I like to eat. Ex-wife #2 called me an “Eater” once. I never forgot it, nor the shame I felt when she said it, her tone filled with derision and contempt. After my last doctor visit, where I learned I was diabetic and hypertensive, I started exercising again. First I resumed power walking. My weigh did not drop.

Finally I returned to Weight Watchers (now calling itself WW) . Their program works! Because I love to eat, WW gives the best of both worlds. I can enjoy what I eat and still lose weight because of their points tracking system. They assign food a “points“ value and I have daily points budget to work within. The program includes a budget of “weekly” points to use, should you exceed your daily points budget.Sounds harder than it is.

Eating is an obsession in both my nuclear and extended families. Relatives, like my Mom, died prematurely due to diabetes, heart disease or stroke.

This Lent, my Lenten reflection will be about considering my values and attitude toward food. I have to take the mystique and allure out of food. This requires a level of mindfulness I can assert, but rarely do.

So diet and exercise are back as priorities. Sounds kind of cliched’ to put it in those terms, but it is necessary.

Since returning to WW on January 19, and to swimming five times a week, I’ve lost 9 pounds. I’ve lowered my time over a mile distance by 5.5 minutes.

Life is good and getting better.