More than five months ago my “doctor” (physician’s assistant with a lot on the ball) prescribed weight loss at the rate of four pounds a month. I have lost about twelve pounds of the twenty-four I was to lose by my next appointment, which is scheduled for early April. I put a lot of gym time and “pushaways” (to perform a pushaway, one has only to push away from the dinner table rather than gobble down a second helping, or dessert) in, in pursuit of my weight-loss goal, but then I went for one flight of stairs too many, and screwed up both my knees just enough to need gym downtime.

I wanted to be under 200 pounds by April Fool’s Day. The only way that could happen is if I resorted to methods described in Laura Hillenbrand’s masterpiece SEABISCUIT: AN AMERICAN LEGEND employed by jockeys (and wrestlers as well, I know) to “make weight” prior to post time.

Not going to do that. Not going to postpone my doctor’s appointment, either. This is not an all-or-nothing world, and I gave that goal my sincere best effort. My P.A. and I will decide the best Where of where I go from here.

So, to you who, like me, struggle with weight issues, a message from one who’s been there and is there: WEIGHT is not the real issue; HEALTH is, though they certainly may correlate. And–Happy Losing!