Posted on 06/19/2002 11:21:13 PM PDT by JohnHuang2
Edited on 07/12/2004 3:54:50 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
I so agree. But look, if you have ever really done the Atkin's diet you know that it is extreme and hard to do. And introduce just a few extra carbos and whoosh, all that bacon just turned into fat. It's a regimin that many people have lost a great deal of weight using temporarily but few have been able to sustain (either the weight loss or the eating habits) over the long term. Never mind that there have been numerous cases of cardiac problems and even deaths attributed to this diet (which Atkins vigorously denies, of course.)
Walk around the grocery store and just look. Don't go in hungry or even as a shopper. Just look around. Then----travel at least 30 city blocks and count the number of restaurants that sell typical fast food. Based on your observations, draw an intelligent conclusion as to what you think the American population is in fact eating.
As to the drop in activity. Well, many of us spend more time at computers than we used to, me case in point, but I also know from my own observations that my own children and their friends are just as physically active, if not more so, than the generation before them with the advance of roller blading, better bicycles, skateboards, etc.---and many more adults are now members of health clubs or walking around my neighborhood every single night than I ever remember being the case even 10 years ago---
Beats me, maybe I'm totally wrong. Maybe I'm just delusional when I walk down the aisles in the grocery stores which are 80% devoted to high calorie, low nutrient foods and maybe I just keep seeing mirages on every street corner promoting hamburgers and fries. But somewhere deep inside, I have a hunch that the types of food being consumed en mass by our society has something to do with the state of our ill health, providing the medical community an opportunity to keep us alive longer through drugs and surgery.
Sigh.....
I'm sorry, no offense intended to you...you probably jumped in and jumped to a conclusion.....
I do not want the government involved in policing people....I want the people who are feeding America to tell the truth...to stop lying and I want people to take some responsibility for themselves to learn the truth about what they are eating. That's all. Don't be deceived. Don't be ignorant. Vote Conservative! ( The last was just an extra!) If we as a society were a little more self-reliant and less gullible, maybe the liberals and "policemen" in goverment would have never gotten there in the first place. (That's an extra too!)
Both are true. Product labels will verify this. However, there is one other factor that was in my mind when I wrote that statement. Many fat people have been eating low-fat products, thinking they were doing good, but eating the whole package, rather than ONE portion. They think, "It's low-fat, so I can eat this." I think this is a major contributor to the problem.
Also, my original statement on this subject was, "BTW, although I don't have a definitive study to point to, I think the 'fat problem' in this country really skyrocketed when low-fat diets and no-fat products began to predominate the shelves and the airwaves in the 80s." IOW, WHEN these products came on the scene, that's WHEN the problem skyrocketed.
The reason, IMO, is mostly the idea that as long as you're eating low-fat products, you can eat to your heart's content. Somehow, without the AMA saying this, that concept became seated in the minds of many, and caloric intake increased at the same time fat content (as a percentage) went down.
That's what I'm saying. And honestly, it's not in conflict with what you said, because your statement was related to a DIET, and my statement wasn't.
I don't think it's just a matter of "super size" portions at fast food joints, I think it's a matter of people not cooking at home anymore. It's just easier to pick up a pizza on the way home...not only does it put on the pounds, but it takes a hunk of your household budget!
Go get some bags of nice veggies, teach the kids to make a crisp salad by soaking the greens in cold water for 20 minutes, steam the broccoli/cauli/squash until barely tender with lots of cut-up unbuttered potatoes, add a moderate serving of lean meat and throw out the Little Debbies and potato chips. You'll be satisfied if there's variety and a small amount of heavy carb such as taters, pasta or rice...it's not even hard to cook--just prop a big colander over a pot of boiling water and steam away. I know of what I speak, being at war with the same fifteen pounds my whole post-thirties life.
Years ago when I was in gradeschool, junior high, and high school, the only vending machines on campus had apples and milk. Now I understand they have pop, chips, and candy bars. We had to walk a couple blocks to the grocery store to buy such junk food, at least getting that bit of exercise. Also, health classes talked about nutrition; now I think the only vegetables discussed are the ones they put the condoms on. I don't think they even have a home ec class to teach students to cook. Probably PE classes are no longer required, either. Of course, there are lots of computer classes to teach students to spend hours sitting on their rumps.
While I've know some people to have excellent results with this diet, I don't think it's for kids. I also can't handle it.
I think the underlying notion of increasing protein while limiting heavy carbs is a good one, though I'd also watch the fat.
Adding a small serving of carbs with a little drizzle of olive oil can really add to one's sense of satiety, and that can help avoid the munchies.
And if you DON'T have the money to purchase the better food??? Then you end up buying what you can afford, the cheap, filling starches!
Did the hospital say precisely what about the Atkins diet caused this?
I did this diet back in the 70's. Was on it for about 6 months and lost over 100 pounds and kept it off for at least 11 years. I felt good while on it. But, he does stress taking multivitamins, and regular doctor visits. It was great. On the weekends I could drink beer, eat pizza, and still lose about 3 ounds over the weekend. My kind of diet!!
Each store pushes what might be called 'their' brand. My point is that someone else is on control of what you options or choices in the store are. You are left with buying what is presented, not what you may want. And as you pointed out, the nutritional value gets worse all the time. IF the government were really concerned about health you'd think they would notice these things, but then again, I doubt that many do their own shopping these days.
If the store doesn't offer A, but only B, then you are stuck with B. You can try a different store, but around our towns, most are carrying the exact same items. Larger corporations seem to be pushing smaller ones off the shelf. We could soon be looking at stores run by one large conglomerate that only sells B.
And you turn into a blimp.
In America, anyone can afford good food - unless they are just plain lazy, or have made some extremely poor lifestyle choices and are suffering the consequences.
Yeah. I fondly remember those. In fact, in high school is the only place I ever remember seeing one. Those days are gone. And, kids are getting fatter now.
Mom isn't home to cook healthy meals because she has to work outside the home because the family needs two incomes because taxes have increased several times faster than the inflated economy because governments at all levels will not restrain their appetite for more power and more money.
The solution is obvious.
You said it all. There are alot of very smart folks here at FR......you are one of them!
Bread, pasta, and sugar - carbohydrates - are the main culprits.Damn you, I was having a fine time hating your guts and wanting to jump up and down on your head, and now you go and say something like this. You're absolutely right.
You do have a weird sense of humor, though. :)
This diet causes other problems, as you've mentioned, but it will take off the pounds, over time, because caloric intake is reduced.
The reason low-fat and no-fat products don't work is because people just eat more calories, thinking it's OK because they're not eating much fat.
Turns out we NEED to consume a certain amount of fat everyday, or, over time, we start having other problems.
Still, what you wrote is correct. Just for the record. LOL.
Fat governments are our problem, and they refuse to go on a diet.
I've looked in the yellow pages and there don't appear to be any 12-step programs for governments. Shame.
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