1Okay Mary, I know I'm putting on weight with all my bad eating habits.
2That's right. Chocolate bars, pizzas, and all washed down with litres of soft drink.
3And with all the sugar in soft drink,
4I think we can say you're definitely overindulging, don't you think?
5I know, I know.
6I intend to definitely stop drinking that from now on.
7And that's part of the sensible eating plan that we have agreed we need to formulate -
8one that we can both follow.
9That's right, sensible, and practical -
10allowing us to indulge in some sweet foods on occasions.
11On rare occasions,
12and we're going to cut out all the pizzas and hamburgers.
13Well, not totally.
14I thought you said pizzas could be eaten once a week.
15You know how I like pizzas.
16No. I said once every two months.
17Once a week was ice cream, not pizza.
18Yeah, that's because you like ice cream.
19I prefer pizza.
20Peter, if you want to lose weight, you need to be disciplined,
21in both what you eat, and what you do,
22which brings us to the issue of exercise.
23That's right.
24So, jogging twice a week, and hiking on Saturdays, right?
25No, hiking is Sundays,
26allowing Saturdays for the light walking exercise.
27I've investigated, and discovered there are a lot of walking trails around this suburb,
28with many beautiful places if you just look around.
29So what's happening this Saturday?
30A walk around the city?
31That's later in the month.
32This Saturday we'll visit Pine Park.
33Hill Park is nicer, with great views, too.
34Yes, but we have to travel too far to reach Hill Park,
35so I ruled that out, and I love the smell of pines.
36And what about the weekday meals?
37Salads every night, I suppose?
38No, it's important to vary the meals so that the food remains interesting and fun.
39The only common factor is the fruit juice,
40but otherwise we'll have a variety of healthy fare,
41from salads, to fish, to lean meat.
42I'd rather have meat every night, but you're the boss.
43If you want to lose weight, you'll have to accept this program, okay?
44Okay.
45Now Mary, you said we could have a little treat in our diet plan three times a week:
46specifically, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
47Yes. A very small treat, but something to reward us for all the discipline shown.
48Such rewards will motivate us to continue the diet.
49So, on Tuesdays, what can I choose?
50You have a choice between a small serving of chocolate, ice cream, or biscuits.
51Okay, well, I'll go for the biscuits.
52I love those crunchy little things with my cup of tea.
53So do you, right?
54I do indeed, so I'll have them, too, saving the ice cream for later.
55But I know how much you like ice cream,
56so why don't you save it for the end of the week?
57That will give you the motivation to keep going,
58and you can have chocolate midweek?
59That's a good idea,
60but I think the most important thing is for you and I to eat different things on those other two days.
61Well, if you think that way,
62I'll eat the ice cream on Thursdays, not the chocolate. Okay?
63Well, if you're having that, then I can't have ice cream.
64In order to be different, I'll have the chocolate.
65So, we can compare our different snacks,
66and maybe even share a little with each other.
67Exactly! And the variety and fun involved will take our minds of wanting more.
68Eating for fun! A good idea!
69And then you can have the chocolate on Sunday, right?
70But I like biscuits?
71Actually, I want biscuits again - to have with my cup of tea.
72But you have the biscuits on Monday, remember, and we can't repeat.
73Ah come on! This isn't fixed in concrete.
74I can have them again instead of chocolate.
75You might like variety, but I don't.
76I'm a creature of habit.
77Well, the whole point of this was to taste different snacks,
78but if you want the same thing, okay.
79I, for one, am sticking to the original plan,
80with ice cream to finish the week, and not another dose of chocolate.