The devil made me do it? Not so much

Here's a recent Google news item: Obesity facing the faithful, wherein the writer cites a Purdue University researcher who has found that church socials and Sunday morning coffee hours [not to mention "religious media resources"] are making people fat.

Wonder what would Church Lady would say about that?

These 'news' stories are simply looking for excuses or pointing fingers. Nearly all of the ones I read – and believe me, I don't read all of them – end up suggesting that fat people need to move more and eat less.

Duh. Nothing new about that.

I would add that learning what to eat is pretty important. If you now eat six energy bars a day, in addition to three squares, reducing that number to three will only help if you're creating a calorie deficit. The important thing about learning what to eat is that the right foods – for me these are fiber-rich, good-quality carbs, like vegetables and fruit, and limited amounts of low-fat protein – will delay hunger and provide sufficient energy.

Yesterday was a not-so-good day for the Shrinking Knitter. She will probably not be shrinking much this week. [Note to self: Next time you want to eat an off-program meal, do it on the day after you weigh-in, not the day before.]

I fell into the food-as-reward trap after a long, hot day in the sun. Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I are active in a particular political cause, and went to a rally which I thought was going to last from 2 to 4 p.m. It ended up lasting twice that long, in 90-degree heat with no shade. Not even much of a breeze. Add to that the four-hour round-trip drive [made very enjoyable by the new Bob Dylan CD], and by the time we stopped for dinner, my will to eat wisely was completely gone.

The menu included healthful choices – doesn't every restaurant offer a grilled chicken salad these days? – but I went straight to the breakfast-for-dinner items and had an omelette. Real eggs. With real cheese. And hash browns. And biscuits! Carb heaven, I tell you.

I haven't fallen off the wagon, of course. One poorly chosen meal does not break one's resolve, or at least it doesn't break mine. Mr. Shrinking Knitter was trying to encourage me by saying at least I was standing all day, instead of sitting in front of the computer. And we marched, too, about two miles altogether. [I can't believe I was in a protest march ... me! At my age!]

I downloaded a new dj steveboy Podrunner mix while I was gone yesterday, so at least there will be something interesting to listen to while I walk this morning.

Back on track? Amen!