What got me started here

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darylspindler
darylspindler Posts: 35 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I've already given a brief introduction of myself but I didn't give any detail on my "aha" moment. I've been battling the bulge my entire adult life and unfortunately my wife and I are codependent and we're both overeaters. I've had 2 stints with OA, one with WW and years of doing starts and stops that lasted for very short periods of time.

I have two sons and my oldest son had me very concerned when he was an adolescent because he had no interest in sports or exercise and he was inheriting my eating habits (fast and a lot). As he has gotten older, he is actually now conscious of he eats and he usually chooses a healthy option while my wife and I opt for something less healthy. He goes to a very small school and all of the kids must play a sport. He played golf for a couple of years which was torturous because he didn't like to practice. As it turns out, a couple of classmates talked him into playing lacrosse and now two years later, he has lost 40 pounds and he is 6' tall and has a 34" waist. and he is a handsome 16 year old.

My youngest son is 13 and I have fears for his future. He is 5'3" and and weighs 160#. He is also has a 34" waist. My wife and I have been talking to him about making bigger food choices but we admittedly set a terrible example. This is where my aha moment comes in.

The state of Georgia is running a controversial ad program that shows an overweight kid in a dark room. He asks his mom why he is fat. The camera pans over and shows his mom, who is quite overweight herself. I understand that this ad may be offensive to some, but it struck home with and made me very emotional.

I had a talk with my son and asked him if he was willing to join me in tracking food on myfitnesspal. He actually showed enthusiasm. His weight has been bothering him for a long time and we're doing this together. My wife is now showing some interest in healthy eating so we're off to a good start. I'm thrilled that my son isn't being forced into doing something he doesn't want to do and I love doing it as a family. I pray that we are able to maintain this program together and we all actually change our diet and exercise habits. Thank you State of Georgia for showing this very stark ad as it opened my eyes. Here's the link for anyone who is interested.

http://www.huliq.com/10473/georgia-ads-causing-stir-boy-asks-mom-why-am-i-fat

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  • terrimom3d
    terrimom3d Posts: 2
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    I applaud you for addressing this with your son. It is hard to watch our children make the same mistakes that we make.
    I am here because I have put on about 80 pounds since I had a liver transplant 2 years ago. For a long time I blamed my medications. I have had some issues and take a fair amount of steroids daily. This makes it harder to lose weight. But the truth of the matter is that after my transplant, every day was a gift. and I celebrated by eating things that I would not normally eat. I treated myself constantly. I ate mindlessly. And now I am overweight and unhappy about it. Before getting sick, I was pretty fit, I ate well, with occasional treats and exercised regularly. I need to get back to a place where I am comfortable with my body, where I can be active and enjoy it, and where I can live this bonus life as a tribute to the person that donated his liver so that I could live.
  • darylspindler
    darylspindler Posts: 35 Member
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    I hear what you're saying about treating yourself. I have such an entitlement attitude about overeating. I dealt with this when I was in OA and at least now I recognize that I have it. Having the mindset that I cannot eat more than 2000 calories a day has been a real eye opener. I'm so grateful to have my eyes opened.

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