"And That's The Skinny On That"

What is it with this weight obsession going on in America? It seems every time I turn around I am being confronted by one more "easy off" diets. I hear fat talk on the radio and I see it on TV. We as a group of people are totally fascinated with the weight losing process.

Personally I don't worry that much about my weight. My wife worries about it enough for both of us. I do want to be healthy but as for being thin, well I could care less. For the first twenty years of my life I was thin. I couldn't gain a pound if I wanted to, no matter what I ate. I had a metabolism that burned up every calorie as soon as it was absorbed.

Then while I was in law school things changed. I began to eat and gain, eat and gain. But then when I entered the Air Force after graduation I lost again. I went to Officer Training School in Texas and of course we exercised, a lot. I began to lose weight again and by the time I "graduated" I was skin and bones.

The problem was they issued me several sets of uniforms and they were all at my "skinny" weight. Cheap soul that I am, I used those same uniforms for the full four years I spent in the Air Force. The problem was I didn't stay skinny for four years. During that time I got married and when I did my weight went up.

The uniforms became tighter and tighter and the ridges around my waist became more and more pronounced. In the afternoons as I headed for home I would start unbuttoning and unzipping to give myself breathing room. My wife always panicked that if I were to be in a wreck they would find me naked in the car.

Most people do gain weight as they get older and in my opinion most people look better with a little extra weight on them. This new trend to get as thin as possible is just not appealing to me at all. As people get thinner they get less healthy looking. And a lot of people are actually less healthy as they fight the battle of pounds.

I have always loved to eat and I have maintained my appetite as I age. Foods of all sorts drive me crazy. I like Mexican, Chinese, Italian and "country." I like red meat and I like vegetables. Strangely enough I am not big on desserts. When I was a child the only dessert I ever wanted was strawberry shortcake and I am still pretty limited when it comes to sweets.

My advice to you all is don't sweat the few pounds you have added. As long as you stay south of obese you are doing okay. Remember it is better to be pleasantly plump than painfully thin. And that is the skinny on that.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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