I get a charge out of all the advertisements for losing weight and diets that cost an arm and a let. I can't believe people pay for tasteless planned meals that also cost an arm and a leg. Especially considering the fact we have access to the Internet and can learn all we need to know about healthy eating for free. I learned all on my own that the reason I was overweight was because I over ate and was too sedentary. That means I didn't know when to say "no" and when to say, "yes". I should have said "no" to big portions, fatty foods, fried foods, white rice, white flour, white potatoes and white sugar. I should have said "yes" to parking far from the entrance to the store, to riding my bike, to walking a mile a day, to getting out more and to exercise. I should have said, "yes" to whole wheat flour, more veggies, fewer simple carbohydrates and lean meat.
The body is designed to store fat when we eat too much. This is for the times when we face famine. Problem is that most folks never face famine. In America we have "convenience" foods which are truly inconvenient for healthy living. Fast foods should be fasted! We need to slow down and take time to live rather than survive. We believe we need things we don't need and in all reality should fast things that aren't good for the body.
Too often we wait until we are sick to make changes. We aren't wise enough to start out healthy and maintain good health. We find ourselves obese and sickly and then work to come out of the stupor of unhealthy eating. I have friends who have back problems, knee problems, the onset of diabetes, high blood pressure and a nasty selection of overweight induced illnesses. I too was amongst their ranks, but it took the death of my husband for me to get serious about health. When one is all alone and ill a rude wake-up call comes!
Why write this? I'm hoping it might inspire someone else to join the ranks of those of us who want to live the rest of our lives outside the doors of the hospital or doctor's office waiting room. I must prefer to ride my bike these days. I love working in my garden. I am adjusting to my new diet (one I created and maintain even in restaurants). I eat whole grain breads and choose complex carbohydrates. I use agave nectar instead of sugar in my tea. I drink clear liquids including 100% juices. I do take a pill for high blood pressure, but as I lose the last 30 pounds of fat (I've lost 30+ so far) I am trusting I can do away with the pill as well. I avoid salty processed foods. I'm even having to look at my canned goods more carefully as they seem to have way too much salt in them as well. I eat less and less fat all the time. I try to eat more fish even though I live in the desert southwest and am landlocked. I love albacore and kippers which have Omega 3 fats and I buy frozen tilapia. I'm constantly making adjustments when I learn that something I'm eating isn't good for me. I look for replacements so I don't feel starved or deprived. If I crave sugar I am blessed to have a postmaster who has a basket of candy on the counter. I take one or two pieces and am satisfied with that. I'm still working on soda. I don't buy it in the store, but I occasionally get one when I go to the restaurant. I don't do restaurants nearly as often as my husband and I used to.
Oh, you can eat at restaurants and eat healthy, you just have to know what you can and can NOT eat and find those restaurants that have those items. I go to "Whataburger" to get my hamburger fix. They have wholewheat buns. I also order more salads and always order the dressing on the side.
There are a million options for us in America. We can eat healthy, but we have to choose to eat healthy. We have to want to be healthy and that means do whatever it takes to adjust our lifestyles to make it happen. Laziness is poverty. It will kill you slowly and take away the thing you take for granted in youth, health! I no longer take it for granted. It's time to wake up before it's too late.
Everybody is different. Everyone has personal taste and personal cravings. You know your body better than I do, but you have to listen to it talking and also know that you can only eat so much of any food before it gets stored as fat on your body. Fat can kill you. It looks harmless enough until you learn that it can cause your heart to work harder, your joints to be over worked, you spine to crumble and your pancreas to give up the ghost.
Fat is not beautiful no matter how much you try to tell yourself it is. I know I don't like the 30 pounds left I'm working to get rid of. It's taking more work to get these last pounds off than it took to get the first 30+ off, but I'm determined to take care of the temple that God gave me. I hope you will consider doing the same for yours.
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