Generations of Bad Eating Habits...






Throughout our lives and generation after generation we've passed on our eating habits to those coming up behind us. 

My generation grew up during the fast food explosion. I remember the family taking a picnic to the park with a bucket full of our favorite fried chicken with all the trimmings. This was what was to be the beginning of my love affair with fast food. Already, convenience was turning the tides of the family dinner table and as a kid—I couldn't have been more thrilled!

In kind, when I became a mother, I passed on this idea and began taking my children to the place with the coolest toys. They are grown up now, but we still have an entire box of collected toys. I'm hoping one day we'll be able to turn that box into the best thing about our eating experiences all those years ago. 

Today there is a shift that's trending toward homemade packed treats for the park with healthy nutrient packed goodies. This is an extraordinary change in the right direction. 

I find that I'm looking forward to the new frame of mind and am excited for how these healthy changes will impact the paths of the next generation. As we slowly move into a society that's teaching our youngsters to know where their food comes from I am cautiously optimistic. 

In a recent study by Penn State, "they found that children’s weight gain between fifth and eighth grades was not associated with the introduction or the duration of exposure to competitive food sales in middle school." and they concluded  that, "One possible explanation is that children’s food preferences and dietary patterns are firmly established before adolescence.

Looking into my own dietary history; I can pinpoint the very moment where I began to use fast food as a tool of convenience. Opting to grab and go rather than fixing a healthy option in my kitchen. It was during those first few years of adult freedom. I was on the go a lot and found fast food to be an easy option. I didn't worry about the consequences because I was so active. I was setting up my generational legacy without even knowing it.

Determining ones generational dietary path can be tricky. We have to open up and discover where our relationships with food come from and how we're going to change them for future generations.

Hindsight being 20/20, I have decided to take a deeper look into my pathways of nutrition. My children are beginning to adopt the new changes and that is where the proof is in the pudding. Hopefully, they will not repeat my mistakes?





Eating Disorders (ED) come in many packages...




What you may expect an eating disorder to look like may not always be the case. Just because you don't purge, doesn't mean that you aren't a binge eater.

Often, those with eating disorders go unnoticed. Take for instance the cheerleader whom everyone adores for her athleticism, or the track runner, or even people in places of authority. 

There is not just one face to the eating disorder. 

It can be hiding in plain sight! 

It could even be hiding in 

You!

Years can roll on... A person may never discover that their eating habits are distorted. Denial is often a useful tool when it’s used to hide the disease.

Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Night eating, Obesity, or even Binge eating can be a mystery to the one who suffers with it. Until the problem can be discovered and identified; you may never truly know the motivations behind your choices.

Take the time to ask yourself the 

important 

questions. 

Don't be afraid to dig deep. 

If you suspect you may have an eating disorder, the National Institute of Mental Health NIMH has a load of information regarding eating disorders. If you're unsure if an eating disorder applies to you, there's a self-test that you can take.

Whatever your suspicions may be; don't be afraid to ask yourself the tough questions & remember the first life-line to YOU, is... YOU!

Truth be told, I binged all morning!




Today is a particularly difficult day. I’ve been in a lot of pain in my neck, head, and eyes. When I feel like this it is hard to function. I find that binging is my main source of comfort.

This morning when I got up; I just didn’t feel well. Chronic pain has been a close companion ever since the accident 5 years ago and believe me nobody wants me to, “Get over it!” more than I do, but some days that just seems impossible. 


It’s been 6 weeks without pain medication and I’m happy about that, however, some days the pain is too much! When I feel this way I tend to loose strength to eat right. 

The first part of the day I ate one thing after another. I started out right with my glass of water and a light breakfast. Not soon after I was back in the kitchen having a second course, then a third and so on, until I finally felt satisfied. It alleviated my pain for a while, but as we already know, this was only a quick fix. I finally took two Tylenol and lay back down to get rid of the pain.

When I woke, my headache was lessened, but in no way was I fully recovered. Its days like these that I can’t seem to find the will-power to resist the pain eating. I gave in to every yummy thing I’ve been moderating for the last eleven days. I wish I could say that everything I ate was a healthier choice, but was not the case. Sure, some things were good choices like my salad, but the peperoni was not. 

They say the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. I recognize whole-heartily this problem that I have. I just don’t know how to fix it! I have tried endlessly and I continue to fall into the trap.

I'm beginning to identify the problem in its totality, but I still have no clear plan. Now that I'm coming around to this information I am going to make good use of it and see if I can come up with some ideas that work. 
If any of you have ideas that have worked for you; I would love for you to share them? 

Map Out Your Daily Diet...





Map out your daily diet and then stick to it! It will help tremendously if you decide what your diet will be for the day. Think of your activities for that day and then make a decision as to what your food will consist of.

For instance, if you know you will be eating out make sure your order is pre-determined. Instead of choosing from the menu, think about how you can tailor your order to fit your diet.

When I go out for breakfast I special order...


254 Pounds This Morning! A Six Pound Loss...





So, I'm at the scale this morning and knowing that I had a few back slides yesterday and it's only been a couple of days since I last weighed myself, but I got on the scale anyways. The scale reported to me that I was 254 pounds! WhaaHoo! That's a loss of 6 pounds!

What have I been doing...

Not bad for the first day?





April 5th, 2012...

Sarting the day...





To kick start my metabolism today I have had:

10 minutes of exercise, m
y first full glass of water. (I will need 7 more today),Oatmeal w/ Honey, Cinnamon, and fresh apple.

I started the day before getting out of bed by stretching. I suffer from chronic pain...

I am challenging myself...

4/5/2012 12:27:08 AM

Wouldn't it be nice if tomorrow when I woke up I was a healthy 125 pounds?

I've been dreaming for a long time. It's been almost 15 years now with this weight on. I’m so tired of carrying the weight of a second person with me every day. Tomorrow I will begin on my weightloss journey and I will be taking you with me!