How'd I Get So Fat?

     There have been many contributing factors to my current weight.  Basically everything.  If it can make you fat check the box for me.  Genetics, inherited slow metabolism, constant fasting, having three BIG babies, emotional eater, husband works a lot, elastic waist pants, wasn't really taught proper nutrition, listening to the wrong people, boredom, the food pyramid has been wrong 95% of my life, Cookie Monster, not feeling worthy enough, depression, oh... and um, tiramisu tastes better than an egg white omelet.  A perfect storm, if you will, to be enormous.

     I wasn't that huge in high school now that I can look back on it.  My family and fellow classmates made me feel bigger than I was and since size 16 was hard to find at retail stores I reasoned I must have been huge.  So I ate like I was huge and was tormented because of it.  Here's what I learned in high school...being 50 pounds overweight made me less than human and entitled to ridicule.  What's a cure for ridicule?  Cookie dough!  Hurray for those comfort carbs....ah sweet serotonin.  I will do your evil bidding.
     As my grandfather once told me, "You carry it well."  I did and probably still do.  I was tall back then as well as now.  At 5' 9ish I biked, played softball, studied dance (in secret with my then best friend).  I just listened to the wrong people.  Who doesn't make that mistake?   

     In college I was with completely different people at a pretty hardcore Catholic college and the scale needle dipped down a little bit.  The students were awesome people and I was happy for the first time in ages but we were always fasting for some reason or another.  “Hey, we’re fasting for world peace or Mr. Smith who has cancer.”  That, more than likely killed any metabolism I had left.  Around this time I was around 195 lbs.  I walked a lot, biked and exercised.  After college when I wasn’t walking all over for classes I got up to 280 and then managed to get down to 200 lbs. for my wedding. Thank God I'm tall. BMI was 28.69 and I was just overweight.

     My life now is post baby body. My husband works a lot so I’m mostly eating what the kids eat (the kids with the super fast metabolism from my husband's side) chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, juice and Ramen. When hubby knows I've had a hard day he'll come home bearing gifts of beer batter dipped mushrooms, hot chocolate, Cherry Garcia or Take 5's.  It's almost like sacrificial offering so I don't explode on him.   "I know I worked late and the kids drove you crazy for 4 hours but I bring you offerings of Twizzlers and Cape Cod potato chips so you will not yell at me."  Bah!  So there you have it.  Genetics, a victim of circumstance, poor decisions, and no will power.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming anyone I just want you to know that I do know how I got here.