Weight Loss in the Age of Trump

“A little more moderation would be good.
Of course, my life hasn’t exactly been one of moderation.”

–      Donald J. Trump

Looking back on it, I think it’s Trump’s fault.

My weight gain, that is.

Leading up to last year’s election, I assured my wife Anita – who was jittery and panicky beyond all get-out – that there was nothing to worry about. The Democrats held an insurmountable electoral-college edge, and too many people thought the Republican candidate was simply too crazy-pants to vote for.

After it all went down the way it all went down, I found myself drawn to the news shows like a moth to a flame. When I got home from work, I’d fix a stiff drink (I’ve really taken a hankering to whiskey in my old age), and would settle in and watch an hour (or four) of cable news.

Sometimes it was MSNBC, sometimes CNN, sometimes even Fox News, but I was riveted by the daily twists and turns our political world was taking. And I don’t know if it’s this way with you, but drinking makes me snacky.

I guess I thought it would all peter out, that it would all settle down into some sense of normality (spoiler alert: it didn’t).

I’ll admit that I’m still fascinated by the whole phenomenon, but I’m trying to transition my information absorbtion from lounging in front of the TV for hours at a time to exercising in the gym listening to podcasts.

The world will spin on (fingers crossed about North Korea), but being a sedentary spectator doesn’t do anybody (or any body) any good.