Dear Reader,
The quality of writing in this year's Write a DearReader Contest was outstanding. Today's Honorable Mention piece was written by Connie Blocher. Thank you so much Connie for sharing your story with us.
MY DIET DILEMMA
Many people grow up with nicknames given to them in their youth that are cute and often descriptive of their looks. Names such as Curly or Blondie are harmless and often follow the child into adulthood without embarrassment. During my junior high years, my brothers christened me with not one, but three unflattering nicknames--Fats, Beast, and, my least favorite, Blob. As you may have determined, I had a weight problem and my siblings happened to be brutally honest. I did not consider myself to be obese, but maybe pudgy or pleasingly plump. My grandfather said it in a more polite way when he described me as "healthy-looking". Fortunately, my nicknames were private and did not travel with me into the school environment. From that time forward and through high school, my life became one of constantly fighting flab. I lived a life of food and fun deprivation. All to no avail.
Amazingly, my college years brought a major and much needed transformation. My impoverished state did not allow me to own a car so my legs carried me everywhere. Magic happened! My body shrunk and this Blob deflated into the slim person I desired to be for many years. Life changed and my social life soared. I felt ecstatic and when I looked into the mirror, a thin person greeted me. A very thin person! My new body gave me new life and new confidence.
I married a wonderful man who had the appetite of a wild boar, ate tons of high calorie foods, and never gained a pound. His tremendous addiction to sweets, my pregnancy, and my affinity for baking had me approaching my Fats, Beast, and Blob state once again. Something had to be done. Over the years, I had tried so many diets that I lost count. I ate grapefruit and eggs ad nauseam. Cabbage soup became a staple for weeks. I counted and counted--counted calories, counted fat grams, and counted carbs. I denied myself sugar, wheat, corn, alcohol, pasta, and anything tasty. Denied! Denied! Denied! My whole life revolved around forbidden foods and elastic waistbands. I did lose a little weight here and there and sometimes even a lot, but I could not maintain the slender profile that I so much wanted.
Earlier this year, I decided to give dieting one last try. My bookshelf held reminders of my past endeavors--Atkins, South Beach, Fast Metabolism, and Weight Watchers to name a few. I chose one and vowed to faithfully follow it so by summer I would be so slim and trim that my husband's eyes would sparkle. Honestly, it was tough going. When I passed someone eating a soft-swirled ice cream cone with two flavors, I wanted to rip it out of their hands. While moseying by a pizza shop, I wanted to leap through the glass window and grab a slice. Diet failure quickly became reality.
Then, one day, I took all the diet books from the shelf and threw them in a box and marked it "Rummage Sale". You see, I had learned something albeit the hard way. Through many diet failures I soon came to realize that the best diet book did not sit on my shelf or anyone's shelf. The best diet book of all could be found in my head--the book of common sense. If I ate anything I wanted, chose wisely, did not overindulge, and used self-control, I might just drop a few pounds.
I will never understand why it took me so long to discover such wisdom, but it seems to be working. I may not be the slimmest babe on the block, but I am content. The female once known as Fats, Beast, or Blob has been banished forever. Good riddance! Now I think I'll have some ice cream with whipped cream and, of course, a cherry on top!
-- Connie Blocher
Honorable Mention, 2021 Write a DearReader Contest
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
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