Witten By: Maria
My name is Maria, currently I am 54 years of age, and I facilitate the group "Hungry for Healthy" at Positive Pathways. You can join us Tuesdays at 4:00 PM. I am like many women and am still struggling with my weight. It is like a wrestling match and my fat seems to be winning. There is a reason that more than half of Americans are overweight or obese. I’m firmly convinced it isn’t just a willpower problem. For some of us, we come by it unluckily as there is a ‘fat gene’ that we inherit. If your neighbor looks like she has never had a weight problem, don’t hate her too much. She may just be lucky enough to have inherited the right genes. Also, think about it. We have fast food places strewn across our towns that are walking distance from each other. Back long ago there were no such things. In fact, at one time people mainly stayed at home and worked in the fields growing crops. I mean a long, long time ago. Women would begin cooking a big breakfast practically at daylight. The men would need plenty of energy to work in the garden all day. After breakfast was finished the mamas and grandmas would clean the dishes (without a dishwasher) and then begin preparing food to serve lunch. Then it was all repeated for supper. See what I’m saying here? No one went to McDonalds and no one sat around watching TV. Everyone in the family was active. It was just the reality of those generations. They were lucky in many ways. Their family and neighbors were always there for support, and they had no boss.
One historian I read suggested that mental illness came into fruition in massive amounts beginning in the Industrial Revolution. That really amazed me because it made perfect sense. Instead of relying on yourself, your family, and mother nature for your welfare; people were now expected to please their employer, or they would get fired. So now we have the stress of work, and food on every corner for convenience and comfort. But most of us cannot afford to eat healthy food, at least not at a restaurant.
What I would recommend is that if you want to lose weight, do it the healthy way. Don’t starve yourself. For me personally, just learning what foods to avoid has been the biggest advantage. Most of us know what to do but just feel like it’s impossible. Avoid anything with sugar including bread which converts into sugar. Diabetics are familiar with this lifestyle. No rice, breads, oatmeal, cereals, candy, cookies, cakes, or certain fruits and vegetables. Remember this doesn’t have to mean a strict change for the rest of your life. I especially feel that this is true regarding the fruits and vegetables. In the beginning avoid carrots, potatoes, grapes, oranges, cherries, pears, and pineapple. Just focus on the lower sugar vegetables and blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries for the fruit.
Don’t feel guilty if you fall off the wagon while trying to lose the weight. You aren’t perfect so give yourself a break. Just start again the next day. The first week or two will be the hardest as your body will go into what is called ketosis in which it starts burning fat. Drink plenty of water, eat plenty of food during the day and don’t deprive yourself; just eat the right food. There are more sugar free options for sweets than ever before. Make sure you prepare and have a substitute for what you crave.
Good luck and happy (healthy) eating!