My daughter watches Elmo a lot. Her favorite video is Elmo's Potty Time. One part of the video has a giant blue monkey who is "in tune with his body", meaning he knows when he's thirsty or hungry, etc. because he listens to what his body is telling him. This is helpful in learning to use the potty. I find this to be an interesting concept, especially because I don't think most people are in tune with their bodies (me included).
My weight has been an issue for me ever since the 7th grade (or so). I was never really "fat" (like I am now at a size 18, which is over the average size of 14 for women in America), just overweight. As I am sure I have mentioned in here before, I think it's important to set a good example for your young, impressionable, children. That's why I exercise regularly (actually enjoying it) and do my best to not overeat. We get take out about once a week, which I think is pretty appropriate.
I asked a (thin) co-worker what she does to stay fit. She said she didn't exercise (which I didn't find too shocking), she just ate several small meals a day, always stopped eating when she was full, and didn't eat past 8:00pm. It was the middle part that struck a chord with me and made me think about the blue monkey in the Elmo video.
What does it mean to be "full"? Seriously, do you know when you are full? When I was a kid we were always told that we had to finish what was on our plate. We were never told "Please eat until you are full and then stop, like you should."
There was an article on MSNBC recently called Overweight pals eat more when they’re together. According to the article, in a study of 9- to 15-year-olds, researchers found that all kids, regardless of their weight, tended to eat more when they had the chance to snack with a friend than when they were with a peer they did not know. But the biggest calorie intakes were seen when an overweight child snacked with an overweight friend.
With so many articles and studies on the "Obesity Epidemic" in this day and age, you would think that people, at the very least, could stop eating when they are full. But surprisingly, we don't. With humongous portions being served in restaurants and with the plain abundance of food here in America, it's not surprising to me that so many Americans are fat.
But, and I know this is a crazy thought, what if we did stop eating when we were full instead of "finishing our plate"? Just something to think about.
Being a parent is about taking care of your child(ren), but it's also about taking care of yourself. Every day I see the results of my daughter copying me. I have to have things "just right" and so does she. She has a little freak out if there is cat vomit on the floor and one of her new favorite words is "mess" and she can't stand for her play blanket (that we lay on the floor) or the mats in the kitchen to have a crumpled corner (subsequently fixing it if it does). I'm not quite sure if I have a borderline OCD here, but I am thinking that's probably not the case.
The point is that "do as I do" is what children do. They can and do pick up on swear words and even how you drive, clean, and eat your food. YOU ARE THE STANDARD and the example that they have. Are you "in tune with your body"? I know I am working on being in tune with mine.
