Perhaps that characterization is unfair. Leisure Lad is going to the George Washington University's Weight Clinic. For four months, he will drink a protein shake under medical supervision. Just gearing up for it, he has lost 10 pounds.
Econo-Girl will confess a fondness for portly men. But the Leisure Lad has diabetes, and that is an exception. Despite the extra weight, he is incredibly strong. Econo-Girl is glad he is taking his weight seriously.
Have you heard of the Amish diet? Eat scrapple, eggs, shoe-fly pie and walk 19 miles a day.
A recent study somewhere has linked weight control with walking. Not going to the gym, not pumping iron, but plain walking. Granted, people don't walk nearly as much as they used to one hundred years ago. And it wouldn't hurt them if they did. But is that the only factor in American obesity?
How about the food industry? But no one is taking the cash out of my wallet and shoving food in my mouth. I do that all on my own.
Confusion about what healthy eating is? Yes, because whenever one study says fat is bad, another says it is good. The same is true for carbs, protein, etc. So the public has no standard to rely on. And no, Econo-Girl does not trust the FDA's Food Pyramid because she gained ten pounds using it.
Even Weight Watchers has lost Econo-Girl's respect. The new system has a person only eating a nominal amount each day to 'save' for extra eating on the weekends. Not a path to dietary success, guys. Soon it won't just be on the weekends, as we all know.
A possible solution is in the air. In London, the city has instituted a hefty tax on people who drive into the city. Traffic is way down. Everyone is taking the train. Talk abounds about doing that in DC. What a great way to trim our tummies at the same time!
2 comments:
It IS the food industry. The trans-fatty acids. The hydroganated everything. The love of refined sugar. Snack foods. Chips. Ice cream. CHOCOLATE.
While it is true that nobody "forces" you to buy any of this stuff, that ignores the fact that this stuff IS addictive. General Foods knows this. Why do you think they put all this unhealthy crap in foods to begin with?
Because it tastes good. And your body becomes addicted. So when they had to come clean with food labels, people kept buying the stuff. They NEEDED it.
There was a story on NPR this morning about how good chocolate is for you. One dietary person said that this is not the impression we should be giving people, given the other ingredients that are usually in chocolate, like sugar.
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