Does It All Start in the Home?

For our last day here in Boston for Christmas vacation, we took Mariah to this indoor play facility to let her get some energy out. While taking a break, I found this interesting article in the magazine Boston Parents Paper about childhood obesity. According to the article, 1 out every 3 children in Boston are either overweight or obese! Why are our children so overweight? And is it wrong to be tracking children's weight so early? Will we give them self esteem issues by putting labels on them?

The article then explores the "blame game" that the parents and the schools are playing. Who's fault is it? The parents, who responsible for rearing their children and teaching them how to eat and exercise properly. Or the schools, who have the children for most of the day and should they be implementing nutritious lunches and adequate physical activity time? Personally, these things should be taught in the HOME. Heavenly Father gave us charge over our families. We are responsible for rearing them, which includes taking care of their physical bodies. And I am definitely not perfect in this category. The issue goes for underweight children as well as overweight children.

I think about my little girl Mariah, who has always had struggles with her weight. She has been under the 5th percentile in weight her ENTIRE LIFE (she was born 2 days late via induction and weighted 4 lbs, 10 oz). For her, the struggle has been between healthy foods vs. fatty foods. It's important to be at a healthy weight, but how you get there is the key.

I have had constant pressure from her doctors to get her to a healthy weight. First they suggested I use formula instead of breastmilk. So I quit nursing at 6 months. But it didn't help. She still stayed the same on the charts. Then at a year, they suggested adding cheese and other fatty foods to her diet, which I tried. Mariah ate some but not others. So we started feeding her junk food around 18 months: chips, whipped cream, even donuts sometimes. But still, not much change. Finally I read on a forum board about adding a little whipping cream to her milk. I started doing that when she was 2, and now three months later, she is in the 17th percentile for weight. Her doctors are happy. But I'm not so sure I am. 

Her diet is horrible! She eats mostly meat, cheese, macaroni, bacon, chicken nuggets, poptarts, and fruit (which I'm sure is pretty normal for a toddler). She doesn't really like starchy foods or the good fatty foods like avacado and peanut butter. And getting her to actually eat those foods is a battle some days. She has no desire to eat at the table. Sometimes I have to stick her in front of a screen just to get her to eat!

I am going to try harder though. Thinking about my own diet has gotten me to take a better look at how I am raising Mariah to eat. I need to start teach her now. So I am going to give her a more balanced diet and let her body do the rest. So far, eating junk hasn't really helped her. She still weighs about the same and it's making her body get used to eating that kind of food. Plus those foods have no nutrients. I want to raise a good eater.

This change starts in the home people! 

My...Issues

**TMI Warning: I would like to say this in advance: this post will probably give you too much information about my body. Consider yourself warned!**

How did I get into such a food/fitness rut? Let's start from the beginning...

I was born 24 years ago. My family was very poor. We grew up on Top Ramen, potatoes, and fried chicken. On special occasions (like Thanksgiving) we would get broccoli (topped with Cheez Wiz of course!). We hardly ever had milk with meals because it was too expensive (Koolaid instead!). I thought good nutrition was eating crackers.

I was always called "Scrawny Ronnie" growing up. Needless to say, my biggest worry was TRYING to gain weight, not losing it. The first time I was ever physically fit (besides just playing outside) was during my junior year in high school when I did cheerleading for a season. I actually worked out! I went to college and my metabolism slowed down a little. I gained a freshman five, but I still looked great, no need to work out! Then I got married, gained another five pounds. And here is where all the fun happened: I got pregnant. But my life has left me so unprepared up till this point.

Eating Problems
And now, not only am I not eating right, nor exercising, I read somewhere that you were supposed to eat more when you are pregnant. So to help myself gain weight, I start using fatty stuff like extra cheese. I ate a Twix bar almost every day!

In the end, I gained 40 pounds, 5 more than I should have (you should gain 25-35 lbs). That by itself wasn't the problem. It was the quality of the pounds that I gained. Right after having Mariah, I lost 20 pounds within the first two weeks. But then for the first time in my life, I actually have to work to lose the rest! I finally got to my regular weight a year later (after trying Hip Hop Abs, P90X, along with extreme dieting).

Going Problems
My postpartem body didn't just suffer from excess weight. I also had some MAJOR digestive issues, which I alluded to in a previous post. After having a baby, it is normal to not be able to have a bowel movement, which is why the doctor prescribes a stool softener. Well I faithfully took my pills but still no luck. Finally THREE WEEKS LATER, I finally have the urge. THREE WEEKS LATER! Let me tell you, it was like giving birth to another baby. I was crying on the toilet. It was the most painful experience of my life.

And then I would only have a movement every WEEK! Slowly, my body was getting better, but I was such a painful process. Plus I was living off pooping pills. I tried drinking more water, eating more fiber, I even tried drinking Metamucil but it was so disgusting because it thickens as you drink it! I tried that for a few weeks but it didn't do much for my problem. I asked my doctor what to do but he said to just keep taking stool softeners. Finally I had the sense to take the problem in my own hands. I went to a health food store to see if there was a more natural, non addicting approach. They said I should take this magnesium supplement that not only helps with general health, it helps to keep things moving in a gentler way.

After just a few days of being on that supplement, my life got a lot easier. It helped my body get back on track in a much gentler (and non addictive) way. Eventually (nine months later), I was able to stop taking the supplement and go on my own. I am still not where I used to be, I go about every other day and it can still be pretty painful.

Sleeping Problems
Another issue I have from the baby is sleeping! Mariah didn't give me a good night sleep until about six months. And even then, I would have to go in and soothe her every few nights. I don't know what happened, but I think my body forgot how to sleep. Now, two years later, it takes me at least an hour to get to sleep. And then I wake up at least four or five times a night! I always wake up with huge headaches because of the lack of sleep. I need a lot of naps to recover!

So now you know my "issues." I am hoping that a better diet plan will help me overcome all these problems: eating junk food and gaining unnecessary weight, staying "regular", and sleeping and having energy through out the day.