I thought I might talk about something different today.
Getting into the topic of what I like to call "upbringing obesity."
What were we told as kids when we sat down to eat?
What do we still tell our kids today?
Finish everything on your plate. If you eat everything on your plate, you can have dessert (or a treat, or whatever...). Do we ever let our kids get hungry? Do we let them feel what it actually feels like physically to be hungry?
I think not.
What happens at Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Memorial Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, Birthdays, etc.? We all gather as a family and have dinner, or cake, or a BBQ. What will I be doing this weekend? Going over to my grandmother's to spend the Easter holiday with my family. And what will we be eating??? Traditional food that we have all eaten most of our lives (especially in our area)....FRIED CHICKEN & MASHED POTATOES & PASTA SALAD & STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE & COOKIES & DEVILED EGGS!!!
And for most of us (myself as one of the biggest culprits) it is hard to eat healthy or proportionately at these gatherings. You fill your plate with so many things, because there are so many things available to eat. Unfortunately for some in my family, and fortunately for me, there are diabetes issues, some high blood pressure issues, so some of the things made will be sugar free or half & half, so a little better than the full calorie/fat version.
How many of you out there are guilty of all the things I just mentioned? No need to raise your hands, as I know personally a lot of the people that read this, and you were raised just like I was. When my mom made macaroni and cheese, it wasn't a box mix.... (not saying that is any better) it was macaroni noodles, cooked, then with Velveeta, whole milk and butter added to make the final dish. While delicious, not really the best for you.
We never baked/broiled our meat dishes. It was fried chicken, or breaded pork chops, or breaded cube steaks. It wasn't until I was cooking for a family of my own that I stopped breading everything. And when I was a kid, do you think my mother ever BAKED her french fries or tater tots? That would be a disgrace!! No, we brought out the "fry daddy" and deep fried them bad boys! I don't "FRY" anything in my house, and haven't for a very long while. I don't "BREAD" anything. If I fry something, it is in a non-stick pan with some cooking spray. I still make cube steaks every once in awhile, but they are NOT breaded. I have not deep fried anything (besides maybe a time or two) in almost my entire adult life. But still, I am overweight, my husband wants to lose weight, and one of my children are a little "husky". Because besides the fact that I don't normally fry anything, we still have meat, potatoes/noodles and no veggies for dinners. And more than just ONE portion, I have no doubts. And then there are the desserts... why do they have to taste so good?!?
I know that my husband and I have to be the ones to change for the better, to make our children better eaters in their future. My husband and I both know what it is like to grow up as overweight kids. My husband grew out of his when he got into Jr. High and High School, I did not. I was a size 18 when I went to my senior prom. We have to be the change to help our children. We are the ones that need to break the cycle, so our kids don't grow up with the problems that we have, or the ridicule that we experienced.
I am trying. We have started adding veggies into our meals. We have started dishing out "portions" and they have to wait about 15 minutes after they finish that before they can have seconds, to make sure they are still hungry. And for the most part... I fix what will be right at 4 portions, just enough for us at one portion each. If they are hungry after that, they have a piece of fruit or something similar. We have made changes, but there are still those times when the grocery cart seems to gravitate towards the Oreos (propelled mostly by my husband....LOL) and they come home with us. But we are getting better. We are making small changes that will reap big rewards. I have faith in that fact.
They say you can't lose all your weight in the gym. But I don't and haven't really eaten HORRIBLY for the last several years, and have still gained and gained and gained. It was only when I started in the gym, and watching my portions more closely that the weight started coming off. Be the change!
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