Hi kids,
This post is addressed to my bigger kids who want to lose weight, but just haven’t managed to do it yet. Notice I said, “Yet.” There are reasons why this is happening and I’m going to give you the top 10 reasons why.
1. You associate a healthy weight with undesirable action(s) such as having to eliminate the foods you currently enjoy. This is a myth. You don’t have to give up the foods you enjoy, however you will want to increase the intake of healthy, filling and awesome tasting foods.
2. You haven’t identified which of the six basic needs that food is fulfilling. Yep, if you’re over eating, food is providing some manner of psychological need. Does food give you a sense of security? Does it provide the need for variety? Maybe when you talk about the struggle you’re having with weight, it makes you feel relevant and/or connected.
3. You have the mistaken belief that because your parents were overweight, it is written in your genes that you will always be filling plus size jeans.
4. You believe that you lack the will power to lose weight. Hint: will power isn’t required.
5. Because you’ve tried and failed at diets before, you’re convinced you can’t succeed. Of course, this is a flawed belief, but it is self fulfilling.
6. You are confused. There’s so much information and misinformation about weight, you don’t know who to believe. There’s good information here on Mama Vic. You can take that to the bank. I never lie to my kids nor do I lead them down a path I haven’t walked on.
7. You believe you have to have lots of money to get to a healthy weight because it requires the purchase of expensive foods. You can toss this belief out with the spoiled milk. Chemical laden boxed foods are often way more expensive per pound than their healthy counterparts.
8. You aren’t getting enough sleep. Insufficient sleep messes with your body’s chemistry in undesirable ways.
9. You’re hungry. How can you possibly lose weight when you’re hungry all the time? As a general rule sugars and simple carbohydrates such as white bread, rice and pasta, will have you hungry more often than complex carbohydrates, protein and fat. Oh, and don’t expect to feel full for long after eating a plate of steamed veggies or a serving of fruit. To track this, you might want to keep a journal of what time you eat followed by when you are hungry again.
10. You have low self confidence and/or self esteem. This is totally false. Mama Vic is here to tell you that you are just as important as anyone else. I’m going to cover this topic in a later post, but for now take the time to do a little research on your own to find out why you lack self confidence or self esteem and steps you can take to correct the problem. Mama Vic says, “You’re one of my kids. That makes you a VIP.”
11. This is a bonus reason. Some prescription drugs can cause hunger and/or weight gain. Thyroid problems can do the same. To eliminate these possibilities, get a checkup.
Mama wants you to be healthy just like you want your kids to be healthy. The best way to having healthy kids is to set an example for them. It does absolutely no good to be puffing on a cigarette or guzzling booze while lecturing the young ones on all the reasons they shouldn’t emulate you. Kids are like little monkeys in that they copy what they see. When they see you burdened down with unhealthy weight, they will follow suit and think it’s just fine. After all, they think if mom and dad are overweight, it’s fine for me to be overweight too. Like I said, monkeys.
