Today’s Sound Off is about weight loss jealousy:

Dear Heloise: I have been able to lose 65 pounds with diet and exercise, and although I had to really work at it, the rewards have been great. I have fewer aches and pains, my blood pressure is lower and there has been a significant improvement in my HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, too.

I never talked about it, because I didn’t want to appear as if I were bragging, but when some people noticed they would say, “Oh, you look gaunt” (or tired or too skinny, etc.).

Please tell your readers to never discourage people who slim down. Many people do it to improve their health and extend their lives. If a friend drops a few pounds, keep encouraging them to hit their goal instead of trying to sabotage their efforts. If someone drops you as a friend because you’ve slimmed down, then they never were a real friend in the first place. — Katherine in Illinois

Katherine, congratulations for having the self-discipline and determination to stick with your diet and exercise plan. — Heloise

MOTHER’S TOMATO SOUP CAKE

Dear Heloise When I first heard of this recipe, I thought it was a joke, but when I tasted it, I loved it! I was telling a neighbor about it, and she asked for the recipe and, of course, I couldn’t find it. Would you repeat it? — Marla in Kansas

Marla, my mother published this recipe for the first time in September 1959. When she served this cake, she would ask her guests what the secret ingredient was, so she called it the “Conversation Piece.” Here it is. You’ll need:

1/2 cup solid shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup chopped nuts

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 can tomato soup

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

The following ingredients are optional but they really make this cake exceptional!

1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cream shortening and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in one can of tomato soup (undiluted) and the rest of the ingredients, one at a time. Cream well after each addition. Grease a 10-inch square cake pan. Pour in the batter, and when the oven reaches 375, bake for 45 minutes. When the cake is done, loosen the edges with a knife. Turn upside down on a cake rack and let it cool.

The icing for this recipe:

1 (3-ounce) package of cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/4 cup chopped nuts

Place cream cheese in a small bowl and let it soften at room temperature. Add the vanilla and sugar. Mix well. Spread the icing on the cooled cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

If you like this recipe and want to try several other delicious ideas for dessert, order my pamphlet “Heloise’s Cake Recipes” by visiting www.Heloise.com or by sending $3, along with a long, self-addressed, stamped (70 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Cake, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX. 78279-5001. By the way, if you’re out of frosting, place marshmallows on the cake just before taking it out of the oven. — Heloise

GOLD-RIMMED PLATES

Dear Heloise: I have gold rimmed dinner plates that are not dishwasher safe. If I just send them through with hot water only, will that preserve the gold rim? — Verna D., San Antonio, Texas

Verna, it’s not recommended. The heat from the dishwasher may remove some of the metal rim. It’s always best to hand-wash china that has any metallic trim and to never use an abrasive scrubber. — Heloise