Guardian Angel

I spent much of my life on some diet plan, losing the same 20 pounds over and over again. My husband of 57 years never gave up on me and always had faith in my many diets that cost thousands of dollars over the years. He was as enthusiastic as I was when I would announce a new diet, always saying, “This is it!” He never gave up hope.

After I retired, I started gaining more weight. As my weight climbed, my activities declined substantially. I loved being a grandmother and great grandmother, and all the holidays were celebrated at our house, but I got to thinking that had to end. I was just too heavy and old to continue. In fact, I thought it was time to find an assisted living facility. It never occurred to me that it was because I was 100 pounds overweight. I just thought you wake up one day as you age and rigor mortis sets in. Your feet hurt, your back hurts, you walk slowly because you are stiff, and it is time to plan the last stage of your life.

Little did I know what was about to happen to me. I thought I would make one last attempt to lose weight through the Medifast program. While I was shopping at a local market, I met a woman in front of me at the checkout line who had a large selection of green vegetables in her cart. I asked about the vegetables and she responded that she owned a local restaurant where she served them every day. I said, “Gosh, if I wasn’t on my way in 15 minutes to start a new diet plan, my husband and I would go to your restaurant!” A shopper directly in line behind me, who I now call my guardian angel, said, “Please don’t start a diet. You will spend a lot of money, and if you lose the weight, you will only gain it back.” She then reached into her purse to find a tri-fold with information about the FA program and the locations of local meetings. She gave me her name and phone number, and as I looked at her, I wondered what this thin woman could know about being overweight.

I stuck the tri-fold in my purse and went to my doctor’s office to start my diet program. After about four months and hundreds of dollars, with only about a six-pound weight loss, I pulled the tri-fold out of my purse and called the woman who had given me her name and number. I asked her if she remembered me and wondered if I could still come to a meeting.

I started the program at 236 pounds, and have lost 75 pounds. I am now 75 years old and feel like I am in my 50s. I am back to kayaking, fishing, hiking, camping, attending football, baseball, and soccer games, going to recitals, and doing all the fun things with my grandchildren that I thought were over for me. My weight loss has not only given me a new and better life but has improved life with my whole family. And I have a new family with my FA fellows, who I know will always be part of my life. I truly feel blessed and honestly believe it was divine intervention to have met that woman at the grocery store.