Now that summer has arrived I have observed the increased acceptance of diversity of all kinds. That is one of the many beauties of life: how different we all are in our singularity. I have noticed less shame regarding body size among women both prominent and average. It seems as beauty standards have become more flexible and redefined, the norm is not just young and impossibly thin but older, darker, and larger in body size.

In today's technological universe we have constant access to information and images. We can instantly document ourselves through images and see ourselves in an immediate feedback loop.

For those of us who are not happy with our physical images, it can be a painful reminder that we don't look a desired way and that effects our mood.

Recently, after many months of committed effort and losing a significant amount of weight, I "hit the wall."  Those of us who have struggled to leave the ranks of the obese know about "the wall." The wall is when weight loss slows down and we hit the famous "plateau", and our bodies think it is over.  Should I continue to let go of stored fat or hold on tight to my stores of reserve?  I believe the physiological aspects of weight loss need to be better understood in our conversations about obesity.

My best friend had a heart attack when she was barely 50 years old. Her husband, the love of her life, had passed away the previous year from diabetes complications. I think her heart was broken in more ways than one.