It’s a never ending battle. You diet religiously to lose a few precious pounds, and two days later you’re all puffed up like a blowfish. It just sucks. Up and down and virtually impossible to control.

The other day I came to a startling revelation. I bought a three pack of hi-cut underpants. They were cute colors and the fabric was cotton – perfect for the warmer weather to come.

The next morning, I opened the pack and put on the first pair. Oh crap. Were they smaller than the ones I typically buy? Had I added a few pounds unwittingly? Or maybe I was bloated for some inexplicable reason. I pondered the possibilities that cast a slight pall on my day, lamenting the fact that my cool new hi-cuts were a tad more snug than I would have liked.

The next day I approached the package with far less enthusiasm. I grabbed the next pair in line and slid them on. They were fabulous! They fit perfectly and looked great – I could not have been more pleased.

And then it dawned on me. Inconsistencies in an identical product had messed me up the day before! Those bastards! They robbed me of a day when I could have felt this good – because they couldn’t produce a consistent product!

I started to think of all the other times when unexpected product inconsistency had messed with my mind, making me think that my body was betraying me even worse than it actually was. I recalled a recent event where I had purchased a really cool pair of pjs online. When they came, I loved them – but the colors ran after washing. I contacted the manufacturer and they offered to replace the pair. When the new pair came I tried them on and almost choked to death. I took them off and checked the size – yep – they were the same as the original oh so comfortable pair.

How often do you think inconsistencies in manufacturing are what cause us to beat ourselves up? I bet it’s more than we think! Oh well, at least my Mom got a free pair of pj bottoms out of the deal!