OKAY PEOPLE...
 

MAKE SURE YOU TALK TO A TRAINED MEDICAL DOCTOR FOR ALL CHANGES IN YOUR HEALTH!!!

I cannot stress that enough...

The Everything in Moderation works for those who are "relatively" healthy. In so many words, they are regular--in more ways than one...

However, for the morbidly obese--the stomach staple people--and those suffering from genetic diseases, or eating disorders, I MUST EMPHASIZE that although the research is abundant and confusing--and might be inconclusive, that ONLY YOU CAN CHANGE YOU HABITS WITH THE APPROPRIATE MEDICAL SUPERVISION...

Yes, I read Science and Nature. No I do not subscibe to the JAMA and all the other medical journals. But I am around enough medical doctors to that they are required to know at least where you can get help if they cannot help you... They do work very hard--even the med school students...

I would say, that in the future, there will be this "subculture" of folks that do all this self-research, by reading all that is out there and trying to make sense from it--much like those folks that suffer from cancer do when they try to find experimental drug trials. I think the same thing is going to happen to obesity and all the other diseases that come along with it...

All of us have Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in our genes that make us fat, thin, whatever in between. The regulation of that process is just personal...

LOL.

I don't think you realize how difficult "starving yourself" can be.

Starving oneself is unwise
 

Watch that starve conditions...

I am telling ya there is talk... Not proven, but talk that starving conditions in you body can cause like that of a nuclear winter...

What your body does is hoard all the fat it can muster and stuffs it away for the long winter when you starve yourself.

Now, I ain't talkin' 'bout us folks who be missing breakfast... 'Cuz I sho be makin' up for it at lunch... I am talkin' like you are pretending to be Ghandi and full on cold turkey fast. Some folks can do that, not eat food for days with no repercussions. But most "regular" folks will get sick. And folks suffering from cardiovascular diseases, might die...

So watch that starving conditions...

Yeah, seriously.

And most "really hot" women (actresses, models, people in Playboy) work out a whole lot, beyond just watching their diets to stay slim. A woman who just doesn't eat much, so is skinny, probably won't look that great without any muscle tone or firmness. Sure, some girls get away with being skinny but unfit, but especially with age their good looks are usually not sustainable.

Basically, to address Rudy, if I had to be a slightly chubby person, I'd rather be a chunky male than a chunky female. A chunky guy can get quality women if he's funny, rich, etc. I know guys who are a lot less than perfect, physically, who consistently get girlfriends at least a few notches more attractive and fit than they are themselves. You might be surprised how many women will overlook that if other important qualities are there in a man (money, social status, even a great personality). Sure, sometimes men overlook a little chub too, but I'd say not as much. It's men who trade in their spouses for the younger, thinner, hotter version- trophy wives- not the other way around.

It's so sad that even in weight there's this double standard. There are a lot more women willing to overlook appearance and physical condition, than there are men.

i love fatties.

everytime i pull into my apartment complex, i see these two fat twins who are about 11 years old and i laugh everytime. it's just so hilarious to look at...i don't know why.

and also, when i'm feelin down, i go to a buffet and see all the fatties there and think to myself, "it could be worse"

buffet restaurants
 

So mean, but true.

I had to eat at a cheap steakhouse/buffet type place when I was on a long road trip. It was about 3pm, so not even a usual mealtime. I don't usually eat at that kind of place at home. I was shocked and appalled by what I saw as I watched people waddle up to the buffet. Every single other person in that restaurant (besides kids) probably had 100 pounds on me. I don't think I've ever seen that many big people in one place before.

At least in the situations I witnessed on Wednesday....extra weight = wealth! There were a ton of chubby young children surrounding me at the Pirates game the other night. Their parents were plying them with cracker jacks, pretzels, nachos, pizza, ice cream, you name it.... Dear Lord! The issue truely was....how much does that cost??!! Ball game food is so expensive! Why in the world would you buy your kids so much stuff at a baseball game?! Is this all they are going to eat for the next two weeks, so you don't mind spending an arm and a leg on it? Geez!

(Ok, maybe I'm just bitter because my mom was always like, "Ha! If you think I'm spending $6 on that hot dog you are crazy! You should have ate before you got here!")

well if it makes you feel any better, all those kids are going to grow up to be those old fat bald men at professional games on weeknights drunk as skunks with weird costumes on that the ESPN guys make fun of.

The issue of keeping the kids happy at a game though I can partially understand. I mean you pay so much just for the ticket to get in, you'll do anything to keep the kids quiet. Then again, its very sad that FOOD is what keeps them happy. Maybe thats America's problem.

I think another problem with Americans and food is that we view food as a reward and not a necessity of life. If we eat very little and don't in the least bit indulge, we're good. If we enjoy what we eat and maybe have dessert, we're "bad". A lot of parents presented food as a reward or punishment and that sets kids up for major eating disorders later on. My parents never bullied me to finish my plate, but they did (with supervision) let me fill my own plate. If I didn't want to eat that was fine. If I wanted to make 4 trips back to the buffet, that was fine. They never forced me to eat anything and I think that's why now I don't have some sort of complex about food or weight. I've been at a fairly healthy weight all my life with little to no dieting.

Re: buffet restaurants
 

I hate those places. When my dad was alive, we'd eat at one sometimes, because he could get lots of salad, which was on his "heart healthy (but why bother because you're gonna die in 8 months anyway) diet"

I know a lady who swears someone snorted at her at one of those things.

They're like big feeding troughs.

I hate buffets.

Buffets are a big waste of my money now. I can't consume a regular restaurant order, let alone fill my hubcap-sized plate more than once!

I love brunch too! *sigh* :(

This is a major point, I think. Americans have learned to look at food as more than just food -- it's this complex system of "I'm a good person" versus "I suck at life" and fuels all these issues we have about ourselves. That is one of the things eating disorders are rooted in (not just anorexia and bulimia but also binge eating.

True - my family has always been pretty healthy about the whole food thing, and that's probably why I've been healthy my whole life. Although, as I said in a previous post, I lost a ton of weight, I was never really "unhealthy;" just a little chunky.

I think that's why now I'm able to stick to pretty good eating habits.

The one thing I just want others to understand is that food issues for some is NOT as simple as "Just don't eat it."
For some, food is an addiction. It is/was for me. It always will be.

I really want people to understand this. People drink and take drugs for various reasons, and people eat for various reasons.