Can you say addicted?! I <3 quinoa oats right now.
Oat combo, quinoa, almond milk, and cottage cheese.
I thought I went topping crazy yesterday, but today totally wins:
Walnuts, sunflower seeds, quinoa granola, chia seeds, coconut flakes, and peanut butter.
The quinoa makes it so much heartier. Hello goodness. 
Unhealthy Family Members
I knew when I brought up the fat one in the family discussion yesterday that there’d be other people out there also struggling with an unhealthy family member, but goodness it seems all too common. Your comments have been great. Essentially there seems to be two strategies:
1. Bug ‘em til they change; it’s your duty.
2. Say it once, and let it go.
I’m more with the second school of thought. I think as a loved one it’s important to speak up and not let someone hurt their self, but it’s also your job to be supportive and in their corner.
I’m more inclined to let someone know I’m there to help and give them the resources to do it, but not to force it on them.
Another important part of the whole thing is to take into account who you’re talking to.
- What is your relationship with that person?
- What would they best respond to?
- Are they ready to change or no?
I’ve told my step dad that I’d be happy to help him when his ready- more than that, I’ve left it to my mom & step sister to say or not say anything else- they have the relationship with him that would make that ok; I don’t.
On the other hand, my mom has needed a helping hand in the health direction to, but since she’s so different from my step dad, it could approached differently. Instead of telling her what to do, I would share cool health facts I’d learned with her. Eventually she took interest, and asked for suggestions to make her diet healthier. I don’t nag her- I let her come to me for help. And usually once she conquers one thing, she takes the step to ask what comes next. (And now she eats oatmeal for breakfast!!)
And unfortunately, sometimes you can’t say anything at all. But like many of you pointed out, in that case the best thing to do is be a good role model. You never know who’s paying attention to what you do and how you take care of yourself.
{ 12 comments… read them below or chime in }
Oats are looking yummy, as always!
Such a great post yesterday…and a very hard topic to deal with. Yummy quinoa oats!! (quinoats?)
I must try the quinoa oats!
I’ve been really “off” oats lately — maybe it’s the warm weather — but this really sparks my interest. One day this week!!
I agree that leading by example is the way to go…and you, my friend, are a GREAT example!
I love the idea of quinoa oats – I’ll definitely be trying them!
Your crunchy oats look sooo good!
I think your relationship to the person is a huge factor. My husband used to eat really horribly, and I took the bug ‘em till they hate you approach. Ahem, I mean bug ‘em till they change. Either way, that worked because we’re so close and open with one another and can handle each other’s criticism. As for this obese cousin, it’s a whole different story. We won’t bring up the subject in an intervention sort of way because I think people get defensive that way. They see you as someone with set views who is trying to push them on others. It’s also embarrassing for the person, and that’s not something you wan to incite. So for that situation, the best rule of thumb is to lead by example.
Like you said, both your relationship with the person and their personality plays a huge role in what you can and can’t say. It sounds like you have a good mindset about the situation- as his stepdaughter, the most you can do is offer your help and be a good role model!
again, what a great post yesterday. thanks for pulling together everyone’s thoughts in summary form. i think that being a role model is the best way to help others. unfortunately (and it hurts so much) it’s that person’s choice all i can do is just make other choices and options available
I think being a good example is the way to go. When I lost my weight and got healthy, I started to see certain people in my life follow suit. A friend joined Weight Watchers. My mom started swimming (that’s how I lost my weight). My boyfriend says before we met, he wasn’t really into fitness –just riding his bike once in awhile. Now he’s training for his first Century!
i have to agree that it all depends on several factors: how good the relationship is with the person, how you’re living it out in your own life, and if they feel motivated to make change at all. If these things don’t exist, i know that even I would be resentful and resistant!