This is a story about how I am getting healthier and taking a while to do it. In fact, it has taken me seven months to lose seven pounds.

It started last year after my OBGYN fired herself. Apparently, I didn’t need her obstetric services anymore that my baby producing phase is officially over. The medical world is pretty harsh with women calling any pregnancies after 35 “geriatric.” This is after years of her calling my uterus “unremarkable.”

My regular doctor ordered a blood panel and added insult to insult by labeled me “prediabetic.” She promptly quit after that to go have a second non-geriatric baby. Her parting shot was to sign me up for the Healthy Eating & Active Lifestyle (HEAL) Program.

If you’re looking for a fast, easy weight loss solution, this is not that. It is based on eating less and exercising more. They send you a Fitbit, a toddler plate, and a workbook to write down all your lame excuses for being old and gross.

Each week since the beginning of this year I have joined a GoToTraining (like Zoom with PowerPoint) with a bunch of other folks with similar health concerns lead by a nutritionist with a heart of gold. The weekly topics include “breaking up with bread”, “dealing with suppressed emotions” and “learning to leave the house.” Just kidding, but not really. Doing anything as a group is much better than white-knuckling by yourself.

Losing weight this slow is pretty tedious, but you don’t have to join a cult to do it. I started running too, partly to encourage my daughter in her running club and partly for myself. I enjoy leaving Tim to put the kids to bed while I slowly jog around the neighborhood by myself. As long as I avoid the donut store, coffee shop, taco truck, bakery and bubble tea place, I am good to go.