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Did America turn me into a fatty? Let’s see.
As I have mentioned in my first blog, Peanut Butter for your Soul, I am a Russian emigrant. Before moving to the city and becoming an Americanized size 10 woman I used to be a 120lb size 4 country student. 3 months after I set my foot in the land of the free, I realized I was getting BIG! I got 140lbs. And it wasn’t because I simply started eating American food, although a lot of people are claiming that it’s rich in hormones, and that even a salad in this country can make you pack up lbs! No, as much as I would like to use that excuse, I gained weight the old-fashioned way – by eating high calorie, high fat food.
Yes, yes – chocolate cakes, crème brulees, and of course Starbucks large mocha frappuccinos with caramel and chocolate sauce – almost every day!
There were a few reasons why I went on an eating spree.
1. I never acquired healthy eating habits.
From early childhood I had consistent overeating problems. By constantly eating fried, baked, heavy Russian food I developed gastritis in the 5th grade. Moreover, I believe that overeating runs not only in our family, but in the Russian culture itself. My mom never really made any serious efforts to stop me from gorging myself, just because she didn’t know any better. She is a victim of a poor diet herself, and now by age 57 she is facing restrictions to maintain and restore her health. She has varicose veins, high blood pressure, and probably other things I am not aware of. And having mentioned that overeating runs in the Russian culture, I must say that every celebration is accompanied with tons of heavy food – potato salads drowning mayo, meat, pot pies, cakes, bread (by the way, we eat bread with everything), and all kinds of snacks, well you get the idea. I remember the constant feeling of being bloated after such hearty meals.
Not everything of course was bad about our diet back home. My parents live in the country. They have their own lot of land by the house, so we have always had access to fresh fruit, berries, and vegetables. Also we could always buy fresh dairy, and meat. That was really amazing, cheap and convenient.
But you are probably wondering why I was still 120lbs while on this cruel diet. Well, I have always been fairly active, and besides when you are a student you are never fat, that’s just due to the life style. On top of that I couldn’t afford a lot of sweets. Although I craved them all the time. My sister would give me chocolate candy for my Birthday, that’s how much I loved them!
2. Cravings!
So, consequently, as soon as I moved to the US, and started making my own money, I couldn’t stop myself from satisfying the hunger for chocolate! And that is the 2nd reason why I started gaining weight at the speed of light. And I don’t need to tell you that extra weight came with its best friend – cellulite! It’s funny to mention that my older American friends were saying that I was “becoming a woman”. For me that kind of womanhood had a grim perspective.
3. I was depressed!
Yes I was. It is hard to be alone in a foreign country, in a big city like New York. I had hard time finding and holding a job. I felt a like a victim most of the time. So every time I felt like life wasn’t treating me fairly, I would buy a big slice of chocolate cake. And most of the time I would eat when I wasn’t even hungry. That was my way to deal with stress.
Because of this terrible diet I started having a lot of pain in my wrist and especially knee joints. It took me almost a year to figure out how to get rid of it, and I eventually by detoxifying myself. I will about it at length in my future blogs.
4. No consistent exercise.
Not being able to afford a gym membership I couldn’t exercise. And when you eat more than 2,000 calories a day and don’t burn them, guess what’s going to happen to your body.
So after analyzing all this I came to the conclusion that not America made me fat, I made me fat! It could have happened in any other country of the world. It is because I had no idea how to eat right, couldn’t fight my cravings (and it is not that easy when you don’t get all the necessary nutrients and vitamins), and could not properly work out I my formerly fit and hot body turned into a big not so hot one!
My personal advice to everyone – if you have weight problems – analyze why you eat so much. Most of it is MENTAL. And if you don’t eat right, don’t drink enough water, you will have tons of cravings. I also need to quickly mention that so many foods are addictive, you will be surprised! Sugar, white bread, coffee and so on. They literally drain your body of energy, and the more you eat of them, the more you want.
Once I figured it all out it became so much easier for me to control my eating. I no longer gorge myself with sweets, and I work out consistently to lose about 15lbs and tone up. I am a lot healthier, fitter and happier!
If you are presently struggling with your weight I wish you good luck, and hope that my own experience is going to help you!
Cheers, friends!
