No, I don't have some hideous, dread disease, nor do I have an over- active thyroid, or a mixed up metabolism. In fact, Thank God, I am extremely healthy, work five days a week, and haven't had as much as a cold, in so many years I forgot how it feels to have one. I don't care to remember either.

Before I go any further, let me give a little background. I am of European ancestory and built on an extremely large frame. I am six feet tall. During my life I have many times reached an overweight condition.

When I was 17 years old, my weight had reached 225 pounds. How- ever, being a little athletic, the weight was hidden in a 42” chest and 32" inch waist. My height had reached maturity. At that time I was 5'11" and took a size 20 dress. Those of you, that are my age, or older, know the styles of 1950, and for a 17 year old, how difficult it was, on a limited budget to find anything attractive.

With three months of vigorous exercise, wearing a sweatsuit, I was able to get my weight down enough to enlist in the Navy. While in the service, Uncle Sam did a good job of keeping me trim. In fact, when I received my discharge at the end of my tour, I weighed 165 pounds. Within a year after that, while working on an extremely vigorous job, I lost another ten pounds.

Here I was, 155 pounds of proud me. The styles I could wear were so beautiful and alluring. I couldn't believe how feminine they made me look and feel. I really enjoyed being a girl, when I could, that is.

I married that year, and don't ask me why or how it happened, but slowly and surely, I was packing the pounds on again. It was getting harder and harder to find anything to fit me. By the end of December, 1970, I was back up to 225 pounds. The same weight I had when I was 17 years old. That was 20 years ago. Only this time I had a spread of 42 inches around my waist, and unless you stood, face to face, with me, and could see my height, I looked like a sloppy, big bellied, roly-poly. I wasn't quite Mrs. 5 x 5, but darn close to it.

At that time, I knew that I had to do something about my figure. However, it has always been impossible for me to stay on a diet, as it left me always hungry, and after a day or two, I always broke them. I had neither the time nor the energy to start a program of vigorous exercise. It was quite a dilemma, as I truly wanted to lose weight.

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