So What are you Waiting For?

January 1! The token holiday of all resolutionaries!

Weight Watchers meetings will be overflowing. The gym will be crowded! The price of wholesome food will go up for a few weeks. This week the shelves of cookies, ice cream, and chips will be barren as people get their last and (probably not) final gorge-fest in.

Why? Because January 1 is the day I'm recommitting! January 1 is the day I start my diet! January 1 is the day start exercising! January 1 is the magic day!

You know what? If you're serious, you'll start now. Not January 1. Not Monday. Not the day after your birthday. Now. There truly is no time like the present.

Why wait? What do you gain by waiting?

• Weight
• Indigestion
• A false sense of doing something
• More time to make excuses
• Another failed resolution

I don't know why, but I do think that most resolutions are bunk. We make them every year, but we rarely follow through. It isn't that we don't mean it at the time, but I think because we've gotten into the habit of NOT following through that when we fail we say "Oh well, there's always next year." At least that was my experience. Honestly I've rarely kept a New Years Resolution. Once I'd fall off the wagon my mindset would be "Well that's it for this year. I guess I'll try again next year."

How convenient! I could drop all my healthy new "habits" that were not yet ingrained for another 10 months or so (in a good year) and go back to overeating, couch potatoeing, and excuse making! Oh I had it down...go at it gung ho for a month. Stumble around for another month. Give up in that third month.

Then one day I realized that resolutions don't have to be made only once a year. They can be made every week...why not make a new week's resolution every Monday? That way if you fall off, you only have a matter of days until you start over. Heck, you could even do new day's resolutions. Why not? What do you have to lose?

I say this because all over the boards, the mailing lists, the country people are saying "I'm going to recommit on January 1!" The first person I replied to with a "Why not start now!? You could lose 2 pounds within the next week and be well on your way to making a true lifestyle change." Responded like I'd made some horrible suggestion.

Others jumped on the excuse bandwagon with her, "Well there's all this food lying around." (So throw it the hell away or feed it to the dog. Jay-sus, you're not a freaking animal. You're a human...and ADULT human. Grow up and act like one.)

"But I have a party a wedding and a toe cleaning contest to go to!" (So what? You won't have any of those after January 1 ever? Give me a break. Why not just say what you mean. "Really I just want to spend the next six days eating like a pig without feeling guilty so that January 1 I can recommit, so that by January 10th I'll be crying to you all again that I'm not losing any weight because I'm not really committed to anything but food.")

"Because I just know THIS YEAR is the year!" (If you're not committed enough to start now, why would this year be the year? What is so different than last year when at the same time you said the same thing?)

"Because my DH is going to do it with me this year!" (Did you "DH" do it with you last year? Did that make a difference? And do you know how much the term "DH" makes me want to up my Christmas cookies?)

Oh yeah, I'm harsh. I'm harsh because it drives me CRAZY how people diddle around with their lives! I mean yes, I went many years doing the same damn thing and at the time it pissed me off too...and so I have no room to judge. But still! Just DO IT! Just put down the fork. Just back away from the table. Just put on the running shoes. Just go for it. Do it. Make the erroft. Make the time!

Don't be another resolutionary...be a rebel. Start now!

Let's Fatten up the Kids for Christmas Dinner!

So I'm out at Westlake in Seattle today, enjoying a delcious lunch of salad, chicken gumbo soup, and a diet soda. It being the Sunday before Christmas, it was quite crowded. Near us sat a large extended family with kids ranging in ages from about 3-7 or so.

So I'm watching them all get situated, wondering where they've been...Christmas shopping? Visit Santa? The Nutcracker? and I notice that Dad is putting a tray down in front of one of the girls who looks to be about 3. She cries a little when she bites into her lunch because it's too hot. It's a cheese stuffed deep fried corn dog.

I say to my husband, "Good Lord! I would NEVER feed a kid that? What is it? About 600 calories of crap on a stick?"

So I look at what the rest of them are eating. Keep in mind these are normal sized American children who are NO OLDER than about 7, most younger than that. I see:

• A little boy about 5 eating a slice of pizza that is larger than his head.
• The same 3 year old with a 32-ounce soda. Who buys a kid a 32 ounce soda? Do they LIKE pants wetting?
• Another darling little girl about 4 eating a slice of that nasty, greasy pizza from Sbarro the size of her head.

Everyone had a soda, everyone had the most fattening food I think they could find in the place. I mean is it any wonder that our kids are so damn fat? I mean people! YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF YOUR CHILDREN'S NUTRITION! I just wanted to go over and ask them, "Are you fattening these kids up for Christmas dinner? Are they the main course because good Lord people, this is more food than a kid should eat in a day, much less a MEAL!"

So a few minutes later I look over and the little girl is done with her deep fried cheese dog and Dad is unpacking another meal for her.

ANOTHER FREAKING MEAL!!

Um, does a child the age of 3 NEED two meals? This time it's the ultra healthy McDonald's happy meal with chicken McNuggets (of fat) and french fries.

I nearly wanted to weep for these children. First of all, you could see that the little hot-dog, nugget-eater was already a bit chubby. Could be baby fat, but I'm willing to bet that the lard on a stick might have had something to do with it.

So let's look at this. We all want to have the least amount of hassle during meals, and of course kids can be so difficult at certain stages of their lives. I don't have kids, but I know this. I used to be a nanny and I remember having to "trick" the kids at times into eating vegetables. Now they DID eat their vegetables because I was responsible for two of their meals a day and I was determined that they were going to eat well-balanced, healthy meals. When one thing wouldn't go over, I'd try something else. One trick that worked really well was cooking the vegetables with apples and a little cinnamon. Naturally sweet, full of vitamins, and they loved them. I also found alternate veggies like squash. Oh, and never underestimate the power of play...line up your peas in a straight row and eat them one by one with your hands. Now don't get me wrong, I do believe in table manners...but these were little ones and they still ate with their hands.

So I understand that tis a hassle to get kids to eat sometimes. But the fact is, kids don't know how to make positive food choices. I remember when I was 8 and had a weight spurt preceding a growth spurt, so for awhile I looked like a hobbit. My mom told me I was getting fat and needed to go on a diet. Now that meant absolutely NOTHING to me. I had NO idea what was healthy. Why? Because I was eight years old!

So it's the parents' job to ensure that the children are eating healthy food. That doesn't mean they can't eat fun food, or that they can NEVER eat a slice of pizza or a Happy Meal. In fact there is nothing inherently wrong with pizza, but I remember as a family going out to dinner once a month, at best, and it was a small meal. If we had a shake, we split it three ways so we each got some. (My brother always got the most because when Mom's back was turned he'd spit in it so we didn't want to share.) We'd each get a hamburger and share fries. We were, trust me, not starving.

If we went out to pizza the family of six bought a large pizza. Yes, that is large. Not extra large. Not three large pizzas. Not super-collosal large. We each got one slice, Dad had two and Mom had one or two. We usually didn't drink soda, but if we did we got one small soda. I can just imagine asking for a large soda from my mom.

And yet I ended up with a weight problem. My sisters and brother are all beautiful and never had that problem at all. So I worry about these kids who are currently eating HUGE amounts of fat at most meals. I mean I went through life as a regular sized kid. I may have FELT fat, and I did have those hobbit-y months, but I was never truly fat until adulthood. What fate do these kids who are getting fat in childhood have? Is our next generation of adults going to look like a bunch of Oompa Loompas?

Now before someone jumps all down my throat because they think I'm telling people that they should put their kids on diets, you're wrong. I don't believe in putting kids or adults on diets. I do believe in managing the intake of food so that you are eating a healthy amount of calories that supports an active lifestyle. (Oh, and I expect you should HAVE an active lifestyle too.) I think that a diet should be balanced, include LOTS of fresh fruits and vegetables, protein, small amounts of fats, and small amounts of treats. I even believe that it should include some "favorites" once a month or so, or once a week if they're not too high in calories. Heck, ever six weeks or so I go to Cheesecake Factory and have a low-point meal, followed by sharing a slice of Key Lime Cheesecake (9 points for half). That's a BIG calorie expenditure, but I plan for it, I eat light the rest of the day, I stay within points, and I do not feel deprived. I do believe that complete deprivation can backfire. If a child, for example, loves hot dogs...get the fat free ones, or have regular dogs as a rare treat accompanied by grapes and raw veggies, wash down with water or milk.

So since I see a lot of kids every day, and I have noticed that many of our high school kids in our area are overweight, I looked up some obesity stats related to kids in the US. Here is what I found:

• In 1982 4% of children were considered overweight. In 1994 that rose to 16%
• More than 10% of children between 2 and 5 are overweight.
• In the years 1999-2000 (most recent data I could find) 15% of children were considered obese.
• Of those children who were not obese, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) suggested that 15% were at great risk for becoming obese.

Not to mention...people! This stuff just is NOT good for our kids! I'm sorry. I don't give a rat's ass if Bradly likesdeep fried pork lips and cheese! Bradly is a child and as a child should do as his parents tell him. When I see a baby being fed french fries, a three year old being given TWO MEALS for lunch, and a five year old eating enough pizza to feed a grown man there is something WRONG with these parents! Whatever happened to caring enough about your children to ensure that they are safe? You wouldn't let them wander about in the street. You wouldn't subject them to the cold without a jacket on. But you'd feed them artery clogging, obesity inducing, diabetes friendly GARBAGE? That's like slowly poisoning your own children. Many people believe this is tantamount to abuse.

Now I won't go that far. I honestly believe that most parents want what is best for their children, but they get busy, the kids get cranky, and they just don't think about the long term ramifications. I am sure that when you have three kids whining at you about food, you're working on too little sleep, it's the middle of the holiday season, and you're beat all you want to do is get something in their mouths to hush them up. And you know what? If that's a once in a blue moon situation, not a huge deal! The kid had a fat and sugar overload. They'll get over it. But if your kid can recite the McDonald's menu by heart, and you have more junk food in your pantry than fruits and vegetables, it is high time to do a nutrition overhaul in your home. Kids may not like it, but who cares? Sometimes we do things because it's what right, not what's easy.