It is SO important to know that it's okay to fail as long as we get back up.
We can't quit after having a bad day, week or month. We have to keep on truckin'...
My every day battle is emotional eating. I tend to eat for pleasure rather than fuel. I will disregard what the body needs and focus on what I WANT at that time and it usually ends very bad. I must consciously get myself in check before I spiral out of control which I was famous for doing for so many years of my life...
These days I MUST pay close attention to portion control...
It is my weakness.
I taste good food and I want more and more...
Growing up I can remember eating slice after slice of bread as a snack :( YES a snack.
This is where my degree plays a huge factor for me.
When I stop and think about portion sizes, the way certain foods are processed through our bodies then I'm able to make better, healthier decisions.
I have to stop myself from thinking about the pleasure I get from food and more about the science and what I know is true about food as fuel.
What our bodies NEED vs. what I WANT...there's a big difference.
This feeling of pleasure from food doesn't just go away, I have to think about it EVERY day as I wake up and choose to better my health. It will not get easier, but it will always be worth those positive decisions. Always.
Also, I try and cook ONLY the serving for a family of four unless I'm meal prepping for the week.
This helps prevent overeating since there's only enough for my family of four when we sit down at the dinner table.
It is a rule that we eat on small plates as well as keep plenty of color meaning different food groups in each of our meals. THIS rule is so important for us because my plate used to be small portion of protein, lots of starch and more starch...very little veggies or fruit. Sad but true.
I do not pass judgement at all because that was me and how can we pass judgement or blame when people are thrown information every day about what is healthy vs. not healthy. The diets, the pills, the false sense of what is true when it comes to getting healthy and losing weight. We all want that quick fix so it often sounds like a better option than hard work and slow progress.
BUT we must remember that slow progress IS progress- that is what matters most.
When I taught health, the children honestly did not know a healthy food or how to build a healthy plate. I find it sad that we teach A,B,C's and 1,2,3's but there's no value on healthy eating and exercise. Where's the testing that's done in class on heart health and the benefits of exercise? I sure didn't learn about it and most of today's youth do not either. Of course there's amazing physical education and health teachers out there, but the time in their classrooms are so limited and classes are so large that it becomes VERY difficult to reach most of these children. It MUST be encouraged and seen at home as well as in the classrooms.
It is one of the main reasons I became certified in K-12 PE and Health.
Our children want to be healthy, they want to learn how to take care of themselves so they can run, be active and play with their friends. As a child I used excuse after excuse for my lack of exercise and every day I see children doing the same as I once did. Can you blame them? They don't want to be singled out in front of their peers for being overweight, unhealthy or laughed at because they can't finish the mile. Growing up is hard enough, so we must all make sure that our children know HOW to take care of themselves physically and emotionally. It is SO important.
This helpful activity from FiberOne may help you and your family celebrate EACH healthy decision made as a family...
I am amazed at how much my kids absorb when it comes to health.
They ask questions.
We talk about new fruits and veggies and they will often try them before we've even asked...
As a girl growing up overweight for so long, this makes me proud because I feel like we're educating them from our mistakes. So history does NOT repeat itself through our kids.
As a child I was so big on seconds, worried about my next serving before I had finished the first.
And these habits will continue and only worsen over time.
When I lived on my own I noticed these traits which is scary because nobody is there to stop you from over consumption. Yikes.
Since most of my eating was done in private, not being able to stop myself was such a vulnerable feeling so I'd eat, feel ashamed and then felt like a failure which brought on more eating. It was like a vicious cycle that would repeat itself over and over again until I found my strength within to fight back and STOP IT from taking over my life.
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