Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

The child who calls me GiGi came to visit today with her aunt and her papa.  She is a precocious child who is already more techy than many adults I know.  That’s okay.  This will be her future.

She regaled us with sassy stories in her childlike way that we all think is so adorable.  She is my only great-grandchild, and my son’s only grandchild.  Never doubt that she is the center of attention whenever she visits!  Which is all right with me.  I have always believed that you can not spoil children by giving them too much love and attention.

After a while, when she had played with all the animals and secured a drink for the road, it was time to leave.  As she came to me with outstretched arms to give me a hug, the words that came out of her sweet little mouth were not ‘goodbye’ or ‘I love you’, but the dreaded ‘you’re fat’.  Out of the mouths of babes!  Yes, children will always tell you the truth, whether you want to hear it or not.

She was immediately chastised by her grandfather for being rude.  She understood what that meant.  They had had the ‘rude’ conversation before.  I learned later that, just earlier that day, she had told HIM he was fat.  He is not.  But she had learned a new concept and ‘fat’ was the word of the day.  However, the sad truth is, and this is why I cannot be angry with her, is that she is correct about me.  I AM fat.  At least by today’s way of thinking.  By Rubenesque standards, I’m perfect!

Fat is a word I shrink from.  During my entire lifetime, I have struggled with my weight and it has only gotten worse with age.  It began with Mother’s philosophy that a fat baby was a healthy baby.  (Not true, by the way.)  I spent many years blaming my weight issues on bad mothering.  It didn’t help that I had a husband that loved good food and enjoyed eating out. Then, at a certain age, I was able to switch the blame to hormonal changes.  (This one DOES have some merit,)  

My weight was never so out of hand that I could have been a poster child for weight loss schemes or fat farms.  But it has always bothered me.  So, I dieted.  For most of my adult life, I have searched for the ‘magic pill’ that would make the fat melt off.  I’ll tell you a secret:  there isn’t one, no matter what ‘they’ say.  I’ve tried them all.

I had what is euphemistically called an hourglass figure, which is not a bad thing, but when you grow up in the age of Twiggy, it became a problem.  Realistically, I knew I would never be so anorexically thin as the models I admired, still I believed there were always pounds to shed.  

My father thought it was ridiculous that I was constantly buying into the latest fad.  “You are what you eat,” he would say.  “Just eat real food.”  Then he would gently add something about getting more exercise.  What was he thinking!  I had a husband, children, a home, and a job!  I got plenty of exercise.  

I discovered later in my life that my father was, as usual, right.  I should never have doubted that.  There comes a point in everyone’s life where we must face reality and stop blaming outside influences.  It is a sermon I have preached many times, as my children and grandchildren will attest.  “At some point, you have to stop blaming others and take that burden on your own shoulders.  Then, you can deal with it.  Whatever ‘it’ is.  As adults, we must deal with our own issues ourselves.”  We each have to fight our own dragons.

Recently, I began eating ‘clean’.  And riding a stationary bike.  Amazingly, I lost weight!  That was a good thing because, over the years, I had put on more pounds than needed or wanted.  It is not an easy task to cut out refined sugars and artificial sweeteners.  They are in everything.  But I did it.  No caffeine.  No starches.  No ice cream.  Just fresh fruits and vegetables and protein.  It’s a simple way to eat and to live, though far from boring.

I have shifted my thinking from ‘dieting to lose weight’ to ‘eating well to maintain my health and have a better life’.  None of us know how long we have to live on this earth.  But we should make our stay here the best it can be.  

Staying healthy is important to me.  I come from good genes and I plan to stay around for a long time.  Maybe I’ll be here when Baby B someday makes me a great, great Gigi!  If I am still here, I plan to be healthy enough to play with that little bundle of joy and enjoy our interactions.  To that end, I guess I’d better dust off the old bike again.  (sigh….)   

What is the one thing that is good for you that you have the most trouble doing?