Thank goodness January is over--not because of the cold or the crazy roller-coaster weather, but because of the television ads. January being New Year's Resolution Season, the tv was riddled with ads that proclaim how easy it is to lose weight. All a person has to do is shake a powder, swallow a pill, eat a company's pre-prepared food, or use a Smartphone app and whammo! The weight miraculously disappears.
Bollocks. Weight loss isn't easy. If it were, I would have been at my healthiest weight a long time ago and I would have been able to stay there.
Nor is weight loss like the Biggest Loser, another January staple that irritates me. Weight loss isn't a game or a game show. It's serious stuff. It's also a very emotional journey--something the Biggest Loser ignores. No wonder so many of their contestants put back the weight they lose on the show. (I could probably write a whole long post about the Biggest Loser, now that I think about it.)
But now we're into February, which is much more in my wheelhouse. February is Food Season. Now, for tomorrow's Super Bowl, the television is full of ads for buckets of fried chicken, pizzas the size of Montana, and enough snack foods to feed Napoleon's army during its Russian campaign. This will be followed by the inevitable Valentine's Days ads for wining and dining and chocolates.
These I can handle. The fried chicken, pizzas, and snack food no longer look appealing to me. Should I ever crave them, I can make my own versions that are both healthier and tastier--and cheaper.
All of this is to say, I feel better about my efforts in February than I do in January.
January makes me feel frustrated. If weight loss is supposed to be so easy, why do I find it so hard? What's wrong with me that I struggle so much while these people on TV snap their fingers and drop the weight? (Yes, I know many of those people are paid actors and many of the claims are false. That doesn't stop my id from believing them.) Instead of being encouraging, I find the ads taunting.
February, on the other hand, makes me feel strong. Look at all the unhealthy choices I'm no longer tempted to make! Look at how much better my eating habits are! Every ad is a pat on my back.
Too bad February has only 28 days.
Bollocks. Weight loss isn't easy. If it were, I would have been at my healthiest weight a long time ago and I would have been able to stay there.
Nor is weight loss like the Biggest Loser, another January staple that irritates me. Weight loss isn't a game or a game show. It's serious stuff. It's also a very emotional journey--something the Biggest Loser ignores. No wonder so many of their contestants put back the weight they lose on the show. (I could probably write a whole long post about the Biggest Loser, now that I think about it.)
But now we're into February, which is much more in my wheelhouse. February is Food Season. Now, for tomorrow's Super Bowl, the television is full of ads for buckets of fried chicken, pizzas the size of Montana, and enough snack foods to feed Napoleon's army during its Russian campaign. This will be followed by the inevitable Valentine's Days ads for wining and dining and chocolates.
These I can handle. The fried chicken, pizzas, and snack food no longer look appealing to me. Should I ever crave them, I can make my own versions that are both healthier and tastier--and cheaper.
All of this is to say, I feel better about my efforts in February than I do in January.
January makes me feel frustrated. If weight loss is supposed to be so easy, why do I find it so hard? What's wrong with me that I struggle so much while these people on TV snap their fingers and drop the weight? (Yes, I know many of those people are paid actors and many of the claims are false. That doesn't stop my id from believing them.) Instead of being encouraging, I find the ads taunting.
February, on the other hand, makes me feel strong. Look at all the unhealthy choices I'm no longer tempted to make! Look at how much better my eating habits are! Every ad is a pat on my back.
Too bad February has only 28 days.