I’m not a doctor. I don’t even play one on TV. I’m also not a nutritionist, a dietitian, a weight loss consultant, or whatever they’re now calling people who tell you what to eat. I am, however, fat. And I’m constantly amazed by that fact.
You see, I do most of the things we’re all told to do.
I move around quite a bit daily, most of which involves chasing my 8-year-old homeschooled son around the house and doing an hour or so of cleaning chores per day, both of which take me up and down 3 flights of stairs. Repeatedly.
Sometimes I add yoga to that mix or rebound on my mini-tramp. Other times I spin for a while on my exercise bike. Sure, there are days — whole weeks, even — when I don’t do additional exercise, but my trusty pedometer tells me that I’m walking at least 10,000 steps per day.
I also eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains regularly. Oh, some days I might slack off on one or two servings, but for the most part I eat what I’m supposed to… and then some. Enough, in fact, that I refused to even look at my life insurance agent’s recommended weight chart to see just how above average I am.
But therein lies what’s led to my theory on why America is fat: we’re constantly being told more foods we ought to be eating. One day it’s “add grains“, the next it’s “eat more fruits and vegetables“, then it’s “eat more protein” and “eat more fish” and drink more tea and consume more dairy products.
Then there’s the flax seeds, coconut oil and the ever-growing list of disease-fighting foods.
In short, by the time a person has followed all the so-called “experts” advice on what to eat for optimum health they’ve polished off as much food as a defensive lineman.
But is it helping? No, or we wouldn’t continue to be plagued equally as often by health bulletins warning about the risks of obesity and diabetes.
You know, after putting so much effort into losing weight — and learning how I’m supposed to lose it — I’m sorely tempted to just shrug my shoulders (hey, that burns calories, right?) and eat more junk food. At least then I’d be conscious of how many calories I’m consuming, and I’d enjoy the taste, too.