See, it's not my fault! According to this article, the reason my stomach is big is that I have too much stress and too little sleep. Oh, and that I probably eat too much trans-fat. Well, that might contribute to the fat, but somehow I think that my sitting on the couch, watching tv and eating the wrong things (besides the trans-fat) contributes much more to the big belly situation than the stress and lack of sleep. Also, I have read that some of the medication that I take makes you gain weight. The problem with blaming the medicine is that I have been taking some of this medication for over thirty years, fifteen of which I was thin. But, with my new resolution to get fitter, I will keep all of this in mind. My first step will be to finish this birthday cake as soon as possible, to prevent prolonged eating of something that is obviously making me fat. (I wonder how much trans fat there is in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake?) Next step, try to walk around the block at least once. The gym keeps writing me little post cards, begging me to return. According to them, they have missed my dynamic personality and witty comments and things just aren't the same without me there. (Well, they DID say they missed me and wanted me to come back. I just figured that they just left the rest of that off of the postcard because there wasn't enough room.) And now that it is getting cooler (highs in the mid to upper 90's), I might be more inclined to get in the yard than I was the last part of August, when the high temperatures have hovered around 100-103 degrees. (You must remember that summer in Louisiana starts in April or so and lasts at least until Halloween.) And I will make more of an effort to take a more balanced lunch to school instead of things easily carried in a tote bag. So, my plan is in place, and hopefully I'll be a little more fit by this time next year. I'd love to end up as fit as our friend Sharon, who does triathlons, but you know, I don't see that happening. I'll settle for taking a few pounds off, being able to walk and climb stairs without having to catch my breath, and having a little more energy. Again, wish me luck! http://cdn.digitalcity.com/ch_diets/bellyfat