It’s Hard to Lose Weight on a Diet of Chocolate and Carbs

Summer is here and my sweaters and coats are safely packed away until next winter. That leaves me exposed to my skimpy summer t-shirts and light weight pants. As a good friend once told me, “Isn’t it amazing how the dampness in your closet shrinks your clothes from season to season?”

So every spring I start ‘the diet’.

Actually this time I wasn’t doing too badly. Summer is a good time for eating salads and cooked vegetables.

Then, suddenly last night, I found myself craving chocolate again. I don’t know about you but chocolate and carbs are my customary comfort foods. And if you put them together like in rogelach…ambrosia!

It all started when I made the mistake of turning on the news. Big mistake. I have tried to avoid watching the news since the intifada when I knitted all those sweaters I told you about in a previous blog. I meant to put on the Israeli version of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and instead of nice people doing the cha cha and samba or waltz, I got our Prime Minister giving a speech.

Usually I would have pretended not to hear him, but this time I had to find out what the news is about our Gilad ben Aviva - our soldier kidnapped by the Hamas. The tension in the country is tangible. Everyone is talking and running to hear or read the latest alert. His sweet face is everywhere. Oy.

Suddenly I got an SMS message on my cell phone. I opened the phone and there was a note from my daughter, in Hebrew that said, ‘Please pray for Gilad ben Aviva and pass this on to five people.’

I cried. One, because the situation is so scary and horrendous, and two, because the children are using whatever means they have to keep our soldier in everyone’s hearts, minds and prayers.

I sent it on to five people. I cried a little more. And that is when I turned on the T.V.

It was then that my inner voice started whispering in my ear… chocolate…chocolate…

I fought it off. I reminded it of the t-shirts and light-weight clothes.

And then I went and made some 93% no fat microwave pop corn.

The Hamas are not going to make me fat. No, sir! Not this time. I learned my lesson during the intifada when they had control of my eating habits.

Today I am liberated! Today I am back to the farkakteh salads.

But, with G-d’s help when we get our soldier back, I will be happy to celebrate with a nice, little piece of hot chocolate cake with the runny stuff that dribbles onto the plate when you cut into it and runs into the waiting mound of vanilla ice cream.

And a diet coke.

Let’s keep praying for Gilad and his family and may they and we only know simchas.

Have a good day…stay safe…and thanks for dropping in.