intestinal fortitude

Well, nobody has the stomach to admit that he has, well, a stomach.
Stomach. The first person you remember is Lord Ganesh. His worshippers say the big stomach represents that of the Society - worshipping it is respect for the other man's - all men and women - hunger and needs.
But not all people's belly is that altrustic - for eg, lalu's provides us with fodder for thought!
There are some who reduce theirs to a dumping yard. Whenever, whatever they lay their hands on will see its way down the oesephagus. There are some who are simply arrested at the sight/smell of boiling oil - be it jilebi or pakoda. They believe in Jonathan Swift who said, "Better belly burst than good liquor be lost." You will be tongue-tied when you watch them gorge on. The safari shirt struggles to meet the hem of the trousers. If he wears a vest we are saved. Otherwise..the belly button stares at you.
(Belly button - exposure of which sexually revolutionised Indian cinema. Remember Helen gyrating with a chamki in it!).

On the other hand are the actresses who refuse to eat lest their pencil figure should get erased. One woman actor famously said she would spread the desserts on the table and only enjoys watching them. In some it assumes epidemic proportions (Lady Diana, peace be on her soul, was supposedly one) and leads to hospitalisation.
Many women lose their figure after wedding/pregnancies and also develop scars on tummies. They wistfully recall their halcyon days and squarely blame their husbands for the distended tummy though they are also partners in the game. But read this: I have a little bit of a belly, a tiny bit of pooch. It's the one thing I don't want to lose. I just like having some softness. If I lose that, then Tom might leave me. - Nicole Kidman.
With health awareness growing, people fall flat for tips on well a flat stomach. And there are a dime a dozen who proffer them. Many say a morning brisk walk will melt the fats and there is nothing to beat it. Yet many people cannot walk the talk for the simple reason of being too lazy to get up early. They simply don't have the fire in their belly to burn the fats. But push-ups have a leg up over morning walk, some aver. On the other hand are those who strive for six-pack abs with a killer instinct. Their gut feeling is now or never.
There are those who cannot digest the fact that they should avoid ice-creams. Their resolve simple melts away at the first whiff of the parlour. You are what you do not eat. Many villagers tell their doctors that they cannot avoid eating thick curd to round off their meals despite their sugar levels. Yet some cannot avoid red meat ignoring doctor's red signal.
Excess fat is bad not only for humans. Banks go belly up with the fat of debt and NPAs.

While some suffer from a convex belly, many people go empty stomach. Well i think we have intestinal fortitude for only this much, I think. I sign off.