Situational Obesity

Friends, I'm gaining weight - but it's not my fault! When we arrived here on the Cape I weighed a “svelte” 210 pounds, fully clothed, now I weigh 215 pounds, scantily clad.

I know, it is always someone else's fault, so the saying goes, but in this case it really is not my fault. I call it “Situational Obesity!” The situation is this: Soon after we arrived, the European Soccer Championship started, which was broadcast here by ESPN. Of course I felt obligated to watch at least the games in which Germany played and the games in which Germany's potential future opponents played. I did not drink beer and eat snacks, but I did spend several afternoons glued to the couch. Then came a series of terrorist attacks in the US and in Europe and two horrendous police killings in the US and an alleged coup attempt in Turkey that again had me riveted to the TV set. Needless to say, no snacks even considered. Then came the Republican National Convention. That resulted in long evenings watching a show whose outcome was already known. Of course it required the watching of the commentators' discussions not only at the nightly gathering of the convention, but also on the following day. Lots of beer and snacks to maintain sanity. While looking forward to a few days of “normal” TV-fare, I was tricked into watching more commentators' comments, because I was looking for some indication to make me believe that America is still the country too which I swore my lifelong allegiance. More beer and snacks. Now the Democratic National Convention has started, its outcome also known. The three days since the convention started have resulted in long evenings with a moderate amount of drinks and snacks - sanity does not seem to be in jeopardy - so far. But who knows what is yet to come. I'm hoping to return to a normal “TV-watching-life” on Friday, which means no daytime TV-watching and selective watching in the evening, but am not betting the farm on it. I'm hoping to see the pounds tumble - or is there something else I should be doing?