Being over weight is not a fun thing, it is not something that people enjoy and lots of times an overweight person sacrifices a lot just to not be the focus in a room. Sometimes people make sideways remarks or comments about fat people (I'm not going to sugar coat it that's what we are folks) and they think that these comments are helping, or are being kind and in reality it makes the situation so much worse and as a heavier person its hard enough as is.
I think about when I was heavier and some of the things that I did or should I say that I could not do compared to now and I cannot believe that I let it get that far before I did something about it. At what point does a person say enough is enough? Clearly remembering how it felt to not be able to do simple activities like taking a walk around the block with my little girl actually upsets me today because how could I let it go that far? how could I let myself get to that point? back injury or not, I was 534 pounds! simply walking was a chore for me and what kind of Dad could I be if I could not move to do remedial physical tasks properly?
Since losing the weight that I have so far I have become hyper aware of calories and nutrition in not only my food but other peoples food as well. I can almost 100% of the time look at a portion of food and estimate the calories in it within a small range of variation and the whats good for you question is ingrained into my head now as well. Last week My family and I went to a Friendly's restaurant on a whim (mostly because I had about 1000 calories left for the day and it was dinner time) we were seated and in walked a rather large fellow (I would guess over 500 pounds) with his wife and daughter and they were seated next to us. I could not help but notice that he ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and extra cheese with French fries for his meal, the interesting part was the conversation that followed and the enthusiasm in the words caught my attention.
The man was talking to his daughter (who was about 30 years old and also heavy) he said "I ate a full rack of ribs last night for you" and the rest of that excited conversation was very detailed and about these ribs and I got to thinking, here this fellow is eating a hefty dinner and talking about the dinner that he ate last night almost as if the rack of ribs was a trophy. Now I am sure that I have had that conversation and have been on the same side of those words as he was at some point in my life and I honestly believe that the company that you keep can help you along where weight loss and better health in general are concerned and on the flip side of that coin can help make us fat as well, but talking about last nights dinner in a very detailed and excited way while eating today's dinner? I was there, it was not pretty and should be the point when a person starts to question what they are doing.
My giant Sunflower that my daughter and I have been taking care of together. Watching someone destroy themselves further, just like I was doing once upon a time actually bothered me, even though I did not know those people I felt bad because I know that they were in a part of that spiral downward and probably had no clue how to stop it. That gentleman was a lot older than I was and I couldn't help but to think about how that could have been me walking with a cane and breathing heavy if I had not decided to change the way that I do things. The part that really bothered me the most was that it could have been my daughter sitting next to me discussing a full rack of ribs with a child like excitement as she positioned her gut into a comfortable position. I WILL NOT put myself or anyone in my family in that position EVER again and I know that the choices that I am making today will affect my children and family in a positive way.
Sometimes a look into a probable future can have an eyes wide open effect on a person, even if its not my future any more.
As Ever
Me
Reflections...a father's look in a mirror now broken.
4/
5
Oleh
mohammed
