St. Louis Food Blog

Todd Ehlers, Wikimedia Commons

​Who did Weight Watchers in the 1980s? I did, in 1985, when I was 13 years old. Yes, that's insane. I was a little chubby, but I probably would have run it off while playing softball.

I did lose weight. It lasted until about a week after I stopped the program. Having read 1977's 400-page hardcover tome, Weight Watchers International Recipes, I've gained an understanding of why the weight came back: When you eat nothing but horrible shit for a year, you go a little nuts when real food comes back.

Robin Wheeler

​With all the fretting about holiday foods and weight gain, I gave the old Weight Watchers another try with Maine Pumpkin Pudding.

Dissolve unflavored gelatin in a blender. Add puréed pumpkin, nonfat dry milk, pumpkin pie spice, artificial maple flavoring and artificial sweetener. Blend until mixed, then add six ice cubes.

Is there anything more festive than a gelatin pumpkin smoothie? It's how the weight-conscious early settlers in Maine celebrated a successful harvest. All Maine residents have fake maple fluid on hand.