Today I was out walking the dog. I waved at one of my down-the-street-a-ways neighbors — someone I have never spoken with before, and certainly could not have picked out of a lineup as “one of my neighbors” — as she was pulling out of her driveway. She waved back.
That’s the end of that, right?
Wrong.
She stopped her car, rolled down her window, and waited for me to get even with her.
“You’ve lost so much weight,” she said.
My first thought is that she either needs me to help her with something or she’s mistaken me for someone else, but I say, “Thank you for noticing.” (I’m making that up. Maybe I said that, but I honestly have no idea what I said. Aaaaaaanyway….)
She looked at me, two older people having a conversation about how to be healthy, and asked hopefully, “Is that just from walking?”
I know, I know. I really have my work cut out for me, if I’m going to make sure people are informed about the best ways to get into shape, and this is just one of life’s little reminders about that.
“Walking,” I said, not bothering to mention the fact that I also exercise quite strenuously fairly often, “plus I just try to eat well.”
“Ah,” she nodded, knowingly.
“That’s the biggest part of losing weight,” I continued. “You have to eat right, get off the sugar.”
“Sugar, yes,” she agreed, adding, “and for me, it’s the bread.”
“That’ll do it,” I said, and she went her way as I went mine.
Aside from the disturbing concept that people I don’t even know are apparently watching me through their windows closely enough to notice that I’ve lost weight, I find it at least a little heartening that this particular neighbor understands that eating less bread might be a good idea.
I find it less heartening that she hoped that walking was the answer.
We all know that’s not true. In our heart of hearts, our mind of minds, we understand that walking is not really exercise. It’s movement, and it’s a lot better than nothing, but it’s not a weight loss device.
Never lose sight of the fact that no matter which form of exercise you choose, you have to get your diet in line to lose the  fat. Boom.