We live in a country were 2 in every 3 Americas are obese. 1 in 8 Americans will DIE from obesity. We wear colorful wrist bands for every cause under the sun, we raise money and participate in Race for (insert your favorite charity)...and what is being done to stop this epidemic? It is an epidemic and it's not only killing us, it will someday kill our kids. James Baldwin said it perfectly, "Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." We know this is true, but yet we continue to Super Size to Super Duper Size and what's after that?
We live in a society where we hop in our cars to drive three blocks. We eat our super sized meals in front of our super sized TV screens and complain about how super sized we are. We have the greatest intentions, but yet we pass a dozen fast food joints on our way to the gym. We consume copious amounts of caffeine, don't get enough sleep, and everything around us makes it more convenient to stop taking care of ourselves.
We clean our houses, and mow our lawns and we even get home insurance on our dwellings. We take great care of our homes, yet we trash our bodies...the only body we will have have. Why? What's with the need to constantly hit that self-destruct button? We get busy, we are stressed, we don't have time, we don't have money, we don't run out of excuses. It's cheaper to buy a soda (don't even get me started on that crap) than it is to buy a bottle of water. It's cheaper to get a burger for a dollar than it is to buy something healthy.
Enough. Enough. Is. Enough.
Don't we care enough about ourselves to be nice to ourselves? Aren't there enough medical problems in this world that can make us ill or kill us that we don't need to do it to ourselves? Here's the thing...this post is not just obesity but being unhealthy in general. Don't have the motivation to change? It should be about YOU! About wanting to be healthy for you, but if that's not motivation enough...get it from someone else. Do it for your dog, your mom, the hottie at park, the love of your life. If you are a parent...don't you want to be alive to see your children walk down the aisle? That alone should be more motivation than ANYTHING in the world. I can give you a million reasons...I could super size my reasons bigger than all the burgers in the whole wide world. Seriously, life is pretty awesome and I want you to be around to live it with me.
51 comments:
Amen! I always giggle about the people who post on facebook that they just got Wendy's and are rushing home to watch the Biggest Loser--talk about irony!
My kids get "crap" food once in a great while as a "treat."
As for me, I'm on day 25 of P90X. Low carb, high protein. Workouts 6x a week. I look great. I feel great!
I totally agree with you about the epidemic. I teach and can't stand to see all the children that just can't do normal child like activities because of their weight. I don't understand what parents are thinking by feeding their kids all the crap they do. I understand some now and then, but all the time. Yikes!! I am afraid for the future, but am also hopeful that people will start taking notice of what they are doing.
I swam today.
Amen!
I think what it comes down to for a LOT of people is that they just dont know where to start.. So they just don't. Majorly wrong! I'm not a size 4, but I do work out and take care of myself. People just need to start making choices everyday with the question in mind, "Is this good for me?"... Be it with food, how they choose to respond to someone, how they drive, ANYTHING. Once we all start being more conscience of how our decisions effect us all, the better off we'll all be!
I am also a teacher, and just about the majority of my little students are over weight. It's pathetic. Their parents are LAZY, non cookers, and think taking out to Applebees is healthy eating HA! I never point the finger at my kiddos, but those who are suppose to be their care takers, their role models. Parents need to say NO the junk and YES to the Broccoli! :)
Another fabulous post!
I agree whole heartedly!
I used to be a coke drinking phene! I stopped drinking soda a few months ago, and my three year old went from asking to have sips of my soda.. to saying "We don't like soda, do we mom!?" whenever we see it! It only gets embarassing when he says it really loudly while looking at other kids drinking it! :)
We go to Mc.Donalds every once and a while.. but its a TREAT! My son spends more time in the garden, then in front of the tv. I think if you don't know where it came from, you shouldnt eat it! My son is always curious to know where what he is eating is coming from! I just wish more kids were as curious, or educated!
Loved this post!
I agree with you wholeheartedly! And yet I'm part of the problem by going to McDonalds and ordering a BigMac Meal Deal.
I swam today a little and I guess I'll pass on the ice cream that Grandpa Rick is bringing home. Sigh...
girl its awful i havent had fast food in so long but i ate it today and i have felt sick and sludgy all day... yuck!
I gave up sodas about 2 weeks ago and i can feel a difference from that! All that stuff cant be good for our bodies i mean look at how 'heavy' you feel after you eat it. like i just wanted to go to sleep@!
I struggle with weight...I have my entire life. And it is one of the most difficult things to manage. I have tried every diet under the sun with marginal success, but usually end up derailing myself. Last year I got to a point where I just looked at myself and thought this is it, the weight is coming off no matter what I have to do. And cutting out the fast food has been the hardest part of that decision because it is simple. It is everywhere. You can't drive a mile down a city street without passing a fast food restaurant. But I have to keep asking myself if I want that easy fix of shoving something unhealthy down my throat or if I want the satisfaction of knowing at the end of the week that I have lost x amount of pounds.
Great post! Definitely an eye opener to think about.
Too funny! I just did a post similar to this yesterday!
You go girl!
Amen sister!!!!! I TOTALLY agree with this!!! Have you seen the documentary "Super size me?" It's insane. It is an epidemic. I know none of us are perfect, but when I see little children who are already struggling with their weight, it makes me so mad! It's just another form of child abuse in my book.
Have you ever been to http://www.thisiswhyyourefat.com/
Oh the gross stuff that restaurants serve
Yea I have seen that picture of the unhappy meal
i do a lesson/unit on this for persuasive text - it is mind blowing for some kiddos. they are at an impressionable age too, so i try to get a very clear message across! they leave shocked!
Having just got back from the States this has been high in my mind after being reminded of the majority lifestyle over there. Great post.
Juliana, you know I live and breath this message every single day.....
Diminishing Lucy: The True "Before and After".....
Thank you for telling it how it is. (It is not as bad in Australia, but I fear we are headed that way....)
xx
So true. By chance did you see Food Inc.? Very interesting film and it really leaves you with a plate full of food for thought.
So true!!! I'm so glad someone is as outraged as I am about this. There is a new show coming out and, for the life of me, I can't remember the name. It's looks kind of Rosanne-ish though in terms of the parents being overweight...I'm over it. Why can't we have nice healthy looking families like on Modern Family...that should be our norm...not unhealthy lazy people! Ugh...thanks, I needed to get that out!
I couldn't agree more. What we are doing in this country is SCARY. I teach high school and I see kids drink three cans of pop in one sitting - and then moan and whine when they have to run for 10 minutes in gym class - 10 minutes!!! I really think some parents need to set better examples for their kids and monitor how much time they spend on computers or playing video games...
Amen to that!
And it feels like it's a giant, looming industry-driven problem (not talking about the personal responsibility piece here, which of course is VERY relevant) that no one person could even begin to change unless s/he devoted his/her life to it, but...
Something that stuck with me from the movie Food, Inc is that every purchase is a vote. Every time you're in the grocery store, choosing what to buy and what NOT to buy is a vote for what you want stocked. Same with the zillions of fast food places - we can choose not to stop, not to support them.
Good post!
Amen!
EW. I havent had food from a McDonalds or Burger King since I was 6 years old!! It made me so sick back then, I have stayed away from it ever since! When I was in HS and the bus would stop at one of these places on the way home from away games, I always had my dinner packed from home! :) Not only fast food, but when my husband first came over here to live with me (From New Zealand) he bought a loaf of bread and he was in SHOCK that after 1.5 weeks, it had NO mold or anything! MEANING, we put A LOT OF SH*T and perservatives in our bread to make it last longer...so said "what the heck is this doing to our insides?" He buys fresh bakery bread now...but it is scary!!
Great post and oh so true.
Great Post! The Calgary Stampede just started today and I always laugh at the "new" foods they sell on the midway. Last year... DEEP FRIED COKE. (as in COLA....DEEP FRIED.)
Yum...Barf.... lol.
i love this post. Thank you!! It amazes me how people just don't get it - especially the fact that we only have one body. We need to treat ourselves right before anything else, because being strong and healthy will only help us help others and live a full, long life. And also that parents, and all adults, have to set the example. why buy kids junk? they don't know they 'need' it if they've never had it to begin with!
Thank you for getting this all out there!
Boy do I love this post. I can't stand watching my nephews be fed McD's late night or coca cola for dinner versus the organic chicken I grill for them (which they'll refuse to eat). I make broccoli and other veggies for them and they throw tantrums unless their given as much soda and ice cream as they want. It makes me utterly SICK!! I'm NOT a mother, but I have a general idea of what a child should and should not eat.
I'm so glad my mother raised us with healthy food and no junk food whatsoever, she's old school and didn't believe in fast food and still doesn't. I do my best to educate everyone around me about the damage they do to themselves. I'm not perfect, I don't make the best choices, but at least I KNOW what I'm doing to myself and that way I am able to control my cravings of coca cola to almost never. It's all about education and seeing your health 30 years from now.
okay, I could go on and on...so I'll stop right here.
There are more health food stores than there ever have been. There are more Whole Food Stores than there ever have been. More grocery food chains are adding health food sections to their stores than ever before. Does that mean that people are still eating too much fast food? Oh yeah. The thing is that there are better fast food alternatives. For instance, Arby's has a wonderful Chicken Salad Sandwich. It is a big sandwich and I never get a side. I simply cannot eat anything at McDonald's. Even their salads give me the runs (which says everything about that place). At the other fast food places, I opt for the grilled chicken sandwich and don't get the fries. It's kind of like dealing with the TV remote. You have to decide to change the channel. There are other channels out there. Once you decide to stop ordering the burger and fries, fast food gets healthier. Is it as healthy as eating at home? No. However, there are times it is unavoidable. Choose the best option for you. Thanks for this post, Juliana.
Wow that was one big burger.
But your so right. We have a serious problem with health and obesity in this country. People should definitely care more for themselves.
Oh My Goodness! The happy meal picture is sooo disturbing!!!
Crazy how out of control people can get. Don't get me wrong I love a burger and fries every now and then, but its called self control!
I loved this post so much. It is such a problem, I am blown away by all of the obese children I see. This might sound kind of mean, but I remember when I was little, there would always be, like, one "fat kid" in my class every year, and it was an anomaly. Now they're all overweight! We only got to go to McDonald's for a special treat, too. Kudos to you for speaking out, it's a problem. XO!
That grosses me out! LOL I still love my fast food... unfortunately!! But this makes me want to eat some veggies instead of french fries!!! :)
This is SO true. I'm from Switzerland and we don't have as many fast food restaurant as you guys have in the US. But thank God we don't have them as we'd end up the same. Nowadays everybody is stressed out and eating healthy or even cooking at home seems to be too much effort.
In America EVERYthing is so big (supersized!). People don't have any measure anymore, you know what I mean? Also they take the car for everything; like just going to pick something up around the corner. Not healthy for sure. When I was in the US I gained 10kg (don't know how much this is in pounds) in 3 months!!! And I didn't only eat fast food. It was the big portions of the meals. And sodas everywhere.....crazy. First you think you're in "paradise" but then you start feeling "sick". Eating fast food once a while is fine, but not every single day.
So yeah, your body / your health is the most important thing and we must take good care of it. Sorry for the long post ;)
oh and I forgot to mention that of course not EVERYbody in the US is like this ;) so don't get me wrong. It's just the "image" the US has ;) if you know what I mean. Do they serve healthy food in the schools?
Awesome post! Exactly why I became a certified Wellness Coach and I love teaching people about healthy eating. I'm surprised how many people are 'ignorant' of simple truths about food and eating!!!
Holy shite that is just CARAZY. Thank you for posting this - if more people thought about what it is they're giving their bodies as fuel and building blocks, maybe we'd live in a different world! Better health = better US. (I'd never seen one of those pics before and EW.)
I think you have touched upon a very big truth. Europe is not that far behind America. the power of marketing is amazing.
So true! My husband and I never eat fast food, mainly because I have celiac disease and fast food places don't cater to people like me. But, we don't eat out in restaurants much either. We make our meals at home so we know what goes into them and we eat as much organic as we can afford. I love french fries, but I usually have to buy the frozen kind in health food stores because of the gluten.
AMEN to this post!
Eeek! this post is just a little too convicting! I have to admit I've been quite lazy in this area lately and fallen off the bandwagon of eating and living healthy. Time to climb back on for me first and my family second.
Thanks also for stopping by my blog and writing such nice comments about my art. I really appreciate it - it made my day! :)
Yes, fast food is terrible. But some people with weight problems can't just snap their fingers and exercise, diet, and lose weight. Although, I agree that something needs to be done about this epidemic... I hope that those who read your blog are not judging, and pointing fingers at those they see who are overweight.
I believe in everything in moderation; a happy meal/bottle of wine/fries/doughnut once in a blue moon won't kill you but every other day? Good post! x
Maybe I need to stop getting Doogan his PLAIN cheeseburger from McD's when I pick him up from being groomed! ;o)
Great post Sweetpea!
You need your own talk radio show!
xo
Love you!
I've pretty much trained myself to not enjoy junk food. It just makes me feel sick. Caffeine, though... guilty as charged on that one!
I was surprised to see a picture of a happy meal box. Do they even still make those? They don't here which I was very surprised to learn when I took my kids through the McDonalds drive thru last week to expedite a 3 hour car trip. I personally haven't eaten McDonalds in about a decade, but like reagan, I too "treat" my kids to it every once in a while. the other nights they are stuck eating lemon pepper cod and asparagus with me.
Ew ew ew ew EW.
::shudder::
This country really needs to change some stuff, doesn't it?
The hubs and I had a heart to heart recently. We were feeding the dude SO much better than we were feeding ourselves and we should be eating healthy just like him, so we can be around for him!
I agree completely. I live in a small town Colorado and for the most part we have a low obestity rate. I am shocked whenever we leave Gunnison because of how big America has become.
Back here in India, Our diets are pretty small, the joke around here is, our large sized cokes at McDonald's are pretty much the smallest size you'd get in the states.
But we've got soo much of fried stuff, fried stuff in sugar syrup and heavy milk based snacking, that our health rates are going down pretty fast.
I guess that's the story with the rest of the world as well.>
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