TV Commercials. The Ways we Judge...

Lately I've been watching television a lot more than usual. I know I should turn off the CNN, but I just can't help it. The problem with watching TV is not the shows, or the news, it's the damn commercials. The insecurities, nonsense, or even disrespect which we are constantly fed.

Particularly, CNN has a few kinds of TV commercials which run over and over again, with little to no variety. Commercials for medications, for weight loss, for insurance, etc. And I resent every one of them.

I just HATE the underlining messages these commercials have -- or at the very least, the underlying assumptions, or inferences.

For one, I don't believe in diets. I believe in making choices which result in more balanced meals, and moving more -- and making baby steps toward loving new, and healthier things. I believe in eating with awareness of our hunger signals. These things are complex decisions we make, which result in lifelong changes. They feed the ACTUAL caloric needs of our body in response to our daily, and fluctuating, activity levels. Diets -- artificial ways of controlling caloric input -- do not. They make us feel deprived and unhappy that we cannot have our favorite foods, and then we give up and fail.

I also believe in LOVING my body where it is. Accepting myself. I believe that I can only love and accept change when I love and respect myself. We didn't overeat and gain weight because we're out of control slobs. We ate as a way to LOVE ourselves. To soothe ourselves, to entertain ourselves... To show ourselves happiness. But when we understand why we were doing that, we are free to move on.

During my last abusive relationship, I fed myself to an enormous excess -- but it was my escape. I wanted to be GONE from where I was, and have a bit of happiness every day. Once I started associating overeating, and eating nutritionally deficient foods, with abuse and self neglect... I let go of the constant desire to have them. I was NOT finding happiness in them, just grief. Some of those foods I will NEVER have again -- some others, I will only have on occasion, with friends or during celebrations... Where they belong. Not as every day, meals.

And so when I see a NutriSystem commercial telling me 'there's nothing to love about love handles, so just lose 'em!' I resent that. I resent it A LOT. I love my body, with its curves, and bulges, its love handles. Its softness, and feel. I especially LOVE the most the parts that I had learned to hate the most. Those are the parts of my body that need my unconditional love the most. My body has been there for me for a long time, and it's time for me to be there for it.

Of course, I also hate their diabetes medication commercials. I wish these people would consult people with diabetes when they make these commercials, because, damn!

What I get from TV medication commercials is that people with OTHER illnesses deserve understanding for the sacrifices of managing their condition, but not people with diabetes. So, if I were to have psoriasis, the Humira commercial tells me that 'It's not easy... it's a long distance run and you have the determination to keep going.' Awesome! I feel very happy for people with Psoriasis that they now have more options, and understanding folks to back them up.

But the Glucerna shake TV commercial tells me that managing blood sugar is not a marathon, that it's a series of smart choices. Uhum. Yeah. So, if you have high blood sugar, it's your own damn fault, you hear? Go make smart choices!

And I DO make better choices, Glucerna. For example, I choose to drink Muscle Milk instead, which has 9 carbohydrates per serving instead of you know, 23... like you. Because I have diabetes. And if I want to have something to replace a meal, I am also going to choose Muscle Milk. Because 210 calories is better than 180. Sorry, but not sorry. How about if you want me to consider you, YOU make better choices? Even a Power Crunch bar, sold at Walmart, is a better choice! And it tastes delicious!

But seriously, Glucerna, have you ever had diabetes and been on your period? Or gotten the flu or a bad cold? Or broken a bone, or gotten a gastric virus? Or... ran a few miles? Or needed an operation? Because you'd know... 

MANAGING BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS IS A MARATHON!!!!!!!!