I know this wonderfully happy, effervescent woman who always seems to bump into me when I’m completely overloaded with a deadline or late for an appointment. She immediately launches into some story that would be interesting to me if I was recuperating in the hospital, locked in a body cast, or somewhere else, with endless time to take it all in. Instead, I take root on the spot and wait, hoping she’ll take a breath so I’ll be able to blurt, "Gotta run!"

My latest contact with my chatty acquaintance was identical to our usual scenario. She told me all about her trip to Brazil to see family and friends and what a huge reception they planned for her at the airport. She went into detail about the rich food, night life, lounging on the beach, etc. I could hardly follow her story because I was too busy wondering what had transformed this person into a super model.

This woman had been habitually 25 pounds overweight throughout the ten years I’ve known her. When she actually paused for half a second, I wedged my burning question into the conversation. "How did you do that?"

Her answer was simple and I decided to pass it on to you, just in time for all the holiday season of overindulgence. My friend told me that before she left on her trip, she decided to totally enjoy the parties and food that would certainly be a big part of her Brazilian vacation. She knew her relatives would spoil her with special meals, exotic sauces, desserts, and treats. She would eat everything without worrying about dietary fat or counting carbohydrates. She would simply eat half of everything. During her month in Brazil, she swam or walked as much as possible. She danced with her friends at night. The combination of enjoying all types of food, (but only half,) and the increased exercise, allowed her to experience a great holiday and get back in shape at the same time. She found the process painless and the results amazing.

Julia Child once commented on her idea of the proper way to enjoy good food at the same time keeping "poundage" under control. She had the same idea as my morphed, super-model friend — enjoy the food, just don’t eat it all!

Good luck out there during the Christmas Holidays. It’s a food jungle!

– Pam Brooks