To diet or not to diet

T’s* View
 To diet or not to diet, that's the infernal question. Do I do something about getting into those clothes which are getting snugger and snugger-fitting, or do I go out and buy a whole new wardrobe? At 15 years of age (and 5'4") I was 115 lbs. Since then I seem to have gained a pound for every year of my life. Either I have to stop adding pounds or stop adding years, but it's getting out of hand. When I was 125 lbs. at 25 years of age I vowed that I would never let myself go beyond 130, but the pounds kept adding up as automatically as the years. At times I would tell myself: "So what? How many 50 year olds have 25 year old figures? Why not just let it happen and enjoy the delights of food, fattening or not?" Then the other half of me would answer: "Oh, yeah? Look how out-of-shape you are. And look at Joan Collins and Nancy Reagan. They hung on to their figures, so it's not impossible!" Of course the first part of me has an answer for that one: "Sure, they probably spend all kinds of money at health spas and have somebody prepare non-fattening foods for them. Or else they're just two of those lucky people who never have to watch what they eat. They probably drink a milkshake and LOSE a pound!" And the battle within goes on and on. Of course, there are all kinds of diet books on the market, and almost every magazine you pick up has some kind of diet in it. (Then two pages later there are all kinds of delicious recipes for fattening things to tempt you to put back whatever pounds you may lose on the diet.) They make every diet printed sound so easy and so satisfying: "You need never feel hungry again," or "you'll never even know you're on a diet," but I've yet to find a reducing diet that didn't leave me feeling cheated. I've tried the diets that consist of a can of dried powder (supposedly nutritionally good for you, but after a few days I actually felt sick on one of those); I've tried a diet that consisted of pills that contained all the herbs and vitamins your body needs (the pills were so big, I choked every time I took them); and I've tried the caramel candy diet (people would run in the other direction when I told them I was carrying Ayds...they didn't bother to hear the rest of the sentence, namely, ...in my purse.) Then there are friends who say stick to carbohydrates only (or is that "avoid" carbohydrates?) Others say stay away from potatoes and bread and then I'll read somewhere that potatoes and bread are NOT fattening (only what you put on them is). Everyone wants to help, I guess, but it only adds to a lot of confusion. As for the people who try to make me feel better by saying things like: "But I like you fat" or "a full face hides the wrinkles," I want to scream "I'm not THAT fat! Oh, well, they all mean well...but to get those pounds off I guess there's no substitute for willpower and discipline—something I seem to be in short supply of when it comes to dieting. I watch my skinny friends eat a salad simply because they like ił; when I eat a salad, my mind automatically hollers "where's the beef?!" If only someone could come up with a low-calorie diet that tastes like fattening food, and an exercise program that works while you sleep, there might be a chance for me.

*Terri the Typesetter
March 28, 1984 --- ------ Page 34