When I graduated from college in 1999, I was pretty heavy — over 200 pounds on my 5-foot-4-inch frame. Near the end of my first year living on my own, I decided that something needed to change, so I made a new rule: I will eat ice cream no more than once per day. If … Read more
The short version: my goal is to help people be educated so they can make decisions in an informed way. I am not trying to scare people or to be a downer, though I acknowledge that these days, most of the news is bad news. The fact is that in a capitalistic society, the main … Read more
June 15, 2000 Dear 35-year-old Heat, I’ve finally admitted to myself something that I’ve been denying or avoiding for a long time: I’m fat, and I’m rapidly getting fatter. I’m 70 pounds heavier than I was when I graduated high school just 7 years ago. I could blame it on genetics, Heat. Mom is fat. … Read more
There are a lot of recipes circulating that claim to be healthy “treat” food. (If we’d stop using language like that, it would take away some of their power.) Unfortunately, all of the ones I’ve seen and/or tried are either not actually healthy or not actually tasty. Sure, I can make cookies out of oats … Read more
People eat a lot. Depending on your schedule, you could eat six or seven (or more) times a day. Quantities aren’t generally small (or moderate) either. All of those meals and snacks? They don’t have to be amazing. Many people eat junk often enough that isn’t all that tasty because it’s handy or “should be” … Read more
So yesterday I wrote about the consequences of giving kids free time at school. Those thoughts definitely 100% do not apply to kids at home. Kids need free time. Kids need free time to play, to be bored, to imagine, to create, to be with friends. Also, adults need free time to play, to be … Read more
I wrote yesterday about things that people said to me during my cancer journey and in the time since (though one could argue that it’s all the same journey). I wanted to talk about it a little more. I don’t think people are intentionally being mean or dismissive or any other unpleasant thing. I think … Read more
12 years ago, I began the process of sorting through symptoms and getting tests done that led to a cancer diagnosis. In that 12 years, people have said some really stupid and/or hurtful things. (Not intentionally. But still.) My cancer wasn’t some sort of gift. It wasn’t given to me so I could learn a … Read more
A few years ago, I was doing a 10k and was maybe a little undertrained. (What?! Never!) Was running it with a good friend and we knew we’d have a good time, even if we didn’t have a good time. Somewhere around mile 5, I got a text from the guy I was dating at … Read more
I posted this the other day: “I just read an article about screen time and kids, and it made mention of four hours daily being moderate use. How is four hours of TV/gaming/etc moderate??” When I was in therapy, one of the things my therapist was trying to drill down into was whether I was … Read more