07/20/2010

Hi everyone,

Well this has been one of my longer absences from OD.  I keep thinking of all the things I want to talk about and getting my thoughts together, then I think of something else and the list just gets longer.

Anyway, let me start with something that has been on my mind for a while.  If you were to look at me you would probably never guess that I am as concerned with this particular topic as I am.  After all, I’m very overweight and will be 50 years old this November (don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of reminders on that in the coming months LOL). 

The topic I’m speaking of is childhood obesity and I am obsessed with helping to find solutions to this problem.  I know of at least one other OD’er on here who also has very strong feelings on this subject.  Let me begin by saying that it has taken me my whole life, up until about 3 months ago, to learn how to eat properly.  Not diet, but to start practicing healthy eating for a lifetime.  My problems with weight began in childhood.  My mother didn’t work full-time but she did have a PT job as a cashier in the little mom and pop store which stood right beside our house.  For me, this meant free candy and soda whenever I went in there.  I think that was when my love of sweets began.  And like most mothers of her generation, my mother cooked heavy, starchy, calorie laden dishes.  Pork chop pot pies, homemade mac and cheese, steak and gravy, mashed potatoes, biscuits, etc. etc.  Needless to say, except for some brief periods, I have struggled with excess weight my whole life. 

Fast forward to 2010.  Childhood obesity has become an epidemic.  Most of the food served to our kids in school is crap.  Fast food has become the norm, with some kids eating it every day.  When I was young, a trip to McDonald’s was a rare treat!  Even most food eaten at home is full of sugars and grease and preservatives.  With most moms working full-time, convenience has become a necessity. 

As most of  you know, Mrs. Obama has taken a strong interest in raising awareness on this subject and promoting healthy eating.  Jamie Oliver, aka “The Naked Chef” is on a mission to get our schools to serve healthy food.  If you don’t know who Jamie is, check out his website http://www.jamieoliver.com (while you‘re there, please sign his petition).   Jamie has written many books and hosted several cooking shows.  He is from England, and through his efforts, he convinced the government to spend over a billion dollars making their school lunches healthier.  He is now trying to do the same thing in the US through “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”.

Now let me just say that even though I am aware of the problem, I do not have the answers is to fix it.  I do however, believe awareness is the first step and I’m grateful for people like Jamie and Mrs. Obama who are bringing it to light. 

I will tell one thing I know for sure, children love to learn.  My 4 year old granddaughter (obviously my greatest inspiration for healthy eating) is well aware that her Nanny is eating differently.  She is very curious about what I eat and is very interested in healthy eating for herself.  I am careful to never mention the word diet to her but I have explained to her (in very simple terms) what can happen to your body if you don’t eat healthy.  She knows her Nanny is fat and she knows I am trying to lose weight through healthy eating.  She knows that eating junk can make you fat and she knows that being fat is not fun.  I’ve told her that it makes it harder to run and jump and play with her friends.  I told her it is harder to find cute clothes and I have explained to her the health benefits (again in very simple terms) of eating right.  She will often ask me if a food is healthy before she eats it.  I’ve also told her that it’s okay to have treats once in a while.

My point is, why don’t they teach proper nutrition in school?  I’m talking about skimming over it in health class when the kids are in middle school.  I’m talking about complete lessons in nutrition from a very young age.  I believe kids would soak up this information and take it home with them.  I’ve seen this in Makayla.  If you can make learning fun and interesting, kids love it and want to practice and share what they’ve learned. 

And as important as the health aspects are, I cannot forget the pain and humiliation of being the fat kid.  Everyone knows there is nothing worse than being different when you’re a kid and I think fat kids get the worse of the teasing and tormenting.  It would kill me to have this happen to Makayla or to my grandson. 

So what do you think about this?  I would love to hear your ideas and comments about this topic.

And while I’m talking about health issues, how many watched “Oprah” today?  She had Dr. Oz on and the topic was diabetes.  I lost my sister to this disease which is the fastest growing disease in history.  Here are just a few things I learned today:

There are approximately 86,000 diabetic amputations in the US every year.
Over 6 million people are walking around with this disease and have no idea they’re even at risk.
Drinking only 1 soda per day, increases your risk of Type II diabetes by 83%.
African Americans are twice as likely to get Type II diabetes as other races.
30 minutes of exercise a day can lower your risk by 60%.
The US spends $174 Billion dollars per year on this disease.

The good news is that for most people diabetes Type II is preventable.  For those who already have it, it is treatable and in most cases (90%), it is reversible.

Here are the symptoms of diabetes:

Frequent thirst and urination
Infections that don’t heal
Blurred vision
Tingling in your toes (This was a new one to me)

Here are the 4 biggest risk factors for Type II Diabetes:

Belly fat: A big belly is the number one risk factor in America, and Dr. Oz has a simple test to see if you have too much: "If your waist size, measured at your belly button is more than half of your height, then you’ve got too much belly and you’re at risk for diabetes."

Sedentary lifestyle: Physical activity is key to preventing or reversing diabetes. "When you exercise and do muscle-building work, the muscle actually becomes more sensitive to insulin," he says. "The insulin can work better. It can drive the sugar where it’s supposed to go."

Family history: "If you’ve got relatives who have diabetes or if you had diabetes when you were pregnant, big warning signs."

Smoking: Cigarettes not only harm your lungs, "it kills your pancreas," Dr. Oz says.

Okay, whew, I’m done with the health topics.  If you have read this far you deserve a healthy snack LOL.

The countdown has begun!  I get to meet my grandson in 4 days!   I swear this feels likethe longest pregnancy in the world and I’m not even the one going through it.  Aimee’s belly is huge.  She is shaped so differently this pregnancy then when she had Makayla.  Her first pregnancy she seemed to gain weight all over. but this time it’s all in her belly.  She looks great though.  She hasn’t gained much weight, about 20 lbs. and she’s stayed pretty active throughout her pregnancy.

She had an unplanned C-section with Makayla and the Dr. recommended she have another one so it is scheduled for this Friday, the 23rd.  Please keep her and the baby in your prayers.  We can ask for nothing more than a healthy baby boy!   I will definitely keep you posted.

I had a few more things to write about but this has already turned out so darn long, I think I’ll wait.  Don’t worry, nothing too interesting or earth shattering J.

Until next time….hugs and prayers for everyone  ((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))