I'm sitting here tonight reading the latest copy of Fitness magazine. I have TONS of magazines to catch up on but started with my stack of Fitness magazines tonight because inspiration is never a bad thing. As I am reading an article tonight about a 24 year old beautiful girl who lost 100 pounds, I am struck by the very first sentence of her story. It says, "I had always been heavy, thanks to a FAST FOOD habit and a sedentary lifestyle". Amen sista!!! Amen.
Amazingly, I hear stories like this all the time. Recently had a sub for my Zumba class and she told her weight gain and weight loss story. Frist let me say this chic has a Bootcamp hard body and soul. She was fab but she told us it wasn't always like that. She had a child with a serious medical condition post birth. This mom spent her mornings and nites at the hospital with A LOT of fast food in between. She taught during the day. All her time at the hospital was sedentary. She said the stress drew her to the fast food as much the need for something fast and easy. Again.....been there, done that. For me, the PhD program was my sick baby.
My point is if these stories are so common and consistent in nature, then there is some validity to it (sound like a researcher don't I). I really can totally support this claim. Like both these ladies, I already had the potential to have weight issues to start with. Genetics are a BITCH!! But, I didn't have to let genetics win and I did. I do not expect to be skinny from the surgery. Like I have said many times in this blog, I didn't have the surgery to be "skinny". I had the surgery to force myself to be healthier. Losing weight was only one benefit of the surgery. If I say this once, I will say it 100 more times.......being skinny does not mean you are healthy. I had to stop all my bad habits and make changes to have a better me. I wanted to be better inside the most. Didn't matter what I was on the outside if my insides were rotting away from the unhealthy filth I had clogged it up with.
I used to roll my eyes at the claims about how horrible fast food is for you. It had not killed me yet. I didn't "think" it made me feel that bad. I just didn't know it was killing me slowly. That is one part of my "pre-op" life I do not miss. Worst I have had since surgery is 2 chicken sandwiches from Chick-Fil-A over a 3 month period. Fries once and a few tater tots. That is IT!! As a side note, one CFA sandwich is 4 different meals for me. I have watched the documentaries "Supersize Me", "Fast Food Nation" and "Weight of the Nation". Highly recommend you watch both. I think I have said that before in the blog but NO JOKE. These are both quite eye opening. Was even more motivating for me. But, unless you are ready to make major lifestyle changes, you won't take the information in those docs serious.
Amazingly, people feed their children, even babies McDonalds etc. I have friends who do and yes, calling them out. I see them let their children drink sodas (even diet which is WORSE) and take them out to eat all the time. Mindblowing to me because it is so not fair to the child. I do not remember EVER eating fast food growing up. We occasionally went OUT for pizza and that was a special nite. Not saying we ate perfectly nutritionally balanced meals every nite but I really do not remember eating out at all. Was a special occasion and a big deal. Now I see parents have a big deal (big tantrum) on their hands if their child doesn't get treats and snacks and cartoons 24/7 on TV. And for the record, BOTH of my parents worked full time so that is not an excuse for not cooking for your children. I made the personal choice in COLLEGE to start eating fast food and it was downhill from there. Children cannot make those choices for themselves. Like anything else, healthy habits have to be taught. McDonalds in front of never ending cartoons on TV is a just setting a child up for a lifetime of health issues. The foundation will be weak. Can't build on that. Carry on.......
I am so proud of my brother and his wife for raising my nephews to have healthy eating habits. Not just foods but healthy habits. VERY healthy, whole, fresh, and home cooked meals. My littles are so lucky to have parents who care enough to work so hard to make sure they eat so healthy!! My littles are really lucky to have an aunt who chose to take control of her own health so she can see them grow up and become something fabulous!!
I am far from perfect with my eating now. I am still learning how to eat, balance, nourish, fill and satisfy with my eating but like my favorite quote says "Far from what I once was, not yet what I am going to be".
No comments:
Post a Comment