Lessee … where do we start?

Thanks for your opinions about fudge bars and obesity as a mental illness. What a combo, eh? You never know what you'll find when you drop by here!

I think I have tried all the frozen-dessert options at one time or another. [PQ, I think Popsicle and Fudgsicle are the same brand.] I've also tried the Kroger store brand [blech!], so was surprised that Denise liked the Publix brand better than all the big names. We don't have Publix here in the Middle of Nowhere, but next time I'm in Nashville I'll pick some up.

Oh, how I wish I were one of those who doesn't care for chocolate. As I've, ahem, aged, I find I don't neeeeeeed it like I used to. [Add that to the list of post-menopausal advantages.] I actually like citrusy flavors better than fudge. But on a hot, hot day, a frozen fudge bar hits the spot. Jonathan, I promise to try the WW brand again, and hope I can limit it to one serving.

As for the obesity-as-a-mental-illness issue, I'm on the fence. Overeaters Anonymous has applied group therapy principles to the problem of compulsive overeating for many years, but success rates are hard to come by. I'm fundamentally opposed to the "pill for every ill" path the pharmaceutical companies want us to travel. There's a place for medication as a way to treat disease, of course. But not every condition or feeling or issue needs to be treated with drug therapy.

We frequently overeat as a response to boredom, stress or depression. Is the overeating the illness, or is the boredome/stress/depression the real problem? For which condition do we seek treatment? Most antidepressant medications list weight gain as a side effect; how helpful would it be to be treated for depression and see your weight continue to rise?

I've experienced a major depressive episode – serious enough for hospitalization – once in my life. Upon admission, my doctor prescribed something which made me feel flat – no highs, no lows, no happy, no sad. I never refilled the prescription, preferring to feel something rather than nothing.

I guess I need to think more about this. I wouldn't want to be unsympathetic to anyone experiencing a true mental disorder. But there is much to be said for feeling one's feelings, working through a problem and coming out on the other side stronger, capable and empowered.

Thanks, PQ and Grumpy, for defining my weight-training method. Pyramid! Of course! I should be able to remember that, as it's roughly my body shape, as well. It went well yesterday; a big advantage of pyramid training [if you're trying to burn calories lifting weights] is that it takes longer than just hoisting a set of dumbbells for two sets of 12 reps. Heh.

Anonymous [tg] wanted to know what my post-race workout program looks like. I'm weight-training two days a week [Tuesdays and Fridays] this month, and plan to add a third day next month. I'm running four days a week: four-miles on Monday and Thursday, six on Wednesday and eight on Saturday. Since this week was supposed to be more restful, I didn't do a six-miler, but I plan to do eight today.

I'd like to run between 20 and 25 miles a week this summer, and then start race training again in August. Remember the other day when I said I'd probably do a half-marathon in Huntington, WV, in November? Well, I think I've changed my mind already. My son lives in the Triangle area of North Carolina and found out that Raleigh is resurrecting their City of Oaks Marathon, and offering a half-marathon distance as well. It's the same day as the Huntington race. Decisions, decisions. The tipping point, of course, is that I'll have a new granddaughter to visit in North Carolina. Is there any doubt where I'll be going?