Time to pay the piper. I weighed myself on three different doctors' scales this week and what has happened isn't pretty. I don't have any willpower around food, so I handle that problem by keeping healthy food in the kitchen and exercising all the time. However, a lot of exercise isn't going to hold back weight gain in the situation I'm currently dealing with. I'm now working in a department that makes purchasing decisions in the latitude of tens to hundreds of millions. So, the gift baskets and towers of treats started arriving at the beginning of December. Candy, cookies, popcorn, candy, cookies, chocolate, cookies, candy, etc. Then came the visiting vendors taking us out to dinner. A decadent five-course, four hour meal at Ocean (I can't turn down the lobster!) probably resulted in a three-lb gain. And then the various holiday lunches, and lunches brought in for meetings in order to use the last of the 2007 annual lunch budget. Every day at work there is a complimentary lunch for some purpose.

This situation is disgustingly excessive. As a result of being spoiled, I have become picky about food. Some gift basket food is not that tasty. Like the "chocolate covered toffee with peppermint chips". A fruit basket would be better. Or Dean & Deluca. I'll take quality over quantity. Actually, I'll take the joy of watching everyone else eat the goodies.