Jack LaLanne's passing made me realize I've been on a diet my entire life...

When I read this morning about Jack LaLanne dying at the age of ninety-six, I had a few flashbacks to my teenage years.  I can remember exercising in front of my black and white television, watching him do those dreaded jumping jacks, I also remember that I hated to exercise, even as a teenager.

And furthermore, I've been on some kind of wackadoo diet my entire life!  This is all due to my corn fed upbringing.  I know now that Mother's great food, biscuits, cornbread, noodles, cookies cakes and pies were the root of all evil.  I never had a serious weight issue, and I didn't have the bone structure to be thin and svelte, but my life would have certainly been different if I was as educated about food then, as I am now.  

And of course when LC and I married, I cooked like my mother did.  We fried everything, bought Criso oil by the gallons.  Oh, how times have changed.  I fry nothing, now, the vegetable oil just sits on a shelf and goes rancid, I use olive oil for almost everything.  And is it worth it, giving up all the wonderful food just to stay healthy and try and keep the weight gain to a dull roar?  Heck no, it isn't!  That Jack LaLanne existed his whole life on those damn juices and raw veggies and exercised until the bitter end.

Sure, he was still muscular, but it was old skin hanging on those muscles. You can only do so much.  I know, I know, he lived to be ninety-six eating like a rabbit.  It said in the paper that he died, with his family around him, watching football.  Watching football???  That's just not right.  Wonder if they were all munching on celery sticks and slurping green juice.  Oh, bad girl, Jan, bad girl, bad girl!!!