How Did I Get Here?
According to the health and fitness charts – although I’m convinced they were created for imaginary stick people – I am considered overweight. I have carried this extra weight for at least 10 years, until one day I had to stop and ask myself…HOW IN THE H*LL DID I GET HERE???
Hmm…let’s see.
1. LACK OF EXERCISE
I lived a sedentary lifestyle. Other than my daily commute to work, I’d hardly get any exercise. I work 10 hr days and have a 2 hr round trip commute, so the thought of exercising during the weekday was laughable. When I wasn’t working, I was so tired that I’d sleep until 10am. When I’d finally get up, I was even more tired and had no energy for physical activity. So what did I do? I’d lounge around the house all day, then go out (to eat) with friends at night.
2. POOR EATING HABITS
I did not eat three balanced meals every day.
- Breakfast – I’d always skip breakfast because I wasn’t hungry until around 10am. By then, I’d be knee deep in work with no time to stop and get something to eat.
- Lunch – I’d eat lunch around 1 or 2pm. Sometimes I’d buy a sandwich from one of the many fast food places near my office. If I was really pressed for time, I’d grab a slice of pizza and a soda from the shop in the building. If I was working late, which is often, I’d snack on a bag of chips or a candy bar before I shut down for the day.
- Dinner – When I’d get home, it was usually after 7pm, and of course, I was tired. So I’d resort to quick fix meals – pasta dishes (carbs!), microwavable (fat!), cereal (yes breakfast for dinner), leftovers from lunch, or takeout (junk!).
- Snacks – I was am addicted to sugar. After every meal, I’d crave something sweet before I’d feel satisfied. Otherwise I’d keep eating and eating. I’d attempt to buy healthy snacks, but before the month was over, I’d always resort to my yummy preferences: Twix, Oreos, and/or ice cream.
3. MISGUIDED SELF ESTEEM
Where I’m from (where my family lives), being “thick” is acceptable and most men consider it sexy to have meat on your bones. In fact, being thin is frowned upon. Being too thin is ridiculed. If a person begins to lose weight, people immediately think they are sick or on that stuff. Ignorant, I know, but that’s the mentality.
Almost every female in my family is considered overweight according to health and fitness standards. Compared to most of them, I am probably “average” or maybe even on the smaller end. Because I fit right in, I adopted their mentality and accepted my weight as normal – even as I packed on pound after pound. Despite being overweight, I’ve never suffered from a shortage of self esteem. But now, I have enough sense to know that my current weight isn’t healthy.
4. IGNORED HEALTH CONCERNS
As a result of my weight, there are several potential health concerns that may catch up with me if I don’t improve my health & fitness habits. Given my family history, the odds are already stacked against me. If I don’t do something NOW, diabetes and heart disease may be knocking at my front door. But I do not want to die from something I have the power to control and prevent. I’ve made several changes in the right direction already, but I still have a long way to go.
Weight, just like debt, seem to sneak up on you because you pile it on little by little over a long period of time. Do you ever stop to ask yourself “how did I get here?”
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I ask myself that all the time. The biggest one for me is confidence and self esteem. I, like you, have never had an issue in this department and so I’ve never felt compelled to be consistently serious about changing to a healthy lifestyle. I think my problem was, if I look good then it’s all good. I know better now, though. I’m still a work in progress, but I’m taking my baby steps. I’m so proud of you!
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Single Ma Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:54 pm
“I think my problem was, if I look good then it’s all good.”
OMG, that was ME!
I’m so glad I know better. Now I can DO better.
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I have never had a weight problem … well, I did have a problem gaining weight once upon a time. For years I had to deal with being called a “stick figure”, “anorexic” and being asked constantly, “Don’t you ever eat?” Then all of a sudden last year I noticed that my clothes looked weird on me. I had developed this bulge in my mid-section that had never been there before! I had enjoyed the benefits of a fast metabolism for too long and I had allowed myself to slip. Now, I pay attention to everything that I eat and I exercise regularly.
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I was reading an article that mentioned that we gain weight as we age; it’s usually not what we eat. We can eat the same stuff we did when we were younger, but as we age we burn less. The reason we gain weight b/c we lose muscle tone; therefore it becomes harder to lose weight. They recommended Yoga. Not sure if it works, but it can be an alternative.
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“Weight, just like debt, seem to sneak up on you because you pile it on little by little over a long period of time. Do you ever stop to ask yourself “how did I get here?”
I ask myself all the time. Seems like just a couple of years ago, I was debt free and 15 pounds lighter. The debt and the weight are both serious side effects to having my head stuck in the sand for far too long. Thankfully, I’m finally pulling my head out of the sand and getting refocused.
Thanks for all you do and the inspiration you continuously provide.
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I feel you on number two. When I read your tweets about your food preperation, I think to myself “I need to be eating what she’s eating” . I do always eat breakfast either oatmeal or a fiber one bar. I bring a lean cuisine or a can a soup for lunch but I rarely want it. I have a food court in my building and to make matters worse it has a five guys in it ughh.
I run a lot but I can’t seem to get my eating together. Pray for me.
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I’ve always been overweight/obese (according to the BMI scale) As a matter of fact, the earliest I can recall being close to the edge of normal for me was right before I left to go to college. IF I was the same height, I was 2 lbs over the normal limit.
So when I lost the weight during 2007/2008 – that was major for me. I gained it back when I slipped on my rigorous routine. The thing is, I’ve always been pretty active and I have a love for veggies and fruit that shocks me sometimes. My blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels (diabetes runs in the fam) have always been good. But they got even better when I lost 40+ pounds.
Yes, I know how I got here – I think I was born here, LOL
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Single Ma Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:52 pm
“Yes, I know how I got here – I think I was born here, LOL”
That was funny! LOL
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“In fact, being thin is frowned upon. Being too thin is ridiculed. If a person begins to lose weight, people immediately think they are sick or on that stuff.”
I’m glad my Mom always drummed into my head that I would appreciate my figure one day.. and now I do. I might not have a big butt/”junk”, but I love my body and wouldn’t trade it in.
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I think knowing “how you got here” is important so you don’t end up right back where you started. For me, it was putting everything else first and not taking good care of myself. Not going back there again.
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If you say you’re overweight, and you’re on the smaller end in your family, i hope you are encouraging them to work out and get healthy. My mom is (only) 56 and overweight, and I can tell you the aging process is not good at all… to the point where I even have to help her with her shoe laces :(
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Single Ma Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:38 pm
I do what I say I’m going to do and I stick to the goals I’ve created for myself. If that encourages others, wonderful! But other than that, you can’t encourage someone to change their entire lifestyle because they won’t change until they are ready to change.
Although I’m fairly new to health & fitness, I consider myself pretty advanced in personal finances. I live my life as an example and my family sees it daily. They know what I do, they know how I live, and they know the financial choices I make. But it doesn’t matter – a person will stay broke until they make the decision for themselves to not be broke anymore.
Health & Fitness is no different. People are inspired by the results but don’t want to put in the work. You simply can’t “encourage” someone to “work out and get healthy.”
If you think so, are you encouraging your mother? How’s that working for you?
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Tera Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 9:21 am
We even signed her up at Bally’s and although she was excited to start, she lost interest. Also, her knee issues prevent her from running etc. Its sad… she has knee issues because of her weight, but she also can’t exercise because of it.
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I’ve always been bigger than the other members of my family – always the chunky one. I was never really plus-sized big, but always chunkier than average and sometimes in the double digit sizes. Even when I was physically active in high school, I was still larger than average.
My mom was a diet freak who did all types of crazy diets to maintain her size 6 figure. My dad ate whatever he wanted, but was very active in spots and biking and distance running. Both skated by on great metabolisms having been very thin all their lives. Rather than taking the good from their examples (and ignoring their weaknesses), I just shrugged my shoulders and did me.
Ironically enough, all the naturally skinny members of my family are struggling with their weight now. My “beanpole” dad has Type 2 diabetes now that he can’t out exercise his crappy diet. We all have our struggles I suppose.
I’ve come to accept the fact that I have the type of body that needs good nutrition AND lots of exercise to stay balanced. If both of those falter, I quickly get to a bad place. I can skate by on one or the other for a little while, but I will still gain some weight that way.
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How did I get here? Stress eating. Going to brunch instead of playing ultimate frisbee. Couch potato hobbies such as reading, web surfing, blogging, knitting, watching movies, cuddling. Being able to get TV without the commercials. Free yummy food at work for birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, baby showers, monthly meetings.
Notice how I’m not mentioning my sugar addiction. Hmm, being rich enough (and no longer under the control of my parents) to be able to have chocolate chips for dinner if I want. Because I’m a grown-up now and can eat whatever I want. (Don’t I sound 18 now? Or maybe 22? I’m 47, though.)
The more important question at this point is how to get away from here. Last year I tried more exercise, job hunting for a less stressful job, drinking more water, and a bunch of other things that didn’t work. Sadly, there’s no escaping the fact that I’m going to have to eat less (but still exercise to keep fit).
I’ve switched to having my hot meal at work. I used to try bringing a sandwich or two so I could go for a lunch walk while eating my sandwich(es), but I felt unfulfilled and was very tempted to supplement my lunch with fries, a milkshake, a cup of chili, a cheeseburger, or a bag of fries. Now I cook up something over the weekend, heat it up for lunch each day, and go for a walk afterwards. Then I have a sandwich or (high-fiber) cereal (with skim milk) for dinner. I also feel unsatisfied without dessert. So I bring half a (high-fiber) pop-tart (or other minimally horrifying treat) to work.
I try to have only fairly good snacks at work such as pretzels, vegetable juice, and yogurt. But I need to find ways to react to stress besides eating these snacks. One thing that’s helped is that when I find myself thinking “I deserve a tasty treat,” I then immediately also tell myself “I deserve to be healthy.” (Actually, I say “I deserve to be thin,” but I know what I mean.) I also remind myself that it’s okay to feel a little hungry sometimes. If I’m so hungry I can’t concentrate on my job, that’s one thing, but mild hunger one or two hours before lunch or dinner is another.
In conclusion, you think that cereal for dinner isn’t the greatest plan, but always remember, it’s better than chocolate chips for dinner.
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Debbie M Reply:
February 24th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Oops, instead of “fries, … or a bag of fries …” I meant “…bag of chips.”
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“Health is wealth” is known to all and everyone wants good health. So, Let us build a food habit discipline, keep pace with work, rest and or exercise to Achieve good health, The ultimate wealth.
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