RIVER CITY JOURNAL: NEW BODY CONTOURS: WILL THE PUBLIC APPROVE?

Redesigning your body and its health was a lot quicker -- and a heck of a lot cheaper -- than Ford's redo of the Taurus. But it wasn't any easier. No siree.

There you are. The new you.

Actually, it is the same old you with new contours. The photos show the old you and the new you, just in case you want to compare. The new you is 65 pounds lighter, which means there are, at last count, three fewer chins. And did you notice the new glasses? The new you has glasses with black rims, while the old you had rimless glasses. An associate once told you the rimless glasses made you look like St. Nick. He probably wasn't taking just the glasses into account at the time.

With your new body design, you feel a lot like the new Ford Taurus that everyone is making a big fuss over. The automobile makeover took years and billions of dollars -- and was a tremendous risk, because the old Taurus was the biggest seller in America. Now Ford is wondering how the car-buying public will respond to the new Taurus with its oval design elements.

Just a thought: If the new Taurus feels as good about its new look as you do about yours, sales will skyrocket.

Several kind folks have mentioned your recent weight loss. Many of them have solicited how-to hints. You have been reluctant to share any secrets, mainly because there aren't any. Just because America is well into its Age of Thin Infatuation doesn't mean the world's wealthiest nation has learned much about good health or nutrition. Most overweight people want to lose weight to look better, not to feel better or be healthier. And most people who want to look better also want a quick-fix formula like a Six-Day Diet or Seven Easy Ways to Lose 15 Pounds by the End of the Month, as the magazines at supermarket checkouts promise.

When you tell questioners that the goal should be good health, not a particular waist size, their eyes tend to glaze over.

One inspiration for your own health program was inspired by your younger son, who has managed to lose more than 100 pounds in the last year. He is, among other things, a pilot and a gourmet cook. There are some pretty strict health requirements for flying an airplane, and eating exquisite food isn't always compatible. But he has developed the determination and self-discipline to do both. During his most recent flight physical he was commended by the doctor for his excellent health (his regimen includes a lot of exercise too), but he still manages to prepare wonderful meals -- healthy ones at that -- for himself and friends and family.

Another inspiration has been age. As you become more age-advantaged, the prospects of health problems become more and more real. The excesses of youth begin to show up all over your body, and you suddenly realize it may be too late.

You have never subscribed to the notion that excessive exercise will prolong your life. Facts are facts: you are going to die. You see all those obituaries for joggers who died in the sixth kilometer of a 10-k run. But the quality of whatever time you are allotted is a matter of considerable concern. It doesn't matter whether you are going to die at 60 or 105. It would be better not to spend much time with a respirator or in a wheelchair.

Well, there you are. Good health is a matter of surviving with some degree of quality, and it isn't always easy. Eating habits have changed dramatically, although meals at your house are still delicious and interesting. Exercise has become a way of life, although you will never be a fanatic about it.

The overall results? Among the three members of your family who have been at this for about a year, the total weight loss is more than 200 pounds. (Your older son has never had a health/weight problem but understands how a sane diet and exercise contribute to his boundless stamina.)

Someday you might write a book about healthy living. Such tomes seem to be awfully popular these days. Yours will start something like this: "If your goal is to look like the movie stars in People magazine, forget it."

That probably won't help sales a lot.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.