Aug 11
16
My Return To Blogging Brings… “No Wonder We’re So Fat”
So I’ve neglected this blog while I’ve stayed fairly regular on my Brent Worley Fitness blog. Mainly because I want the two places to have separate identities, but at the same time, some of what I want to write is not always best to put on a blog about a business and a workout set.
So I wanted to bring back this blog (all while thinking of what design I eventually want for it) and just start putting up some thoughts.
So my first thought coming back is this: No wonder we, as American’s, are so fat!
I don’t visit buffets much. The only time I prefer to go to them is when I know I need to eat out and get something in the bellies of my daughters without much wait. In fact, buffets are very dangerous on a diet like I’ve been on. But, we visited one yesterday for lunch after church.
No wonder we are so fat.
The veggies were drenched in grease. The salad bar had a good selection, but the rest of the veggies were just not that good. The only meat I really wanted (turkey) was heavily processed; it did not even taste like turkey. In fact, it tasted like spam with a slight hint of turkey. It was not appeasing at all.
The other meats were fried or fatty cuts. In fact, a lot of the food on the buffet was fried.
The only area that was “bad” for me that looked good at all was the dessert bar. And yes, I had dessert, in a very moderate fashion. But I’d hate to know exactly what they put into the cookies I had (but they tasted good!).
The sadest thing about a buffet is this: The amount of obese people that run to them looking for a meal.
Umm…hello? Wonder why your weight got so out of control to begin with? Maybe it’s the rounded over plate of fried chicken, french fries, fried okra, and buttery mashed potatoes! I don’t want to come across as I am being mean towards obese people because I’m not. But if we, as American’s, really want to know why our waistline is expanding along with our healthcare cost, maybe it is time we re-evaluate what we eat, how much of it we eat, and our increasing body fat percentages.
But buffets are not the only problem. Calorie traps are everywhere.
Salads are supposed to be healthy, right? Except with the salad comes in at over 1,200 calories on a single plate/bowl, that is (and yes, browse the nutritional menus of many popular restaurants and you’ll see plenty of gut busting salads).
Deep fried fairs and carnivals? Oh yes, fried butter on a stick? I’ll take two!
And let’s not forget about what I think is the number one offender of calories: The drinks! 8 ounces of most soft drinks will run you 100 calories. What are the calories? Straight sugar, and not even the beneficial kind. Nope, it’s the kind that is mass produced in laboratories so that companies can drive down cost while making us fat. I even read about a sweet tea from Subway that runs between 300-600 calories…for a drink! I barely consume 600 calories in a meal, much less something to drink.
We wonder why we’re so fat? Take a look at what we are consuming. And then take a look at our activity level, and you’ll soon realize that we simply are doing too little movement with the body and too much movement of the fork to the mouth.
Now, here’s my disclaimer: I have no problem with people straying from a pretty good diet. Even I do it. Yes, I enjoy sweets. I love greasy pizza and hamburgers. I’m not going to lie about the foods I love.
But I am also going to tell you that I reserve these type meals for a one a week (or once every two weeks) cheat meal, special occasions, etc. In fact, recently on vacation I ate whatever I felt like eating. I felt like crap during the entire week, my energy was lowered, I felt bloated, and was tired more. My body is accustomed to being fueled with good stuff. Instead, I was fueling it with garbage, and the saying “you are what you eat” manifested itself.
The every-now-and-then overeating will not kill you. The constant stuffing your face until you are beyond full will. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and more are all linked to what we consume, how much we consume, and how fat we allow ourselves to become.
