By Lois E. Wilson
It’s that time of year when families and friends get together for holiday dinners. They share favorite recipes. With those, you indulge.
At times, you tell yourself, “Even though I don’t like a particular dish, I had better eat it. If I don’t, it might offend the hostess.”
Edgar Watson Howe noted, “When the guests at a gathering are well-acquainted¸ they eat 20 percent more than they otherwise would.”
Later, one day you realize—things have changed. You may be as Wes was in my verse, “Figuratively Speaking” in denial:
Wes kept gaining pound after pound. His body weight was upward bound.
He claimed, “You cannot escape the fact I’m in good shape—my shape just happens to be round!”
You may also at some point find your clothes need to be a larger size: The verse “Alteration” shows a time of this realization:
Her birthday present did not fit though it was made of stretchy knit. Nor could she let it out one whit. So she was forced to gird her grit—loath to admit, “I’ve gained a bit.”
You decide as some do to go on a diet. Jean Kerr advises, “If you have formed the habit of checking on every new diet that comes along, you will find that, mercifully, they all blur together leaving you with only one definite piece of information: “French fried potatoes are out.”
In “Weigh –In” I tell about Dora’s experience with dieting:
Dora read an ice cream diet. The ad convinced her to try it.
The company’s spiel said, “Three scoops each meal
And surplus pounds will melt away. She stocked up supplies that same day.
Dora’s deluded and quiet. She’s sad, she cannot deny it.
She put on more weight from ice cream she ate.
Dora’s unbelted. The ice cream’s melted.
Poor Dora just couldn’t stop. Her scoops went over the top.
Now friends all agree it turned out to be—a big FAT FLOP!
So beware of “miracle” solutions to a weight gain problem. And remember, never eat the maximum and this maxim—without a doubt, French fried potatoes are out!