The Stress Diet

I went to the doctor's today, and while I was there I got weighed. I had lost eleven pounds since my last visit 12 weeks ago, which wouldn't be that big of a deal except:

1. Eleven pounds represents about 10% of my current body weight, and
2. I'm not on a diet.

The doctor was concerned, until I explained The Stress Diet to her. Also known as The Ex-Husband Diet, and The Dental Diet. When I am under a great deal of stress, such as currently, I magically lose weight. Even though, when the stress first starts up, I try to remind myself that I can go ahead and eat whatever I want to, because, Hey! Here comes stress!

My body's reaction to stress is to go on High Alert. I swear, it's like being a mouse in a roomful of cats or something. I get all "ramped up", for lack of a better term, and I just can't relax. At all. Even when I am supposedly relaxing, the hamsters in my mind just keep running, running, running. My theory is that at times like this, when my body is constantly ready for "fight or flight", it burns up calories at a higher rate.

Now I just have to write a book, "The Stress Diet", and I'll be rich! rich! rich! Although I'm not sure how many people would be willing to place themselves under massive amounts of stress in order to lose weight.