chapter 3

My first year in college disabused me of that notion. Back home mom had always been there to keep me on track, to keep me motivated, and to keep sugary temptations out of my way. Now she was hours away and I was surrounded by temptation. The campus cafeteria had everything a hungry girl could ever want in the way of snacks and fatty foods. My dorm was surrounded by grocery stores and cheap diners only too eager to keep poor college kids supplied with all the greasy junk they could ever want.
I tried as best I could to resist but my efforts were doomed. My exercise routine was the first thing to go. Without mom there to push me I soon found myself settling back into my old sedentary habits. I knew I ought to go for a run. But I figured it couldn't hurt to put it off for another day. A month passed without me ever so much as touching my running shoes.
Soon I'd started to snack again. I thought I could handle it. I wasn't Porky Penny anymore. I was stronger now. A bar of chocolate wasn't gonna be enough to ruin my slender figure.
I'd starved my sweet tooth for years. Long enough for me to think it gone for good. But now it reasserted itself with a vengeance. Every day I would gorge myself on chocolates and sweets. In just a couple of months all my self-control had abandoned me. By the time the holidays rolled around the freshman 15 had made itself at home on my figure.
The thin body I'd worked so hard to build was gone. My face had rounded out. I'd started to grow a second chin. My buttocks had lost their firmness, turning into soft globs of shapeless fat. My slender thighs had spread and filled out with wobbling flesh. My tapered midriff had been lost to a jiggling potbelly and a pair of growing love handles. There was nothing I could do to deny it. I was fat again.
I returned home for the holidays with my fat oozing like rising dough out of my tight clothes. Expensive outfits that had once worked to accentuate the straight, solid outline of my slender figure now sat awkwardly on my overfed body.
Mom was far from happy to see what I'd done to myself. Her reaction however wasn't as bad as I'd feared. She grinned and poked her finger into my squishy belly.
"Looks like college hasn't been that good on your figure, dear."
"Yeah..." I blushed.
"It's ok sweetie. It's easy to let yourself slip when you're starting college. But you'd better get yourself under control. I'd hate to see you lose your pretty figure."
Mom wasn't that harsh on me but she still teased me about my weight. She'd jiggle my belly and make playful little comments. She might not've been that worried yet, but she made it clear that I'd better lose the extra pounds. Light-hearted as her jabs were they did an excellent job in chipping away at my hard won self esteem. If I continued to put on weight whatever respect my mom had for me would soon be gone.
The holidays however weren't the best of times to try to lose weight. With heavy holiday foods and sugary snacks as far as the eye could see there was no way for me to escape temptation. Mom's constant put downs only added to my stress. I found myself turning to food for comfort. I spent my days grazing on holiday treats and at night, when all in the house were asleep, I'd sneak down to the kitchen and stuff my face with leftovers. The holidays were not kind to my figure. Had my parents not been considerate enough to get me some roomy sweats for Christmas I'm sure I would've burst out of my jeans.
By the time I set off back to college another 10 pounds had found their way onto my frame. I needed to get myself together. I'd worked hard for my figure and I wasn't gonna let it go without a fight. I'd promised my mom that I was gonna lose every last one of these extra pounds. I wasn't about to let her down. I knew I could do it. I'd lost weight before. I just needed to get myself under control. When I got back to college I was going to make some changes.