Mama Lucia’s Recommendation for Weight Loss

My friend Maria’s daughter is planning her wedding, and the family, the bridal party, Maria and I were talking about ways we are going to try to lose weight in the next few months. Maria’s mother, Lucia, who was born in Salerno told us the story of how she lost weight for her wedding. She said her godmother brought her an old-fashioned whale bone corset and laced her up very, very tight. At first, Lucia said she thought she was supposed to wear the corset on her wedding day. But, no, that was not the plan.

The plan and the concept is that if a woman wants to lose weight, she wears a very tight corset or girdle which serves as a reminder that she should watch what she eats. Further, the girdle serves to create a lasting improvement in posture which offers the illusion of height and makes a woman appear thinner.

I’m not a person who hates her body. This is the body that gave me my wonderful child; how could I hate it? I’ve never been beautiful, but was skinny through my twenties. Now I’m about 30 lbs. overweight and feel that the extra weight slows me down. My cholesterol is 225, and my doctor recommends I lose 20 lbs. for my health. I’ve tried a variety of diets and exercise programs; I actually enjoy exercise… but I have a sweet tooth that has a mind of its own.

I decided to try the new girdle diet. My first problem was that I could not locate an actual corset-type girdle; the only thing I could find that laced up was from an S & M shop. I myself think dieting is masochism, so that was out. I managed to find a site that offered suggestions for men who wanted to buy women’s girdles (and other undergarments) for themselves that pictured Michelangelo’s David wearing a waist-high pink girdle… he looked better in it than I would, I must say. That was depressing. But finding what I wanted turned out to be more difficult than I expected.

I did finally find the ‘Slim Cognito’ body suit that offers belly fat and back fat compression. I decided that I should buy one at least one size too small to mimic the laced up corset concept. The posture thing was great, but the rolls of flab that muffin-topped around my back and arms was disturbing and made me hate Milton Hershey. But surprisingly, wearing that skinny suit made me eat less. It serves as a constant reminder that I really do want to lower my cholesterol and live into my 80s.

The truth is that I, like many people in America, have a pretty decent diet. I am lucky enough to have access to fresh fruit and vegetables; I love salads, love yogurt, adore fresh green chili on grilled chicken, eat home-grown tomatoes, basil and other veggies all summer long. Florida oranges are my favorite fruit, but I have plum and peach trees in my front yard. But… I love cake and muffins and chocolate… so I’m going to try to squeeze my mind and body into better eating habits.

I hope I don’t see Milton Hershey again until after this wedding.