When I was 31, I was so thin that if I turned sideways, people thought I'd left the room. I was 6' 5" tall, but I weighed only 150 pounds. Over the years this changed, dramatically. Recently I weighed 276 pounds, and if I turned sideways, I looked like Alfred Hitchcock (for older readers), or a sumo wrestler (for the younger crowd). I had, in effect, donned a perpetual backpack, with 125 pounds of stones in it. And I was carrying it around with me, 24/7.
This summer, my beloved wife Marci and I took a long trip, by rented car, through the West. August 15 - 24. On the trip my stomach started to diminish, more than somewhat. "What the......?" I thought to myself. "What was happening on this trip that was different than when we were back home?" Suddenly I realized, "Milk." I wasn't drinking any milk. Sat down that night in Helena, Montana, and did some figuring. I had been drinking an enormous amount of milk: 4 gallons of 1% per week. In a year, that was 200 gallons. A visual image popped into my mind: a conveyor belt, with 200 gallon-bottles of milk, all to be consumed by me. Yikes!
I realized the stuff tasted good, and made for strong bones, but clearly I was addicted to it. I wondered, do they have the equivalent of an AA meeting for milk addicts? "Hello, my name is Dick. I'm a milk-aholic. I haven't had a drink since August 15th."
I dunno. Anyway, I made up my own group. Haven't touched the stuff since I woke up. I've lost 16 pounds in three weeks, and expect my weight to continue to go down.
Ah, the benefits of kicking the stuff. I can start fitting into clothes that had applied for unemployment. My blood pressure, which was 210/110 not that long ago, is now down to 100/70. My vanity, wounded every time I would look in the mirror, now is beginning to heal. Things are really looking up. And I'm no longer looking down. At the stomach, that used to be.
The blogosphere has a giant among us. Welcome!
Posted by: Celeste Wroblewski | 09/06/2009 at 06:40 PM
Hi Dick,
It's so nice to read this post. I thought that you were drinking a lot of water to keep your brain so active. I wish you all the best in your healing process. Best regards for Marci.
Justyna
Posted by: Justyna Ciecwierz | 09/07/2009 at 06:52 AM
Dick,
So glad you've started a blog... Forget about milk - now you'll have a REAL addiction! ;-)
I look forward to your regular musings!
Your friend at Ask The Headhunter, Nick Corcodilos
Posted by: Nick Corcodilos | 09/07/2009 at 07:22 AM
Hi. My name is Eric. And I'm a Milkoholic.
I've noticed my own previously slim waistline beginning to expand. I'm going to go on a 12-step program and eliminate (or at least cut down) my milk consumption.
Perhaps lemonade is the answer. I'm addicted to that too.
Glad to see you are blogging. Your wonderful sense of humor is fun to read.
Posted by: Eric Wentworth | 09/07/2009 at 08:44 AM
Hi Dick,
Guess I'll be seeing less of you at MACCA! Glad this milk elimination has had a good health ripple effct.
Posted by: Damona | 09/08/2009 at 09:15 AM
Hi, I'm Rowan and I'm a chocoholic. I love the stuff. Love it. Some people say they love chocolate, but they're only trifling with chocolate's affections. My feelings run a whole lot deeper than that.
I realised that maybe I had a problem when I noticed that I only have one phrase in my travel book - "Excuse me, can you please direct me to the nearest chocolate?" - in 47 different languages.
Now I feel I'm in good company. And doubly so now that you've joined the blogosphere. Thrilled to have you in my reader Dick, it makes the world feel a smaller and more manageable place.
Best,
Rowan
Posted by: Rowan Manahan | 09/10/2009 at 05:53 AM
Hi Dick, really enjoy reading your blog. Keep doing it!
Oh, I drink Rice Dream and love it!
Posted by: Glenn Jones | 10/08/2009 at 08:29 AM
Hi dearest brother:
You had some stories about your life which I never knew about. Dr.Nichol I well remember because he came to our home on Edgemont Place when I had that awful case of poison ivy. I want to figure how to print the stories out for my geneology notebooks.
I would love to see that new book.
Love, always to you
from you sister
Ann
Posted by: Ann Bolles Johnson | 01/08/2010 at 03:31 PM
Hello9! Its been many years but I am the Employment Mgr @ Fort Gordon. I am applying for Workforce Development with DOL and I wanted to write about the name of the Employment Organization on the West Coast and AJST which was the East Coast. Thank you and I will be reading more on-line too. I really enjoyed and learned from the workshop that the was provided with Army Personnel (civilian) and others. My home email address is below due to it being Saturday.
Posted by: Kathryn B. Palmer | 01/09/2010 at 06:42 AM
Hi!
I had to give up my milk addiction at the age of 37. Went cold turkey like you did. I found it a more frustrating habit to break than when I gave up cigarettes in my 20's. I drink rice milk and plain soy milk mixed together.
Love your blog! God Bless!
Posted by: Teri | 02/03/2010 at 08:46 PM
This is such a great news, it really helps,Thanks for convey the message, i really didn't know about that,Thanks for share this.
Posted by: Term Paper | 02/17/2010 at 01:52 AM
Hi- I first had your book 40 years ago when I was 16- my older brother gave it to me. Of all the books I have read for pleasure or even for my MA in literature- your What Color is Your Parachute is my favorite book. It has such a volume of information in little digestable bites.
Now I pass it down to my daughter.
Posted by: delia ferrandino | 02/27/2010 at 06:05 PM