The Weight That Binds

Oprah struggled with it. So did Jennifer Hudson, Jessica Simpson and Star Jones. Of course you can't forget countless aunts, uncles, and cousin whom seemingly grow heavier and heavier as years go by. I used to pride myself as having my weight under control. One of the proudest moments of my life came when I loss thirty-five pounds and for once in my life I possessed a freedom of going into a store and fitting into anything without worrying if I looked fat. I worked out just about everyday and my meals revolved around fruits and vegetables and water. Treats such as ice-cream and cake were just that treats, nothing else.

But slowly the weight crept on after I got married. Late night conversations over heartily prepared meals and of course desert, my lifelong weakness. I reintroduced myself to foods that were at one time on my forbidden list. Workouts were not as regimented and slowly the weight piled on. I started to get comments such as, "Boy, you have gained a lot of weight!"

I am now where I never thought I would be, but the good aspect is that I'm extremely uncomfortable with this burden of weight, that tends to sap all of your energy. I'm training myself to cut my appetite and to remind myself (constantly) that I am not hungry, despite tempting advertisements and the pizza that the family just ordered. Of course, it smells good, but again I'm really not hungry. Really.

But I'm realizing, healthy living is a mindset. I'll keep you posted about my journey to lose.

The Sacrifice of Healthy Eating

I'm really trying to make sure my daughter has a well-balanced diet, even on days that it is busy. I sometimes cringe to think when I realized she didn't have her quinoa porridge in the morning or at times she may have to eat at her school, in which I have no control over what she eats. I wonder how much processed food she may eat when she's not around me and then ask myself if I'm neurotic or extreme. "So what if she had a goldfish for snack instead of a juicy peach, look at the mystery meat I used to consume in my public school cafeteria." I would say to myself. Then, I look at my constant struggle with weight and hope that if I make wise choices for her today, hopefully she will make wise choices as she grows up and won't associate happy childhood memories with sweets but rather immune boosting smoothies or grilled veggie burgers.

Fighting childhood obesity is like war on drugs in the eighties. Hopefully we'll win it by making a small sacrifice a day in the kitchen.