Fat Kid

A huge downside to being adults is that our Mommies aren't preparing our lunches for us anymore (well, I guess I can't speak for everyone).  And when no one is making healthy decisions for us, it can be easy to get comfortable doing the opposite.  So why aren't ALL adults overweight?

Being thin isn't just a physical appearance, it's a state of mind (to be clear, when I use the word "thin" I am referring to someone who is of a healthy weight).

Now, I won't name any names but there are at least a few individuals who keep "reminding" me that it'll catch up to me, one day.  I have a sweet tooth, always have.  It comes and goes.  I can easily go months without a single cookie when it's gone.  But when it's there... well... let's just say I have been known to eat candy for breakfast... recently.  But the thing that stops that monster from taking over is what I liked to call a reset button.

A reset button is what I press (figuratively) when my unhealthy choices have either gotten out of control or I don't want them to do so.  This is the button that tells me to eat raw carrots and apples and have lots of green veggies for dinner.  Everyone has one of these it's just that, not everyone's is programmed properly.

For a lot of people, it's not even a fault of their own. Some people just weren't taught how to eat.  When I first heard this notion I thought it was absurd.  I mean, really?  It's in our biological nature to eat healthy foods.  Birth defects aside, we are born with a proper reset button.  The problem arises when nurture defies nature.

We are not hunter gatherers anymore. If we want to eat, few of us go into our own back yard or out into the wilderness to hand-pick our own cucumbers.  Most of us just go to a store or restaurant. With this convenience comes variety. With that variety comes a combination of good and bad choices.  Our reset button is quickly programmed when we are children and if the people taking care of us let the bad choices outweigh the good then we are set up to fail.

Thin begets thin and fat begets fat.  A good percentage of the time, thin people come from thin families and those who are overweight generally aren't the only in their households.  But don't be so quick to blame Genetics.

There is something called Epigenetics that I would need a whole other blog entry to fully explain, but the gist is that our lifelong gene functions are not completely set in stone at birth. I know, it sounds outlandish but that science, man... that science is one smart guy.

Epigenetics are shaped by our environment.  If we are raised to eat healthy and are given proper love and attention, our reset buttons will work the way they should (unless and/or until we experience a trauma that affects our Epigenome).

So what if we were neglected as children and raised to eat unhealthy foods? Are we just doomed?  Absolutely not.  You just need to reprogram your reset button.  Personal trainers, nutritionists, and therapists are amazing tools to use to help change your Epigenetics, thus reprogramming your reset button.  

Basically, what it comes down to is choice.  The most awesome thing about choice is it's all our own.  We can choose to press our reset buttons.  We can even choose to reprogram them.  And when our reset buttons are programmed properly, we will think thin thoughts.  

Now go eat some carrots, fatty! 

And there you have it, folks, my reset button *smile*.