http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/worst-ways-eat-your-veggies
I clicked through these slides and thought, 'This is the most idiotic article ever published'. Everyone already knows that these food choices are not what I would call legit choices for 'veggie' servings. Then I thought.... 'Quit being a proud b*tch just because you think this stuff is foolish', self. Calm down. People are in different stages of learning about health and food choices, so yes there are probably a shit ton of people who think these are in fact wonderful choices for veggies. There are others who are in a stage where they are starting to choose spinach over iceburg lettuce (which offers Vitamin Nothing compared to spinach!). There are people who are organic and only organic. There are people who really believe that the recipes which 'sneak in' veggies like shredded zucc in a muffin or shredded carrot in a marinara sauce are the architects of the greatest food revolution ever - not so.... but who I am to judge?
SO much of this life is a balancing act of knowing and doing. Learning and living. Informing and executing. An ideal world would allow a perfect marriage of these factors at all times. "I know that a hard hour spent at the gym may add time on to my life - I didn't go to the gym". "I know the ingredients in this double bacon cheeseburger will clog my arteries and lead to heart disease - I ate the burger". "I know that my staff meeting starts at 9am and I'm behind schedule - I pour another cup of coffee at home and piddle around with my eyeshadow and curtains". "I know that these ballet style flats (however cute) will cause my heel pain to intensify so much the next day it will be unbearable - I wear the flats and walk on concrete all night (Yeah, ouch!)". How do you balance the two?
Do you follow the Nike rule, Just Do It? Do you flounder with burgers and late arrivals to meetings for years while allowing for those bad habits to dig such a deep track in the schematic of your mind that you're screwed and don't care? Do you arrive on time, in fact - 15 minutes early every day for two weeks, don't get enough gratification out of it and go back to your habits? Did something click and, how so? Can you even explain an epiphany like that? Is it even an epiphany or is it just simple fact.... do or die - no fluff to be considered?
For me, it's been a tough one - on some days. For some, it seems simple. It's like a simple truth wrapped in a 272 pound enigma surrounded by a mystery hand-dipped in batter and fried in a boiling vat of myth and emotion. Count the calories on that bad boy then tell me how is it you find balance? How did you start and plan to continue un-screwing yourself from the bad habits, bad choices, bad self image? Did you have an 'aha!' moment or was it hundreds of little moments that led up to a breaking point? I'm still figuring out what mine was, but I can tell you it wasn't a single moment. I can think back and name at least 10 'aha!' moments; none of which inspired commitment enough to lose and keep off any significant amount of weight.... Maybe it's not important to figure out what the switch was - maybe it only matters what the future is, what the commitment is and how time will be spent from this day forward.
i like this post and am often critical of the way i eat and the way others eat. though i would never say something without them mentioning it first. lol. I love those damn veggie chips though!!! ahhh hahaha.
ReplyDeleteWell, it took me nearly all my 53 years, a 83 pound weight loss and a regaining of all of it and then some before I finally figured it all out. I already knew the diff between healthy and unhealthy but not one bit of it made any difference at all until I finally, finally made up my mind to be healthy and to lose the weight. That was a few short months ago. I can't tell you why it took me this long to get here, but it did. I also can't tell you that I won't blow it again. I don't know. But it the determination is different this time and so am I.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, April!!
ReplyDeleteThis weightloss thing was a conglomeration of different Aha! moments. I went to a new voice teacher and she was blunt with me. "you'll get passed up for jobs based purely on your size. it's just the reality of the situation." My father's declining health, even though he's already lost so much weight, it was just too late. And starting a new semester without music ensembles, I can spend that time obsessing about body instead of notes and rhythm.
ReplyDeleteI have so many bad habits - eating and otherwise - that's its hard to keep track. One of my worst its to eat on autopilot. For that very reason, this month I've given up chocolate. It's made me see that I reach for food and eat it without even thinking about it. Exercise in self discipline and all that. It's do or die time for me.
ReplyDeleteI don't call mine "a-ha moments" - I call them "rock bottom moments" - and I have had plenty. I used to ask myself, is this rock bottom? Can it get worse (the answer is always yes!). I think when you are over weight, your mind never stops thinking about food, losing weight,being fat - even if we don't always acknowledge it. I used to be an all or nothing type of girl - where I would go hard core on diet and exercise, only to burn out almost immediately. My approach these days is slow and steady - I try to think more consciously about what I am doing and eating and I do make better choices that way. I think about the consequences first and then decide if I should have that burger or ditch my work out. I am not setting the world on fire yet - but I will.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post!
Nice post! I actually did have an "Aha!" moment last year watching a Dr. Oz show about how the Japanese (in Japan) eat and how much healthier they are than Americans. I did some research, bought some smaller plates, got lots of veggies and broths, and started on that journey (you can read about it HERE if you're curious). Guess what? It actually WORKED! I did GREAT! And then, life happened. Illnesses came and forced me to change what I was doing. I was getting depressed because when something had finally clicked, when I was finally doing what I needed to do to lose weight and get healthy *and* I was enjoying the new lifestyle, I had to change EVERYTHING about how I was eating. I felt as if my world came crashing down suddenly. To make matters worse, instead of support from 'friends', I was ridiculed for not "staying the course". It took me months to get back into the flow of things, to find the right balance so I could get back to losing weight without jeopardizing my health.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, life is a balancing act. It's not an easy road, it takes fine tuning, and sometimes sudden changes. I know it can change again and it might turn my world upside down once again but I'll just keep doing what I've been doing: finding the right balance until it starts flowing again. I just won't give up. :)
Mine was going to the doctor and hearing the facts, how much I weighed, what my actual bmi was, what the risks in continuing this lifestyle were, and then seeing the results people got from medifast. If they can do it, so can I.
ReplyDeleteI am such a competitor that I have to win! I have to prove people wrong. So, I keep going knowing that I can say, See I did it!! and I have my two little girls who don't need a fat, lazy mom, who wont be around as long as she should! There is no turning back for me now, just going forward and rocking it, just like you can do too!!
I think this is a great post. For me it came from getting so big I felt awful all the time. Nothing looked nice on me, I was in sizes I didn't want to wear. I hated photos taken of me and I really most of all hated myself. Hell I didn't even recognise myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm 42lbs down and I still have a way to go and it is far from easy, in fact I swear it gets more and more difficult, things have to balance, suddenly the exercise I was doing 14lbs ago and losing weight isn't enough for me to lose weight now. But you just have to keep going, because what's the alternative? I let myself gain more weight and feel miserable? Not going to happen!
Dawniepants