Reader: Throwing a fit over Laura Shunk's plan to get fit

What's a professional eater to do? After a year on the job, Cafe critic Laura Shunk found that she'd gained twenty pounds, and "I now had more rolls on my body than a pastry truck, more cottage cheese on my thighs than a breakfast buffet, more jelly in my belly...

By Patricia Calhoun

October 19, 2011

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What's a professional eater to do? After a year on the job, Cafe critic Laura Shunk found that she'd gained twenty pounds, and "I now had more rolls on my body than a pastry truck, more cottage cheese on my thighs than a breakfast buffet, more jelly in my belly than a raspberry jam-filled doughnut."

She wasn't about to give up food, though, so instead she embarked on a fitness regimen. And she's sharing the details in "Bar Belle," a Cafe Society series she introduced on Monday.

Writes Lbortolotto:

Great idea for a blog! Spreading this kind of information to as many people as possible will undoubtedly help with our obesity epidemic. Thanks for making this info easy and simple to follow.

On the other hand, GFTW has given Shunk quite a work out, starting with this first comment:

Three eggs a day -- that's gotta be great for the cholesterol. Routine vigorous exercise cures all.

And, after considerable back-and-forth discussion with Shunk and her trainer, ending (for now) with this:

"strutting out for a night on the town in a hot get-up":

Okay, some photos are clearly in order!! :)

Good for you, seriously! I know what you're saying. I'm not advocating tediously counting calories but just be aware of how many are in things (tough in many restaurants) and how many you need every day. And don't worry about blowing it out once in a while. But being a professional eater has got to be tough!

If Shunk can win over GFTW, what can she do for you?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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