Ah, yes. At the end of 2003 and beginning of 2004 when I was grieving a failed relationship and working a back-breaking job I lost a bunch of weight. I wasn't really hungry because I was so miserable so the weight just fell off, maybe 20-30 pounds (I don't know because I seldom weigh myself), and my mom, and others, acted like I was the new princess of the world, like I was achieving my goals, like I had my eye on the prize. Worst of all, when my mom introduced me to people and tried to think of something nice to say, she would often bring up my weight loss with these strangers like she expected me to get a round of applause!

And sorta like the guy with food poisoning, I'd often say to people uncomfortably, "Um, it's because I've been under a lot of stress and I just haven't felt like eating," thinking, It's because I'm in a severe depressive state and that's one of the symptoms. Clue in.

I mean, sure, I worry that I'm getting diabetes, etc., so I personally wouldn't mind losing a little bit of weight if it were part of a trend toward better overall health, but that's a private goal, and I wish people wouldn't assume that it's my personal goal in life to be thin.