My Story of Weight Loss

My story starts with Rheumatic Fever. In the 50's, Rheumatic fever was somewhat of a mystery, and the assumption was if it went on too long you were going to die. Which, was, unfortunately, true.

The treatment was large doses of penicillin, bed rest, and extended convalescence. I was seven years old and told that I couldn't exercise or strain myself until I was twelve. At the time, I lived in New York City, and there was only so much exercise you could do as a mini-kid in those days anyway. Stickball, park wading pools, and riding my trike indoors was about it.

After my hospitalization, I spend 4 months in a convalescence home in the New York City suburbs. There were two wards of us kids and I was among the youngest. We played outside, but were told not to strain ourselves. My best friend there was a 12-year old named Tommy, and later I learned he had died from the disease. I was scared straight. I never ran again in NYC. 

After my convalescence, my parents decided it was time to move to where the fresh air was. In this case, it was New Jersey. We settled in a new suburban split-level, and as I made friends I discovered there were real activities to partake in. Little League baseball. Football. Running free in open fields. Eventually, I did all of these, but felt guilty doing so so never really exerted myself. I had become a chubby little kid. And on top of that, every month I had to get a shot of "bicillin", a super dose of penicillin that lasted a month and cause me to sit funny in my classroom seat. 

When I turned 13, the drugs, the restrictions, and the guilt were over. I had a growth spurt, which instantly made me less chubby, and I took up basketball as my exercise friend. I was normal weight throughout high school.

But mostly, over the succeeding years, there was a gradual drip drip drip of new poundage. I worked in a deadline-laden video production industry, and I fueled my late nights with sugar treats and late night snacks.