Balance

One of those things that can annoy the living daylights out of people is when the person who has quit <insert vice here> all of the sudden thinks they're the expert and tries to "help" others with the same problem.

I've recently noticed that I have become the person that watches what others eat.  Odd thing is that I seem to be focusing on people that I know have had gastric bypass surgery as well as on my family members.  I couldn't tell you what my friends ate at lunch on Thursday ...well, except the one who needs (for medical reasons) to watch her sodium intake.  But I really didn't even "police" her food.  However, if I see a co-worker that had surgery, I look to see what they're eating.  Is it healthy?  Is it the right quantity for how far out post-op they are?  Does it meet "my" guidelines?  And since I still want to be open, honest and transparent here, I must admit that I sometimes realize that I'm being judgmental of their decisions.  Thoughts like, "Oh my gosh!  Are you kidding me?  That is soooooooo not appropriate to be eating at x months out." or "Oh my!  I don't think s/he should be eating that.  It's got WAY too many sugars." or even "Wow.  No way will I eat that when my body adapts and there's not as much of a chance to get sick..."  Same when I hear someone say "I don't dump."  What?!  How do you know you don't dump?  Have you intentionally tried to get sick by eating too many sugars?  Who on earth would do that??  WHY would you do that?  

Here's the deal.  I have struggled for so long that I truly want to help others be healthier. I want them to experience days of not feeling the burden of the excess weight.  I want them to take care of their bodies. I want them to enjoy life and see food as I'm seeing it for the first time - as a necessary ingredient to live - like manna was for Moses and the Israelites.  Don't confuse that statement by thinking that I don't want food to be enjoyed or tasty.  That's not what I'm saying at all.  I'm saying I want it to be treated as how it was intended - for survival, nothing more.  

So I have become "that" person.  The one who tries to talk her relative out of purchasing something that wouldn't be suited well for diabetics.  I've been the mom who has to talk to her growing 13 year old son about what's healthy snacking and how the habits he's forming now will follow (and possibly haunt) him as an adult.  I've been the mom who is really trying to get her children to eat proper portions of healthy foods.  It's a struggle some days.  I want the kids to know that sometimes a snack is okay; eating 5 chocolate coconut chewy bars in 2 days is not okay and that a serving of orange juice is not a 20 ounce glass.  The whole "Eat This Not That" burden seems heavy for me some days.  I know it's not my role for everyone in my life, but I do feel some sense of duty to at least try to teach my family.  

The intention is good, but I really need to find a good balance between educating others and being a food Nazi.  
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"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14