PULL THE TRIGGER ON YOUR WEIGHT. As a person who has fought the battle of the bulge since I have been an adult, I can speak of the challenges and the rewards with experience. As a child I never had a weight problem due to being active in a time when we didn’t have video games and we preferred playing outside until the street lights came on. This was our signal to go home and eat dinner. We also had appropriate servings and we had a family of six and a meat portion was a piece of meat and not today’s “super size”. Those were the days when a chicken was a chicken and not a turkey due to additives. That is a subject for another day.
I saw an advertisement for a cable show with a morbidly overweight woman whose husband is concerned. Her response to him is “I want to be fat!” I pondered this thought and even asked for some input from a group of friends who encourage each other with healthy eating. This made me think what it would take to get to a point where this inconceivable thought would apply. What is the trigger? What event or tragedy would apply so much pain, a person would actually want to endanger their health or ruin any relationship by getting so obese no one would want to interact with them?
Let’s think about it and while we are in this thought process, we may find there is a common denominator which might shed some light on this sensitive subject. Most of my friends do the see saw or the lose/gain lifestyle. I am going to get real but trust me, I am in this group so it is a mutual concern. I get to a certain weight and say, “Oh no, I have to lose weight!” Then I get serious and off some pounds go. Does this sound familiar? Then, over the next few years, they creep back on and again the lose/gain trigger connects and a new program starts. We watch the commercials and drool when someone “miraculously lost 50 pounds or more” and we try this program and that program. Usually we have the same results. Lose/Gain; Lose/Gain which becomes a vicious cycle.Healthy eating tip 1: Set yourself up for success
- Prepare more of your own meals. Cooking more meals at home can help you take charge of what you’re eating and better monitor exactly what goes into your food.
- Make the right changes. …
- Simplify. …
- Read the labels. …
- Focus on how you feel after eating. …
- Drink plenty of water.
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy–eating/healthy–eating.htm
I have highlighted one of the tips since I have strong feelings this is a vital tip on focusing on how you see food/eating. If food is used as a comfort tool or a distraction for pain, concern, emotional upheavals, or physiological reasons….This is a major flag and either therapy or self help could be useful to identify the source for “comfort eating” which, by the way, ends up making us more uncomfortable with weight gain and lowering of self esteem (which may be the real culprit).
Several of my friends, and I am in the club of eating healthier for health reasons and not as much for glamorous changes, have learned a lot more about nutrition and clean eating. Even while studying and practicing better choices and doing more exercising. I am going to admit it; I hate exercising for exercising. It is boring and my ADD kicks in with repetition so I am better to go on outings where I am engaging in adventures rather than squats, sit ups, etc. One of my friends made the statement during our discussion by saying it is hard to stay on a restricted diet and I agree. I have learned to “cheat/treat” and allow an occasional treat of something not allowed. I do not make it a habit but it seems to help me stay on track.Now for the deeper thought…….I feel we have an internal trigger which we pull when we gain some weight but I have thought about this and have realized to pull this trigger before I get to a point making it harder to lose. What if we wake up each morning and say, “Today I will watch everything I eat unless it is my treat/cheat day and then I will enjoy it and leave it.” I don’t have to wait until it is obvious I should change my eating habits. I will start today. If for whatever reason, my eating gun doesn’t fire; I will start again tomorrow. Pull your trigger on your weight; fire your guns and let the explosion of life happen.
Note from Arline Miller: These are my thoughts and we all walk different paths. Whichever path you choose, I wish you good health and a long life. I speak with the best intentions and not for any purpose of making light of obesity as I understand the struggle. I would love to hear from those of you who have been successful in your food/life journey. We learn from others and I welcome your comments. Thanks and Happy Living!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I'm a believer in being aware of how I feel after I eat. The thought of the after taste has helped me stay away from trigger foods. Best wishes to you!