About once a year, my wife nags me about visiting the doctor for my annual checkup. I procrastinate as long as I can, because I know that the doctor is going to tell me that I'm 20 pounds overweight. Each year, I ask him, with the innocence of a saint, "Doctor, how could this have happened?" His answer is always the same: "One ounce at a time."

"But how can I get rid of this extra weight?" I ask, always hoping there will be a new answer.

But it's the same answer every year: "Eat less. Exercise more."