My fight is at the opposite end of the spectrum. I don’t need to lose weight, I need to gain weight and I have struggled with that my entire life.

Add to that that the health issues I have including malnutrition and a family predisposition for hypertension, I need to increase my blood flow and calorie intake to stay healthy and more importantly stay alive.

I admit, my eating habits are very poor – I skip meals or I eat the wrong things. Yesterday, all I had was, coffee, orange juice, a bowl of soup and lemon pound cake – lots of pound cake.

But I have a plan. I have to stop skipping meals, incorporate more vegetables (fruit is not a problem because I love fruit) into my diet and exercise more regularly.

I learned the skills I need to stay healthy when I was in the Navy, now I have to use those skills consistently.

My new program consists of strengthening and conditioning to build muscle, which should increase my blood flow, speed up my metabolism and increase my appetite.

The great thing about my plan is that muscles actually weigh more than fat and muscular fitness means I will have the strength, endurance and flexibility to handle my daily activities.

I’ve enlisted my trusty, faithful, exercise partner, Sammy my Beagle-hound-mix as my workout partner. He probably needs exercise just as much or even more than I do. Our program now consists of running a little, to gradually build up my strength (Sammy is only two-years-old and he doesn’t need to build up his strength) and walking longer distances. We power walk and march – I'm a retired sailor so when Sammy hears me start calling the cadence ‘left, right, left,’ he picks up his pace. We make a very comical team marching through my neighborhood.

I now track what I eat daily.  I know I need at least 2,000 calories daily to increase my energy level. I’ve set a goal to be fit enough to walk in the annual MS Walk in the fall.

Results: I will feel healthier and look better; my clothes will fit better which will help me feel better about myself. And, I hope to live to be a hundred.

Sharon Powell, News Assistant, Eastern Wake News and Clayton News-Star

spowell@newsobserver.com

Whole Foods Market Raleigh invites customers to help feed families in need throughout the Triangle this holiday season.

Customers may donate breakfast, lunch, dinner or three square meals for a family of four to the Interfaith Food Shuttle, which will distribute the food to families across Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

The campaign began today and runs through New Year's Eve at Whole Foods' store at 3540 Wade Ave.

Win an elaborately decorated gingerbread house crafted by an area chef or other items at a  silent auction during the ninth annual gingerbread benefit for Triangle Family Services.

One of the region's premier fine dining destinations has received its first five-star rating from the 2012 Forbes Travel Guide.