Are you committed?

Or are you just involved?

I've never thought about it until just a minute ago.

Whilst perusing a very old Reader's Digest, I came across this little tidbit.

When you have ham and eggs for breakfast, the chicken is involved. The pig, on the other hand, is totally committed.

Made me laugh out loud. In the bathroom. I'm sure the people next door think I'm nuts as they were outside their motor home doing something. I could hear them talking, so I'm sure they could hear me. Gotta love living the trailer trash life! Anyhooooooo, after the chuckle, it got me thinking about our weight loss journeys.

For the past number of years I've been involved in weight loss. I dabbled at it. I'd go whole hog for a while and then slack off. I never, ever took it seriously. I never did it as a life style. It was always a diet. I did what I needed to do to lose weight. I guess I figured once I lost it I'd magically not have to think about it ever again. Earth to Debby!

Since January, I've been totally committed and not just involved. I never cared about losing weight for my health. I was the healthiest fat person you'd ever want to meet. I just wanted a smokin' bod. I'd still love a smokin' bod, but at 50 I'm not sure who I'd heat up with it! I want what is healthy for my body now. I'm sure I sound like I'm nagging my friends, but I want what is healthy for them too. There are so many things we do to our bodies that are so bad for them. We all should try to do a little bit of good for the poor old things now. It's the only body we have after all.

These questions are for me as well as you.

Do you get up in the morning and not eat for hours? If you do, stop it. It's not good for your body. It hurts your heart. You need that for stuff!

Do you exercise for your prescribed time a few times a week and then sit on your lazy duff the rest of the time? If you do, stop it. It's not good for you. Again, our heart needs activity and we need our hearts!

Do you eat tons of food at a sitting and go long periods of time between meals? Stop it! Your body needs a steady stream of food all day long. It doesn't need to think you're starving it between meals. It really doesn't need to starve all day long and be fed a feast at 9PM just before going to bed either!

Are you eating processed stuff? White rice, white bread etc? If you are, stop it! It's got no health benefit. We need to switch to the whole grain stuff. Just because your bread says 'wheat' doesn't make it good for you either. If your bread says enriched, it's not whole grain. It does nothing for you. It might have fiber, big deal. White bread and white rice and regular pasta etc lowers our good cholesterol and it raises our bad. Is that what we want for our bods? I think not. Don't we want to put things in our body that will help it and not hurt it? This was the hardest thing for me to change. I love squishy white bread. I love white rice. Pasta is my friend. I hate whole grain bread. Brown rice sucks. Whole wheat pasta? Gag me with a freaking fork. I made the change because it was good for me. If I keep at it long enough, my tastes will change. I have complete faith in that.

Do you eat your vegetables? If not, do it. They're good for you. Think rainbow. Incorporate all different colors. You don't like the taste? You don't like the texture? Suck it up Buttercup, they're good for you. I hate veggies. Pretty much all of them. Corn is OK. Oh, they fatten pigs on that you say? It turns to sugar in your body instead of something good? Ya, well, that's probably why I like it! I eat veggies because my body needs them. I don't enjoy them, in fact, I pretty much loathe them. I'm a big girl. I eat them because I need to. Do you think you can eat 5 servings of fruit instead of your veggies? Think again. You can't. God I wish I could!

Are you getting the calcium you need? Are you getting the protein you need? Do you get the healthy oil you need each day? I wasn't. I've learned so much in the past few months.

Don't even get my started on hydrogenated oils and trans fats! Ya, I know, something is going to kill us.....I just don't want it to be something I'm eating if I have alternatives. I've switched from coffee mate to fat free dry milk. Does it taste the same? Hell no. Will I get used to it? I hope so. Fat free dry milk is trans fat free. There are no hydrogenated oils in it. It counts as one of my milks for the day. It's a win win situation for my body.

Does all that planning sound like a lot of work? It is. I think the benefits are worth it. I have faith that it'll become second nature to me and it won't be like work to plan my food for the day.

I sounded like a school teacher there. I'm passionate about the subject.

Class dismissed.