Losing It: Why’s It Gotta Be White Food?

Look at all those good lookin' Gleeks

Until my kids each turned one year old, they ate just about anything I offered them. Fruits, veggies, sauces, game meats. (I kid. Jews don’t eat game.) Since turning one, their food repertoire has included: mac and cheese, PB&J, plain pasta, grilled cheese and several other mostly-white foods. My son will at least try new things every once in a while, but my daughter … the worst.

I, of course, blame myself for their lack of food-adventurousness. I should have done what all of the annoyingly-good-at-everything mothers have done since the dawn of time and fed them exactly what my husband and I were eating. I believe I attempted this with my daughter for a bit and eventually gave up because starving my kids to prove a point isn’t really my personality. My giving in at this juncture turned my daughter into a very small, highchair-bound food dictator, to whom I am subservient to this very day. She now has a partner-in-crime—her brother—and the two of them order me around from a small plastic picnic table in the middle of our kitchen. It’s working out really well for all involved.

Okay, so maybe it’s really not as bad as I’m making it seem, but there are times when I can’t even get these kids to eat chicken nuggets. What kid doesn’t love chicken nuggets?!? It’s like my kids are tiny unwitting vegetarians (I was an accidental vegetarian for about 12 hours once and I have never been so hungry in my life. How do you people survive?!). So when those little bits of fried chicken loveliness are left on the plate at the end of a meal, it’s all I can do not to scarf them down because, really, I just cannot condone waste in this economy. That, and I am gross.

I am happy to report, however, that in my quest for weight loss I have given up this nasty little mommy habit by passing leftovers along to my lucky dog, Rodney. Soon Rodney will have to write his own weight-loss blog and for those of you who are lucky enough to know him, you know that he will kill it because he is hilarious!

So other than making my dog fat, I’m trying to figure out a way to reconcile my newfound healthy eating habits with those of my kids. I know, I know: It takes 10 to 12 exposures before a child will try something new. Or whatever that statistic is. Thanks, Doctor Spock, but I don’t have the time or the energy to sit through a meal of screaming while I tell my kids the only things I can offer them are curried shrimp or baba ghanoush. (In fairness, my son loves dipping veggies into hummus, a fact that almost made me fall off my chair since my daughter runs out of the room when she even sees me reaching for the Bobbi’s. By the way, have you all tried their black bean hummus? Mouthgasmic.)

So for now I think I’ll keep my kids on the charts by feeding them what I know they’re going to eat and offering them new, healthy foods when I remember to. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for Rodney’s new weight loss blog: “My Mom Made Me Fat, And Other Tales From An Overweight Pit Bull.”

What I Did This Week
Let me just say this: If every exercise class was like Philly Dance Fitness’ Gleekercise, I would be a very fit individual. Not only did I get my sweat on, I got to sing while doing it without feeling like a complete a-hole.

This class was full of other Gleeks (probably former high school choir and musical peeps like myself) looking for a way to burn some calories while actually enjoying themselves. Instructors Deborah and Alicia had us doing everything from country line dancing, to hip hop, to a big Broadway-style finale, all in the name of fitness and fun. I found myself turning to my friend Rachel after each song and saying things like “this is the best class EVER” and “did you see me? I am the most amazing dancer right now.” And it was, and I was.

I wish that Gleekercise was a weekly class, but it’s a special one they only offer every once in a while (much like their Lady Gaga class that I was sad to have missed). But they have some other amazing classes on their roster (strip tease, anyone?) and a new studio in the works, and I can’t wait to visit them again!

Next up: My intense fear of the high school physical fitness test, and bootcamp!

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Robin Raskin blogs about her weight loss journey every Thursday on Be Well Philly. Catch up on the series here, and follow her on Twitter at @RobinRaskin.