How am I going with my ‘journey?’ I put to you that giving up smoking and shedding weight have a great deal in common. How many people attempt to give up smoking many times before they succeed? Indeed, most of our efforts either do not last long or they succumb at a much later date.
I say the same part of our brain functions to limit the success we may or may not have in losing weight. OK--- there are a great many factors operating so I cannot claim to have that knowledge. I’d be rich if I ‘cracked ‘the dilemma that has eluded so many scientists. What I can claim knowledge of is my own experience, and multiple failures to achieve a healthy weight.
My doctor (he doesn’t read blogs) must see me coming for my 3 monthly check-up and even before he weighs me, knows that I have once again, added to my girth. Some of my friends probably feel the same about me, but most of them avoid criticising my lack of will power or some other flaw in my make-up. Perhaps the words, ‘should’ and ‘role model’ figure in their thoughts.
I am part of a huge (Excuse the unfortunate choice of word) number of New Zealanders who are obese. We are going to cost the health system and therefore the taxpayer, increasingly larger amounts of money over the coming years. (Yes—we have an excellent free Public Health system in NZ) We have been called selfish and are made to feel guilty. Like the smokers, we have something within us that makes it nigh well impossible to face our demons. Most of us don’t like the way we feel and many of us (both groups) regularly attempt to address the problem, often spending a great deal of money on the latest fads or respond to the most recent research.
I am sure you have seen the adverts on TV for government funded patches or other devices for smoking cessation. The same goes for weight loss. We have had the ‘F’ Plan, high fibre, low or no carbs, Glycaemic Index and a load of other ‘knowledge.’ Yet we continue to fail. Sometimes we seek more aggressive solutions. I am talking about surgery, ranging from Lipo Suction to lap band surgery. The trouble for me, I am too old to avail myself of one of those options, if I want it free. So I continue to walk Perdy and make the occasional wave at portion size reduction, along with looking at fat and carb levels in my ‘diet.’
Hell--- I could write a blog about what I should be doing. I could answer many questions about regimes I could follow. I could advise you all about what you should do, but I would feel like a complete charlatan. I bet there are some skinny-assed people out there reading this (and probably taking offence----- finally--- yippee!). I am tempted to continue with that thread, but I won’t, because it takes me away from what I am trying to say.
In short, there is something about our genetic makeup and possibly life experiences that makes some of us destined to be fat (unless under extreme influences like famine or war, sickness etc.). Some of us can successfully fight that fate, while others of us, plod on, not quite giving up and continually struggling to make ‘lifestyle changes.’ Will there be a Fat Bugger, Part 9----? Of course there will. I am after all an optimist.
The second lunch I was invited to today. It had many healthy options, but as I said--- it was the 'second lunch.' The first--- lovely too!
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