It’s strange isn’t it, how memories are triggered?
The other day I was talking to my friend at work, about our battles with weight. In the six or so years we’ve known each other, we’ve both dieted a few times, with some success and some failure. I’ve often said that our office makes us fat, because there are around 16 people, birthdays happen around 16 times a year – now that’s a surprise. Each one of those means a cake day, and regular visits from outside agencies like auditors, also bring cake, chocolates, biscuits or all three. At Christmas, the quantity is obscene and it lives on a table at my end of the room! I can resist some of it, but home-made cake beats me. And there are occasional fund raising days where the more charitable slave away over a hot stove, so that we can indulge while feeling generous.
So, the lovely M was browsing the internet during her lunch break, looking rather pleased with herself. She’s a bit of a minx and I asked her what mischief she was making. ‘I’ve just ordered something’ she said, ‘to sort this out’ she rubbed her midriff, ‘I’ve got to do something about this bulge’.
I laughed and she went on to say that she’d ordered a corset. ‘Ooo-er, a saucy little number for Valentines? With laces?’I asked.
‘Na, here it is’, she took out her phone, ‘I’ll lose weight with this one’. The photo was a bizarre looking thing that seemed to be in two pieces, a tight bit underneath a vest shape bit.
‘What are you on about, lose weight, it’ll just squash up your insides, just like Spanx, really uncomfortable’ I said.
‘It’s supposed to make me sweat because it’s tight, and that will make me lose weight’. Now M is always hot, I’ll have a chunky jumper on top of a vest, with a scarf around my neck and shoulders, while I’m sat at my desk, and she’ll be in a thin sleeveless blouse. I reminded her that she suffers from the heat as it is.
And then the half-formed memory burst out.
When I was a little girl my grandmother was a bit plump, as ladies of a certain age often are. The best grandmothers are plumptious, but mine was quite short, so couldn’t get away with it as well as some. I remember her ordering herself a rather expensive corset, that was also supposed to help her lose weight, by making her sweat. Funny how things go around. It arrived from the Traffords mail order catalogue, and she was so excited when she opened it. Made of skin coloured rubber, rather like swimming caps were made from, and with hooks and eyes that I had to help her do up. It was incredibly tight, but she hoped for a miracle.
She had a few of these corsets
, they had a tendency to tear, and she would get very angry and curse the manufacturers for selling ‘a pig in a poke’.
She did lose weight sometimes, I remember her grapefruit diet, but invariably she regained it, as do I and my friend M.
It’s easy to lose, easier to regain and I hope my memory made you smile.
Lucid Gypsy 
Did it work for your friend?
I don’t think it’s arrived yet!
Haha Great memories, Gilly. I remember my gran taking me to the market in England just after I was married. We stopped at the underwear stall where the guy was shouting “A half-crown a leg and nothing for the gusset.” She pointed to this sexy white corset thing with suspenders, which was hanging up and asked him if he thought it would fit me. He said I’d look good in it, so she bought it. I kept it for many years, but never wore it. 🙂
Oh, Gilly, I did smile….
I think I’ll stay overweight rather than wear something like that! I remember the grapefruit diet being all the rage. I think my mum was on it.
Three cheers for plumptiousness!!!
well written – and I have so many things swirling through my mind – but will just note that after learning a lot about healing and body balance – I learned that a low temp body is not ideal and so even if not for losing weight – it can be a good thing to have the body run a bit warm… it can help cycles and has many perks. and some folks who end up with certain unique afflictions were found to have reported being cold and running with a low body temp for years…. your post reminded me of this.
and I know that after a few years of getting healthier from the inside out (with cleansing on and off and eating dense rich fats and oils – and supplementing) I have a higher body temp and I can handle winter cold much better… just wanted to share that
I didn’t think things like that still existed. Good luck to your friend. 👙
What a reminder! I can’t remember just when I liberated myself from the horrid things. I love these triggered memory pieces. More please!
What a lovely story! 🙂 I used to work in an office just like that and the cake, and tins of sweets at Christmas were never ending! I used to feel quite bilious at times 🙂 🙂 Happy Wednesday, darlin! I can just picture you in your jumper and scarf.
always makes good reading, so glad I could help with ideas some good probably mainly bad – oops!!!
My poor mother always seemed to be on one diet or another – I remember the grapefruit one and many others; unfortunately she was also quite partial to a cream cake! I think the older you get the harder it is to lose weight and being in an office environment doesn’t help! Thanks for the chuckle, chuck 😀