I love food – there is no other way to type it. For example, at twelve years old I opened my first checking account and I was put on the spot when told to select my very own four-digit personal identification number. I had never made such a decision – what to do? I ended up going with the only four letters/numbers that seemed personal enough to me. That’s right, my first ATM card PIN was ‘FOOD’ (3663). So you know I was pretty hardcore into eating as a child!
When I would eat fruits or vegetables as a child it was cause for a minor celebration. Other than apple juice, the only fruit that entered my body were bananas – and they were not frequent visitors. My vast palette of vegetables consisted of peas and corn. I guess I could drag my parents onto Montel or Sally Jesse (is she still on TV?) to blame them for all my adulthood weight problems, but the fault lies with me alone. Fortunately, I have grown up a bit, and while I still do not particularly enjoy fruits or veggies, I eat them more regularly now. Having a child of my own has meant never saying “No”, but not in the way you might imagine. My daughter is not spoiled, getting everything her little heart desires, but rather I am eating just about everything she wants me to. I made the decision early on that I was not going to serve her carrots, asparagus, string beans, apples and such while I sat across the table from her with none of those items on my plate. As a result, I hardly ever turn down a sample from her plate. When she offers me a bite of her strawberry or a slice of her pear – I say “thanks so much” and eat it. I am determined to raise children who possess an appreciation of all foods and try to lead by example. In this regard, we have had amazing success with our daughter thus far. I like to think that I have, and continue to contribute to this success by deliberately changing my eating habits, ever so slightly. I never once, during her first three years, uttered the words “I don’t like it” in front of her – feeling that if I do, it will become her mantra as well and I refuse to allow that to happen. Nowadays, since she is a bit older, I have started to let her know that I do not care for raisins, one of her favorites. My dislike of that food has seemingly had no impact on her, which is great. She still loves ‘em!
Ok, enough about her, this is supposed to be about me!
So, how did I get up to 300lbs? Well, it took about 28 years or so. Up until 6 or 7 years ago there was the presence of fast food, which I thankfully never touch these days. I was a big soda drinker until a couple years ago. Now I only enjoy a Pepsi on rare occasions (Sundays in the Fall while watching football, for example). There is also my terrible weakness for donuts, cookies, chocolate pretzels, ice cream and almost any other sweet imaginable. A complete lack of physical activity after my soccer playing days ended 20 years ago (and I was the goalie!) also played a prominent role in my girth.
I am proud to say that the tide is slowly changing. While I still indulge in too many donuts and cookies, relative to my prior contact with those treats – I am doing rather well. I just broke down for the first time this week and had 8 mini-chocolate donuts. I was out very late at a rock show and there is always that 2am craving for milk and donuts to contend with and I was too exhausted to say no. What is different now is that I do not stretch that one night indulgence into a weeklong marathon of sweets – which is what would have happened in the past. So, that’s progress…right?
Next week I will dive into the particular dining strategies my wife and I are employing to aid me in my weight loss mission.
Dad’s Losing It articles are published every Saturday and Tuesday. Read more about Jeff’s journey in the Dad’s Losing It Forum. In the Forum, Jeff discusses his individual workout routines and soundtracks, among other tidbits from the week.
Jeff is a Family Fun blogger. Read more of his posts here.