Before I begin, I think I should mention that I understand that terms like "skinny" and "fat" are politically incorrect terms. I should also mention that I don't care. It's easier to describe someone as "skinny" than it is to say "underweight". If this offends you, get over it and try to avoid sending me emails telling me how insensitive I am.
Sorry, but I received an email a few days ago telling me that I shouldn't use the word "fat" in my blog. Give me a break! I guess "fat" is like "the n-word" to some people and it offends them. Well, I have news for you. If Samuel L. Jackson can use "the n-word" whenever he wants, then I can use "fat" whenever I want. After all, I am fat.
Instead of "fat" should I say "f-word"? (Say Goodbye to F-Word Guy)
Oh wait, that's already being used by another word.
Anyway, sorry to the rest of you for that. Let's get to the point of this post.
I am an observer of people.
No, I don't sit in a tree with binoculars. I just like to observe how people do stuff.
A great example of this happened over 20 years ago when I was serving a mission in Santiago, Chile. I had the toughest time learning Spanish, especially the whole rolling the "R" thing. I could not do it without sounding like a misfiring machine gun. So I started to watch people talk. I would actually look at their mouths when they spoke to see how they held their mouths to get the "R" sound out.
Granted, it caused me to pick up the bad habit of looking at people's mouths when they speak, but at least I can now roll my "R".
Another thing I have observed throughout my life is the eating habits of skinny people.
Skinny people don't count calories, eat specific foods or limit their portions, yet they stay skinny.
I have a brother-in-law that is skinny, and he has been - unknowingly - the main model in what I know about the eating habits of skinny people.
First, he eats only when he's hungry. He doesn't follow a meal schedule, spacing out his meals every three hours. In fact, sometimes he even "forgets" to eat during the day! (Can you imagine that?)
He is not tied to a "food schedule". I still remember him eating a burrito - covered in cheese, sour cream and salsa - at 11:30 at night. He didn't worry about going to bed on a full stomach. He didn't worry about acid reflux. He was hungry and he ate.
After all, for him, food is there purely to survive. He doesn't understand the whole, "I had a stressful day so I'm going to devour an entire pizza" way of thinking. He doesn't count down the minutes until his next meal. He just eats when he is hungry.
That's not to say that he doesn't enjoy his food. In fact, that is the second thing I have noticed about him: He eats only the food he likes.
You will never see him inhaling a stale glazed donut, just because it's there and it shouldn't go to waste. (I'm guilty of that and I don't even really like glazed donuts.)
If he is going to eat something, he is going to make it worth it. After all, this may be his only meal today and it's not going to be wasted on food he hates.
Another thing I've noticed is that he will stop eating when he is no longer hungry or when the thing he is eating has curbed his craving. For example, he could open a small bag of Doritos and eat only a few chips and be happy. I, on the other hand, believe that once a bag of chips is opened, it would be a shame to leave any in there. (I have the same theory with Ben & Jerry's Phish Food.)
So what I have been trying to do is model my eating habits after his:
Sorry, but I received an email a few days ago telling me that I shouldn't use the word "fat" in my blog. Give me a break! I guess "fat" is like "the n-word" to some people and it offends them. Well, I have news for you. If Samuel L. Jackson can use "the n-word" whenever he wants, then I can use "fat" whenever I want. After all, I am fat.
Instead of "fat" should I say "f-word"? (Say Goodbye to F-Word Guy)
Oh wait, that's already being used by another word.
Anyway, sorry to the rest of you for that. Let's get to the point of this post.
I am an observer of people.
No, I don't sit in a tree with binoculars. I just like to observe how people do stuff.
A great example of this happened over 20 years ago when I was serving a mission in Santiago, Chile. I had the toughest time learning Spanish, especially the whole rolling the "R" thing. I could not do it without sounding like a misfiring machine gun. So I started to watch people talk. I would actually look at their mouths when they spoke to see how they held their mouths to get the "R" sound out.
Granted, it caused me to pick up the bad habit of looking at people's mouths when they speak, but at least I can now roll my "R".
Another thing I have observed throughout my life is the eating habits of skinny people.
Skinny people don't count calories, eat specific foods or limit their portions, yet they stay skinny.
I have a brother-in-law that is skinny, and he has been - unknowingly - the main model in what I know about the eating habits of skinny people.
First, he eats only when he's hungry. He doesn't follow a meal schedule, spacing out his meals every three hours. In fact, sometimes he even "forgets" to eat during the day! (Can you imagine that?)
He is not tied to a "food schedule". I still remember him eating a burrito - covered in cheese, sour cream and salsa - at 11:30 at night. He didn't worry about going to bed on a full stomach. He didn't worry about acid reflux. He was hungry and he ate.
After all, for him, food is there purely to survive. He doesn't understand the whole, "I had a stressful day so I'm going to devour an entire pizza" way of thinking. He doesn't count down the minutes until his next meal. He just eats when he is hungry.
That's not to say that he doesn't enjoy his food. In fact, that is the second thing I have noticed about him: He eats only the food he likes.
You will never see him inhaling a stale glazed donut, just because it's there and it shouldn't go to waste. (I'm guilty of that and I don't even really like glazed donuts.)
If he is going to eat something, he is going to make it worth it. After all, this may be his only meal today and it's not going to be wasted on food he hates.
Another thing I've noticed is that he will stop eating when he is no longer hungry or when the thing he is eating has curbed his craving. For example, he could open a small bag of Doritos and eat only a few chips and be happy. I, on the other hand, believe that once a bag of chips is opened, it would be a shame to leave any in there. (I have the same theory with Ben & Jerry's Phish Food.)
So what I have been trying to do is model my eating habits after his:
- Eat only when I'm hungry
- Eat only food that I like
- Stop eating when I am no longer hungry or once the craving is no longer there
I still have a lot of work in each area to do, but it's becoming easier every day.
hahaha! I am also shocked by how much emotional stuff people have with the word fat...I use it, too. I am proud of your progress! keep it up!
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