Most of 1986 I was able to maintain my weight between 195 - 215lbs. I was vigorously exercising with medium weights with high repetitions. So I kept up certain eating habits because I was exercising so much I usually burned off much of the calories I took in. Also I was building decent arm and shoulder muscles and enviable leg muscles. I could not get fat off my mid-section even with multiple stomach exercises. This was actually one of the first signs that I was having problems (This is through many conversations with dieticians, cardiologist and primary care doctors. All agreed the larger than normal mid-section for a man my age was a sign of not eating properly.).
In late 1986 I was making weekend trips to Los Angeles to escape the pressures of work and wind down. During one of those week ends I met a wonderful man and we started seeing each other every weekend. I drove to LA versus him coming to San Diego. Everything was great and in 1987 he left his job and moved to San Diego and we got a place together. He loved to entertain and spared no expense. We also would regularly go out to Palm Springs for the weekend and have lavish breakfasts and very late dinners.
With someone in my life, I stopped exercising and the extravagant meals caused my weigh to go up to 244-lbs. I did very little to get that weight down mostly because of all the entertainment we put on. For example, one year when his father and step-mother visited along with his sister and brother-in-law during Thanksgiving we had Cornish game hens each stuffed with almond flavored wild rice, bread stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and candied yams made with brown sugar, marshmallows and Cointreau (orange liqueur). Now I strongly suspect this meal was more than 2,000 calories. That was not including mice-meat and pumpkin pies.
Thinking back, I did not have to eat the entire hen or two helpings of candied yams. I put all that food on my plate. It was my fault for eating so much. I take the blame. I want to let you know that this is the typical entertainment we did regularly.
In late 1994 things changed. My companion started losing significant weight. With visits to the doctors it was confirmed, he had AIDS. I became his caregiver starting in March 1995, putting diapers on him and changing him many times a day. He was set up with an in-home hospice care the end of April and he left this earthly plane in May 1995. Go to next page
