the middle-aged spread

The glandular changes that occur in the middle years are often responsible for an increase in weight. This is a ‘creeping’ kind of gain. The pounds come on one by one, and the woman doesn’t realize what is happening until she wakes up one morning and her mirror tells her she is the victim of the middle-aged spread.

Drake, Debbie. 1961. Debbie Drake's Easy Way to a Perfect Figure and Glowing Health. Englewood Cliffs New Jersey. Prentice-Hall. p. 71