Wednesday, May 18, 2011

I think I can, I think I can...

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."  I keep replaying this over in my head.  If the Little Engine could get over that hill, why can't I?

I have always had the mindset of "If I can't have it now, then I don't want it at all."  I have no patience what so ever.  My Mom and I have talked about this numerous times over the course of my life; when God was handing out the genes to me, the "no patience" gene came from my Mother.  We are so much alike, it's really not even funny.  I am definitely a Momma's boy, and I wear that badge proudly.  However, one thing about my Mom that I would change is that she tried to fix everything.  While talking with her last night about trying to lose weight again, she mentioned that she takes responsibility for my being fat.  I quickly told her that was not the case, and that she didn't force food down my throat.  My family, like every other family, was busy.  I had activities after school, as did my sister.  We had basketball, baseball, and softball games almost every night, all while getting homework finished, bathed, and put in bed so my Mom could catch up on grading papers and getting her lesson plans ready for the next day (in case you didn't catch it, my Mom was an 8th grade American History teacher for over 30 years.)  My Dad was working at night so he was rarely there to help my Mom with the nightly routine.

How I was raised definitely helped shape me into the person I am today, both good and bad.  As I have said before, in the South, everything revolves around food.  This fact, in my opinion, is a main reason why the South has such an abundance of fat people.  Historically, the Southern culture has been defined by the farming; the same family working the same farm through generations.  I don't consider myself a farmer in the slightest way, but my family has always had a backyard garden where we grew fruits and vegetables such as squash and tomatoes.  Even with our small garden, I know how much it took to work that small plot of land because I saw it on my parents faces.  Now, imagine several hundreds of acres where this same work is required.  You are going to want a big, hearty dinner when you are finished in order to get ready for the next day.  Today, we still eat the same food, but not everyone puts in the same work.

Losing weight is about changing a mindset, not just eating habits.  That is going to be my biggest struggle.  It's been in my head since birth, and honestly, it's in my genes.  While it may not be an easy thing to accomplish, I think I can, I think I can...

Follow me on twitter @mtgrad06

No comments:

Post a Comment