Now, imagine this: a family gets together for someone's birthday celebration and decides to order pizza. Someone in your family brings over a small salad or shake and eats/drinks it while everyone enjoys pizza. This person tells stories, partakes in the day's events, takes a small bite of birthday cake and gives the birthday kid his present. Chances are, you've been around someone who has done this - drank a shake as a meal, brought their own salad or healthy meal and chose not to eat what everyone else was eating. Chances are, you've also made a comment about it, or heard one made. "So you...don't eat? You drink your meals?" "Oh come on, you can have a few pieces of pizza..it's not going to kill you!" "Why don't you just eat the pizza and then work out afterward?"
Here's the bottom line: The first scenario consists of people consuming probably twice their daily limit of calories in one meal, and no one thinks twice about it. But make a decision to lose weight and stick to it, even if that means you're bringing your shake/salad/meal supplement to a family dinner and awkwardly blend your banana and almond milk together with your protein powder while everyone else's fingers are dripping in pizza grease, and people are all over your ass. Why is our society so okay with watching one another completely destroy our health with greasy food, sugars and carbs? Why is the negative stigma on the girl who is drinking a shake as a meal supplement instead of the girl who ate an entire appetizer platter by herself?
Before you start jumping my ass, let me tell you that I've been both those girls. I've consumed the appetizer platter (and then some), and no one said a word. I've also recently started using a shake to supplement two meals out of my day, and I've been on the receiving end of the "so you're drinking your meals now, and not eating real food?" comments. And let me tell YOU something: both are total bullshit.
My co-worker and I are both trying a new approach to weight loss, and were recently discussing how drinking a shake while everyone else eats 800 calories of pasta draws more negative attention than the notorious "fiscal cliff." I'm not going into the science and nutrition behind using shakes as meal replacements (if you trust me and my knowledge on my health, nutrition and fitness, you'll happily shut the hell up while I tell you, "I got this"), but what I can't figure out is why we're the bad guys. Why, when we care so much about our loved ones and friends' health, are we not placing the negative stereotype on the oversized portions, the added butters, the excess carbs?
Now please don't get me wrong. I am not at all saying that anyone who is eating healthy is better than someone who isn't. What I'm saying is that as a society, we've become so accepting of things that are horrible for us. We've allowed deep fried Twinkies (RIP, Hostess) and the massive portions at Cheesecake Factory to take precedent over blood pressure and cholesterol. And I get it - everyone's entitled to a little of the bad. Trust me, I've spent the greater portion of my life soaking up the bad, and I'm paying for it now as I bust serious ass to try and fit into a wedding dress. But why, for the love of God, do we harp on the people who turn in early for the night so they can get in their morning run? Why do we hassle the girl who brings her portable little blender on vacation so she can try to stay healthy on the road? Why do we try to talk our friend out of hitting the gym so they can hit happy hour with us instead?
Why isn't society applauding their willpower and determination? Are we jealous? I know I was. I know I made seriously heinous comments to my mother, who insisted on eating egg beaters for dinner while I scarfed down two plates of lasagna, about how she ought to be able to enjoy the lasagna and eating eggs wasn't worth it. I know I've made completely irrational judgments on people who drink shakes as a meal replacement, or who religiously ran an appropriate number of miles to make up for their crazy night out (I am now this crazy person, too). And I know I felt and acted that way because deep down, I was jealous that I didn't have that willpower yet. I was mad at myself for being overweight, for not exercising, for not taking accountability for my health. Because going out with friends and ordering the giant bowl of pasta is easy. No one says anything. No one makes fun of you, or gives you shit about how you don't need to lose any weight (deep down, we know they're all thinking you do).
But here's the truth: We don't know people's struggles. We don't know that the girl who has the willpower to say no to eating out will go home and relish in that mental strength for the next 24 hours. We don't know that the guy who orders grilled chicken while the other guys order pizza is determined to look great for his wedding. We don't know that the girl who chooses to have a shake instead of participating in the office carryout order has a dinner that night that she's been excited to attend for a week and is saving the bulk of her calories for it.
It's the same way we don't know that the girl who just devoured an entire plate of fried macaroni and cheese from Cheesecake Factory was at the gym for two hours knowing full well she wanted to earn that plate of deep fried goodness. That's the bottom line: we just don't know. So why are we so quick to judge? Why are we so quick to outcast someone based on their food or exercise choices? Our society has made it complete hell on someone trying to take on a new healthy lifestyle. Chain restaurants, ice cream stores, festivals and fairs and inexpensive prices on processed foods have made it virtually impossible to take on "healthy" without jumping through at least 6,000 rings of fire.
You can find your niche. You can find your routine, surround yourself with the right people, and get support from the people who mean the most to you, but our society has a long way to go before healthy is "cool." And I'll be honest, I need horrible chain restaurants and deep fried bar food in my life. If mozzarella sticks became obsolete, I would be the first to admit that I'd probably need therapy. All I really want is for being healthy and trying to lose weight to become a less frightening topic to breach with society. I want health, nutrition and fitness to not be so taboo, and for education on it to be approachable and realistic for everyone. I want people to understand that I do eat (all day in fact) even though I'm using shakes to supplement two meals out of my day.
And really, what I want more than anything else in the world is for people to stop caring so much about what I do or do not eat, and more about what they're doing to be the best person they can be. And if we can get to that point in society, then we probably won't need the People of Walmart website anymore.
You go girl! I hear what you are saying and it is so hard. I am impressed with your dedication...I know you will get to where you want to be. Keep it up!
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