Today at work a few people brought in "healthy" snacks. One was a Healthy fruit pizza. I said "okay, its got fruit on it, it must be healthy." I cut off a small piece (still counting calories...) and tried it. It was really good so I grab the recipe and stuck it in my pocket. After that I went to the park to get in a little running (even in the rain!) and came home and took a short nap. Well when I woke up I remembered the recipe and decided to take a look. After looking I instantly felt bad for eating a piece. Sure, there were a few things healthy about it, like the fruit. But the rest, it just was not something you would label healthy. The crust of the pizza was actually sugar cookie dough topped with cream cheese and strawberry pie filling. The only thing healthy about it was the fruit.
So I decided that I should send out a public announcement to let everyone know that, just because it has healthy in front of the name, it may not actually be healthy! So many people today are counting calories and watching their food intake and exercising. Many people are avoiding sugar and foods fried in nasty grease. At the grocery store we are buying whole wheat bread and sugar free drinks (just for a little flavor) and don't forget all the fat free foods. But most of us are so busy we don't take the time to actually read labels or learn how to read labels.
Did you know that the whole wheat bread you are buying my not actually be whole wheat? And that fat free foods may not be as good for you as the regular version of the food? And certainly does not taste the same either. But instead of taking the time to read and learn the proper way to choose our foods we just look for key words. Words like: fat free, reduced fat, sugar free, no saturated fat...and so on. But look at the labels, sugar free foods...may not have actual sugar in them but they could have high fructose corn syrup...and that is pretty bad. And to me, regular sugar is better than that fake stuff, unless you have diabetes and that is your only choice. And diet soda's are no better for you than a regular soda. Sure, fewer calories but why not set the soda down and grab a water or a juice?
I find it hard to believe that people still don't know what they are supposed to be eating when there is so much information out there. Of course some of it contradicts itself, but if you take the time and study the information you will find the true information buried in all the lies.
I know that I am not skinny and I don't always eat healthy but I do know what healthy is. I know where to start. I know that every time I stop at McDonalds for a large sweet tea I am doing damage to my body. But I don't sit around thinking about how I need to lose weight then give up the same second because I don't know how to start. My main problem is...lack of motivation.
Maybe that is the problem with everyone today. Sure, there are the few that are happy with their overweight situations and some are only a few pounds overweight and should not be bothered with such petty issues. But what about the ones that sit at home watching T.V. all day knowing how badly they need to lose weight, yet they do nothing about it. And the rest of the world, the skinny, slim, and healthy side of the world shouts. Yelling, telling us "fat people" that we need to lose weight before we die. Is that really the way to motivate someone? I don't think so. Some people like the idea of death.
The world needs to come up with a better way to motivate people into becoming healthier. I don't know what could be done...maybe some kind of reward to help them stay on task. Who know. But maybe if we look at this in a more positive way we won't have issues with other eating disorders either. You know the ones I am talking about. People so stricken with body image issues because the world says they are not perfect. The people that stick their fingers down their throats so they can get rid of the food they just ate. Or the ones that don't eat at all because they can't bare the thought of gaining weight. It is the fault of everyone that we have these problems. We all shout "You're fat!" "You are ugly" "You are too skinny". So many hateful words.
No one is perfect, no matter how much we try to lie to ourselves. I will always look thicker than most girls because of my bone structure. I know girls that will always look smaller than others because they are small and have high metabolisms. And with guys it is the same thing. We are killing each other.
I know I sort of went off topic there...just one ran right into the other and was unavoidable. But, I ask that you think about all this. How many times have you stared at someone that was overweight? How many times have you whispered to your friend how fat someone is? How many times have you whispered to your friend how skinny someone was? And to go even further than that, how many times have you whispered to a friend how ugly you thought someone was? And out of all those, how many times have you said this about someone you do not even know? One more, how many times have you said these things to yourself?
This blog went in a totally different direction then I thought it would, and hopefully it doesn't sound to random.
Until we meet again
*Heather*
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