Whom Do I Point this Chubby Finger At?

Blame. It’s a slippery slope thing because it seemingly absolves you of personal responsibility. Does blame fit into the whole weight issue? Sifting through old photos and looking at myself as an obese teenage girl I feel so much remorse. I feel so bad for the old me because she just didn’t know what she knows now! I mean I always knew that I ate too much and too much junk, but I really didn’t know how to rectify that. Actually, I’m sure people like my dad and doctor did break it down for me at one point. So what was the deal? Was I unwilling to take personal responsibility? Unable to really understand how to fix things? Discouraged, not motivated, lazy? Somewhat. More so, I think I accepted being fat as my “lot” in life and, man, it is dangerous to accept certain things as cards that were “dealt” to us.

Listening to people talk about the “obesity epidemic,” I wonder if it’s really that our problem is in our habits, our ignorance, or this “fast food nation” buzzword people keep using. Can I just take a sampler from the buffet of reasons and say, “eh, it’s a little from column a, b and c?”

I realize, though, that when it comes to children, the tables shift a bit. I’m not sure children should be blamed for their bad eating habits if that is all they know based on their family’s lifestyle. Where does education come into this? Whose job is it to teach our children how to eat? I instinctively believe it’s the parents’ duty to instill good eating habits in their children and to do everything they can to maintain a healthy lifestyle and good example for their children (especially because children spend more time absorbing knowledge about food from the outside world, and have ample access to food outside of the home). But what do you do when parents just don’t know how to live healthy lifestyles themselves? Or when certain children are just prone (genetically or otherwise) to unhealthy habits?

My dad never had trouble with his weight. In fact, he used to have to drink protein and calorie-laden shakes to GAIN weight. He is also well versed in health issues (and everything for that matter). His weight-loss charts certainly looked pretty hanging up in my room, but they really didn’t translate to any weight loss or health-gain. Talk about literally not reading the writing on the wall.

My mom suffered from weight issues her whole life. They began with her being considered too skinny by friends and family. Often called “chicken legs,” she naturally had a petite frame all of her life and averaged about 95 pounds in adulthood (she is about 5’1). Admittedly, she has revealed that being “skinny” has not always been “natural” for her and she has had to watch her caloric intake and even suffered from various eating disorders. When I analyze this info., though, I realize that she never really learned the proper way to a healthy lifestyle. She always landed on the “extreme” side of things and never really learned how to healthily maintain her weight. It has always been more of a crash and burn, dust herself off and start again theme.

So, I was just kind of like “meh” when it came to my own weight issues. My dad was too far removed from understanding where I was coming from and my mom was too far ingrained in it. So what is a kid to do? I know what I did. I stopped at 7-11 every day after school and bought a big bag of hot Cheetos, a king size Reese’s sticks candy bar and washed it all down with Oreo-lined milk. Y-u-m. hehe.

Where do you think blame should be appropriated, if at all? Whose responsibility is it to teach children a healthy lifestyle?

Tags: eating habits, fast food, health education, healthy living, personal responsibility, weight loss