Weight

[CarolineM 0]

I don't have time to read this whole thread right now, so if this has already been said, I apologize.

The issue inthe states is SIZES!!! We supersize EVERYTHING. When I'm in Australia...it's so sad but my first thought is..."Oh my god the portions are so small..." but really they are NORMAL.

Watch Super Size Me.

Very good IMHO.

I also love the part in that movie about schools and food. We might as well just inject fat into our children via IV...they replace soda machines with juice that has JUST AS MUCH SUGAR...all we have in our cafeteria here are fried nasty fattening foods.

No wonder we have an issue here in America

[Jaylen Brit 0]

Supersize Me was a very good, if slightly worrying, movie. Put me off McD's for a while - but if u have it only once in a while its not a big deal - but yeah every day - and there's no wondering why your weight shoots up.

The point about excercise is well made tho - I walk a lot too and I need excercise or I feel quite ill, lethargic n that.

[CarolineM 0]

One more thing. I Disagree that it's cheaper to eat healthy.

no way.

You can go to McDonalds and get HEAPS of unhealthy food for under $5. When you buy fresh fruits and veggies...and HEALTHY stuff (mostly organic...way more $$) it IS MORE MONEY. My friend is a nutritionist...if you really add it up over a period of time - it is. I mean you can get five pizzas for $5 each or somethiong - that's insane..to make a good salad you have to buy lettuce, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, dressing, maybe some chicken to put in it...it gets pricey.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

You CAN get salads at McD as well tho Just DON'T add the dressing - or ask for it without the chicken so its just the salad..most places now serve salads. Ive had some lovely salads in places like Applebees, Wendys, Burger King et al. I just don't have the 'extras', and no bread unless its wholemeal (occasionally I have ordinary) and no fries.

I agree supermarket prices for organic produce are generally too high - mostly I dont WANT organic (btw isnt ALL vegetable type food 'organic' by definition? lol), I just want fruit n veg. I can wash it at home easily enough.

And a bag of carrots, box of mushrooms, a pack of chicken breasts (boneless and skinless) and one head of lettuce are good for several meals not just ONE, so you have to cost it per MEAL to work out that it's comparable.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Eating healthy food is not that much more expensive, it's just more work. If you buy only fresh produce and basic food stuffs and prepare your food from scratch, it saves a ton of money. For a salad, for example, the most expensive thing is the lettuce if you make your own dressing.

I used to go grocery shopping with a friend who bought mostly prepared food and she usually paid much more than I. I agree though that fresh veggies are overpriced and should be cheaper.

As to organic food, I'd love to go completely organic, but it's just too expensive. While washing can get rid of some of the pesticides, other pesticides actually accumulate in the cells of the vegetable. No way to get rid of them...

Btw, this is a great thread. I also think that lack of exercise and bad eating habits have a lot to do with America's weight problems. I know some people have illnesses that make them overweight, but I don't think that's the majority. I'm also slightly overweight right now (5'9" and 175 pounds) because I have hardly moved at all last year. But I notice a remarkable difference when I do make the effort to exercise. So, on Sunday, the day after my arrival, I'll be back at the university sports club working out.

[Laveau 67]

Eating healthy food is not that much more expensive, it's just more work. If you buy only fresh produce and basic food stuffs and prepare your food from scratch, it saves a ton of money.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I agree with what others have said already - portions sizes in the US seem out of control - I can rarely finish anything when we go out to eat ...

Due to the huge portion sizes, Nani and I typically order one meal and maybe a side salad and then we just end up splitting it all between the two of us. That is most certainly so when we go to our favorite Mexican joint here. The Fajitas there are HUGE. We can hardly finsih the single portion between the two of us. The first time we went there, I remember, we ordered the portion for two. That was an incredibly large heap of meat, onions and peppers. We had Fajitas that night at the restaurant and for the next two nights at home. It was that much food.

So, we are actually quite happy with the large portions around here. Makes going out to eat so much more affordable. We usually around $25.00 eating out and that includes a better than 20% tip.

[Fandango 1,439]

Supersize me was just a sensationalistic bandwagon shot at stardom...I mean come on....does anyone here not realize what would happen to you if you ate that chit for a month straight? Why pick on McD's? Why not eat m&m's for a month...or choccie bars...or ice cream

It's not mcD's job to govern weight...

oh and thank you all for your nice comments...can you tell I was in a 'chatty' mood last night? hah

[Welshcookie 17]

Due to the huge portion sizes, Nani and I typically order one meal and maybe a side salad and then we just end up splitting it all between the two of us.

Glad we are not the only ones that do that! Also we often just eat appetizers...

[Fuzzness 2]

Just to fling some random poo around....

Vegetarianism is not a healthy lifestyle. Vegetarians lack certain proteins only found in meat and many of them cannot be synthesized in a lab.

Besides, it's not natural. Our bodies were intended for digesting meat too.

[Welshcookie 17]

Just to fling some random poo around....

Vegetarianism is not a healthy lifestyle. Vegetarians lack certain proteins only found in meat and many of them cannot be synthesized in a lab.

Besides, it's not natural. Our bodies were intended for digesting meat too.

oh lordy...........POO ALERT!!!

[gwenneh 7]

Eating healthy on the cheap requires planning ahead. If you don't mind your grocery bill going up a bit then it's just as easy as the less healthy options, but if you're on a budget then buying components rather than finished meals is about the same price-wise-it just requires cooking.

Yes, there are healthy options at McDonalds, like salad. But who the hell wants to eat rabbit food for lunch every day-not to mention that just walking into a fast food restaurant is pretty strong temptation for even the iron-willed dieter. My advice to any dieter is that if you want to lose weight, avoid fast food restaurants altogether. If that means not going out for lunch at work or having to spend a few extra minutes in the kitchen in the evening, then so be it, but don't put yourself in temptation's way. Stealing 'just a few' of your friend's chips can make the difference between a good calorie intake and a too-high one.

Americans don't exercise enough. Plus, we like fad diets: it's easier to blame things on a shoddy metabolism or a GI number than it is to admit we gain weight by eating too much and exercising too little. There's a whole rising culture of "it's okay to be fat" and that in and of itself is dangerous-it ignores the health risks that come with carrying around excess baggage, such as heart problems, adult onset diabetes, blood clots...you name it.

3500 calories ingested=one pound. Cut 3500 calories from your diet per week and you will lose one pound a week. Weight loss is math. Any diet that ignores the principle that you must consume less energy than you expend in order to lose weight is doomed to fail. This is basic biology; fact, not fad.

And I say all of this from the perspective of a fat girl, since I am very certainly overweight myself. I have tried many diets in my time-Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers...the only thing that works is eating less than my body expends and understanding some basics about eating habits (like refined carbs and starchy veggies don't help the issue either...)

Dieting sucks, and this post has gone way wide of where I started!

[Jaylen Brit 0]

I'm not a veggie - who mentioned being a veggie?

*checks Fuzzness for hidden poo*

[Fuzzness 2]

I'm not a veggie - who mentioned being a veggie?

*checks Fuzzness for hidden poo*

it wasn't you. i was just throwing that out because someone else mentioned veganism. still don't understand that one. but anyway.

just being a monkey

[Fandango 1,439]

Your metabolism is based directly on a ratio of lean muscle mass to fat.....the more fat you have, the lower the metabolism. It's fact!

Now, I'm going to be gone most of today...so if this starts any chit, I won't see it till later.

Have a good one, guys!