Weighing in

"You've gained some weight! Good for you!" said the perky nurse in a tone suggesting she just might toss me a puppy treat.

For decades doctors and their ilk had only one message for me: "You ought to lose some weight." And then when I lost weight, they'd say, "You ought to lose some more weight." No one ever expressed delight at my ability to pile on the pounds.

I can put my finger on the exact moment when this changed: I was in the hospital recovering from surgery and my oncologist paid me a visit, during which he asked to see my incision. Given the number of white-coated people who insisted on viewing my incision, I ought to have sold tickets. The oncologist had to nudge a little persistent belly fat out of the way to see my incision and I joked about how I wished the surgeons had just cut that fat out while they were in there, and he looked up and in a serious tone said, "You're gonna need that fat."

Five words I never expected to hear from a doctor: "You're gonna need that fat."

And of course he was right. (That's why he earns the big bucks.) Last Wednesday the nurse expressed delight at my having gained a few pounds (thanks to lack of exercise), and then within the next five days I lost five pounds--without even trying! There's a weight-loss plan for you.

Good thing I held on to that fat. I"m gonna need it.