Preaching to the Choir...

A friend of mine and I were talking on the phone the other day.. like we do every morning... and, of course, the subject came around to food.

The night before, I had made a boat load of fresh breadsticks, three kinds, and I gave her some to try.  She has 5 young sons, so I thought they might love to gnaw on them during the baseball game...

She loved them... and informed me she and her husband didn't share at all with the kids... LOL... they kept them all themselves...

I was happy she enjoyed them.  I'm starting yet another business, a meal delivery one, for busy moms and anyone that wants wholesome homemade food, with no guilt, and no talking into a box while in the car... and she and her family are my "taste testers".

She mentioned to me... that she admits that she sometimes makes the kids boxed dinners, or orders fast food for dinner... and she felt ashamed to say it.  While I am proud of her for feeling ashamed... I did too, when I did it... it got me wondering how I come across to people... I didn't want her to feel like I was ever going to judge her or think she was less of a Mother because she does it.  (We ALL have... it's a fact, no use lying about it.)

So I asked her... "Do I make you feel badly, or do you feel like I preach to you?"... she emphatically said "NO!... I learn from you and you are rubbing off on me, and I am starting to see that we can eat better, and the kids can eat with us, and I can make the rules... not the kids."  Thank God.  The last thing I want to do is alienate people. (however... I feel like... after a while if you know what you are making or buying isn't good, and you do it all the time anyway... then... in my mind... I'm probably gonna judge you... and feel sorry for your kids... just sayin')

Truth be told... I only talk about the way I eat or how my family now eats... when I am asked.. or when I blog on here... otherwise... I don't just blurt things out... HOWEVER... I can see, now... how choosing a healthier lifestyle can make others feel diminished or, you know what I mean... on the defensive... because of how I perceived her statement.

So this got me thinking... on how all of us... on our roads to healthier eating, better health, or weight loss, can help others feel comfortable in their own skin... without sounding preachy or "elevated".

Inevitably, if you've lost some weight, people will comment and ask how you've done it.  A great way to say it... without delving into a dissertation on every morsel of food, every calorie counted, and every step taken... a quick, concise sentence will do...
"Thank you so much for noticing... I feel really great... I just decided it was time to eat well all the time, and to take care of myself, so I can take better care of others" 
If that prompts a "what diet are you on?" question... instead of saying... "Oh DIEt is so WRONG... it's LIFESTYLE CHANGE..."
say instead... "Fresh fruits, fresh veggies, lean meats, large meal at lunch, fruit for dinner... that kind of thing."

You never know... he/she may want to know more... and you can either direct to this blog, or to the Let's Do Lunch book or website or start a great conversation of questions and answers...

In the beginning of ANY change in life... whether it be quitting smoking, eating better, becoming a Born Again Christian, kicking any bad habit... can be like a new world opening up.   One just wants to preach to the world that 'this' way is the best way... and EVERYONE should do it... and one starts to sound like a Chihuahua on crack... talking incessantly, overdoing it... pushing the ideas on anyone with an ear.  I am so guilty of it.

As time goes on... and it becomes more of how we live and breathe, and not so new anymore... it becomes easier to talk about without sounding like an insurance salesman that needs to meet his quota in 5 minutes... or the bonus is out.

I learned we have to love people into this way of eating.  It is important though... very important to spread better eating to the masses... our very lives depend on it, but there is a way of doing it that will get better results... than just talking... it's also walking the walk... actually DOING what we say needs to be done...

It's true...actions do speak louder than words... and if we model good eating habits... our children, grandchildren, friends, parents, acquaintences, everyone will live longer, better, more healthy lives...

Peace.