#499: When Did We Become Fat?

Some dates and days are stamped indelibly in our minds -- when we got married, the birth of children, the dates our relatives passed on , perhaps when U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated or when the Berlin wall came down .

But more important than those and other monumental events in our lives is one date that dogs us to this day and may have for our entire lives. So let me ask:

When did we get fat? When did we become overweight and then obese

It is little wonder we can not recall a specific date because weight creeps up on us without warning until one day as a child we endure slurs from other kids who call us fatty or worse. Then comes the day we can't buckle our slacks or zip up a dress followed by what may be the ultimate insult -- seeing a picture of ourselves. Yes, mirrors show us who we are but they do not put it as succinctly as a picture that we are fat.

We can't date when we first overate, again and again for a week or a month or a year. Nor can we count the number of pizzas , Big Macs , Whoppers, extra pieces of cake or ice cream we consumed as we aged.

But then, one day, however it happens, we realize we are fat.

Like an alcoholic or drug abuser, it takes such an eye-opening revelation to slap us in the face and awaken us to our plight, to make us fully aware that we carry around too much weight.

We develop diabetes, have heart attacks, become winded walking up a flight of stairs, if we're able to even do so. We have trouble bending over to put on socks and shoes. Getting in and out of a bathtub becomes near impossible. We feel ashamed when our children or grand-kids ask us to get down on the floor and play with them because we're too embarrassed we would need help getting back up .

THAT is when it hits us, that all of our previous overindulging has brought us to fatsville. Like it or not.

But, as with the alcoholic and the drug user, there is hope once we acknowledge we need help. It may be a site such as SP or maybe SP in conjunction with Weight Watchers or other weight loss program, maybe lap-band surgery or gastric bypass surgery.

As we become knowledgeable about nutrition and exercise and track what we eat to show us just how much we consume daily, we can learn to control our behavior. With the support and encouragement of SP members and by reading the inspiring stories of those who have lost 20, 50, 100 or more pounds, we can begin the journey to normalville, saying goodbye to fatsville forever .

It will not be an easy journey and will have detours and plateaus, but with steadfast belief in ourselves and a dedicated focus on our nutrition and exercise, the day we reach our weight loss goal will, I promise, be a day that will live in our minds forever.