Why Being Super Fat Sucked ~ Part Two

If you haven't read part one, you can do so here.  Or not.  Completely up to you.

I left off saying I love food.  And I do.  I always have.  Most of the things I remember from my childhood revolve around food.  In fact, when I think about it, I equate a lot of my memories with something foodie.

Examples:

Pop Tarts.  Frosted Chocolate Pop Tarts to be exact.  Growing up, my sister had this friend, Donna, who lived a few houses down from us.  Her mom always kept pop tarts in her pantry, and whenever we went to her house, we would share a pack.  Always Chocolate.  Always Frosted. Always delicious.  To this day, I can not have Frosted Chocolate Pop Tarts in my house, because I will eat them.  All of them. Which leads me to a random weight loss tip: never, ever keep trigger foods in the house. Whenever I really want a Pop Tart, I buy a single pack at the convenience store up the street.  It satisfies my craving, and I don't over indulge.

Dessert Buffet. Oh My Goodness....those two words used to make me drool.  I remember going to church every Sunday with my grandparents (my dad's parents).  Sometimes, we would go out to eat afterwards.  If we were lucky, we would go to this restaurant called Cookies.  (I think that was the name...I know it was some type of dessert food! lol) Anyway, they had an ice cream bar, where you could make your own dessert.  I don't think any more words are necessary about that.  These days, whenever we go out to eat at a buffet restaurant, I make sure I fill up on food, that way when it's time for dessert, I am no longer hungry.  Sure, I still treat myself to a chocolate chip cookie or two (which just so happens to be another treat I can not keep in my house), but I no longer try one of everything.

Candy Bars.  Another after church treat from my grandparents.  And, growing up, my sister and I would always take our change to the convenience store down the road and buy candy.  Yeah, candy is good.  Especially anything with chocolate and peanut butter.  It's easy for me to be tempted to buy candy whenever I stop to pee while working, but thankfully, I have learned to resist.  Most of the time. :)

Olives. That's right.  I said olives.  Black olives and green olives. My grandparents (my mom's parents) always served a six foot hero on holidays.  With those heroes, there were sides, and there were always olives.  We never had olives at home, so it was always a treat to have olives on holidays.  Weird, I know.  If you were to come to my house now, you would find several cans of black olives in my pantry, and a jar of kalamatas in my fridge.  I use them in my salads.  I think they are good for you ~ in moderation, of course.

This is a little off topic, but I used to have this cat who would fight me for green olives.  She loved them! It was the weirdest thing!

Mushrooms. I used to be a Girl Scout.  Or maybe I never made it past the Brownie stage. I'm not sure.  But I do remember that at my one and only awards dinner, I tried mushrooms for the first time.  They came on my steak.  And they were delicious! I don't remember what awards I won, if any, or any of the girls names that were in my troop, but man, I sure do remember the taste of those mushrooms.  These days, I make a chicken dish with sauteed zucchini and baby portabella mushrooms that is to die for! It's healthy, too.

These are just a few examples that I remember off the top of my head.  I'm sure there are many, many more.  Even now, whenever we get together at my mom's house, the first thing we talk about is who is going to bring what to eat.  I have been trying to make my contributions healthier, but I will admit to a new weakness....guacamole.  I had it for the first time a couple of weeks ago when my boss (aka my secret crush!) took Brandi and I out for Mexican food.  Right after that, my sister made some from scratch that I just couldn't get enough of.  Okay, I'm off track again.  See what happens when I talk about food! lol! My point is, I think, that I don't want my kids to continue associating food with my mom.  I want them to remember spending time with family, and the memories they are making with my mom, not the food we eat when we are there.  I want them to enjoy food, but not be as obsessed with it as I was, and still kind of am.  I need to set a better example.

So, why is talking about food related to why being super fat sucked? I'll tell you.  Instead of remembering playing poker with my mom's parents once my parents moved down south and they were the only family left in New York with my sister and I, the first thing I think about when I think about them is olives.  My food obsession robs me of the better memories.  And that's what it is...an obsession.  And that obsession led to my being super fat.  Which sucked.