Allyson | Week Two

Milne, 1926, p.28

Edward Bear (or as you may know him by his nickname, Winnie-the-Pooh) is probably my favorite literary character of all time.  He is quite funny, charming, insightful, and philosophical.   A.A. Milne killed it with this character and all his pals from the Hundred Acre Wood. 

I recently purchased the box set of all the Pooh stories (including Return to the Hundred Acre Wood!) and began reading through them a few weeks ago.  Shortly into the first book we come across the loveable bear “In which [he] goes visiting and gets into a tight place,” (Milne, 1926, p.22). Pooh goes off on a walk and stumbles across his friend, Rabbit’s, house.  Now Rabbit, being a rabbit, lives in the trunk of a tree and the opening to his home is a hole in side of the trunk.  Somehow Pooh was able to squeeze himself inside Rabbit’s home.  While visiting, Pooh helps himself to an array of delicious treats.  He may have helped himself a little too much as he fell into a predicament upon leaving:

“‘The fact is,’ said Rabbit, ‘you’re stuck.’
‘It all comes,’ said Pooh crossly, ‘of not having front doors big enough.’
‘It all comes,’ said Rabbit sternly, ‘of eating too much.’” (Milne, 1926, p. 26)

Oh, Pooh.  He sure liked himself some honey.  Honey on bread, honey with milk, honey on a crumpet, or honey right out of the jar; he wasn’t picky.  No wonder he got himself stuck in Rabbit’s hole!  It certainly wasn’t because Rabbit’s door was too small; it was simply because Pooh had eaten too much!  How true do these words from Pooh Bear “spoken” in 1926 ring today?

Not that I have compiled extensive research on the subject, but I have common sense, and I would say that is simply a main problem with many of us struggling with weight.  “It all comes of eating too much,” (Milne, 1926).  I would also add that it also comes of moving too little.  Even though I am a carb-watcher, I understand the simple math behind calories in/calories out.  If you are consuming more calories/carbs than you are burning, it shouldn’t be a shock that you gain weight.  What would happen if you keep throwing bags into the garbage can but never take the can to the curb?  The garbage just keeps piling up and up and up and up and….you get it.  Our bodies are no different.  If we keep throwing garbage into our system but never ‘take it out’, it will just keep piling up and up and up and….

These past 10 days or so I have definitely been a culprit of consuming way more than I expended.  We went out of town last weekend, had a crazy whirlwind of a week, and celebrated Colin’s birthday this past weekend. Not going to lie, I haven’t even bothered to weigh myself since January 21.  I know I’m not going to like the number, and contrary to what an unwanted number might to do some, it just makes me depressed, discourages me, and I comfort myself with more food.  That makes no sense, I know, but it feels so good in the moment.  But, since I know that’s what would happen, I just avoid the scale.  I’m trying to get back on track here, so maybe next week I’ll revisit my “frenemy”, the scale.

Speaking of scales, I just hate mine.  It can give me three different readings within five minutes of each other.  It will even give me different readings based on how I hold/position my body.  It is never the same as the doctor’s or gym’s scale, and it’s rarely the same with itself! Not to mention it only goes in increments of .5.  I would love a reliable scale that goes in increments of .2. Suggestions?

Milne, 1926, p.27

On another note, I don’t often watch Saturday Night Live as they like to shove their liberal agenda down Americans' throats, but I did happen to catch a sketch a few weeks ago: A few Big Shot Americans were trash talking the iPhone5 on a talk show.  The show host was brutal and brought out three Chinese Workers so the Big Shots could complain directly to their faces.  Of course as soon as the three Workers were on stage the Big Shots shut their mouths.  At the end of the interview, the host and one of the Workers had this little exchange:

Host: “Would you like to complain about an American product?”
Worker: “hmm, let’s see… Does diabetes count as a product?!”

Listen people, it’s not rocket science: Eat Less, Move More.

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Milne, A.A. (1926). Winnie-the-Pooh. New York: Dutton Children's Books.