My household is a diet nightmare. I’m married to an ‘A’ who eats and exercises like an ‘O’. Ever since he has embraced the Atkins way of life, which has been about two years now, he has aged in the looks department about twelve years. He is definitely thin. In fact, yesterday he was saying he needed to add some carbs to his diet because he’d dropped too much weight (again). He bought a rib roast and three huge baked potatoes to cook for dinner last night. I asked him why he hadn’t bought me a sweet potato instead. He said, he just wasn’t thinking about sweet potatoes. I told him not to bake a potato for me and picked up a salad on the way back from rehearsal. I also did NOT eat any of the chocolate birthday cake someone brought to rehearsal for everyone to share.

My daughter is a twenty-two year old ‘O’ who would benefit from the Atkins diet that her father espouses (constantly). But, she immerses herself in junk food. She is obese. She doesn’t like being fat, of course. But, at this point she is not willing to give up any of these poisons that she comforts herself with. She joined a gym this summer, and has only gone twice. My theory is that she is using overeating as a form of rebellion. I’m sure it is more complicated than that. People tell me she will come around in time to make an effort to take care of herself. I feel really helpless in the matter.

I follow the BTD diet to the best of my ability. I try to live a healthy lifestyle, while not being too rigid. My family hasn’t learned by my example. Drat it all!