Monday, February 20, 2012

What if...

What if obesity was NOT caused by laziness and gluttony?

What if it were caused by genetics, a virus, and/or chemicals they put in our food and vaccines?

What if the health problems "caused" by fat were in fact caused by poverty and dieting?

What if it were impossible to loose weight and keep it off?

How does this change your life?



I finished "Health at Every Size" by Linda Bacon a few days ago. She has degrees in health, nutrition, dieting, and psychology and presents the evidence in this book that all the above is true.

So how does this change my life?

I can now focus on how food makes me feel instead of how many calories it has. I can enjoy one or two cookies and know that I don't have to eat the whole box. I can be free to eat more tomorrow if I want to. I'm not cheating, I'm enjoying myself.

I am moving more because it feels good to dance and stretch, instead of movement being a chore "I really should do but don't feel up to."

I eat slowly and taste my food, enjoying its texture and flavors. I don't have to rush through the meal due to feelings that I should somehow be able to live without food. It's not sinful to enjoy the full experience of that food that God has provided. In fact, Jesus said He is the Bread of Life. This means He is the treat, the enjoyment, the spice that makes life worth living. If food is an object lesson for how much we need God and How much we should enjoy Him, then we really should slow down and take full pleasure in our meals. Only in this way can we begin to really enjoy what God is to us.

Hunger is the body's signal that you need food. It is not natural nor healthy to ignore that signal. In fact, why do we say a woman who journaled every bite she ate, exercised for an hour a day, never ate desert, and was always hungry, but weighs 100 pounds has an eating disorder, but if she weighs 200 pounds she is being "wise and disciplined"? This is a double standard. This behavior is just as destructive in a Fatty Patty as it is in Skinny Minny.

God made many different sizes and shapes of bodies. Why does our society think that half-starved scarecrow (or more disturbing- pre adolescent boy with boobs) is the only beautiful body? Curves are feminine. Curves are a sign of health and fertility and maturity (wisdom).

It's time we told our society to go "fry ice." It's time we embraced life, no matter what size we are.

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