Criticle Thinking

Suwachani Uyangodage
                                            Critical Thinking
                  Health 100
                Professor Harrison
                    11/18/09
                        Behavior Modification
I’m a 20 year old female who born in Sri Lanka and moved to the United States in 2008. I’m single and currently staying with my family. I work part time at a flower shop and I’m a full time student as an under graduate.
The behaviors associated with eating were instilled in my life since I am in age of five. For example, the food selections we had as children tended to be very spicy, and high in starch, fat and sugar. My mother tried to prepare healthy “balanced” meals for us, but by today’s standards they really were neither healthy nor balanced. I did not learn about healthy eating until much later in life. Growing up, we were expected to finish everything on our plates. Besides we have to eat a large portion of meal three times a day. There was an expectation to enjoy what you had that day, because we did not always know what we would be having the next day. I remember sneaking and hiding food as a child. My mother would hide food from us, because my siblings and I would search inside the cupboards and refrigerator.
When I started thinking about changing this behavior, there were a number of factors I considered. I was always a bit heavier, I have two brothers, and I was always one of the heavier in the family. I had been overweight by 20-30 pounds when I was in my teens. In high school, I would avoid taking photographs. I did not want to see what I looked like. I was worried about what others thought about me. I compared myself to other good looking healthy friends of mine. I experienced years of depression and uncertainty. I focused on anything other than myself. I never wanted to hang out with friend in public. I was very uncomfortable with my body. I was unhappy and knew I was not healthy....