Current weight: –
I reserve the right not to weigh myself this week because it’s that time of the month. I am a notorious water weight gainer during that time, and if I step on a scale and see a gain, I’m going to go name a pan of brownies “Feelings” and eat them.
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I exercise an inordinate amount of care when it comes to feeding my daughter. I’m not the paranoid type who refuses to feed her anything that doesn’t come certified organic and with a written history of where it came from, but I am the thoughtful, concerned type. When she’s hungry, even when she just wants a snack, I make it my mission to give her the most nutritious variety of foods possible. I always make sure she has fruits and vegetables on her plate. I avoid processed foods as much as possible, and even if Zach and I are eating fast food, I usually try to find something healthy from home for her to eat. That doesn’t mean she’s never had a chicken nugget or a French fry, but I practice a standard of quality within my daughter’s diet that I don’t practice often enough within my own. I see her as growing and developing, in need of healthful foods, and pure enough that I don’t want to fill her with junk.
I don’t know if I’ve ever thought of myself that way. When I was little, I ate what tasted good. If we had soda in the fridge, I drank it. If we went out to eat, I figured why eat a salad when I can order cheese-smothered enchiladas with sour cream sauce, beans, rice, and as many delicious, crispy chips as my stomach can hold? I didn’t have a grasp on what was healthy for me and what wasn’t. It took me years, lots of experimenting, and many, many books to understand which foods are best for me and why. And, unfortunately, during those years of trial and error, I learned to eat for taste, for indulgence, for convenience.
It’s strange to me when I compare Sonia’s diet to my own. I go the extra mile for her. I will chop and steam fresh vegetables as a side dish for her lunch. I will stand there for 10 minutes cutting grapes and blueberries in half for her snacks. I will spend weekends prepping fresh foods for her to eat during the week. I don’t do things like that for myself. Somehow I always see myself as not worth the effort; I’ll always “do it tomorrow.” Except tomorrow never comes. I struggled a lot to get back on track last week after my weekend of pigging out because I’m still not completely in the “lifestyle change” mindset. I’m still looking at food the wrong way.
My goal for this week is to treat myself as well as I treat my daughter; to look at meals not as a chore or an opportunity to pig out, but as an opportunity to refuel and energize my body, and to try to pack as much nutrition as possible into each eating choice I make.
This would all be so much easier if I was a baby and had someone else doing the work for me.
That’s an awesome goal. I think as (good) parents you are always focusing so much attention on keeping your children safe & healthy – going the extra miles for their meals and play dates, etc – and when it comes to ourselves we are just trying to make it through the day. it’s a nice goal to treat yourself like you treat your daughter.
Thanks, Shelley!
I love this post! I was actually just having a conversation similar to this with one of my girlfriends yesterday. We were talking about how we spend so much time making sure every meal our children eat a balanced and nutritious meal. I try to make sure my son has a protein,a fruit, and a vegetable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It occurred to me as I finished chopping up my thousandth piece of banana… Why am I not treating my body this way? I have always been about eating for taste and convenience And it has forced me into this continuous circle of bad eating… What has gotten me thinking lately is thinking to myself about the next few years. In the next couple of years my son will probably start to realize what I am Eating and at some point say, “Mom, why are you eating that food?” “Why aren’t you eating fruits and veggies like me?” I thought to myself, oh crap, I want to avoid that conversation. I have decided to start eating and living in a way that I can set my kid up for success with healthy eating and daily activity. I want to be a good example for him. I didn’t receive that example growing up and it has caused me to battle self image and self-control issues for a lot of my life… Ha! Thanks for letting me sort through my thoughts on your blog. Didn’t mean to write a novel. Love reading your stuff. I can really relate to so much of it. I admire your honesty so much, and I hope I can start to be as honest with myself as you are
Thank you, Whitney! I didn’t have a great example while I was growing up, either. My mom was really thin, but we never really talked about health or about eating for health, and I struggled a lot because I didn’t inherit my mom’s natural tendency towards thinness.
I have a major Coke Zero addiction, and I’m trying to kick out because I worry about the day Sonia starts wanting to drink soda, too. She already tries to drink from my cups, but that’s just because it’s mommy’s cup and she wants whatever mommy has, you know? Eventually it will turn into her honestly wanting to drink soda like me, and I don’t want that. Soda is crap. lol Having kids makes you confront a lot of issues, doesn’t it?
Thank you for yet another very relevant and thoughtful post! I do the same thing with Olive, and I’m even pregnant (so I should be eating better, right?). I find myself spending all this time and money to feed her the very best and nutritious foods and I cringe when I give her anything like graham crackers or a French fry…but I don’t hesitate feeding myself that crap! I don’t eat a lot during the day, maybe because I’m too busy or just nothing seems to sound good. But, I think I do a pretty good job packing all my nutrition into dinner. I carefully plan every dinner for the week to maximize my veggie and protein intake and minimizing carbs and sugars. I feel a bit better at the end of the day knowing I’ve given myself that bit of attention. Plus, planning it all out every week means cheaper groceries and no more last minute frozen pizzas
I do a lot of meal planning now, too! I feel like it saves us so much money, and I love knowing I at least have that one healthy staple in the evening. My biggest problem is snacking after dinner. I think I subconsciously want to treat myself after Sonia goes to bed, and I do it by snacking on junk!
Such a good point. We often do better by our kids than we do by us–in many things, not just eating. We need to remember that we need to treat ourselves just as well, especially if we want to be in their lives for a long time. Nice post!
THis made me cry. Not just because it’s my time of the month to, but because I relate and something about it touches a deep sadness.
Aw, Christie. It’s crazy how much all these issues get tied together and how deep they go, huh?
Great goal! And easier to do since you’re already doing it dor Sophia.
I could have written this, because it’s my story too. You ARE worth it, you know, even when you don’t feel like you are. Great goal; I’ll be cheering you on.
Thank you!! I think a lot of moms–or just parents in general–can relate. It gets more and more difficult to remember that you’re important, too.
Well, it has finally happened. Our periods are syncing up. I didn’t think it was possible since we’ve never met in person but it evidently has
I am the same way with C’s food. When I think objectively about her meals, they are basically the equivalent of spa food: personally prepared, always fresh, the best ingredients, and pretty delicious to boot. Our food? Not so much. This, I think, is pretty emblematic of the parent/child relationship. You always try to give your kid the best and then you are just an afterthought.
We’re period twins! That is hilarious. Do you also gain 4,000 pounds during your period? Because I do. And then it magically goes away. I wish all weight did that. lol
AMEN!!! I’d be willing to bet every mother in the planet can relate to this post. If only I could follow your good advise…