My Diet

The fact is, I don't diet. I'm not skinny. I don't have high metabolism. I don't starve myself. And I don't deny my sweet tooth--hardly ever.
I have told two people in the last few weeks that I've been running and signed up for a 5K, after which they respond with "yeah, you look great." Truthfully, I'm not jogging to lose weight. And I haven't lost anything (but I don't have a scale, so there's really no way to know for sure). But it just seems like the culture of the day is to convince people they look good and to encourage people who are on diets no matter what, even if it's the most ludicrous thing you've ever heard. {Note, I'm not confusing this with one's need for encouragement with exercise or eating healthily. These are the temporary fixes I'm talking about.} For example, two of the skinniest people I know were talking about their success on the South Beach Diet. Come on, people. They were both thin to begin with. Who on earth is telling them that they need to lose weight? "I've lost three pounds in two days already!" Great, good job!
Meanwhile I am harboring this inner fear of passing judgment on to my daughter about the need to be thin. I am going to be her first glimpse at what "healthy" means, but I'm sure she'll quickly pick things up from her peers when she gets to school. So I have to have the right attitude now, while she's young, in order to help her learn about herself and what it means to be healthy. I love her so much and I don't want her to turn to diets and fads and the praise of others to feel good about herself.
We have our share of diet books here at the house. Don't get me wrong, and I want to avoid any air of hypocrisy. We want to exercise and eat right and be healthy. But it's born out of a desire to be able to keep up with our kids and enjoy the benefits of a long life, not to be skinny or lose weight to fit into my old jeans (which, yes, I have and, yes, I hope to fit into someday. There's honesty!).
I know Norah's only 18 months old and I'm probably over thinking this, but the idea of skinny people seeing benefits from the South Beach Diet really tugged a chord in my heart. I'm guessing I'm not the only one with these thoughts, either.