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How many times do you find yourself straying into the kitchen? Not driven there by hunger, not by the time on the clock indicating mealtime. But by boredom. By stress. By nothing better to do.
The next time you find yourself wandering into the pantry or opening the fridge door for the thousandth time, force yourself to walk back out. Go to the bathroom, drink a big glass of water, and while you drink, THINK. Ask yourself, Am I hungry? Why was I in there? Do I really need what I was after?
Chances are the answer is NO. And the big glass of water will stave off any feelings that you NEED something to eat.
Eat to live, people. Don't live to eat.
Let's face it - most of the people who have found their way to DGMS are not the metabolically gifted twentysomething set. And if you are, enjoy that internal furnace, collagen supply, and energy while you have it...
No, most of us have hit our thirties and beyond and have begun to be betrayed by bodies intent on kicking back, filling out, and taking it easy.
That's why changing your eating habits will not solve your tight pants problem. Dropping your sodas, reducing your favorite beer intake, driving past instead of driving thru - all good starts. But if you truly want to effect change in your body, change that will last, change that you will see permanently reflected in your looser clothing, and reduction in your "bingo wings" ...
YOU HAVE TO GET MOVING.
Exercise is crucial. Not only does it get your internal fire going again, it strengthens your core, builds the muscles that will keep your bones safer as you get older. And yes, it will make you happier when you look in the mirror.
There is not a woman "of a certain age" who has not stood in front of the mirror naked and lifted this, tucked that. And definitely not one who hasn't raised an arm and flapped her wing in despair. Scaling back the fat (and backfat) through dietary changes is necessary, but you have to build the structure beneath in order to truly see your body change.
Invest in some free weights for your arms - they are not expensive. And instructions for various movements with them abound online. Start walking, get on a bike, dust off the treadmill, join a gym, or get a likeminded exercise buddy to workout with you.
Muscle burns more calories. It also looks better. Feels better.
But as you begin to build that muscle don't freak out when the scale stops moving. Muscle weighs more than fat. And it should. It is dense, it is heavy, it requires more work, and does more work.
The best part? Contrary to what some people think, working out does not make you exhausted - it actually gives you MORE energy.
No more excuses. Chew less, MOVE MORE!
If you have a set in your home or office - you have muscle building, ass lifting, and aerobics right at your toetips.
At home, run those things at least 10 times in as quick of a succession as possible. (Yes, in the beginning you will need to take a breather in between several runs.) Do this daily and you will be amazed at how many you will be able to run without a breather in between, the tone your thighs begin to take on, and the new way your ass starts to flip the bird to gravity.
In your office building - use your lunch hour to strap on your tennis shoes and do the same thing. During your working hours, eschew the elevator and take the stairs.
Attending your child's sporting event at a stadium? Show up early and run those stairs. There is a reason coaches make their athletes run them...
Stairs are plentiful, effective, and best of all, FREE.
As much as we love seeing our efforts reinforced on the scale, that is usually a once a day/week thing. Human beings are visual and this tip from Chicky is a great one!
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My sister found a cute idea on Pinterest - I got two small clear glass vases, 100 pretty colored marbles and some paint. On one vase I painted "Pounds Lost" and the other, "Pounds to Go" Every time I lose a pound, I move a marble from one vase to the other...
17 marbles transferred so far - GO CHICKY!!! Thank you for sharing this idea!
NIkki sent me a picture of her and her two sons, but I wanted to pull her comment to go with it. It is ver hard to commit to changes in the face of young kids who are set in their ways and whose palates are accustomed to a narrow range of flavors. But every step - even the baby ones - will eventually get a person down the right road to better health and fitness. Kudos to Nikki for her decision to start that "walk"!
I'm a mom of 2 boys. One of whom is overweight. I know this and have gather tons of information. But when it comes down to it I know the real problem is myself. I keep coming up with excuses about why we don't eat healthy enough or why my boys aren't as active as they need to be. My son and I will be joining the updated site....without him knowing. I think my main issue is that I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to getting things done. I tend to think that if its not going to be perfect then there is no point in doing it. If there isn't enough time to finish the task then why should I start it. I need to stop. I need to get the kids get up and do chores around the house. And not hound them for not doing it how I would like it done. They are certainly old enough to put away their own laundry and pick up their toys. I need get them to try new foods. I need to get them more involved in the cooking process. Teach them how to cook a few healthy snacks instead of just reaching for the oreos. There are so many things that I could improve on and they all seem so easy to do. I just haven't. But it starts now. Starting today its going to be different. I need their help around the house and more importantly they need me to be the mean mom that makes them do chores and eat healthy. I need to stop being such a perfectionist and start thinking that how he vacuumed is good enough....since he's up and moving and loves to vacuum. I think I've ranted enough. I need to get up and moving. Get tonight's dinner in the crock. I'm thinking vegetable soup. Today is a new day and a start of a new healthier family. You guys have inspired me to become a better good enough mom. I'll update you once in awhile as to how its going!
I opened up the diet side of the blog back in 2009 and while it flourished for a while, it also did what well intentioned dietary changes do - it petered out.
Well, with this morning's rant, and the comments / emails coming in, I think it is time to get our support system back in place.
DGMS - Diet? Get Me Started! It is far more about lifestyle changes that can be permanently implemented and far less about that hideous word "diet." In fact, I think it is time to change that "D" from Diet to something more applicable, urgent, and commited. Look for the new banner as soon as I rework it...
In the meantime, welcome back to the place where you can share your health ideas, recipes, tips, and support.
Linda
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ROLL MODEL
Look in the mirror.
Are you proud of what you see? Is what you see healthy, fit, able to run from a burning building or destined to melt inside it?
Is what you see something someone else would wish to emulate, look up to?
Do you have children?
Now, tie all those together.
If what stares back at you is a candidate for Michellin tire mascot status, or the Pillsbury Doughboy award, and you have children? Congratulations. You are a ROLL model.
Not a role model.
Last night, someone from Debbie's past reached out for her nursing advice because her child was just diagnosed with T2 diabetes and weighs 175 pounds.
That is tragic, sad - for both the child and the parent who was seemingly concerned.
Oh, but it gets better. In that totally-gets-worse kind of way.
The child is only 10 year old.
Yeah.
Picture that. The average 10 year old is 4 1/2 feet tall. That's 54 inches. That means her poor body is dragging around 3.24 pounds per inch.
What the hell quality of life is that for a 10 year old? And I'm not even talking about the being picked last for Dodgeball-getting called names on the playground quality of life. I'm talking ACTUAL QUALITY OF LIFE.
The child's diet consists mainly of fried food, fast food. The child's exercise involves changing positions on the couch and the calesthenics of changing channels on the remote.
Debbie's suggestions were as common sense as they were accessible and immediately actionable.
Cut out the fast food. Get the child moving.
Her response to being told to cut out the McDonalds? "She'll freak out."
Pardon me, but so the f*ck what?
If the child wants to throw a gorilla sized shit fit, hell, if she wants to literally fling her poo in the face of being denied her deep fried, LET HER. If you don't buy the crap, the child cannot eat the crap. And the child will eventually get hungry enough to eat what is offered.
But if what is offered is also keeping your ass unpleasingly plump? Well, you are in no position to be forcing a change on your child.
The buck must start with you if it is to stop with them.
It amazes me how many people in this world defend their fat. Like it's some badge of honor. And don't get me wrong - I am not talking about the inevitable increase in the waistline as you get older, or having a few curves. I am talking about waddle-when-you-walk, health compromised, can't-see-your- shoes-when-you-look-down, get-out-of-breath-climbing-a-single-flight-of-stairs, would-rather-die-with-a-bbq-rib-hanging-out-your-jowl-than-consider-a-salad fat.
And that is over 25% of our country.
You know who you are. And you know damn well you let day after day slide by knowing you should do something to change direction, to set an example for your children, to live longer, to be healthy, but then you get to the end of the day and the only thing you have changed is the channel on the remote and flavor of Ben & Jerry's in your hand.
(And yes, some people have true physiological issues at play, but NOT the majority of them. The majority have two issues at play. They chew too much, they move too little.)
Debbie's conversation with the Mom continued until it was evident Debbie was putting the onus on the mother to institute changes that would prove life saving for her child. Changes that, yes, the child would stomp her fat feet at for a while. The final shot fired was the weakest one, "you're not a parent - you have no f*cking clue."
Then she hung up.
Typical. Call bullshit on someone in the food arena - TELL THEM THE TRUTH - and they completely shut down, tell you to f*ck youself, and waddle off in search of someone who will pat their sweaty head and tell them they are beautiful. On the inside.
Look, I don't care if your personality is the emotional equivalent of Giselle Bundchen's ass in a thong, you are FAT ON THE OUTSIDE AND THE INSIDE where your vital organs reside. And your "inner beauty" is not what gets measured when they prick your finger, cuff your arm, or diagnose you with diabetes.
And the same goes for your child.
Being a nice person isn't going to save you from your self imposed health consequences.
My heart breaks for the children I see waddling the aisles at Walmart orbiting their equally rotund planets parents. But one look in the cart they are pushing tells the tale. I shouldn't care because they obviously do not.
Chips, sodas, snack cakes, every form of food laden with sodium, fat, and convenience.
And don't give me the they cannot afford vegetables or fruit line. A bag of assorted chips for lunchboxes runs just under $8. You can get a satchel of oranges or apples for that much money. And that family sized box of Hamburger Helper with its needed burger? A big bag of frozen veggies that steam in the bag and a box of rice can make a couple meals.
If you don't buy it, YOU and your child cannot eat it.
Ahhhhh, but there it is. That whole willpower issue. Yes, it relies on you having some. It relies on you finally deciding that nothing tastes as good as seeing another sunrise feels. That having your child throw multiple fits is a no-brainer trade for course correcting her 175 pound ship.
IT'S. NOT. EASY.
I know that. I have given birth 3 times, have a metabolism that wants desperately to kick back and take a breather, and am barely 5'2". I could easily grow sideways until I, too, resemble the 25% flotilla of barges sailing the aisles at Walmart. I could easily say, "pass the biscuits and gravy and throw on a spare rib while you're at it" instead of passing the biscuits and gravy and spare ribs.
But I have three daughters. Three daughters who have grown up watching their mother lead by example, not by magic bullet, not by gimmick, not by extremes. They have seen that what goes in is reflected in the mirror - in terms of health as much as in terms of pants size. They know that there is no magic bullet. That caring for your body is your job for as long as you have your body.
Does that mean they have never had fast food? Of course not. What it means is a trip to McDonalds was once-in-a-while, not once-everytime-we-passed-the-Golden-Arches.
I find the thought of a 175 pound 10 year old depressing. Like having a 175 pound ten year old sitting on my heart.
What I find infuriating is a parent who abdicates all responsibility for how she got to that point, and refuses to make the immediate changes necessary to save that child's life. It's as bad as if the child is drowning and the parent turns their back and blames the person who built the pool.
If it were my child who was now facing T2 diabetes and all the health traumas that come with it, and the doctors said eating crushed glass, kale, and marbles would reverse the disease? We'd be having Kale-Marble-Glass casserole tonight.
But back to you looking in the mirror. Honestly, what do you see? Someone who takes pride in themselves, their health, or someone who simply takes the easy way out (which usually involves shouting an order into a box).
And I don't care if your child is currently not packing the pounds. If YOU are, you are setting a shitty example for them. Turn on any episode of Toddlers and Tiaras. The mothers and fathers are predominantly FAT. Not a-little-overweight. FAT.
They should save the money they spend teaching their daughters that outer beauty is the be-all-end-all and invest it in shedding their own literal baggage and hypocrisy. They should be setting a healthy example, not sending the totally mixed message of "Do as I say, not as I chew."
A recent episode of Fat Chef showed a man who started at over 500 pounds, was working his ass off, but whose wife, when interviewed, sat there voicing the "I'll believe it when I see it, he should do it for his children" line.
She was easily 2 bills and change herself.
She should have been busting sit-ups and scaling back her diet every bit as much as her husband. FOR HER CHILDREN.
Is this rant harsh? Only if you see yourself in it and have a serious aversion to being told the truth.
This is about health. Not about being a Size 0 (another bullshit talking point people hide behind). Just like smoking, there is NO health benefit. There is only risk. There is only shortened life expectancy, futher compromised health as each day passes.
But people won't stop because they enjoy it. Because stopping the cig habit or Big Gulp ingestion requires self control, denial, a change in how they do things.
And young or old, people don't like change.
Which brings us back to Debbie's new "unfriend."
She said Debbie has no f*cking clue because she's not a parent. Well, lady, I am a parent and I call bullshit. The only one without a f*cking clue in this scenario is YOU.
You are weak. You are a coward. And you are not a parent.
Because a parent would step up and save their child.
You are a ROLL model. Not a ROLE MODEL.
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