I love bacon.
There, I’ve said it. And I’m not ashamed to admit that the smell of bacon brings back memories of cooking breakfast for my parents when I was in my pre-teenage angst years. You know, back when I was a relatively obedient kid who only wanted to do something nice for her parents.
And the taste …. Oh, the taste! Nothing completes a great breakfast like bacon can. Especially those thick, maple-cured strips that they serve up at Original Pancake House.
I mean after all, there is the saying that nothing can make a vegetarian go pro-meat more than bacon can.
I’m guessing that with all this talk about bacon, you’ve figured out by now that I’m not the healthiest person in the world. And it’s true. I’m hypertensive. I’ve got high cholesterol (no surprise there!). And I’m at high risk for heart disease.
And given the events over the past year, I guess you can say that I’ve been lax at keeping myself healthy. In fact, you could probably say that I went the opposite of healthy. What can I say? I’m an emotional eater.
In fact, I’m not just that; I’m an emotional over-eater. When things get tough or stressful, not only do I munch on chips or chocolate or candy … I over-indulge myself with them. And because of that I’ve gained a significant amount of weight over the past year.
So what does this all have to do about bacon?
Yesterday, at one of Hubby’s work-related events, we had sat with some friends and another couple I had just met for the first time that night. Somehow (and I can’t exactly remember how) the subject turned to bacon. (I mean, really. When does bacon come up in a conversation?!) That’s when I learned that the German word kummerspeck … which is the excess weight one gains from emotional overeating … literally translates to “grief bacon.”
So there you go. Now I have a name for all the weight I’d gained.
But lest you’re worried, Hubby & I have been making efforts to regain our health. First off was joining a gym to make time for some weight training and daily cardio. Second is re-learning to eat healthy again. Third … and this is the most difficult … is maintaining the motivation to keep up with both.
I guess this means I won’t be eating too much bacon in the near future …
Have you ever seen the movie “Dutch”? Its an old movie with Ed O’Neill and Ethan Randall. The best line in the whole movie is “Nothing burps better than bacon.”
When I saw the title of this post I thought it sounded like a How I met Your Mother episode.
Yay, for you and Hubby taking the steps to get healthy. I hope you stay motivated, that is usually the hard part. I think the other part is consistancy. We all struggle with that.
Hi Em! Long time no blog. Haha. I think of you often and I can totally relate to the emotional eating. I eat sweets and drink way too much wine when I’m grieving or stressed out. You’ve had so much grief in the past few years, let alone in the last year with losing your beloved father. I do hope you can get on the healthy track again because after witnessing my mom have emergency open heart surgery I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. She had quadruple bypass and mitral valve repair on Thanksgiving Day at age 68. I don’t ever want to go through that and I don’t want you to have to go through that someday either. It is sooooo not worth the unhealthy eating. I hope you can find another way to relieve your stress/grief! I wish for you a happy time for awhile where you can laugh, smile and be merry!
Mmmmm…. bacon (said in best Homer Simpson voice). I like mine extra crispy. That said, I don’t have it very often, mostly when I’m visiting my parents — which, lucky me, I will be doing shortly. ; )
But I hear ya on the struggle to live a healthy life. I have gallstones & am on bp meds & my dr told me I could likely go off them if I just lost 20 or 30 lbs. Easier said than done, of course. I have been to Weight Watchers on & off over the years. I lost 35 lbs when I was 30, but with time, pregnancy, infertility, etc., have gained it back & then some… and believe me, it’s a lot harder to lose weight when you’re 50 than when you were 30. Going to the gym is a great start, good for you!