Bigger is better?

So, Metro Atlanta is in the throes of a gas crisis. Hurricane Ike shut down the refineries that service this area and now it's extremely difficult to find service stations that actually have gas.

I went out tonight to run 3 errands and try and fill up my tank. I drove 15 miles, past 8 gas stations, and waited in line 45 min before I could fill up my car. Chris and I are very lucky that both of our cars get good mileage.

While waiting in line, I started thinking about the imminent energy crisis and how Americans are of the mentality that bigger is better - we drive bigger cars, live in bigger homes, watch bigger TV's, and eat bigger portions. This supersize lifestyle is taxing our wallets and our environment. But the only thing that is not acceptable in the "bigger is better" format is people. How can we go out for lunch, where the average menu item is 1000 calories, and not find ourselves getting bigger? Just waiting in line at the gas station, I could see 12 different restaurants. Food is everywhere! Not just any food but, unhealthy food.

There was a time, granted it was 500 years ago, that big was beautiful and it was also seen as an indicator of wealth. If you could afford that much food, you must be wealthy. Peter Paul Rubens was renowned for painting beautiful full figured women. The term "Rubenesque" was coined to describe women that looked like the ones portrayed in his works. It just sounds so much more attractive than fat.

What is considered beautiful can be culturally defined and individually defined. However, I feel best about myself when I'm eating healthfully and being active. Being overweight and not trying to fix it does not make me feel good about myself. But on reflecting on the past month of the weight loss challenge, I'm happier and I feel healthier. I know I still have a long road ahead but I feel like I'm doing something positive for myself, and believe it or not, the environment. Weighing less is less stressful on our world - we use less gas, eat less food, eat healthier and more natural food, and don't produce as much waste.