In the past year I’ve lost seventy-five pounds. I’m satisfied with my journey, happy with the health benefits of my weight loss, and content to stay at this weight. More important, I now feel confident that I have the ability to do so. In January I wrote the following post and this morning I want to revisit it and add a few thoughts and experiences I’ve had since then. (My January thoughts are in bold.)
I’ve thought a lot about food in the past few months since I set out on this dual quest for weight loss and a healthier body. The two are not necessarily compatible if you spend any time online. There are SO many “quick and easy” weight-loss plans. Far too many supplements. Lots and lots of misguided advice. A prime example of this is a commercial currently airing about the benefits of some “super mix” of dried fruits and vegetables that can be added to water to provide all the vitamins and minerals you need for optimum health. It shows every family member, even young children, happily drinking the green concoction. Why can’t we get our vitamins and minerals from real foods, the way God intended? Why can’t we teach our children to eat real fruits and vegetables? I think the answer is that people are always looking for a solution that doesn’t require thought or effort.
I’ve concluded that very few people are willing to do what it takes to actually have a healthy diet that sustains and strengthens them. That’s not a judgement, just a fact. The proof is in the menus of popular fast-food restaurants and the proliferation of products that are “edible”, but barely qualify as “food”. The three most harmful characteristics of the current American diet are excess salt, excess sugar, and excessive portions. Most people readily admit this, while continuing to eat harmful foods. In recent months I’ve noticed that friends on social media often post pictures of desserts and make comments like, “I know I shouldn’t eat this, but….”
Many people cook and eat for entertainment, not nourishment. The news media says that people have rediscovered cooking and eating because of COVID. However, instead of cooking healthy food that might make them less susceptible to disease, most people are returning to the foods of their childhood that evoke happy memories, and adding on more pounds.
Most people are apt to feed their own children the same foods they ate as children, thus passing on the same bad habits and health risks they’re now struggling to change. I not only see daily evidence of this on social media, but two recent commercials take the concept even farther. One encourages parents to bribe their children with French fries. The other tells them to bribe with macaroni and cheese.
The sin of gluttony doesn’t just refer to eating large quantities of food, but also to the excessive desire for food that leads to eating the wrong things at the wrong time and for the wrong reason. I recently saw a FB post of a young woman who “rewarded” herself by eating something gooey and sweet and calorie-laden that she admitted she should not have eaten. Her obvious reason for doing so was the temporary pleasure of the taste.
Most of us are ignorant of what our bodies need for optimum health. As a society, we seem to care more about our pet’s nutritional needs than our own. One of the things I did on this journey was to seek out others who wanted to accomplish the same goals. I couldn’t find anyone. I quickly realized there are a lot of people who want to lose weight, but not that many want to research the requirements for a healthy body. That makes them vulnerable to the quick schemes and unmaintainable plans.
Humans are addicted to sugar. It’s the “acceptable” drug, in spite of its harmful effects. Now that it’s summer there are shaved ice stands around town. One of them recently advertised on social media showing a huge cone topped with candy. Apparently there isn’t enough sugar in the syrup poured over the ice!
I’m not offering advice. I’m still working on my own diet flaws. I’m reading, reading, reading. Thinking. Tasting. Experimenting. Eliminating some foods and restricting others. I’ve changed my mind about this one. I AM going to offer you some advice. Use a smaller plate. Eat smaller portions. Eat more vegetables. Eliminate “junk” food that doesn’t provide something beneficial to your body. Eat food in its most natural state. Don’t drink something you can eat. Don’t intentionally eat sugar or salt. (I don’t buy either.) Identify your “trigger” foods and STOP buying them. If something is not in your kitchen, you can’t eat it.
We only get one body and it has to last a while. I’m sorry that I didn’t realize how fragile mine was until I began to reap the consequences of my earlier neglect of it. Trying to take much better care of it now. My current emphasis is exercise. That’s the most ignored component of health. Doctors always recommend “diet and exercise” as the keys to weight loss, health, and strength. For a variety of reasons, we embrace the diet part and largely ignore the admonition to exercise. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes commitment. I’m committed to my MWF gym schedule, but still working on the best times to work out on the other days.
Another change I’ve made is eliminating caffeine from my diet.
Thanks for reading my ramblings this morning. I haven’t posted a lot lately because I’m busy and happy. Reading, researching, writing, gardening, photography, and daily life chores occupy my time and I’m quite content. I pray that you are living your healthiest life and enjoy the weekend.