i just have to speak a bit about my twitter-trainer @RippedCord made earlier about me eating a low cal, high fiber bar while my sons ate  mcD’s for breakfast this morning. (i’m currently on a brief 1800 cal, high cardio training plan to slim up an area that’s a lil outta control…)

nice good choice but #fail

don’t take your kids mcdonalds. get themselves started on healthy choices now.

i don’t believe my actions  of them eating at McD’s were a #fail (sorry for the twitter hashtag; habit). first, i explained that my kids are older and that any time you can get your two sons together in one place for a meal out, you pretty much pick what they want. and they do NOT want stone cut oats, egg whites, and a side of fruit. LOL

but really what i wanted to comment about—which started out as a conversation that would go over 100 separate tweets then expanded into a tweetlonger rant and then i was like *duh* BLOG!—is how i feel a LOT of America—including dieters—gets eating “healthy” (or healthfully) wrong.

i believe it’s really all about lifestyle–don’t you?

i, like many of you, have tried to train my children (mine are now 16 and 19 and my sons by marriage are 22 and 15) to enjoy food in moderation, make healthy choices, indulge in moderation, and enjoy their lives. i haven’t always modeled that perfectly (as i haven’t always modeled how to control one’s temper or save that newly acquired twenty instead of  spending it right away) but they’ll probably admit that i’ve taught them some good basics. along the same lines, i hope they’ve seen that although i drink (a taboo for many), i [generally] always drink in moderation. and whether this is modeled for them or not, a lot of teenagers do not control their drinking.

when mine were little, they each picked a green veggie of their choice that they would eat; but today, they never touch anything green except grilled asparagus (maybe) and artichokes…or a salad maybe now and then. they’re all  lean (thanks in large part to genetics and brilliant metabolism NOT ideal diets), physically fit and active. despite providing fairly healthy meals & choices (they gripe about the reduced fat cheese-its: “dadddd! they don’t taste the same!!” but they no longer gripe about no sodas in the house; i only buy milk and 100% juice.) and modeling what a good eating plan is, they still eat like crap, love kid cereal and taquitos, and other delights from the Junk Food category on the food pyramid. i remind them that the freedom of eating like they do will likely not always work for them.

and despite having never smoked myself, my older son has been smoking for about 4 years and has tried to quit more than once. (i hope the reminder of my bio-mom who died of lung cancer 3 months after she was diagnosed and she’d never smoked lingers constantly in the back of his mind.)  his diet is the same as most of the people his age: whatever’s quick, at hand, and free at home. the younger son doesn’t eat all that healthy (altho he loves a good salad) but rarely ever drinks sodas–his choice. he also swears he will never smoke (cigs or pot) and yet no one appreciates a good McGriddle like he does.

Note: The McGriddle is THE most perfect fast food breakfast sandwich ever created. #justsayin

the thing i think a lot of us miss when we’re trying to get our weight under control or shape our bodies is that we should still be able to enjoy the good things in life–in moderation. (that’s what i liked so much about Body for Life–6 days on and 1 day to get your fix, which, after about 4 weeks, you no longer really wanted to overindulge on your day off.)

and sometimes you just can’t make a healthy choice. sometimes you have to grab fast food. and sometimes d*mmit you just want the large order of Chick-Fil-A waffle fries or a piece of deep-dish, cheese-stuffed crust pizza.

WITH extra ranch.

so if you’re diet (eating plan) isn’t 100% perfect, will you still be able to look like a Aussie Bum model? Doubtful. (And besides, how many of us have the right genetics for it anyway?) but you might just enjoy your healthful lifestyle a bit more if you indulge every now and then. And doing so doesn’t make you a #fail.