My Battle with my Bulge or A Better Way to Roll with the Rolls

"My battle with my bulge" by Tami Kiser (CatholicMom.com)

Ok!—I am owning up to my rolls. And I don’t mean my homemade cinnamon rolls (although they are related.) No, I am talking about my mid-section, my spare tire, my love handles—my extra fat! The part that looks like we are pregnant, yet our baby is over 5 years old now.

But in all seriousness—it really, really bothers me, to the point where I’m struggling with sins of vanity and pride.

We have an unhealthy obsession in this culture with diet. And I seem to be caught up with it. We have so many articles and plans and programs and promises for weight loss and a terribly unhealthy obsession with appearances—a very unhealthy, might I say “sinful” obsession.

We see ourselves and others through this lens of appearances. Do you obsess about how you look?

I know I do, and this is one area I need to change. As a dancer and speaker, I have extra pressure to look good, but even if I didn't have those roles, I think I'd still be overly concerned about it. And that extra stress that this causes in my life needs to go. I can’t feel guilty each time I eat a snack or stress about what I eat at every meal. There is a balance, and I can’t quite find it. I know that God loves me the way I am. I know that it’s what's inside that really matters. I so badly want this message to go to my children who are much more influenced by this constant-taking-pictures-of-myself-for-the-world society . . . I'm being a terrible role model for them.

Here is what I think as far as being overweight—and I’m talking about these extra pounds that come after having children and that come with age: Embrace it! This is a badge of motherhood. It is a badge of experience. It is a sign of, well, being a woman. Some of us are going to have more pounds on us than others. I’ve found when I returned to writing and spent many hours at a desk instead of chasing toddlers around, my mid-section began to grow. For some of us—let’s face it. It’s in our our genes—literally and figuratively. And although at the expense of sounding like a hypocrite here, I know how I need to live in regard to this. Here it goes—IGNORE IT! Don’t look at at. Just tuck it in your pants or let it hang out.

Instead of worrying about it, looking at it, whining about it, here’s a better way to approach it: Concentrate on what we put into our body and how to reduce stress. Improvements in both of these areas will help us be healthier, happier, and yes, eliminate some of that fat. Do you know what stress does to your metabolism? More stress means, oftentimes, putting on more weight (and for most of us—grabbing for those chips and Dove chocolates.) This in turn, puts on more weight, and we have a vicious cycle. We’ve got to reduce our stress and just put healthy food into our bods.

Do what you can in this area, and then be at peace!

We all could probably do a better job controlling what we put into our bodies—not only will that reduce our spare tire, but it will also keep us healthy and feeling good. It will give us energy and fight disease. We will be better wives, parents, neighbors and friends.

[tweet "Simple summer resolutions for a healthy body by @catholicfc"]

So here are my simple summer resolutions. (And you thought resolutions were only for New Year's and Lent!)

I’m going to only eat something with sugar in it once a day—and it will be very small.
I’m going to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day.
Two out of three meals will not have any grains—only meats, vegetables, and fruit.
Only nuts and fruits and vegetables for snacks.
I'm not going to obsess about it!!!! If the donut around my waist decides to stay, so be it!