SOMEONE ASKED ME

My doctor’s nurse tells me I’m still 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weigh 129 pounds. Therefore, the pants I’ve been wearing for a while must have gotten too long because of the weight lost, not height lost. Someone asked me recently how I did it. I’m not really on a diet, but I eat wisely. For example, I eat only one starchy food per meal.

If every over-weight person in this country ate by only this rule for reducing weight, what a lot of tonnage we would rid ourselves of. Here’s a partial list of foods not to mix in the same meal: bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, green peas, dried beans (as in chili), oatmeal. There are others, but these are foods we eat regularly. Skip the “rice and beans” and “peas and potatoes” dishes and try turkey bacon with your oatmeal.

As exercise, I ride a stationary bike in two 15-minute segments a day. In addition, I’m always reaching for something on the top shelf. I mean often. And then I keep two 3-pound weights beside the chair I watch television from and “work out” with them on the commercials. I exercise my legs and arms before I get out of bed in the morning, and occasionally when doing kitchen work. Now I need a whole new wardrobe.

♥