Wrinkles : "How I Lost 20 Pounds Without Really Trying"

total of 1500 calories. Not what you'd call Starvation Mode.

I also learned that frequent dining speeds up the body's metabolism. The article with that idea recommended three small meals and three snacks, but I figured the more, the merrier.

Letting hunger be my guide, I settled on 10 mini-meals per day. Three breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners and hey, how 'bout a bedtime snack. Doing the math, this worked out to 150 calories each. I went to great lengths to determine accurate numbers. One time I came "this far" from calling the Pope about communion wafers.

Meals often took the form of half a sandwich or a cup of soup. Gradually my list of choices grew as I altered recipes to squeeze the most taste from the fewest number of calories.

A good rule of thumb is that we should limit ourselves to fist-sized portions. Our eyes may covet more than that but our digestive system does not. Eating too much distends our poor tummy, which has to fight its way back to proper size.

This knowledge helped me measure servings by sight instead of weighing everything. Besides, how accurate is a kitchen scale that says, "Not legal for trade"?

Advance preparation was another key to success. To that end, I carried portable snacks while out and about, like bananas and crackers. Have Triscuits, will travel. On the home front, I kept sandwich fillings ready in the fridge. And I popped fields of corn and spiced it with taco seasoning.

Frequent eating posed no problem for me. As long as I finished my work, my boss cared not how often I snacked. One day he spied a number of empty wrappers in the waste basket. "I hope you don't think *I* ate all that," I said, knowing full well I had.

Eventually my food list and recipes filled a journal, which became a bible of sorts. If the house burned down, I'd grab that book even before my padded bra.

The beauty of the plan is that I never starved. Once hunger struck, I acted on it, secure in the knowledge that my metabolism would thank me. Hunger pangs are our body's way of saying, "Eat now or you'll be sorry." So I heard and I obeyed.

I assumed it was a fluke the first time I slipped into a Size Three. They must have mislabeled that sucker, I thought to myself. But then another one fit. And now I have a whole closet full of tiny clothes. Just like Barbie.

Of course, it took awhile. It wasn't like -- bang! -- I woke up one day twenty pounds lighter. Without a formal beheading. Instead, I lost a steady two pounds a month while eating often and increasingly healthier. It was all very gradual, which is how weight loss SHOULD be. I wish I'd learned the secret in my teens. Or maybe my twenties. Even my thirties would have been nice -- that pleasant era before the onset of wrinkles and facial hair. But I'm grateful to know it now: Small portions eaten ridiculously often = a slim, happy body.

This system will work for you, too. "The Dine All Day Diet" outlines a personalized game plan anyone can follow. Besides step-by-step guidance, it offers menu suggestions, fitness ideas that fit YOU, and plenty of laughs. Dozens of easy recipes with full-color photos bring up the rear. Literally. Download it now at http://www.radarblipbooks. com.

About the author:

Lois writes a weekly humor column for a dozen Great Lakes Area newspapers. For a good time, order "Now Jest a Minute" at http://store.fictionwise.com/servlet/mw?t=author&ai=16021&si=42.


Written By: Lois Corcoran