The Fight Againist Obesity

I am trying to get myself out of the obese BMI category. When I first heard that this was the category that I was in I thought, “Now wait a minute, I am not obese.” I consider people who are 500 pounds or more to be obese. I had never put myself in that category with them. Sadly, I am obese, but not for long! I am working my way out of this crazy obesity trap!

Stephanie Gray RD, from MGH came and spoke to the Great Weight off group. She highlighted the diseases that obese individuals are at a higher risk for which included hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. I loved when she showed us plates and bowls that were small enough to control our portion sizes. I went right home and announced to my family that I am now going to eat on a salad plate. Stephanie said we should eat off of plates that were smaller than the average dinner plate that we use today. She stated that less food looks like more on a smaller plate. Now this is a good mind trick!

Stephanie also talked about our salt intake. I really have a hard time with salt because I love salt! Processed foods, which Americans eat a lot of, contain high amounts of sodium. When you prepare your own meals, you control what goes in them. She pointed out that a lot of people are willing to wait in line for ten minutes to get breakfast in the morning before work, but the same people claim that they do not have the time to make their own meals. Why not take that time to make your own breakfast so you can control how healthy it is. Also, a lot of kids today think that cookies come from a tube and that mash potatoes are from a box and so on. A lot of kids do not know how to cook. We should get kids involved in making their own food. In the long run, parents are going to pay more in healthcare costs if we do not teach children the importance of healthy eating. I had the word guilty written over my face when she talked about this. I love to bake, but I was never the best at making meals for my family. I was always ordering fast food after ballgames. We can let life get in the way of healthy eating. I remember when my daughter was in 4-H, and she took baking. I told her to go in the house to flour the counter so she would be ready to cut the biscuits she was making by the time I came inside. As I walked in the house I saw she had floured the whole countertop! This goes to show you that we should not assume that our kids know how to make their own food. We need to teach them the steps today so that one day they can make healthy choices on their own instead of stopping by the drive through on the way home from work.

Stephanie really made me think when she spoke about obesity and how we have to change our lifestyles. We all complain about the cost of healthcare, but what are we doing to help keep our healthcare costs down? This is a hard pill to swallow, but it is what it is. I feel like humpty dumpty. I fell off the wall, and now I am putting myself back together again. We can reverse weight gain and start over the healthy way, and that is great news!

Thank you MGH for having Stephanie come and teach us that we can live healthier lives and win the war against obesity!

Julie