Papa and Mama's disappearing act.

Food. Eating. Lots.

Among the things the Momma and I consider to be "entertainment", food holds a very strong hold and place in the hierarchy.

Eating has always been on par with Academy Award winning movies, or best selling novels or the most downloaded casual game for the iPhone.

We both discovered later in our lives, after getting married, that our passion for eating could translate into a passion for cooking.

Momma became the cake and cupcake and pasta lady and I was the breakfast and meat and fish guy. We were foodies, but not very discriminating ones; a bag of Cheetos were held in the same esteem as the finest south american cuts of meat.

And we, obviously, were very happy. We had worked hard to be able to eat whatever we wanted, when we wanted and as much as we wanted.

Until it caught up with us.

Earlier this year, Momma had a health scare with an upwards spike in her glucose and deterioration of her pancreas, resulting in a condition that could lead quite easily and rapidly to diabetes.

So, well, the eating stopped.

Not only for her, but for me too. I wasn't going to let her walk into a healthy lifestyle without joining her, and after a good long look in the mirror, Poppa realized and decided that, if we want Emilia to have a set of two parents for as long as possible, that I needed to change too.

Now for the past six weeks, we've followed a doctor approved diet and lifestyle change: it doesn't involve eating only lettuce and being sad, but it's a process of learning to eating healthily, and we're both very happy and feeling well. We have lost something close to 32 lbs. between the two of us, and we look and feel better, sleep better, and get no heartburn at all. Imagine that!

As for the fun part, well, being in this process with Momma, both of us picking new foods, thinking healthily and restraining ourselves instead of indulging our whims, has bought us closer together, as a couple and as a family. No amount of lettuce is going to turn that into something sad.