Yesterday, it was time for my semi-annual teeth cleaning.  I really like my dental hygienist – but I instantly noticed that she had put on a lot of weight since I had seen her.  I sat down, and she got right into the topic, telling me she “was so unhappy.”  I asked why.  “I’ve started this awful pre-packaged food diet, and it’s terrible.  It’s all sugar and salt, with this nasty frozen and packaged stuff – I can’t even call it food.”  I knew exactly what it was: one of those national name-brand diet center programs.

She explained that the counselor, errrr salesperson had pushed hard to get her to commit to a lifetime scheme, ehhh “program.”  But thankfully my hygienist said no, only week-to-week.  “Norris, it’s awful, the list of ingredients on the packages is a mile long!”  She cried.  “I need help, I just really have to lost 100 pounds.”

We got into conversation; not easy to do when my mouth is full of rubber-gloved hand and instruments!  We determined that she’s not eating the wrong things, but too much.  Her portions are too big.  This was the tip-off: “after I eat a meal, I feel so bad I eat much more.”

So I asked her about her relationships.  She’s divorced and single, caring for a terminally ill father who lives at home, caring for her mother, who also lives at home. Her son, 25 years old – guess what, also lives with her.  She’s supporting them all.  When I mentioned that her home scenario, and the fact that’s she’s caring for patients all day, and then the whole family the rest of the time, she started to cry.

“That’s your weight problem,”  I said.  She agreed.  What to do?  

Come back here tomorrow, and we’ll talk more about it.

In the meantime, please post a comment and let me know what you think she might try.