Silence on the other end.  But that’s what this overeducated Baby Boomer does: Think about it. When my car was stolen three years ago, I thought about...

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Week One: Success!

May 14, 2012 by

Week One: Success!

Well, I’ve made it through my first week. Actually, it was a week last Friday since I had my lap band procedure.  The first couple of day I felt great, even energized.  Then reality set in.  As I moved into what is called the Full Liquid Diet, I found that my tolerance for pre-made protein shakes, ones I’d had no problem with prior to surgery, really upset my stomach. After nearly 4 days of  living on green tea, I thought it best to call the doctor and ask if it was normal to feel so: 1, achy in the stomach; and 2, still be running to the loo with little warning of what was to come.  They assured me that all would be fine, to stop using the Atkins shakes and switch to a...

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It’s A New Day!

Apr 23, 2012 by

It’s A New Day!

This weekend has been a reawakening of my life. Friday, I had my lap-band surgery and all went really well.  Now the real work begins.  Truth be told, I’ve been holding back on so many emotions.  I feel like I have to say good-bye to old friends like pasta, bread and fried food.  But then that makes me wonder about why I would have thought them my friends. My friends would not hurt me or look to console me in a way that would threaten my health.  My friends would support me and help me make good choices.  So now I have to delve into the world of my food addiction and try to understand exactly what the attraction was/is all about. I think of it as my 12 step program to health.  First…admit...

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Five Days and Counting

Apr 16, 2012 by

Five Days and Counting

In five days my life changes.  No, not the bit 6-0 just yet, that will happen soon enough. I’m talking about my bariatric surgery.  On Friday, April 20th at 8:45 am, my life is going to add a new tool to its arsenal.  I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’ve been wrestling with my emotions since making this decision.  I thought I’d blog about it on a weekly basis, but what I really did was sort of let work take over my life and push this reality onto the proverbial “back burner.”  Not to push the food analogies too far, but it’s simmered and now is ready to be ingested. So down to reality…all sort of things are running through my mind.  Will I ever eat bread again?  What about a cocktail?...

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Changing Lives: One Apple At A Time...

Feb 17, 2012 by

Changing Lives: One Apple At A Time

Today’s Foodie Friday takes a different focus.  Have you ever heard of a “food desert?” I hadn’t until a few weeks ago when my girlfriend Deborah and I saw the documentary film  The Apple Pushers at the  Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. I walked into the theatre expecting to see a movie about food carts in New York. I walked out with an appreciation of how a small “green cart” can change people’s lives. I also left with the a greater understanding that knowledge alone will not right obesity. Nor will information on how to eat healthy lead to nutritious food choices. Oh sure it’s important to know about the food groups or the new “food plate.” However, easy and affordable access to fruits and vegetables is often the critical missing link.  As I munch on an apple while...

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Five Fashion Magazines Even Grown-Ups Can Use...

Sep 14, 2011 by

Five Fashion Magazines Even Grown-Ups Can Use

According to most fashion and beauty magazine publishers, women “age out” of fashion magazines somewhere in their 40s.  By that time, we’re supposed to have grown up to “mommy mags’ like Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, and Family Circle.  Or we’ve decided to go the route of Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, or Better Homes & Gardens.  Not that there’s anything bad about those magazines—they are, perhaps, not where we’re at in our lives. Or we could graduate to More magazine and Real Beauty.  Personally, I find these two a bit like the Chinese food of fashion and beauty mags:  they’re fine at the time, but forgettable two hours later. Yet there’s hope! Over the past year I’ve been reading fashion magazines like there’s no tomorrow. I didn’t read this many fashion magazines even when...

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