A pediatrician told me that a baby’s stomach is the size of her fist. It is supposed to be the same with adults, too. Now, look at your fist. Next time you have a plate of food in front of you, look at your fist again. I can certainly put more food in my stomach than a fist-sized portion!My ninth grade biology teacher once said that cavemen (and women) probably didn’t eat several times a day, and probably didn’t even eat every day. Maybe they ate like lions, once big meal when they could get it. They might have eaten berries and nuts, but feast daily? They did not.
I’m not a baby or cavewoman, but I guess there are interesting points to ponder from our predecessors and our offspring.
Cavemen probably ate what they had access to and were glad for food. Probably no picky eaters. Lesson learned: I complained heartily about eating celery this week. I don’t like it, and I like every kind of weird vegetable. Except celery. Deep breath. Thank you, God, for the celery. I will be glad for it. I will also pick a different veggie to snack on when the celery isn’t doing it for me.
Babies know when they are hungry. Hence the crying. They also know when to stop eating. Ever had a 3 year-old hand you a wet, hal- eaten graham cracker? I have. It was yesterday. Babies will even go so far as to start chewing, change their mind completely, and spit food out. I am not okay with this. We as adults are a little more civilized. No spitting. Absolutely none. I'm just learning not to put the unwanted food in my mouth. Now that I think about it, isn't this what wine tasters do? I used to be a wine sommelier. I should know. All of the taste none of the swallowing.
Kids know how to eat if given the right choices. Kids learn bad habits from us. Yes, that is my mommy guilt talking. Mine requested Cheerios for breakfast, and I watched them drink all the milk out of the bowl and leave the cereal behind. I said nothing. I really wanted to tell them to finish their cereal and stop wasting my money. Okay, it was the store brand “Cheerios,” but money is money, people!
My biggest weight loss struggle today is to be normal about food around my kids. I'm trying hard to let my kids decide when to stop eating. I will focus on putting good food in front of them. This is so hard. Kids would eat Cheerios and graham crackers all day if they had a choice. I want them to eat a lot of food all the time, including veggies and meat (which my kids are not so fond of). No talking about calories in front of them. Ever. No talking about food for that fact. I’m hoping one day soon they’ll be able to ignore the existence of food and so will I. We will eat it when we need it and get back to reading books and having fun.
(I should mention that I will/do allow my kids to eat cake. I don't want you coming over for one of my monster's birthday parties wondering why we are eating cake and ice cream. If you are lucky we will be eating really good cake and really good ice cream. I don't want my kids going to college never having tasted sweets. That's just not natural.)
Weird Weight Loss Tips
Set a good example for your kids, nieces, nephews, 
neighbors, little brother, and co-workers. They are watching us more than they are listening. That’s why kids are so creepy like that kid in "The Shining. "
Watch a scary movie. I am never hungry during a scary movie! Not even for popcorn. You never know when something gross is going to flash on the screen. Should I be the inventor of the scary movie weight loss club? Just a thought. Happy eating and exercising.
Speaking of "The Shining" . . . Happy Birthday to my littlest monster who turns 2 years old today. He likes to ride his big wheel around the house and give me the creeps. I know we are supposed to get healthy for ourselves, but I don't agree. I'm doing this for my kids. How can I teach them about self-control if I have none myself? Happy Birthday, No-No. Here's a letter to my children I wrote for one of my other monster's birthdays.
Wednesday Exercise Journal
1 hour "Get Ripped with Jari Love" my all time favorite weight lifting video
6 flights of stairs
Night Time Backyard Boot Camp. 20 minutes. Sprints, lunges, squats, jump role. What's-his-name did push-ups, but I was dodging mosquitoes (also a workout).
Food Journal
100 - Oatmeal with milk
100 - Banana
240 - Oatbread (2 slices)
140 - 1/2 Chicken breast
100 - Cherries
042 - Peach
323 - Turkey sandwich on oat bread with Laughing Cow Light Cheese
070 - Fish stick (cleaning up after the monsters and a bad habit, but they were just going to throw it away! Urrrgh!)
075 - Cottage cheese
030 - Graham cracker
I just discovered a goat cheese with wasabi in it. WaSAHbi! And it goes so well with celery. I know, I know, the cheese counters the calorie-free-ness of celery. But, wasssaaaahhhhbi!
ReplyDeleteWasahi. Chocolate and Wasabi. Cheese and Wasabi. I would wear Wasabi perfume.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/black_pearl_exotic_candy_bar/exotic_candy_bars
I tried celery three times this week. I really just don't like it. The cottage cheese only improved it one of the days at H3. Did you notice I stayed away from it after that day? But goat cheese wasabi could improve anything. I will check my local fancy cheese stores and dream about it until then.
If Jari Love were an adult film star, I might consider being a fan. Instead, she is a Canadian fitness instructor, eh; therefore, I am not as big a fan as I otherwise could be.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I appreciate that Ms. Love gives me a reason to drag my carcass out of bed at 6:00 a.m (okay, 6:35 a.m., but that's still early) and spend quality sweat time with what's-her-nuts.
I agree that eating better and exercising is for all of the people we love - kids, spouse, future grandkids, mom, dad, brother(s), sister(s) etc. Of course, I have to say that, in my case, it's also for me. I want to be around long enough to experience many stories as they are being written: Sidney's first date in 30 years, Eliana finishing grad school in 26 years, Nolan's 30 birthday in 28 years, Nicki's 50th wedding anniversary in 42 years, and so on.
That 50th wedding anniversary in 42 years implies that I will still be married to you. Huh.
ReplyDeleteBe careful what you wish for:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/lslrso
What! Jeff, I have added that to my wish list. It either smells great or gross. What sunscreen were you using again? Serious. :)
ReplyDeleteNeutrogena Sport. The spray is nice but don't get it in your eyes. The cream is probably better.
ReplyDelete