Shock treatment works!

I never classed myself as an overly large person when I only wore an average size 16 UK dress size, so it came as quite a shock when the nurse at the Well Woman Clinic told me I was a borderline case for obesity. ‘If you’re not careful you’ll overstep the mark,’ she said. Well, I was about to move up to an 18 but I kept that quiet.

The picture above is quite interesting. I didn’t know there were so many ‘classified’ grades of obesity. I’m truly thankful I didn’t get to the end of the chart.

I’m not sure if it was the shock of her comment that caused the tummy upset but it sure made me think. The upset was one of those conditions that make you go off food, commonly known as THE BUG. I was off food for several days and when I did start eating again I found I didn’t want half the goodies I used to eat before. That’s when my eating habits changed.

It wasn’t a drastic thing. I cut out milk because it upset the tummy and left potatoes alone. No cake, of course, nor those little things wrapped in paper known as sweets. It was only comfort eating anyway, I should have known better! Two major changes were drinking herbal tea and taking probiotic yoghurt which has continued to this day AND I’m back on the potatoes in more respectable portions.

Ever since I changed my style of eating I’ve developed a gradual dislike of heaped plates. Not just mine but other people’s plates too. Family gatherings at carveries are allowed to eat as much as they like so it’s only natural to pile it on. But some do take it to the extreme? Is that how our youngsters get to be so big?

There’s a campaign here to stop children becoming obese. It’s a horrible word, isn’t it? When I look around though, in shops and other public places, I am astonished by the vast amount of children who are totally overweight. It’s not puppy fat either; it’s a good solid mass of fat. No wonder the experts are worried. Imagine having to cart all that weight around while your lissom friends cavort with ease!

I can’t decide whether it’s due to something in the food we buy or a parental dislike of using negative words. I know a local family where the mother panders to her youngster’s demands for unhealthy food simply because she’s afraid of saying ‘NO’. Mind you having witnessed his almost violent tantrums I can almost understand her reluctance. However, in my opinion she’s not doing the child any favours, either in eating habits or obedience.

These days I take smaller portions of everything and feel better for it. For a start I no longer suffer from indigestion and that awful overloaded feeling. Today I went shopping. I knew I’d dropped one dress size but lo and behold I now find I’ve dropped TWO.

All together now: ‘Who’s a clever girl, then?’

Thanks for listening.