Frank Bruni

According to the book, you're 5-foot-11, and the highest your weight ever got was 268...

That's the highest I knew it to be; I never get on scales. But when I heard that number, during a physical, I was eating better and exercising. So not only was it horrible, but I thought, My god, I must have gotten up to 275 at one point.

Again, I can only give pants sizes. I'm fitting comfortably into my 34s; I've had moments where I could squeeze into 33s, but I'm not freaked out. Now, if I find I can't fit into the 34s again. . .

Do you still worry about losing control of your weight?

In a vague sense. But I don't panic, because I think the whole problem for me, and a lot of people, is panicking. If I sense I've gained a few pounds, for the next couple of days I try to run a little more, stop myself a few bites shy of where I might otherwise. I'm not one of those people who's protected by metabolism or by the limits of appetite. It's always made me laugh when someone says, "Oh, I forgot to eat today." Those people are like space creatures to me. In a way I envy them, but do they really get as much pleasure out of food as the rest of us?

Some people eat to live, others live to eat.

I live to eat.

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