How I gained 10 pounds in a delectible month: Was the weight really worth it?
From
Beverly Mills
| October 29, 2009
In Healthy Living, Photo Gallery, Travel Scoop
It’s not like I didn’t know what I was doing – or the inevitable result.
Spending a month studying Spanish in Buenos Aires came with a bonus: An extensive food and restaurant culture – one full of buttery steaks, freshly made pasta, cheese, and gelato and dulce de leche 
at every meal. And since the Argentine peso stayed depressed at about 25 cents U.S., you could have a generous serving of Kobe beef for $10. A three-course business lunch (with wine and tip) routinely ran $8. What sort of budget cookbook writer would I be to let such bargains breeze by?
When the first button popped off my brand new traveling pants, perhaps I should have taken heed. And when the second (and final one) blew off? Maybe I should have prayed. That’s about the only thing that could have helped. Here I was, sinking into a food-induced purgatory.
Gluttony? They don’t call it a deadly sin for nothing.
After a chance encounter with a churros bakery, I ended up whining to my daughter long-distance at $2 a minute (more expensive than a gelato cone): “I am getting soooo fat.”
Her: “You can exercise when you get home. Starve yourself if you have to. But you won’t ever get a vacation like this again. So just don’t worry about it.”
I really, really love my daughter. But she’s 18 years old with the metabolism of a racehorse. At 50-plus, my hormones hunker down on every calorie I eat.
So you get the idea. And in case you don’t, these are the photos that prove my plight. 
Over the next few weeks (months?) I will be joining hundreds of menopausal women around the world in trying to shed an extra 10 pounds. My deadline is the last possible day I can bake Christmas cookies.
Any advice (or empathy) for me? Leave it in the comments box following this blog, and I’ll keep you posted as to how it goes. Oh, and was it worth it? Maybe I’m a pig, but you betcha!
Comments
From Beverly Mills - October 29, 2009
From Linda, via Facebook: "Ten pounds in one month is nothing. Just back from a week in Louisiana -- farm to table tour -- food so good can easily put on 10 pounds."
From Jason - October 29, 2009
Based on the holidays in the coming few months, I'd try to drop a little before Thanksgiving then pack it in until New Years resolution time. However, I will also confirm that what a fantastic reason to gain weight - it sure beats too many pizza cravings. I find the food to be some of the most memorable elements of travel - glad you seized the day(s).
From Beverly Mills - October 29, 2009
Thanks for the kind words Jason, you're a real pal! (I've lost 2 pounds so far!!!)
From Susan Falls - November 12, 2009
At least you had a great time putting on your weight! Separation has done the same for me, and there was NO fun involved! I am currently shopping for an excercise bike on CraigsList and I plan to cycle my way thru the winter and produce a bikini bod in June! (I'll let you know how that plan goes!!) Ha!
From Beverly Mills - November 12, 2009
Hi Susan! Let me know how that goes. I've been going to the gym and walking to the tune of Good Morning America and the Today Show! So far I think I might have lost 2 pounds! Maybe we should stage Internet Kitchen Scoop weigh-ins every couple of weeks?!!
My Books
Our Cookbooks rock!
What you're saying..
I just had to write to let you both know how much I appreciate your cookbook Desperation Dinners! I bought it about a year ago, and you should see it. It’s in bad shape – splattered, stained, dog-eared and well-used. I’ve bought a lot of cookbooks, and at most, I get one recipe out of it, and then it sits on the shelf.
Your cookbook is really different. I actually use it. I use your cookbook so much, and have sung it’s praises so often, that now whenever I put a good meal on the table, my husband automatically asks, “Is this a Desperation Dinner?
Rebecca Clarke
Montgomery, Ala.
Have a question?
We hope you'll tell us, but we hope you'll ASK us, too! Send your questions to alicia@kitchenscoop.com and we'll try to find the answers.
From Patricia - October 29, 2009
Wow! Well, I think I would have gained double that amount- even with my pretty great metabolism. The food sounds amazing there! And so cheap! I recently went to Germany and gained 13 pounds. All the wonderful beer/pastries/meat packs a ton of calories! Don't even get me started on the schnitzel. I was there for a month ,working at a desk job from 9- 6 and that really didn't help. Also, my work place being right next to the best fries and mayo kiosk in town, killed off any hope of keeping off the LBS. So, I put the weight out of mind and just ate ( maybe not the best idea). Luckily or me though, I buy my clothes a little loose. When I arrived back in New York I was 13 pounds over my original weight- Immediately I changed my diet. Lots of Salad, Sushi, Lean meats etc. But I didn't cut out my favorite... CHOCOLATE. I honestly could not do it if i didn't eat chocolate everyday ( Dark preferably).Exercise, also is key. I run/walk a lot. A month 1/2 has passed and all the excess weight has melted off. Good Luck! You can do it! Patricia