<p>Yesterday afternoon my 15 yr old told me I needed new jeans and should go shopping. She said my jeans were too baggy in the back region.</p>
<p>Awesome, mom60!</p>
<p>There is an ad for PDX90 at the left of my screen. This is sort of creepy–how do advertisers know what is being discussed on a forum? I feel like Big Brother Advertising Man is watching.</p>
<p>I have that too. ( I am sure their widgets or bots or whatever- just constantly search for keywords)</p>
<p>I went to Target last night for socks to wear with my running shoes and for some reason it was full of women ( young) who were at least thirty lbs overweight.</p>
<p>It reminded me of when I worked in advising at a community college and all the women except for one were overweight. I was overweight too, but not as seriously as the others, and everytime I would try and eat healthy, ( or elsewhere) they would give me grief.
It reminded me of the saying " misery loves company"- cause they weren’t just round and healthy, they were so overweight they had to take the elevator up one floor.</p>
<p>( I didn’t find anything else at Target to wear- the only sizes of anything I thought had promise were either XS or XXL- neither of which worked-- but oh lordy- some of those clothes should seriously not be made in XXL) :(</p>
<p>
There was actually a fascinating article about this phenomenom in the New York Times magazine a while back. If everyone around you is overweight it starts to look natural. If everyone around you takes the elevator, you do too. Unhealthy behaviors seem to be catching. <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/magazine/13contagion-t.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/magazine/13contagion-t.html</a></p>
<p>I kicked it today. Did the first full exercise circuit and the first intervals on the bike without pausing the iPod nazi to catch my breath. I was in full bent-over panting like a dog mode when I got off the bike.</p>
<p>Took an extra 2 minutes after the first full cycle, then did the full second exercise circuit and the second set of intervals on the bike without pausing the iPod for a break.</p>
<p>Then, took an extra 2 minutes after the intervals and did the entire third exercise circuit without a break.</p>
<p>Five minute cool down back on the bike and I’m spent. Intervals were tough today: 15 seconds at full speed, 45 seconds to recover at slow speed - repeat five times in a row.</p>
<p>I’m starting to be able to control my breathing during the exercise circuits, which makes all the difference in the world.</p>
<hr>
<p>That’s workouts five of the last six days counting just cardio on Sunday and Thursday. Break tomorrow and then try to walk on Sunday.</p>
<p>iDad, put your feet up and have an extra lettuce leaf tonight!! You deserve it!</p>
<p>Fresh haddock poached in a white wine sauce, but I may drink some of the wine!</p>
<p>EK…have you ever wandered into a Walmart? Oh my. I should go there more often to feel skinny. And if you look at what’s in the carts…yikes!</p>
<p>You know, I had a job for a while in NY…everyone was younger than me and most were slim. And they gave me grief of ordering healthy (I would order steamed chicken and veggies from the Chinese rest instead of Kung Pao). I guess their metabolisms were in a different place than mine. I was thin and I wanted to stay that way…but it required WORK and willpower. You walk a LOT in ny but not enough to make up for Kung Pau. </p>
<p>Idad…sounds like a good dinner!</p>
<p>idad, wine is one of the lowest calorie drinks that’s made without any artificial ingredients! Enjoy, you earned it! And have the lettuce leaf for dessert :)</p>
<p>idad, I’m coming to your house for dinner. </p>
<p>toneranger, my coworkers enjoy perusing a website “people of walmart” or something like that. I think they’ll enjoy it until the day they see themselves featured.</p>
<p>I’m anticipating some difficult diet days ahead. H is going to be gone through Wednesday and my usual habit, when alone in the house, is to eat intermittently and sporadically, not really preparing meals for one person. I think these few days will be heavy on the vegetables (steamed of course). Who is the poster always having chocolate every day? I may have to go for some of that too. I just hate cooking and cleaning up for one person. </p>
<p>I also volunteered to bring a fruit salad to a work lunch on Monday, thinking that would be a guarantee of a healthy item. The “hostess” suggested a Watergate salad (which I’d never heard of)- oh my. Calorie central. I think I’ll have to come up with something better and healthier.</p>
<p>Got my wine. Got my fresh haddock poached in a wine sauce. Got my spinach salad. Got my headphones on, about to watch the second night of the Allman Brothers annual run in NYC, streaming live in high def on the internet. Ahh, rock 'n roll for old fat guys! Sure beats when I saw them for the first time 40 years ago this year and it was so hot that we fried eggs for breakfast on the top of the van!</p>
<p>PS: Anyone who plays Little Feat and Edgar Winter’s White Trash on the PA before the concert starts is OK in my book… </p>
<p>PPS: Make that Little Feat, Edgar Winter’s White Trash, and Steve Earle. Plus the guy from Brooklyn screaming “Yee haw” in the balcony.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Is that anything like a Waldorf salad? Apples, celery, raisins with mayonnaise or something like that. An abomination. (And now forever linked with Fawlty Towers in my mind.)</p>
<p>Watergate Salad</p>
<p>1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed</p>
<p>What hostess would ask someone to bring this revoltiing concoction? Is it a Shriner picnic or something? Let me guess, the main courses are Vienna Sausages, Canned Spam, and Pickled Pigs Feet?</p>
<p>I can’t even imagine doing the carb or calorie count on this so-called “salad”. I’m pretty sure that a bananna split with sprinkles at Dairy Queen would be lo-cal compared to this.</p>
<p>I’m with you, idad. This is a “shower” work luncheon. Keep in mind my coworkers enjoy the people of walmart website. Fruit salad also comes in a can, according to them, which I did not know. </p>
<p>I caught bits of pieces of Nightline last night as I was dozing off that discussed how unaware the general public was of calorie counts and serving portions, focusing on one particular family. Did anyone else happen to catch this?</p>
<p>I didn’t catch the Nightline program, but I’m sure there are many people who don’t get that the Watergate Salad isn’t healthy fare. My inlaws were from a small steel town about 30 miles from Pittsburgh. They loved church dinners where everyone brought a dish. The first time we went to one of these H warned me about the food–there was nothing “fresh” or “natural”–almost every dish was covered with or swimming in Cool Whip, Miracle Whip, margarine, cream cheese, Velveta, green jello, or Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup. Not fare that one can eat all the time without eventually having health problems of some sort. I think the reason people eat like this (apart from the fact that some of those dishes taste good) is that they don’t have access to good produce (except in the summer) and they haven’t learned to cook/eat differently. My MIL never had anything except frozen fish sticks until she came to New England to visit my H. She tried fresh fish for the first time and loved it. When she went back home, she couldn’t get good fish in Giant Eagle and she wasn’t about to drive 30 miles to a Whole Foods to get it either. This was years ago and I know that even Wal-Mart now has organic foods. My H’s sisters are much more health conscious and have stopped eating like they did growing up. </p>
<p>It takes time and access to information to change. Also, eating healthy isn’t “cheap”–many folks can’t afford fresh produce or organic foods. Similarly, many buy processed/boxed foods because they don’t feel they have the time to actually “make” things. Salad dressing is one example that comes to mind. I can make a great dressing from scratch and in the end it probably is quicker and cheaper than buying Good Seasons dressing that’s full of high fructose corn syrup. (Just used that as an example–I know that many food companies are getting rid of HFCS and maybe Good Seasons did too.)</p>
<p>My own mother is a perfect case in point. Lots of salads heavy on Miracle Whip and Cool Whip. It’s the way she learned to cook and I’m sure she’ll continue to do so. For years my dad struggled with his weight- and when he dieted he ate a lot of hot dogs and sauerkraut because he perceived them as low-calorie- the only criteria he used in determining a healthy diet. I guess what amazes me is people will spend a small fortune to feed their family at say, McDonalds, and for that same amount of money they could eat really well. Good food should not be that expensive. </p>
<p>Off the soapbox.</p>
<p>Actually, there was some feature on the news several months ago about a poor family who did better – financially – ordering fast food from McDonald’s than eating fresh fruits and vegetables. You could get an entire meal for a dollar or two at Mickey D’s, but only two apples or so for the same $$$ at the grocery store.</p>
<p>If I recall, the point of the feature was that government subsidies to cattle farms was what was keeping Mickey D’s costs lower than that of fruits and veggies.</p>
<p>sabaray—saw the nightline feature last night–actually felt embarassed for the family, esp since they had their kids in it, an 11 yr old who is likely to get teased about this feature, but I digress. yes, it showed the enormous “portions” they were eating unaware of calorie/fat count etc. they were truly unaware of how to determine portions, and as the show unfolded, and they were exposed to the health information, you saw them realize how poor their choices were.</p>
<p>I wondered which is worse, those of us who know better and still have a full bowl portion size of ice cream etc. ;-)</p>
<p>I know a family whose two kids, 13 and 14 are severely obese, the 13 yr old so much so that family protective services said they’d take the kid away if they didn’t get him into a treatment program. I thought at least it got the kid where he needed to be for help.</p>
<p>I recently restarted Weight Watchers, and am getting to the gym 3x week. oh don’t you hate that point where you realize, “I could have been doing this all along, now I have to work harder” but happy to have the opportunity to start fresh…good luck to fellow cc’ers, great thread.</p>
<p>I guess I haven’t priced McDonalds in quite a while which I guess is a good thing. </p>
<p>D goes to school about an hour from us; I was there a few weeks ago and we made a run to the grocery for a few things. I was simply amazed at the prices- one would think that a larger city with more competition would have lower prices than our little burg. Prices on most things were .50 to $1 higher than what I would pay at home. A captive student audience. </p>
<p>Of course, things like a 12 pack of “Natty Lite” were on sale. But broccoli? Ha.</p>