Over at Cranky Fitness, Merry pose the question of why do people get so emotional about diets. I think people get so emotional about their diets because they are emotional about either their or someone else’s weight. The entire spectrum of human emotions can be associated with weight in our culture. You can be jealous, disappointed, frustrated, angry, happy, etc either about your own weight or someone else’s weight.
A hundred years ago, the primary concern with weight is rather you are well fed and disease free. Now diet is a dirty four letter word. It changed from what you can eat that will not kill outright to what you cannot eat to keep your hips pubescent.
In my family of three girls, I have to say that each of us is approximately 5 pounds heavier than we would like. None of us are overweight. And yet, my dad seems to have an issue with our weight because we are not as slender as the typical Chinese woman. I know that his disappointment with his daughters’ weight is based upon his own fears that he is getting heavier as he aged. He is frustrated with himself. It has nothing to do with his girls. But it sure does not make it any easier.
But everything is relative. Like my friend, Nina, said, she loves being around Caucasian women because she looks so small in comparison. And I do not like being around my in-laws because I am a giant at 5’2” among the 4’8” Vietnamese women.
So is the moral of the story to surround yourself with people that are heavier than you? Denial is a river in Egypt. (Get it? The Nile?) It has no place in your life if you want to own your life.
My mom always says that “no matter how pretty you are – there will always be someone prettier and someone uglier. No matter how thin you are – there will always be someone thinner and someone fatter. Just be glad that you are not cold and hungry when you go to bed at night.” I always hated it when she said that to me in my youth whenever I complain about my looks during my teens. I am slowly starting to understand the wisdom in those words. And maybe, just maybe, someday I might be able to feel the self-confidence I fake so well when I am among my in-laws.
Until next time and thanks for stopping by Small Steps to Health.
Like what you are reading? How about subscribing? It's free!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Good article. One of the facts of life is that there always will be someone better than you in whatever you are trying to achieve whether it be looks, weight, intelligence, fitness or anything else. I find the best way is to not compare yourself to other people but compare yourself now to yourself 6 months ago. Have you got thinner, fitter or learnt something you were trying to master?
If you do this you are much more likely to be happy with your achievements instead of being angry, dissapointed, jealous and frustrated.
Tom Parker – Free Fitness Tipss last blog post……Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) Explained
My boyfriends family is phillipino and while they are all slim, they stuff everyone who walks through the door with food, because to them, it means they can provide. its how they show love. before they came to the states, there just wasnt any food- and now that they can afford it, they like to share.
its not the healthiest food, by any stretch of the imagination, but its something that they want to share with others: which i think is a very healthy outlook.
Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com
Grounded Fitnesss last blog post……Guest Post: Sexual Politics at the Gym
@Tom Parker – Free Fitness Tips – I think most people can find much joy in their lives if they take the time to look. I cannot imagine comparing my future 40 year old body to my body now. Hopefully, I will be stronger and healthier, but if not, at least I had that once. Thanks for the comment.
@Grounded Fitness – Yeah, that is an Asian thing. My parents do the exact same thing. My parents grew up really poor in China, so being able to feed their family is always a big thing for them. My mom would be telling us girls to try to keep our figures while dropping 3 eggrolls on our plates. What conflicting messages! Thanks for the comment Kelly.