chapter 2

Joanna's doctor's appointment was for early in the morning and she was in no mood to make a fuss about what she was going to wear in the morning. So rather than rummage through her drawers searching for something appropriate, she just put on her old stand-bys the trusty and reliable sweats. She did notice that they had gotten more than a bit tight, but then she was always sort of inept when it came to laundry so she just dismissed the tightness as shrinking.

She wasn't nervous about her visit at all. Oh she may have put on a pound or two, well probably more like ten, but after all, she was a skinny girl and a few extra pounds couldn't possibly hurt, at least that's what she told herself. That's why she confidently marched up to the front desk to sign in and then plopped herself down for the usual half an hour wait. Had she been a bit more observant, she might have noticed the strange look Doctor Bernstein's receptionist shot at her, but when you spend a month at home and you don't socialize, you start to miss things.

At any rate, the nurse called out her name and Joanna marched right into the doctor's office, totally unprepared for the surprise that was about to pop out at her. The first thing the nurse did was tell her to step on the scale. Now, having been on the scrawny side most of her life, Joanna didn't do the ceremonial doffing of the shoes, jewelry, or any other accoutrements. She stepped right on the scale. That's when the bombshell news hit her. The scale was one of those digital jobs, so she didn't have to wait for the nurse to call out the numbers, which only made the shock that much greater. The number was 140. "Holy Mother of God", Joanna whispered to herself. She had put on thirty-two pounds in thirty-one days. She knew she had been a bit self-indulgent, but she didn't realize her indulgence had gone THIS far.

The rest of the physical was a blur. Oh the doctor lectured her on the dangers of obesity, performed the usual tests on the annual physical check list and gave her a sheet that read DIET in big, bold letters. Doctor Bernstein explained that while she may not have been technically obese, she was borderline overweight and having put on a considerable number of pounds since her last physical, he was a bit concerned, that's all. But most of what the kindly old doctor had to say sort of went over her head. She was still in shock.

Once she came to her senses, Joanna made two promises to herself. One, she would go on a strict diet. Two, she was back to the gym for a vigorous regimen of exercise and physical fitness. This was just a wake up call and she was bound and determined that her weight gain had gone here, but it would go no further. Time would tell whether she would keep those promises, but when she left Doctor Bernstein's office you would have been hard-pressed to find a more dedicated dieter that Joanna Kirshner!