Observations: How did we get here?

Do you ever wonder how you got to the weight that sent you to a surgeon's office?

I'm 52, and nutrition facts today aren't what they were when I was a kid. My grandmother knew back then that food was "fuel" for our bodies; she advocated Breakfast as the important meal of the day. But "fuel" meant whatever kept you going - high calories, high fat, whatever hit the spot; as long as it wasn't a true "dessert," it was all "nutrition."

So I remember white bread with mayonnaise and American cheese. Or just a mayonnaise sandwich (good ol' Duke's mayo on white bread) or relish sandwich (again, Duke's sandwish relish on white bread). I remember being given a sliced apple for a snack, with a bowl of sugar to dip each slice in! Cereal was cereal. It was a breakfast food and therefore "healthy." No matter how much sugar or how few Vitamins or Fiber each bowl had, it had to be good for you, right? It was "food." And that whole milk poured on top (with an extra spoon or so of sugar) - well it was MILK, wasn't it? We ALL know how healthy milk is for you! There were always lots of vegetables, but coated with butter or - even better - fried (okra, potatoes, squash)!!

Grandma was always busy, helping raise younger brothers and sisters, then her own kids, then pitching in for us grandkids... she never had a weight problem (she got to about 120 late in life, and complained about feeling "bloated" all the time!). As she got older, being an avid reader, she became more aware of what nutrition really meant. Having helped raise us all, though, and on a limited budget - my grandad was the sole breadwinner, and there were always a bunch of us around - a mayonnaise sandwich was, 40 years ago, a decent snack. We were never hungry, and that was the main goal.

Do we even need to discuss the "clean your plate, there are hungry children in <fill in country> who would love to have that food"?? I was a good little plate cleaner! :thumbup:

Oh, and one more thing. I was a skinny little thing until I hit 2nd grade and had my tonsils out. My school pictures between 2nd and 3rd grade look like two different little girls: skinny little 2nd grader with thin arms and clavicles showing (that's actually a goal of mine now - to see my clavicles again!), to the 3rd grader - a chunky thing with a round face and nary a bone visible anywhere! A cousin my age was the cheerleader type in school, got her tonsils out a year or so after high school graduation, and the weight started piling on. I actually told my dietitian my "tonsillectomy made me fat" theory, and she said it's surprising how many people have said that same thing! So if you have your tonsils, KEEP THEM!!

So... how did YOU get here?