Two Thirds Capacity…

That’s right. We have twenty dogs in the kennels right now and it makes my job that much harder. I started cleaning at nine and didn’t finish until one. I had to work over today. I was pooped out by the time quitting time rolled around. I kept hoping for some adoptions today, but few people stopped by to look in the kennels. I want them all to find their forever home. We have a very mötley crüe in residence at the moment – all kinds of dogs. 

“Don’t forget to take your medications,” Tracy said when twelve arrived.

I like to see her play an active role in my recovery. I had them in a pill bottle in my pocket. I thanked her and went into the bathroom and poured me a cup of water. I began to feel much better on the drive home. Less fatigued and busy minded. My medications quiet the noise in my head. Tracy gave me a kiss goodbye and said she wished she could come home with me.

“We could nap all afternoon and laze in the bed,” she told me wistfully. “I really need a nap and a cuddle badly. I am so drowsy!”

Alas, Tracy had to stay on and work until six this evening. I hated to leave her, but I was ready to get home to my Magster. I was also starving and stopped by Wendy’s on my way back to mi casa and got Maggie and I a double/w cheese. Last night’s was so good I had to get another. Maggie will eat everything but the pickles.

Despite eating such fattening food lately (sparsely), I was able to fit back into my flannel scotch patterned pajamas last night. It was luxurious. I was overjoyed and Charlie remarked upon how much weight I have lost yesterday evening. I’ve been losing about one pound a week lately.

Old Fuss and Feathers Gives In…

I have an allowance now. I feel like some kind of child or a teenager to be honest, but I was glad to get it. Old Fuss and Feathers decided to give me $40 a week (after I begged him).

“The first sign of drinking and I am taking it away,” he told me last night very sternly.

“I won’t let you down,” I told him giddy with glee.

I feel as if I won the lottery to put it frankly. It was a big step for my father, but I have worked hard for it staying on the straight and narrow and religiously taking my medications. I told him I could find a way to drink if I wanted to money or not. Charlie was in my corner last night about it telling my father to trust me. This opens the door to Charlie giving me money from time to time again. I always vehemently refuse, but he insists. Before dad took control of my disability money, Charlie would always give me $20 when he saw me as a gift.

The Harbinger of Things to Come?

It was 39° degrees when I walked out of my house to drive to the grocery store. I liked to have never gotten my windshield and rear window to defog. Once cleared, I hit the road heading straight through downtown and then onto highway 29. It’s a straight shot to Kroger from there.

I set about my shopping tasks upon arriving at Kroger. Dad would soon follow right behind me as he lives a little farther away. I knew what I wanted and where it was at. I ended up getting those sports drinks, A1 sauce, and ground chuck. My total was $69 dollars for the night – the highest in weeks.

“Are you getting enough to eat?” my father asked me. “Don’t be like your dear mother and overdo the diet.”

“I’m fine,” I assured my father. “I get enough extraneous meals from you to balance out my nutrition.”

“But you don’t have any real meals in your cart!”

I thought for a moment there it was going to be time for Lean Cuisines, but thankfully dad let the moment pass. I left him for he had shopping of his own to do.

“Nice truck!” I told the fella next to me as I loaded up my groceries.

He was loading up his groceries as well. He just started talking and talking away telling me the tale of the dent in his truck by a PepsiCo employee.

But I digress…

I subsist off of cheese filled Ritz crackers and peanut butter these days just eating when I feel hungry. You’d be surprised how a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter and a pack of crackers can make you feel full for quite a few hours.

Tonight is a respite for we shall eat, drink and be merry. I have that ground beef browning on the stove (Maggie’s rejoicing) and a few Gatorades are quickly getting cold in the freezer.

Groceries at 9:00 PM…

I’ve deprived myself these past three weeks for the sake of my diet. I am going to splurge tonight. I want some ground chuck, A.1. sauce, and white Sunbeam loaf bread to sop the gravy up with. I also want a six pack of some variety of sugary lemon/lime sports drink. That should make for a $70 or more grocery outing. One fattening meal won’t hurt or it shouldn’t. I’ll be back on the diet tomorrow.

O-U-T OF S-H-A-P-E…

Well, this morning the house was nice and cool. (I turn the air down to 75° degrees in the evening before bed.) Charlie came by really, really early this morning with biscuits for the Mags and I and a gigantic diet Coke for me. This was a blessing. I ate my sausage biscuit and decided to “ride it off”. LOL I rode three miniscule miles and was huffing and puffing and my heart was beating something crazy. I am so very much out of shape. All these times of just sitting in front of my computer all day have caught up with me and are haunting me. I am not going to give up though. I am serious about this weight loss shit (superfluous profanity!). Maybe I will ride four miles tomorrow.

Hopefully, my much anticipated mountain bike will be here soon. Dad said he thought it was on backorder yesterday, but I am not giving up hope so soon. The bike I picked turned out to be Walmart’s best seller which would just be my luck. The silver color, which I wanted, is already sold-out. I think riding an actual bicycle will be a vastly different experience than riding an exercise bicycle.

Frugality Reigns Supreme…

I was mister frugal tonight grocery shopping. I only spent $66 dollars. I was delighted when I found out Kroger’s version of SlimFast was half the price. It was on the bottom shelf out of view. They just had a few more grams of sugar per bottle which I can deal with. I also bought lots of strawberry Greek yogurt to snack on. All the yogurt I bought was $14 dollars.

The only non diet thing I bought was Vienna sausages for Maggie. She certainly loves the things. I might eat one or two myself. Don’t tell the diet police.

I also, once again, got the sugar free Klondike bars. I ate one even before I began to put my groceries away. It was nice, gooey, and soft from being in my warm trunk on the drive home. A sheer delight!

“Now, you are going to have to lock that bike up at night,” my father told me of my mountain bike as we walked to our cars. “I’d bring it inside the den.”

I agreed and told him I would bring it inside every night. The seedy contingent of the neighborhood forces us to hide our beer in our clothes dryers and lock our cars and homes religiously. All valuables are considered suspect to theft. Oh thee of the night of ill repute.

Reporting to Kroger, Sir!

My diet got really serious tonight. I didn’t buy 4 bags of powdered donuts and several gallons of whole milk with a side of sugary cereal. The big value boxes of unfrosted strawberry Pop-Tarts got left on the shelf. The hardest thing I gave up were my whole grain and cheddar crackers. Those things were irresistible to me, but six little crackers were 200 calories.

“Oh, I could eat you all up!” I muttered to myself as I passed the Hostess and Little Debbie shelves on my way to get a loaf of bread.

One time, my mother lost a lot of weight drinking those Slimfast drinks and I bought a case of them tonight. It was my biggest expense at $15 dollars and some change. That’s going to be my lunch. I also absolutely love Klondike bars and imagine my elation when they offered a sugar free version. I ate one when I got home and it was delicious. I couldn’t wait to try it.

Some of the other foods I got were fat free black cherry Greek yogurt for snacking, sugar free drink mixes to replace the copious amounts of whole milk I used to drink, and quite a few Lean Cuisine meals. I rounded out my groceries with my two journal writing sodas which were two diet Mountain Dews. I resisted buying the super calorific Baja Blast variant even though I wanted them quite earnestly. They have 380 calories per bottle compared to the 10 calories of the diet variant. I think I picked wisely.  

So, what was the damage dealt tonight? I spent $91 dollars. My father was fine with it realizing I was in uncharted waters with all this dieting food. I bought too many Lean Cuisine meals for the most part. Junk food is so less expensive as well. Four bags of Hostess powdered donuts will only cost you $8 dollars. A big bag of Cheetos puffs only costs $3 dollars. Whole milk is only $2.20 a gallon at Kroger.

“You’ll get better as you go,” my father kindly told me as we headed to our respective cars.

We were both glad we missed the big swath of rain headed our way. It started raining as soon as I arrived home and was unloading my groceries. Dad called me as I was unloading and said we had perfect timing on those regards tonight. I agreed.

Two Steps Forward and One Step Back…

I was just going to eat a simple pack of crackers for supper last night, but hunger got the best of me. I was just ravishingly hungry having only eaten a meager amount during the day. I got in the kitchen and stir-fried some Chinese noodles, garlic, soy sauce, mushrooms, carrots, and shrimp. The smells drifting into the den about drove Maggie crazy and she got underfoot while I was cooking. The whole house smelled like a Chinese restaurant.

I ate my fill totally blowing my diet to pieces last night. I was like a pill bug about to pop. Maggie was begging in earnest so I put the leftovers on the floor and she wolfed them down. It was her first meal in three days. She outwilled me. I was tired of worrying about it and I went to bed without a guilty conscience. “Shit happens,” is what I muttered to myself as I climbed into my warm and inviting covers in an otherwise chilly house. 

Charlie called me at 7 PM as he was leaving Dadeville this evening.

“I am running late. I’ve got to run by Lowes in Opelika, but I going to get you two large diet Cokes from McDonald’s when I get back in the Valley,” he told me.

Charlie brought the Cokes a lot earlier than I expected. He caught Maggie and I both off-guard. Maggie squealed with glee when he knocked on the front door. Maggie saw those McDonald’s Cokes and thought it was biscuit time. She whined and whined and Charlie said he would bring her two sausage biscuits in the morning.

I did well today with my diet. I forth went breakfast, had a PB&J sandwich and baked Lay’s potato chips for lunch, and ate a Turkey meatloaf and herb roasted potatoes Marie Calendar’s Delights meal for supper. The turkey meatloaf, despite sounding repulsive, was quite tasty with a roasted red pepper sauce. There was also a serving of turnip greens with the meal simply called a serving of “greens” on the box.

Maggie and Me? Maggie and I? Oh Hell, I Give Up…

Glittermom, I appreciate the recommendation of canned dogfood for Maggie. I might try some when I am at the grocery store tomorrow night. Do you have a preferred brand?

Day One… Zero Hour…

Today is Maggie’s very first day without people food. Maggie didn’t get her two sausage biscuits this morning despite many vocal protests. Many of you have told me that’s what’s wrong with Maggie – all these infections of the skin, ears, and eyes. They seem to be food allergies is the best I can surmise. I always have to learn my lessons the hard way – always have, but I want Maggie to be healthy and this calls for a little tough love on my part. I know some of you want to say, “I told you so”.

Give Me Some of that Hardcore Biscuit Action…

Charlie woke me up at ten this morning with breakfast. I showed up at the front door still in my white t-shirt and my undies.

“Put some clothes on,” Charlie said laughing. “You’re about as immodest as your father.”

Charlie then asked me what I wanted for supper and I told him the usual. I am going to eat one chicken pot pie tonight and save the other for tomorrow.

“Be sure to get diet Pepsis (also known as Coke in the South),” I told Charlie before he could escape my grasp.

We’re Making Progress…

Through completely auspicious beginnings I have lost 4 glorious pounds since I started my diet. I cut out breakfast, eat a turkey sandwich with light mayo for lunch, and eat a normal supper so as to not feel so deprived. It is against all odds in that Charlie keeps bringing me food. I just eat what he brings for supper – my big meal of the day.

“Eat More Chicken!” Said the Cow.

Charlie’s been by. He brought Maggie and I Cokes and Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. He called me and said he was on the way. I was so glad to hear from him.

“I forgot you're drinking diet drinks,” Charlie apologized to me worriedly.

“I can splurge tonight,” I said happily of the two cans of regular Coke now in my hands. “It is just 280 calories for two and I haven’t eaten much today.”

“I would have been by earlier, but Horsefly bowled six games tonight,” Charlie told me. “I thought he was going to drop dead from exhaustion. He was a sweaty mess.”

Horsefly, like Charlie and I, has been known to overdo it from time to time. Moderation is the key.

“Have you heard from your daddy?” Charlie then asked me as he sat next to Maggie on the couch..

“There is no cell service on St. George’s island,” I told Charlie. “I don’t think the beach house even has a phone. We probably won’t hear from him until he’s headed home Saturday week.”

Charlie worked all day on top of seeing about Horsefly, Maggie, and me. He was ready to head home and kick up his feet. In all honesty, he will probably have some project to do around his new house.

“I am supposed to be checking your medications to see if you are taking them,” Charlie said urged by my father. “But I trust you to take them on your own.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “You will certainly know if I am not taking them.”

Maggie and I stood at my screen door as we waved goodbye to Charlie and he drove off headed to home. Charlie’s last words were that he would see me before taking Horsefly to his Saturday matinee. He said he is going to bring Maggie and I something to eat and drink every day while my father is away.

Conciliatory Measures…

“Come over and get your lunch,” my father said to me at noon. “I cooked you a baked boneless chicken breast, peas and carrots, and I boiled down some potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper.”

I thanked him profusely.

“About last night, we will just forget it ever happened,” he said. “I now realize you thought you were doing a good thing for your diet and for Jermaine.”

“Dad, I’ve got all this food at the house that is terrible for me. I was just trying to eat healthier,” I replied.

“I know you were,” he told me. “I am going to help you by cooking some healthy and less caloric foods until you get your weight back on track.”

Strike One on the Diet Front…

“Charlie?” I asked as he stood in the den. “Get me a diet Coke next time. I won’t be able to resist this regular Coke today.”

Charlie said he would. We gave each other a man hug and he was on his way to my father’s house with my father’s sausage biscuit and his senior coffee. Maggie went nuts as usual at Charlie’s arrival.

On the good side of things, Maggie got the biscuits. I ate a pack of Lance 190 calorie peanut butter and honey crackers for breakfast.  Far shy of the 430 calories in a McDonald’s sausage biscuit. I certainly did drink that 310 calorie Coke, though, as I munched on my crackers. It was heaven in a cup.

Tangy Chicken and a Tussle…

I got in a little bit of trouble tonight. It seems I am a branded a spendthrift. Dad says I am spending money right and left after I went back to Kroger and picked up some chicken breasts and frozen broccoli for supper. I baked them with some lemony tangy chicken seasoning and steamed the broccoli.

“You don’t have a lot of money,” dad berated me over the phone. “You can’t keep spending like this.”

I was trying to think of something less calorie ridden than the spaghetti and meat sauce I have leftover in the fridge. I’ve got to get serious about this diet. I had called him and told him of it hoping he would be happy I was trying to diet and cut my calories. His reaction took me completely off guard.

“Make you a tomato sandwich,” he said. “I gave you four tomatoes the other day from the curb market. Do you have mayonnaise and bread?”

I told him I did.

“How much did you spend on Jermaine today?” dad then asked.

“I bought a gasket, antifreeze, and some transmission fluid,” I sheepishly replied.

“I hope he pays you back which I doubt he will.”

“I’m getting off the phone now,” I told him. “You will just have to be outdone with me.”

I was starting to get mad and things were about to get really ugly. I hung up as I felt an anxiety attack coming on. I really can’t take a lot like this going on as I am fragile on these regards. I guess I have been spending too much, but my father could have handled it in a better way. Just a simple warning to spend less would have sufficed and I would have complied.  

Lamenting Breakfast…

I am struggling with weight gain right now. It is all going to my waist. I am getting what we commonly call a beer belly around here and I don’t even drink beer these days. I said I felt like a beached whale after a big meal the other day (Charlie’s large pizza) and it is true for most of the time now. It came on so suddenly as if my metabolism slowed down. I think a lot of it has to do with me getting long in the tooth or older as they say. I’m no spring chicken anymore at 46. Some of you have been reading me since my early thirties. I could drink and eat all I wanted to back then and still stay slim.

The first thing I cut out was breakfast earlier in the week. All that bacon, cheese and butter had to be piling on the calories. Poor Maggie is laying on the kitchen floor ready for me to get breakfast started as I type this.

One thing about dieting is you feel hungry all the time. I am weak when it comes to will power regarding food. I am going to Kroger today to buy some rabbit food like raw broccoli, carrots and celery to munch on hopefully to chase those hunger pains away. We’re going to give it the good college try. I will just have to resist the ranch or blue cheese dressing to dip it in. Oh, that celery would certainly be good with some Mrs. Grissom’s pimento cheese spread. There I go sabotaging myself again.

How about this outrageous breakfast? It’s not far from what I was eating every morning. That must be 3000 calories. It looks like a big breakfast from Hardee’s as those are outrageous as well.

One Honey Bun, Two Honey Buns, Three Honey Buns, Four…

“What are you going to get tonight?” my father asked me on this chilly evening as we walked across the parking lot of Kroger.

“Lots of honey buns and lots of sweet milk to eat them with,” I replied with a smirk.

“That doesn’t sound like a diet to me,” my father replied laughing.

“I am just going to be fat and happy,” I told him. “I am tired of being hungry all the time and my sweet tooth has been giving me fits.”

I also told him of my infatuation with cinnamon flavored applesauce lately.  

When we entered the store, I sent dad on an errand to get me a large bottle of Fabuloso (this stuff is awesome). I am going to mop my bathroom floor tomorrow and possibly move onto the kitchen floor if I feel like it.

He found me looking at the prices of different tuna varieties.

“I’ve grown quite fond of tuna and rice,” I told him showing him the two bags of Uncle Ben’s ready rice already in my cart.

It was $3.99 for a family pack of tuna which I needed.

As we were walking out of the store, I panicked when I realized I forgot my two journal writing sodas.

“Go ahead and load up your car and I will get them,” my father said. “Diet Mountain Dew, right?”

“That’s it,” I said as I then continued to my car.

My father came out shortly with my drinks in his hands. I stuffed them in a bag with frozen food and we both parted ways.

Hunger Says Buy Me!

As soon as my father and I stepped into Kroger tonight, I sent him on a mission.

"Dad, get me some paper bowls and a small jar of peanut butter," I told him.

He said he was on the job and moments later caught me looking at applesauce and handed me the items. I swear by paper bowls both for snacks and meals and the peanut butter was for my rattraps. It is very quiet rodent wise tonight which gets my hopes up. Maybe they've moved out? There is nothing to eat within their reach. I bought some sticky glue traps tonight and we will see how they work as well.

I was on a mission myself for healthy foods to eat that don't have a lot of calories and that are filling. I bought all natural apple sauce, no sugar added fruit cups, cottage cheese, tuna creations, ready rice for the tuna, etc. Dad then proceeded to put a more modest amount of Lean Cuisine meals in my cart this time. He got sticker shock last week with the amount we spent.

I did really well on my diet this week. I actually surprised myself. I am still afraid to step on my scales for what I may see, though. I haven't weighed since this all began.

The Smooth Operator...

"Don't tell that other nurse, Kathy, this, but I am so glad to have you back," I told Rebecca this morning.

She laughed and told me thank you.

"Kathy is a good nurse," Rebecca said in her defense. "It is just that this injection can seem a little overwhelming."

"They always try to use the little needle and they are shocked when I insist on the big one. We've got to get it deep into the gluteal muscle I will explain," I told Rebecca.

Rebecca and I then talked about dieting. She has always had a tendency to be overweight, and she told me her secrets of staying slim. I explained to her that I am on dad's Lean Cuisine slim down plan.

"Lots of vegetables for snacks and meals," she told me. "I personally prefer some steamed broccoli with just a little bit of butter and salt and pepper."

She made broccoli sound delicious.

"I just can't handle cottage cheese," she said with a laugh and a blech! "I also eat a lot of tuna."

The injection went smoothly despite all the odds that seem to be stacked against me for this to happen. I hurried back up through the Valley to give my father the next appointment card. I was ready to get home.

"I got my appointments changed to Tuesdays," I told him. "Just the way you wanted."

Dad thanked me profusely and gave me a hug.

"And I didn't have to tell you or nag you, either!" my father exclaimed.

"You amaze me these days," he told me. "I used to couldn't trust you with doing all this, but you get it done and make it seem easy."

I just blushed and told him thank you as well. I couldn't leave without grabbing a diet Coke out of dad's fridge and then I was on my way back to my Maggie and my computers.

A little video I shot a few years ago of what it is like to get my injection.

Lean Times at Andrew's Casa...

"These are mine! You've already eaten yours," I told Maggie as she licked her chops at my two scrambled eggs and bacon this morning.

She wolfs her's down so quickly it is a wonder she even tastes it.

I am managing to stick to my diet so far, but I feel hungry all the time. I had the Lean Cuisine spaghetti and meat sauce meal for supper and I was ravishingly hungry by the time bedtime rolled around. I went to sleep hungry. I am trying to forego the honey bun and glass of milk. I put the honey buns in the freezer.

My father stopped by to see me last night after work. Maggie was overjoyed as always to see him. I was quite smitten myself to see him as well. We've had a change in our routines where my father leaves my two Cokes and my cigarettes in a chair on his porch at night. I pick them up in the morning.

"I've got one more dosage of medicine in my blister pack and then I am out," I warned him.

"Let's get in my car and go get another pack I have at the house," my father told me.

"Only if I can drive," I replied.

My father's driving makes me car sick.

It was so good to see Sam my feline buddy. Sam has been under the weather and has been at the veterinarian for a week. She had the kitty version of the flu. Dad knew something was wrong when she quit eating for several days. I had to have a Diet Coke and some caffeine so dad and I sat in the den and talked awhile.

"I deactivated my Facebook account," I told my father.

"What brought this about?" he asked, looking at me wide-eyed.

"I just have trouble seeing the ramifications of my writings and it is such a public place to air your dirty laundry. I worried I would write something about you or Charlie and it would get back to y'all and hurt your feelings."

"Well, it is good you can recognize that," my father replied.

I've Got the Going On a Diet Blues...

I did terribly on my diet last week. I ate pretty much everything in sight.

"Let's try this," my father said as we were walking into Kroger. "Cook you two eggs and a strip of bacon for breakfast and then eat a lean cuisine meal for lunch and supper."

 "Alright," I said moping. "I'll give it a try."

Dad was running way late tonight and the Pig was about to close so we went to Kroger.

All my extra weight resides in my waist and my cheeks are looking full giving me a puffy faced and pot-bellied look. My late grandmother would say I looked healthy. Of course, she grew up during the Great Depression.

We immediately headed to the frozen food aisle and I let my father pick out enough meals to last till next Monday. He seemed to be enjoying himself. I also had to get a big bag of Maggie's hifalutin dog food. That was $15 out of my budget. They also had six packs of diet 7-UP in the bottles for four for $10 dollars and I stocked up on them as well.

I allowed myself one splurge and that is my Little Debbie honey buns and a gallon of milk.

"You can have one honey bun heated and consumed with a glass of milk before bed," my father said. "That way you won't feel so deprived."

The total came out to be well over $100 dollars with all those expensive Lean Cuisine meals and we bought quite a few. My freezer is full.

Baked and Barbecued...

Yesterday, I made it another "no clean" day for Helen and I.  I also let her pick the menu and it wasn't long until I was following her around a supermarket.  Helen showed me the finer art of buying chicken for baking.

"You don't want boneless breasts, baby," she told me. "The chicken will be dry and rubbery. The bones keep the chicken moist."

A few hours later, mom and I were sitting down to a supper of baked barbeque chicken and macaroni and cheese.  I am starting to really like having Helen pick the menu.  It is like a grab bag of meals. 

This morning, I went to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.  I practically drove almost to Atlanta to attend.   I felt out of place.  I was the only guy there and the only one that wasn't terribly obese.  When I got home, I weighed on my scales and am down to 210 pounds.  At one time I weighed 257.   I will probably go back again as I did like the more congenial and personal atmosphere.  

Ravenous

Last night was my choice. "You sure you don't want to go eat with us?" my father asked. "They have great seafood and steaks." I really tried to go. I did. I got a shower, shaved, put on some nice clothes. I even donned my uncomfortable, but nice looking pair of tennis shoes. The mirror stopped me though. I stood there looking at my face -- so full and puffy. I looked fat. I did so well on my diet for awhile, but gave up. I have gained so much weight lately. "You look like the Sta-Puff marshmallow man," I told myself in the mirror, disgusted. It was thoroughly depressing.

Supper was a microwave meal -- 490 calories. Chicken tenderloins with glazed carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. I thought of my father, mother, and my grandmother enjoying fried shrimp and baked potatoes. I was still so hungry. My medications make me ravenous. To hell with it, I thought as I called Rosa. "You hungry?" I asked. It was storming outside, but I still drove by the grocery store and to pick her up.

Beef lo mein was made on the stove. Ground beef with steamed cabbage cooked in soy sauce -- served on a bed of rice and chow mein noodles. It is the only Chinese food Rosa will eat and one of my childhood favorites.  "Why do you look so sad?" Rosa asked me over our meal. "I can't quit eating," I replied between healthy mouthfuls of lo mein.

I heard Dr. Laura say the other night on the radio about losing weight that, "You're either lazy or you're not." To her, there was no middle ground -- no compromise. It is always black or white. "Put on some sweats and just walk," she said as if it were that simple.  She is waif thin and looks almost unhealthy.  It reminds me of the bulimics and anorexics I have read about over the years -- an eating disorder of another sort. Exercise obsessed. She is not taking over 2000 mg of various medications to control the various symptoms of a mental illness though -- many known to cause marked weight gain. I think I will now go have a cheese Danish and thoroughly shoot my diet to hell.  At least, I will feel better for a few moments.