Metabolic Metamorphosis

Obviously weight is on my mind. A LOT. For some reason this morning I was thinking about the difference between those who grow up with a weight problem, and those who develop a weight problem later in life. Kind of a "is A or B worse?" scenario. I have a couple of childhood friends who had weight issues early in life. Now, I'm using the term weight issues very liberally here, please know. A few cases for both sides of the argument:

Scenario A1: I have one friend who no longer lives around here who was always a solid kid growing up. Thick if you will, with a slim and trim mother. She reached her tween years and said enough is enough. She has since been engaged in a constant battle of weight and eating right and exercise. And she is smokin' hot. I believe she once participated in a Hawaiian Tropic contest if that gives you any idea.

Scenario A2: I have another adult friend who was sat down by her mother at TWELVE and told essentially, "Look around. We have weight issues. You will always struggle with this." Fad dieting ensued until she found her happy place -- marathon running. She is the picture of good health, athleticism and great lifestyle choices today.

Scenario B: I grew up with an average, athletic build. Some years bordering on skinny, though I never realized it since my reality of skinny is my older brother. Never much worried about my weight, though I didn't like my proportions. In those terrible teenage years, my mother was an awesome cheerleader for 'You look great; even when I was skinny I wasn't as small as you." I did think my hips paired with my lack of boobs made for an odd look. All my life growing up I played sports but ate whatever I wanted. I believe a sense of false security came over me. And then there were the conflicting family images to deal with: the Elliotts, tall and slim and athletic versus the McTaggarts, short and stocky and hippy/butt. I can actually remember being a teenager and being shocked by someone's weight gain and thinking, "that will NEVER happen to me." AAAAAAAH. But see, a sneaky thing happened. Upon turning 20, my Elliott metabolism MORPHED into a McTaggart metabolism. It was a very sneaky trick.

So which is worse, A or B?

Sigh, I know, I know, the answer is C: None of the above. All children should grow up eating nutritionally, engaged in active play, and reinforced with positive body issues. This is a monumental parenting task. I am overwhelmed by this responsibility.