Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Reading romance novels aid weight loss?


~ Lynette Rees~

I don't know where I read this, but I wonder if it's true. Can reading romance novels help keep you slim? And if so, how does this concept work?

The only thing I can think of that makes any sense, is that reading romance novels can give the reader a sense of well being. The Happy Ever After ending is the normal prerequisite in this type of novel, so consequently, this might make the reader feel more content with life which in turn stops them dipping into the biscuit barrel.

On the other hand, I suppose the reverse could happen. What if a woman is married to a couch potato who belches, scratches his balls and refuses to get off his backside as she serves him hand, foot and finger. What if the lady in question reads of this fantastic, have-a-go hero with rippling muscles and a well toned torso who f***s like a dynamo. She glances at the couch potato realising that she's spent her best years with a man who cares very little for her.





Does she do a * Shirley Valentine and go searching for her own hero or settle for what she's got, pull out a packet or two of potato chips, a box of chocolates, a bottle of Strongbow cider and join her Mr. Couch Potato [ala Wayne and Waynetta]?





I plan to give the * Romance Reader Diet a go. I intend to read as many romances as I can lay my sticky little fingers on over the next couple of weeks and I'll let you know if I end up like Waynetta Slob or Winona Riding.

Watch this space...

8 comments:

Larry Hammersley said...

I got a kick out of your post. I go out for a run every morning and after that I probably turn into a couch potato, eh, minus the scratching. I'm wasted. I refuse to accept it's because I'm 69.

Jane Richardson said...

LOL go for it, Lynette! A friend told me this joke - why are married women heavier than single women? - a single woman comes home, sees what's in the fridge and goes to bed, but a married woman comes home, sees what's in bed, and goes to the fridge.... (to dh - it's a joke, honey!') Let us know how the experiment works out! Jane x

Lynette said...

Well, Larry, you don't sound anything like a couch potato to me. Very much the opposite. Good on you!

Lynette said...

Love the joke, Jane! I'll keep you posted about the weight loss/gain thing. :)

Larry Hammersley said...

Hi Lynette: No, I've not read any of Karen's books. I'll get into some of the books here when I finally move out of the "New kid on the block" category. I want to read Disco Angel as a first read because I like roller skating. I have a new story being read by my editor that has roller skating in it. I see you are into genealogy. I am too. It took me about nine months to finally get Sue, my wife, into the DAR.

Lynette said...

Hi Larry,

Yes, I love genealogy. What's the DAR by the way?

I found out that my 5X great grandfather, Edmund Harman was 'a gentleman living off his own means'. He was extremely wealthy and owned lots of properties here in my home town and in Cardiff. He had shares in the gas works and the Taff Vale Railway.

Your roller skating story sounds interesting! You are obviously very young at heart!

Lynette

Larry Hammersley said...

Hi Again, Lynette: The DAR is Daughters of American Revolution. It is a unique group of ladies who have traced their roots back to a Revolutionary War Soldier. They require all sorts of concrete evidence for acceptance. It is not easy when you go back to the late 1700s, but obviously not impossible. I belong to the Sons of American Revolution (SAR), same requirements for the men but they're not quite as strict as the DAR in what they accept as proof. Census records, marriage certificates, death certificates, photos of gravestones, land deeds, wills and such like are acceptable proofs.
Which Karen were you talking about with chemistry background? I didn't find a Karen Rose but found two other Karens.
How do you put your photo into these comments? Larry

Lynette said...

Thanks for informing me about the DAR. I traced some of my family back to the U.S. Maryland and Alabama. I think they were Welsh but for some reason ended up in the U.S. Some were involved in the ironworks during the industrial revolution over here, so I don't know if they took their skills with them or something.

You need to have your photograph uploaded on your blog page for it to show up here, Larry.

Lynette