I am the only person who probably gains weight on a 50 mile hiking trek. I did a 50 miler in the spectacular mountains northwest of Taos with some friends and gained 5 pounds. Even scared of being killed by bears at night did not deter my appitite for dehydrated foods. But I will not complain about my body. It has been a blessing. My dear friend from college who made 11 million dollars by the time we were 25, married a gorgeous girl 10 years younger than us about 7 years ago. He now wants children and she doesn't (even though that is ostensibly why he married a girl so much younger than himself). They have not been able to conceive and she doesn't want to undergo invitro treatments. He says she is surrounded by younger men, in this moment, willing to live a life without children should they separate. It may end their marriage. As challenging as life is for me, with my many emotional, intellectual and mental shortcomings, I will always be grateful I had children in spite of the fact my genetic material may not be worth replicating. I won't ever have to wonder what it would have been like to have a family and I will never have to find another suitable mate to give me children and help me raise them. Those things are behind me now, and I am grateful I took the risk and committed myself to the task. I am grateful for an easy going mate who was a better nurturer than I when our children were small, who gave me confidence that I could be a mother. So I won't complain about how easy it is for me to gain weight. My size, my health, my body was fertile and I could have had as many children as I wanted. That was a meaningful part of my life and I have my body to thank for it. | 