Lifetime fitness challenge: Trying to unlearn poor eating habits

I’ve been eating sensibly for 6 weeks. I’m even thinking differently about food. Maybe it’s for nourishment after all. It’s really not my friend or a fruitful way to pass the time.

When I was a kid growing up, my mother gave me several messages. First of all, she didn’t like to cook. She worked through the dinner hour, and we would eat things on a routine. She would pre-cook stuff and we would heat it up. The meals were generally: hamburgers, TV dinners, Spaghetti, roast, and fish sticks. She also added a salad and a vegetable. On Sunday, we would eat a good lunch. It usually consisted of steak, salad, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable.

My mother would express the fact that she didn’t enjoy cooking. But we were well-fed and nourished. My dad had diabetes, so there wasn’t always a lot of junk in the house. But on weekends, my mom would go to the local bakery, and we’d eat all that stuff up in no time flat.

When I was about 13, I was the only kid left in the house. My father worked odd hours, so it was usually dinner with my mom. We went out to eat every night. They weren’t terrific places, but it was a good diversion. Mom definitely enjoyed eating out.

Since my parents didn’t have much of a social life, this was how they recreated. On the weekends, we’d go out to even better places. I got used to it. Sometimes, we’d eat in, but it was usually when mom went on a diet. I can say this about her: she lost about 30 pounds in the 1950’s and never gained it back!

Later on, when I started putting on a little extra weight, Mom would steer me to diets. The Stillman diet is something I remember. It was basically a low carb diet with enormous amounts of water. After she died, I found the book in the house. Just looking at it, made me recall going to the restroom every hour on the hour.

I didn’t mind going on these diets, I didn’t even think about it. I think, at this point in my life, I really wasn’t using food as a recreational activity. At least between meals. I didn’t usually eat after dinner. At that time, I wasn’t really heavy, just a little generous in the hips and rear.

I don’t know when I started using food as a fun activity.  One time in college, my roommate and I ordered a huge pizza and two submarine sandwiches too. I thought that was fun. How we didn’t puke after eating all this food is beyond me. At the time, my metabolism must have been pretty high because I was at a good weight.  But, guys would sometimes point out my hips and rear, and not in a complimentary way!

My husband and I really enjoyed eating out together. He had eaten out a lot after his mom passed away (when he was a teenager) so he was used to it too. He also could afford to eat whatever he wanted. In other words, he was thin! His metabolism still  is pretty high, and he still looks good.

Our first kitchen was really little and old. I really only knew how to cook basic things, and my husband wasn’t really cooking yet. So, we both reverted to what we were used to, going out. It also served as a good escape valve from our busy jobs.

After I had children, I really started using food as an escape. Occasionally, I’d leave the house, and my husband would watch the kids while I went to get a snack.

I also took my children to a lot of fast food restaurants because there were playgrounds. It got us all out of the house. ( I am not the type to stay home all day.) McDonalds always had a craft night, so we would do that too.

At the time, I really didn’t realize how nutritionally crummy that food was. It helped that my husband and I started cooking, and made some healthy meals. It’s a good thing we couldn’t afford to go out to eat all the time.

On my way to obesity

Somewhere along the line, I started eating after dinner. I’m not sure why. I wasn’t heavy until I hit about 45. Then, I became downright fat. The neighbor’s children would tease my children saying, ” you have a fat mother.”

After one of them came home crying about this, I started going to Wt Watchers. On 4 separate occasion I lost 20-30 pounds. After I would stop going, it would come right back.

When I attended graduate school, I maintained a good weight. I guess I was just too busy writing papers. After I encountered some personal setbacks, I used food to comfort myself. I really got obese.

To my credit, I did cut out enough food, exercised a lot, and kept 20 pounds off for the last six years. I’ve stopped and started at watching my weight. I had periods when I went on the Atkin’s Diet, and controlled my weight. But I missed fruit and vegetables and couldn’t stay on it long.

I got to the point where I wasn’t enjoying eating at all because I knew it was contributing to my obese appearance.

Trying to undo a lifetime of bad eating habits

Not until attending Lifetime Fitness, have I began to look at food as nutrition. I am 64 years old. I guess it’s better late than never. I started eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and cutting down on my meat. I am eating other things for protein.

I am working out in a small group. I am really enjoying it, and doing things I thought were behind me. (Like lifting weights). I am down around 10 pounds after 6 weeks. It isn’t moving as fast as I want to, but I am headed in the right direction.

We have really cut down on our going out to eat activity. This is fine with my husband because he always preferred home cooking, especially his own!I realize eating out is putting extra food I don’t need on my body, not to mention it costs a fortune.

I have also cut out frozen weight loss food since I hear it is full of sodium. I have cut out white bread, potatoes, and dairy.

Since I have been eating this way, I notice my cravings for sugar and bread have disappeared. I also am eating more food! It suddenly dawned on me, food really is a way to fuel your body!

So far, so good. Until next week.