The BOB effect

Middle-aged men avoid scales the way cockroaches do flashlights, but we have ways of knowing whether we're getting fat. Pajamas with expandable waists seem snug. Our feet seem shorter, because we can see less of them without bending over. But the most obvious tip-off is the BOB effect.

That stands for "belly over belt." You can still delude yourself, if you suck in that stomach and slide the belted part of your pants over the bulge. But when that's too much work, your gut sags over. If it hangs down far enough to obscure the buckle, you're ready to audition for Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

The cheating solution is to buy bigger pants. Journalists are notoriously cheap, so we let 'em hang. When I started this blog, mine was threatening to spill over, like foam atop an overfull glass of soda. At the moment, it has receded a bit -- a small but positive sign. I need those.

Lawrence Toppman