All we need is love

I hope you get flowers instead of candy. Heh.

Mr. Shrinking Knitter is a great card buyer. He puts a lot of thought into them, and will study a display of cards for a long, loooooooong time searching for the perfect sentiment. The design is less important to him than the words or the price. He did, however, tell me that he could have taken me out to dinner 20 years ago for what he spent on my card this year.

It's a great card, though, and worth every penny dollar.

This is the first Valentine's Day in our 14-year-history we've been able to buy "husband" and "wife" cards – our first date was 14 years ago last night.

Well, I started reading YOU: On a Diet [hereinafter known as YOAD] yesterday. It's an easy and entertaining read, surprisingly so, since it's written by two men of medicine. The good doctors Roizen and Oz were busy as bees coming up with relevant similes for just about every other sentence. I'm a little distracted reading comments on how our bodies have gotten 'large enough to be spotted by Google Earth' and statements that healthy eating will become as 'automatic as a Simon Cowell barb.' And that's just on the first page of the introduction.

Someday, God willing, no one will know what a Simon Cowell barb is. [I know, I know – some of you don't!]

But. The information is solid science, presented in a way that makes it understandable in a way a high-school biology textbook never was. At least for me. And after one imperfect day on the plan – 30 minutes of activity [they suggest walking, I rowed, and it was a rest day for me], three meals and three snacks – my waist is a half-inch smaller and I got rid of one of those new extra pounds.

It's not about the pounds, though, they are careful to emphasize. Reducing waist size is more important for health than reducing pounds. For someone like me, who already has good cholesterol levels and a healthy heart, I could easily talk myself out of following their advice.

But why would I? My blogless friend Nancy [whose husband is undergoing surgery today – prayers for Jim, please] reminded me that when we started eDiets we agreed to shake things up when necessary. After many weeks of continuing to pay them money follow that program and gaining or staying the same, it's necessary. I'm ready for something new.

I want the same enthusiasm and hope I had a year ago in January. The YOAD book includes a whole section on how their plan helps overcome emotional eating. Their premise, you see, is that by eating healthful food frequently you never allow yourself to become hungry. But, as I've mentioned here before, I don't have to be hungry to eat. Somehow they seem to think they have the answer for that, too.

I hope they're right.

If you don't want to buy or borrow the book, you can get a taste – heh – of the plan from the book link above. Two weeks of menus, a shopping list and recipes are all on the website. And forums, where you can ask questions and get advice. Be advised that the forum members all seem to be YOAD cheerleaders – but who better to turn to when seeking enthusiasm, eh?

My training today is a six-mile tempo run: one mile to warm up, four miles at a 12:30 pace and one mile to cool down. That seems pretty fast, but last week's pace was a slightly faster 12:23. It'll be a good test for the new shoes.

Seventy-three days until race day.