Articles

There’s no butt about it: I used to be fat

By Steve Baldwin, MS, RD
August 2008

I really don’t like using the word “fat” to describe anyone’s body. Maybe portly or chunky is nicer. But because it’s me we’re talking about, I need to be brutally honest. As a teenager, I had the physique of a 50-year-old couch potato with a daily fast food habit. At just less than 250 pounds, my flabby body was softer than a baby’s…well, you know.

Being an overweight teen was about as fun as a root canal, but there were advantages. People had no problem offering me second and third portions of food; I had no problem eating them. My idea of a balanced meal was a fry with every bite. My friends and family eagerly joined in, though it didn’t seem to affect them they way it did me.

I was, as one of my classmates once shared, everybody’s “Fat Friend”.

Food was comforting to me, and in a strange, mixed-up sort of way I used it to shield myself from dealing with my body weight. After all, everybody has to eat, right? So what if the spare tire around my waist could support a John Deere?

Everything changed the summer before my senior year in high school. I was shopping for new school clothes, looking at larger and larger sizes and wondering if Levis 501’s come in “immense”, when a thought arose from the depths of my conscience: You are not going to live very long at this rate.

That was the day I began to make small but significant changes in my lifestyle. That was the day I took control.

What changes did I make? Exercise, fruits, and vegetables – in that order. I began to exercise nearly an hour on most days. I walked, played basketball, rode my bike – all activities that I loved to do, so it didn’t seem like “work” to me. I added fruits and vegetables into my diet – a few at first and then more, until I got to the point where if I didn’t have a fruit or vegetable with my meal, I didn’t feel like the meal was complete. I would snack on oranges or apples at night, instead of cookies or ice cream.

A key factor for me was that I made these changes slowly, over several months. I wasn’t an overnight success, but the changes I made took hold. I’ve maintained a healthy weight ever since…nearly 25 years and counting. Yet every day presents challenges, and it’s something I continue to work on.

Thankfully there have been some environmental improvements along the way. Good nutrition has become…well, trendy. Restaurants are offering more healthful choices; shoppers are more aware of whole grains, phytonutrients, and portion sizes. Legislators are getting in the game, proposing laws that limit the availability of obesegenic foods in schools and getting rid of Trans fat. There are television shows (some good, some awful, some downright scary) about food, nutrition, healthy eating, and weight loss.

But old habits die hard for most Americans. No less than 66% of adults in the U.S. are overweight; 1 in 5 of our children are in the same boat. Many diseases – including heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancer – are related to poor eating habits and unhealthy body weight. Families that lack the information they need may end up dealing with health problems that are ultimately preventable.

That’s why I’m thrilled to be working with Western Growers, an organization that has promoted some of the most nutritious foods on earth for more than 80 years. In the coming months, it’s my goal to help you take the pressure off and understand that individual foods are not as important as your overall diet. I’ll share my thoughts about what good nutrition means, and how to eat a healthful diet while enjoying the foods you think are off limits. I’ll outline the foods that protect your body, the diets that support learning and athletic achievement, and the best ways to help your children grow into independent, confident, healthful, and most importantly, relaxed eaters.

Eating well, exercising, and maintaining my health have been a huge focus in my life for two and a half decades. I can’t say that I’ve always been perfect. But thankfully, mercifully, it’s not about achieving perfection. It’s about living a lifestyle that your body will thank you for in the long run.

Steve Baldwin directs the Network for a Healthy California at the Hawthorne School District and is a part-time lecturer at California State University, Long Beach. He lives in Long Beach with his wife, three children, and one dog.
Steve can be reached at wordstoeatby@yahoo.com.