Post-Holiday Ruminations

Warning: I am about to vent and get on a soapbox. If you're not in the mood for such things, stop reading now.



This past holiday season I spent the week in East Texas with my family: half the time at my grandparents' house, half the time with my mom and dad. It was such a blessing to lavish in do-nothing time with the people I love the most. Always coupled with this do-nothing-ness was incredible, to-die-for food. My mom and grandmother know how to cook, let me tell ya. Grammy has a traditional cooking style; I can always expect to be feasting on cornbread and casseroles when I'm with her. My mom is more trendy. Eating at her house means tacos, margaritas,and hip butter-glazed breakfast sandwiches.

Needless to say, by the end of the week I had gained eight pounds.

Now, don't get the wrong idea: I try to live in such a way that the number on the scale does not have as much significance as the way my body feels. We live in an image-obsessed society where the overwhelming pressure on women is to be thin rather than healthy. That's why there is an epidemic of eating disorders in the U.S. It always amazes me to think that, in so many parts of the world, there are people starving because they don't have enough food. Yet here in America our women are starving themselves, despite the abundance of food, in an effort to attain something that is utterly unattainable.

So listen, I'm a social worker. I'm a feminist. When I lament that I gained eight pounds over Christmas, I need you to not roll your eyes at me. I get it. Our focus should be on living a healthy lifestyle, not on how much weight we gain or lose. Sometimes the two are correlated; sometimes they aren't.

In the case of my Christmas vacation, my weight gain and my lifestyle were definitely correlated. While at home in Houston I make an effort to exercise and eat healthy. On the East Texas Christmas Vacation it was all about the honey-baked ham and pecan pralines. Sure, I had the occasional banana and walk with the dogs, but it was not enough to combat all that divine food the matriarchs kept pushing my way.

I am ruminating over this, because it is quite the phenomenon to me. I really didn't indulge that much. The meals my mom and grandmother cooked really weren't that unhealthy. I feel like I made the most with what I had...yet still I gained eight pounds.

For a while I went on an exploratory journey of various dietary restrictions. I tried vegetarian, I tried gluten-free, I tried the Daniel Fast. After all this, I finally found the food-lifestyle that works best for me:

WHOLE GRAINS. LEAN MEATS. LOTS AND LOTS OF VEGGIES.

If I stick to this for most of my meals, then I have zero guilt about occasionally incorporating limited amounts of all the wonderful things that truly slay me: rich, creamy, expensive cheeses. Perfectly seasoned red meats. Divine, exotic rice puddings. When limited, these things become true treats that make me so happy I squirm with excitement. Most of the time, however, it's all about the whole grains, lean meats, and vegetables. And I have to say, I find this quite satisfying because I have figured out how to make it delicious and I know that I am taking care of my body.

In my own kitchen, I have control over these things. When I'm visiting relatives, I don't. I wonder if my weight gain can be attributed to the simple transition from my normal diet to one where white flour, butter, and honey-baked ham are all essential elements?

I decided not to get my panties in a wad over the eight pounds. I admit, I had to have a private therapy session with myself inside my head; it's not always easy fighting the voices that scream inadequacy. In the end, however, I let it go and made the conscious decision not to obsess over my weight.

On my return to Houston I resumed my normal routine of daily yoga and trying recipes from Eating Well and Cooking Light. I didn't go on a diet and I didn't become a marathon runner. I simply resumed normalcy.

Yesterday, for grins and giggles, I pulled my scale out of storage and gave it a whirl. Six pounds lost in the week I've been home. All just by eating healthy and exercising. Women of the world: this is what we need to focus on.