How to influence your family

[clevermanka]

I was feeling all hot shit about the Whole9 folks posting my carnitas recipe, so I sent the Steal This Meal URL to my parents with a "Look your daughter is internet famous now aren't you so proud" email. Last night, Daddy called me to ask "So tell me how I can eat like you do."

Holy crap. My dad might go Paleo.

My dad has gained and lost and gained (more) and lost and gained (more) weight my whole life. I've watched him get fatter and fatter (and tired, and unhealthy) with something like panic but I try not to think about it because I want my dad to live forever and thinking about him dying from something as stupid as obesity-related illness is simply not in my mental vocabulary.

I talked with him for about fifteen minutes last night and another twenty minutes this morning about advantages, pitfalls, ways to navigate restaurant menus, etc. while eating Paleo. I sent him and Mommy a ton of links for resources and recipes.

Mommy has been tentatively approaching the issue of my food choices (little emails like "what do you eat for breakfast?"), but she's slow to adopt something new, and has a tendency to focus on the difficulties and challenges of any endeavor. I hope that she'll see Daddy's success and choose to get on board. While she doesn't have any weight to lose (she weighs twenty pounds less than I do!), she has multiple health problems and food intolerances that I'm almost certain could be eliminated by ditching her current eating habits.

I am crossing every appendage I have in the hopes that they give this an honest try and that they see equally dramatic results as I've seen in my own body. It makes me feel so happy to think that they could be on a path that could help them live an extra ten or fifteen years. Plus, this will make eating with them when I visit so much easier. =D

Comments

[adammaker.livejournal.com]

This is excellent, and I"m hoping to *wow* my parental-units with my physical appearance at thanksgiving to nudge them in this direction.

My dad is already similarly impressed with my progress, and genetically speaking, "Dad, if this works on me, it will work on you... Science says so!"

I'm planning on hitting them with the success photo pages from both whole9 and MDA.
this is the one I know off the top of my head.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-book/success-stories/

Pictures are powerful that way.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Good luck encouraging your family!

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Oh. My. That is HUGE and I hope along with you that they take it sincerely and utilize the critical tools you're helping them to find.

Having lost both my parents at *way* too young an age for their generic make-up, I grok fully how critical it is for them to make this decision NOW. Hell, critical for me as well so I don't follow in their footsteps.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Fingers crossed that it works for them!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

If it works half as well for them as it has for me...

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

That would be good. Maybe they will find it to their liking!

My first father in law watched me do weight watchers, and finally said "if she can do it, I can do it," He lost his extra pounds and never looked back. For a male of his family, he lived a good long time until pneumonia with only a partial right lung killed him.

At least it wasn't a heart attack like everyone else in his line.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Er. Congratulations? =/

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

Oh, I eventually gained it all back plus bonus poundage. Losing weight is like that, and almost for everyone. I had a friend who stayed slim until she contracted brain cancer -- and she put on every pound plus before the cancer killed her. You have to die from something -- or at least I plan to.

[hippie-mamabear.livejournal.com]

Woohoo! Sounds like you're making an impression, even if they don't go all-out with it.

My parents are curious about what i'm doing (they've watched me lose 30 lbs! What better proof can i give them?), and seem to understand the science behind it as i've explained, but they are seriously stubborn people. My mom cooks from a box. They'll probably never change their habits. But at least they are aware. I'm hoping that once we move to a decent place and start having them over (instead of always going to their place for meals and compromising on the whole diet thing for a day out of each week), they'll see firsthand that the food isn't so weird.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you're making an impression

I think of it as talking softly and carrying a big steak. =D

Good luck with your own efforts on the Primal thing, and best wishes in influence your own family.

[adammaker.livejournal.com]

I love you and your big steak!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

That's what she said!

[stuology.livejournal.com]

That's awesome!

I almost have Charity convinced. She lost over 100 lbs using South Beach, which is really similar. She's been gaining weight back again and watching what I've been doing. She's just having problems getting started, which a lot of people often have. Including myself.

We had a birthday party yesterday, and I had a birthday banana instead of a piece of chocolate birthday cake, and it really didn't bother me. I didn't even have a "well, just this once for a special occasion" thought.

Now, if I could just convince the rest of my overweight family members.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Best of luck convincing Charity to give it a try. Maybe once you get one other person on board, it'll have a domino effect.

THIS is the weekend

[pms-inc.livejournal.com]

that I'm going into hunter/gatherer mode and preparing my kitchen/menus and going shopping. I'm taking before photos, and recording preliminary measurements and a starting wt. I'm going to keep a "moods and cravings diary" to see what happens.

The cravings reduction is REALLY what I'm excited/curious about. I have super hero strength cravings.

Posting photos is a consideration, but will wait until I have the results photos in which to compare to the preliminary photos.

Will keep you posted. Thx again for this.

Re: THIS is the weekend

[pms-inc.livejournal.com]

And a hearty congratulations to both you and your Dad. When all is said and done I wonder how many people you will have led on this journey...

Re: THIS is the weekend

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Please do keep me posted. If you don't feel like talking about it in public space, you have my email!!!!

Go, you!