You Better watch out, that will catch up to you! I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this throughout my life. Allow me to explain what sparked me to write about this today.
First, my disclaimer, no, my feelings were not hurt, everything that was said was in good fun. However, it did spark the idea for me to write this post.
Recently, we celebrated Easter Sunday, and like a lot of families do, we had a big family lunch. Now, it has always been a habit of mine that I go through the line last. After my second plate of food, one of the family members says: “You better watch out, that will catch up to you.” I informed them that I had recently lost 13 pounds, to which they responded: “well are you looking for it, because you keep eating like that, you’re going to find it!”
I have been told “I better watch out” when it comes to eating my entire life. The first time I heard this, someone said that when I graduated from high school I would start gaining weight. The second time was about when I turned 25. Next, I was told that most people start packing on the pounds when they turn 30, then 40. At the time of me writing this, I am 42, and you guessed it, I still don’t have a “problem” with weight.
So Lucky
The next thing I often hear after watch out is: “how lucky I am” that I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight. Well, that isn’t true at all. Luck has nothing to do with it. I have just developed several small habits that allow me to maintain my weight. Habits that the majority of family and friends never see or know about because, well, I don’t talk about them. All they see is when we are out having a family get together, or at a restaurant, and then judge my entire health and lifestyle based on that one meal. I truly believe this is why so many people get frustrated with the lack of their progress, because they compare all of their efforts to what little they see someone else do and claim that it isn’t fair.
No Processed Sugar, watch out!
The truth is, I do not eat processed sugar. That’s right, no candy bars, no peppermints, no sodas, no cookies, etc… Now, this doesn’t mean I “Never” eat these things. If my daughter makes a batch of chocolate chip cookies, you bet I’m going to eat one, but I am only doing it to make her happy, not me. I eat mostly natural food. No packaged T.V. Dinners (not even the ones that “Claim” to be healthy, they usually aren’t). I keep food close by that I know is healthy, not just because it says so on a package.
Workout , watch out!
Another thing I do is I exercise at least 4 days a week (usually 5 or 6). Now, I’m not trying to be a muscle man, or look like a Men’s Health Magazine Model, but I do enough that I am sore the next day and allows me to feel good about myself (usually takes 20 minutes).
I guess the purpose of this article is simply to remind you not to compare yourself to what you see others do and the results that they have because there is probably much more to their story.
Going back to my Easter Lunch. Yes, I ended up having three plates full of food (which is crazy from someone just sitting there and judging everything about me based on just that), but if you looked closer you would have found that there was no bread on my plate, no butter, no mashed potatoes, no desserts. All I had was ham, vegetables, and a sweet potato with cinnamon.
Yes, I splurged and don’t eat like that every day, but even then it was all nutritious food that my body needs. Weight management isn’t hard, it just takes discipline. You can do it, and once you start, you may surprise yourself on how much you enjoy it because you will begin to feel better, both physically and emotionally.
