It’s Not Me; It’s Genetics

Yesterday, I wrote about Maria Kang and all the controversy surrounding her “What’s Your Excuse?” picture.  (You can read about it here:  What’s Your Excuse?)  It made me think about some of my most cherished excuses including (but not limited to:)

• I don’t have the time to exercise
• My metabolism has slowed down now that I’m almost 40
• I’ve had two kids

  

The thing that makes excuses sound so wonderful is almost all excuses are based in truth.  I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who said, “Time?  Sure!  I’ve got LOADS of it!  I do nothing all day!”  And I’m not lying about my metabolism slowing down now that I’m older; that information is factual.  And I’ve never ever met a mother who said she was back to her former weight the day after giving birth.

But my favorite excuse is, “It’s genetic.” ‘Cause how can you argue with someone’s genes, right?  Oh sure, “Cavemen weren’t fat,” you’ll say, but you can’t deny that some cavemen were apple shapes and others were pear shapes.

My genetic shape?  Bun in the oven.  Yes, I’m that woman.  The one who looks pregnant after eating a muffin.  I hear you right now, thinking, “Oh Lisa, you’re so full of it.  You don’t look pregnant after eating a muffin.”   But I have proof.  Check out the birthday card my daughter, Rylee, made for me two years ago:

Note:  At the time of this drawing no babies had been swimming inside my womb for at least 2 1/2 years.  Also, I have no idea what spiders have to do with my birthday, but she was only four when she drew it, so back off, ok?

The pregnancy looking thing is genetic on my father’s side.  My Uncle Carl used to look like he had a basketball in his belly and people used to say to him, “Hey Carl, when’s the baby due?”  My Viking ancestors must have needed the fat storage for long trips on the sea to pillage distant lands, and my body never got the tweet that we have grocery stores now, and there is no need to make my stomach a holding station for unused energy.  *Sigh*

But here’s the thing:  I had to decide if my genetic predispositions were going to hold me back, or if I was going to let go of this cherished (and valid) excuse and find a way to work around it.

What I discovered is my pot belly appears more after eating some foods versus others.  For example, I could eat an entire steak and not look bloated, but three slices of pizza will get people asking me where I’m registered for the baby shower.  I guess that means I might have a sensitivity to gluten (found in the pizza crust) and/or milk (found in the cheese.)  I also swell up after things like cakes and cookies.  I’m not sure if that’s my body reacting to sugar or flour or both.  So unless I’m having a cheat meal, I avoid milk and wheat.  That helps.

Also, I noticed that my stomach doesn’t really poof out until I cross the 120 lb. threshold.  So I try to keep my weight around there, adjusting my meal plan and/or exercise routine accordingly.

Everyone has their favorite excuse.  But are you going to let it win or are you going to take control of the situation?

How about you?  What’s your favorite excuse, and how do you conquer it?

Lisa

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