I'm Starving

We've developed a new term around our house; "American starving" ... when I say we, I mean our 15-year old was the first to use the term. One afternoon he told his mom, "I'm starving. Well, not actually starving, but American starving."

You see, in America we have it so well, it would be virtually impossible for the child of a middle class family to starve to death. To punctuate this point, look around you; go ahead, look.

How many of the people near you look like they've never missed a meal? How many look like they would benefit from fewer calories each day?

I weighed myself just after 2012 started and I had crossed a line I swore I'd never pass. It was the second line I'd created for myself, having passed the first line some 12 years prior; but this line was too far. Something had to change.

Being a new iPhone user (Sprint finally got the iPhone in November 2011), I found an app that would help me track my daily calorie intake and exercise. Not that I really intended to exercise much, but I could track intake easily, so I downloaded the app.

Three plus weeks into the process, including one two-week road trip for work, I've lost 17 pounds from my starting point, and I'm sitting at the milestone weight I swore I'd never cross, the weight that pushed me to start something in the first place.

However, it hasn't been fun. I've spent most of the past several weeks "American starving."

I had to complete a profile when I started, current weight, goal weight, how much I intended to exercise, what type of job I had (sedentary, somewhat active, really active), and how much weight I planned to lose each week. The app then created a daily calorie goal; mine is 2050 calories each day.

Now, when you consider an order of chicken tenders at any bar and grill (Chili's, O'Charley's, Applebee's, etc.) is 900 - 1,100 calories; you can see how hard keeping your intake below 2050 a day, especially when traveling and eating at those types of places because they are the only place open at 11 pm when you finally get off work, can be.

Even house salads, when you add the honey mustard dressing, can run 350 - 500 calories according to my app. Eatting "healthy," it turns out, isn't as healthy as we thought.

So, I spend many days being "American starving." It could be worse, I could actually be starving.

Tonight as you go to bed, make your gratitude list. And when you do, remember to be thankful you have only ever experienced "American starving."