I am subscribed to several online newsletters and today I received one where the author talked about a situation where he was dining at a restaurant.
At the table next to him was a family. The mother, the father and their two children.
The father was morbidly obese and his stomach almost touched the floor, it was sagging so far.
The author talked about how he and his friends stared in disbelief as this man consumed a huge burger, greasy fries and at least 4 sodas.
I see this kind of thing all the time, but what the author had to say after he talked about what he saw is something you should consider.
He talked about how when he was young his father would throw a ball with him, or run around or even just go for a walk with him. These were pleasant memories for him.
I remember my father playing with my brothers and sister and I, giving us rides on his back, running around the yard and going for bike rides with us.
These are wonderful memories I will cherish forever.
But what about the children of the obese man? Unless he makes some drastic changes in his life, his children will never have memories like this. EVER. He could be dead tomorrow because he’s a walking heart attack. So consider his poor wife who would be left a widow too.
So is he being selfish by being so overweight?
Well, the author of the newsletter seems to think so and I kind of agree.
He had a choice of what to eat that day. He could have had something healthier – even most fast food outlets have healthier options these days, and who on earth could need FOUR sodas to wash down their lunch?? I just don’t get that!?
Genetics were not playing a part on this man’s weight – his habits obviously were. And because of his habits, his children will never experience the joy I experienced as a child. He couldn’t even walk properly, let alone run around the back yard!
If your weight is depriving your child of any part of you, then today is the day you need to take ownership of your problem and do something about it.
Most weight issues can be treated (in fact, statistics show that over 95% of weight problems are caused by bad eating and exercise habits), so you can do this.
Of course, there are emotional issues that need to be considered too, as I have found as a life coach. These can be treated too, as I have found with my clients.
If you have children, then do it for them if you can’t do it for yourself.
