Drop a size

“Wow, that looks good,” said Martha Love, as her brother, Mark, and his wife, Sally, set out a big bowl of Buffalo chicken dip. Martha grabbed a celery stick and scooped some up.

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“Delicious!” she raved. The couple, who were following a low-carb diet, then set out a platter of salami and cheese. Martha noticed them enjoying big portions. “I can’t believe you guys eat like this and you’re losing weight,” she marveled. Mark nodded, adding, “It’s helped a lot with inflammation too. We feel great. Maybe you should try it?” Martha furrowed her brow. It was hard for her to give up bread and sweets in the best of times, and now she was dealing with constant pain from a terrible car accident. She couldn’t handle it, could she? Well, it would be nice to eat all the meat and cheese I want, she thought. And even if I only lost a little, I bet my back would hurt less. She smiled at Mark. “That’s not a bad idea,” she said.

On the trip home after her family visit, Martha tried to get comfortable in her airplane seat. It was tough. In 2018, she was hit head-on by a distracted driver, bones shattering throughout her body. Years later, the Florida retiree still ached and often felt dizzy. Plus, all the comfort food eaten during recovery had packed on 60 pounds. She was so much bigger, she often misjudged her own size and kept walking into things. She’d even tripped on a chair and broke her toe. It’s definitely time to try to get my weight under control, she thought. I can’t believe I waited so long.

A little shaky, but forging ahead