I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed with my weight. It’s more like
alarmed. I have never really had an issue with weight – I fluctuated within ten
pounds of an acceptable number for my height, my whole adult life. I gained a
solid thirty pounds with each of my three pregnancies and most of that fell off
after a year or so. But within about five years of my wedding to the Farmer, I
realized I had gained 25 pounds. Yikes! I was beginning to think that happiness
was fattening, until I happened to stumble upon a certain episode of the Dr. Oz
show.
Right around the time I was wondering why I couldn’t seem to
shake the extra thickness around my waist, Dr. Oz was explaining that the part
we refer to as the ‘love handles’, ‘spare tire’ or ‘muffin top’ is a product of
hormones that are a natural part of being a middle age woman. That being said,
there is not much you can do about it.
The onset, after the age of forty, of all those lovely
hormones, causes our hair to thin and dry out, skin to wrinkle, joints to
stiffen, moods to swing and abdomen area to thicken. You can exercise and diet,
sure. That will build muscle mass and strengthen your core – great for
supporting your back and relieving back pain. But the abdominal thickness is
prone to returning. We are just programmed that way.
I’ve gone on diets where you lose a significant amount of
weight cutting out simple carbs, starches and sugars for two solid weeks. You
focus on lean meats and cruciferous vegetables. I love that word. Cruciferous.
These are not crucified vegetables but rather those in the cabbage family
–broccoli, cauliflower and, cabbage. You steer clear of bread, pasta, potatoes
and anything packaged or processed. Along with weight loss, you gain an amazing
clarity of focus and thought. I truly think that is the lifting of the chemical
fog that comes with the ingestion of preservatives in our modern diet.
Alas, you cannot stay on this extreme diet forever. It is
not advisable to cut out any one food group – unless you have a medical
aversion to it like an allergy or celiac disease. I think it’s healthy to know
exactly what each food offers you, and what each food (or non-food) poses as a
challenge or risk to your health, mood or stamina.
I have learned to listen to my body. If I’m craving red
meat, I am likely in need of iron. I will eat a lean steak, although I may be
craving a burger. Sometimes I give in to the burger too, but I have noticed if
I eat a fast food burger I immediately get a low feeling. It’s like the food
has a depressant quality. Must be the preservatives.
I no longer crave milk, either. And when I do have a latte
or flat white coffee, the dairy in it upsets my stomach. I don’t think I can
digest it anymore.
My mother-in-law brings delicious homemade desserts to
Sunday dinner. She watches closely to see who eats them. If we avoid sweets,
bread, pasta or potatoes, she scoffs that she fed her family that way for years
and they are all in good health. Then I have to explain that the bread she made
her kids sandwiches with did not have preservatives to keep it fresh on the
shelf for days. The meals she made consisted of whole foods with no added
chemicals or processing. Today we have to be careful what we eat, and aware
that those modern, pre-packaged items will affect us in weird ways sometimes.
I’m afraid to say I have been the guinea pig. I have tried
the diets and I have come to the conclusion that the best way to live is to
listen to your body. Eat what you crave, but in the healthiest, purest form.
Eat the bread – just make it a fresh choice and not a pre-packed, overly
preserved one. Stay away from low fat, as it is full of chemicals and
non-digestible products that will just lead to ill health in your system.
And above all, be happy that your body is healthy. So what
if you can’t fit into the jeans and t-shirt you wore ten years ago. As I get
older I find it’s more about how I feel than how I look.
Happy Thanksgiving, and bon appétit!
email: dianafisher1@gmail.com
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