A Weighty Issue

I have been gaining and losing the same 20 pounds for years now. Every time I shed the excess weight, I vow to never let those hated pounds adhere to my body again. But of course, about two years later, they are back in all their hefty glory. The persistence of that obstinate weight to cling to my 5'4" frame like a magnet has made me reconsider this weighty conundrum.

I readily admit that I am part of the problem, maybe even the majority of the problem. I love to cook and eat, and I am what one might even consider an emotional eater. Celebrations require celebratory meals, and I have never encountered a problem that could not be made better, at least temporarily, by a Hershey Bar. So I take responsibility for my indiscretions. However, (and I know I sound like a whiner here) genetics does play a part in people's body sizes. If that is not true, tell me why almost every woman I know looks like her mother. Show me a fat woman, and you can almost always guarantee a fat daughter is lurking in her future. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying blame our mothers. Heaven knows they probably inherited the queen-sized handicap themselves.

Family traits aside, experts and weight-loss gurus always have a new solution to the body-mass issue. Body fat is big business, no pun intended. Many, many doctors, dietitians, ans self-proclaimed diet experts are literally living off the fat of the land. Did you ever stop to think that if all of us fat-afflicted people were to be cured of the obesity bug, those diet peddlers would be out of business? The truth is that most of those pills, potions, and commercial diets do work, temporarily. But none of them can guarantee permanent solutions, and they are expensive. A couple of years ago, I tried Weight Watchers. The weight did melt away, but one day it dawned on me that I could starve for free. So I quit the club and lost the weight on my own.

Another thing that bothers me is society's obsession with weight. Certain companies and individuals are absolutely predatory in their "mission" to help the obese. A prime example of this fat baiting for profit is the TV show The Biggest Loser. Now I know the show is wildly popular, and I have many friends who love it. But I cannot bear to watch it. Dressing obese people up in skimpy gym clothes and having them bear their souls on national TV seems sadistic to me. I know people say they watch the show for inspiration, but when I see a skinny little diet coach yell at some unfortunate fatty stumbling along on a treadmill, I am embarrassed and appalled! Nevertheless, long lines of fat people wait for hours to audition for the show. Go figure.

I am currently at the top of my twenty-pound problem. I am down to to a handful of outfits that I can comfortably wear, and I am even beginning to have fat dreams. So it is time to pull out the diet plans again. Should I count carbs, calories, or fat grams? Maybe I will give Weight Watchers another try. One thing is for sure: if I don't do something, you may soon see me sporting spandex on Tuesday nights on NBC.