Weighty Matters

During my first trip back to the States I shocked myself by packing on a whopping 15 pounds in less than a month. I had prepared a lengthy wish list of specific places and things to eat and returned with my mission accomplished and the waistline of my pants straining. The first ten pounds dropped off pretty quickly but, damn, those last five were stubborn!

On the second trip I wasn't such a maniac. There were of course certain things I looked forward to enjoying that aren't available here--barbeque, Popeye's fried chicken, the usual suspects. I learned from the first go round that, while I relentlessly pursued my "seek and destroy" agenda, the anticipation often exceeded the actual experience. As a result my weight increased only five pounds or so and was back to normal in a week.

After returning from our latest three week visit I stepped on the scales and---I was a scant 1/2 pound heavier than when I left. How could this happen? I wasn't a glutton but neither did I deny myself (with US portion sizes that's next to impossible). I'm certain that overall I consumed much more than my normal diet. Adding to the mystery, I go to the gym religiously three times a week, but on this trip I never set foot inside a health club.

I'm seriously wondering if eating the more nutritious food in Ecuador for two straight years has changed my metabolism and/or body chemistry. Or maybe it's living at higher altitude. I'm certainly happy about all this but curious as to why.

You got any ideas?