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The Last Acceptable Prejudice
I know that everybody out there with a ‘pet cause’ considers it to be ‘the last acceptable prejudice’. A Google search using that term overwhelmingly turned up page after page of anti-Catholicism, anti-atheism, anti-humanism, and anti-thisthatandtheotherthingism. But this isn’t about any of those things. What this is about is ‘sizeism’ or size discrimination. While it is not a ‘pet cause’ of mine, it is something I have dealt with for a good deal of my life.
It’s also something that isn’t talked about often; and on those rare occasions that it is, it’s not usually dealt with in any seriousness. People laugh and make jokes; sometimes the jokes are funny and sometimes they’re cruel. The point of this is, it is not a social taboo to make fun of fat people. You can make jokes and be reasonably assured (in a way that you are not when making fun of Christians, Jews, Muslims, blacks, Mexicans, etc) that people will laugh right along with you and not call you out on it. If there happens to be a fat person in your audience they probably won’t call you out, but will sit there and look embarrassed until they’re able to escape and can go be by themselves and deal with their hurt in private.
For the women: When was the last time you were with a group of women and the issue of weight and body image didn’t come up within the first five minutes? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The obsession with weight is deeply entrenched in our society and the stigma of ‘fat and ugly’ continues. Take a look at some statistics concerning weight and body image:
The average woman is 5’4 and weighs 140 pounds.
The average model is 5’11 and weighs 117 pounds.
Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women.
Surveys show 45% of women are on a diet on any given day.
Surveys show 80% of women are dissatisfied with their appearance.
Surveys show 80% of children who are ten years old are afraid of being fat.
Surveys show 60% of American women are a size 12 or larger.
Studies show that girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing parents.
There are any number of reasons for fat people being the way they are. Some have a thyroid problem, some have a disease, some just really like cheesecake and really hate the gym, and some people are just big. But why should somebody need a reason for being the way they are? Why is it anybody else’s business? Would it even occur to most rational people to say to Wesley Snipes ‘Hey, how come you’re so black? Why don’t you lose pigment?’ Of course it would not, yet this is a question that every big person has heard (if you replace black with fat and pigment with weight, that is) at least once in their lives and usually more often than that. I’ve been asked the question myself; the only reply I felt appropriate was a supercilious stare at the presumptuousness of the questioner.
Never let ‘em see you sweat, that’s what they say. So I would wait until I was alone, and I would let out the hurt where no one could see. Because it does hurt, no matter how much you love yourself, to be singled out as different. I have already related to you all a recent experience; the Israeli fellow from a Yahoo chat room. He was rather creative with his analogy, but it did get to me. Although that is the most recent, it’s certainly not the first time. It hurts to be judged and found wanting. But what hurts even more is the knowledge that you let somebody get to you, and over something so stupid.
When it comes to being judged at your job on the basis of your size or appearance (if you’re not a model), that’s even worse. This Wall Street Journal article titled ‘How to Overcome Weight Discrimination’ kind of chaps my hide, because it doesn’t actually answer any real questions.
Winning Tactics
Overweight executives interested in moving to another company should recognize that their size almost certainly would prompt initial skepticism among executive recruiters and potential employers. Weight bias is one of the few prejudices that hasn't yet become politically unpopular, and companies whose handbooks proclaim their discrimination-free hiring processes are often the cleverest at crafting rejection messages for people who "don't look right" for a job. The best way to handle the weight issue is to avoid companies where it appears to be an issue and co-opt any concerns a recruiter or client might have about your size.
Recognize high-risk job opportunities. Some types of companies tend to be choosier about their executives' appearance. These include companies in image-conscious industries like film or retailing and organizations that are suffering declining performance. Even Old Economy companies are often hesitant to hire overweight candidates for positions that involve extensive interaction with customers and other external audiences, such as chief executive officers and sales professionals. Unless you can deal easily with rejection, don't waste your time interviewing for jobs at these types of organizations or others where appearance is all-important.
Don't surprise a recruiter. Assuming the headhunter is impressed with your credentials and your telephone interactions have been mutually satisfying, it's in your interest to reveal yourself as a "heavyweight" before meeting each other in person. "The best way to handle it is to come clean as quickly as possible," says Jeff Holmquist, chief headhunter for Search Specialists, a recruiter in Dearborn, Mich. [Come clean, as if you’ve got a criminal record or something ---ed. note]
Wear "the uniform." If you show up for a recruiter interview in a tailored navy wool suit, white shirt or blouse, low-key ties and jewelry, black leather accessories and subtle makeup, you'll win points for dressing like an executive. [This is what you should wear to a serious job interview anyway]
Be the first one to address your size. Knowing how you have dealt with being overweight in prior job experiences can help the recruiter prepare a rationale for presenting you to the client. "It's definitely important that the company is mentally prepared for candidates that are out-of-the-norm," says Mr. Holmquist. You might, for example, tell the recruiter, "When I first joined XYZ Corp., there was some concern that my weight would keep me from being productive. My colleagues were pleasantly surprised when I quickly completed three key projects that their people had struggled with for two years."
This advice is ridiculous. If it doesn’t sound offensive to you yet, replace ‘size’ or ‘overweight’ with ‘black’, ‘Jewish’, ‘Republican’, ‘Mexican’. Basically it’s saying ‘Apologize for who you are, be meek and submissive, and take what you get’. I find that tremendously offensive, but as the article states: Weight bias is one of the few prejudices that hasn’t yet become politically unpopular. I work with the public a great deal, mainly the German public, local village mayors and so forth, and am often seen as the face of my particular organization in certain negotiations. I’ve not personally seen bias of this sort directed against me in my professional life; I am sensitive to subtleties of speech and body language so I believe I would have noticed. In the corporate world, it is probably a whole different ballgame. While I am uncomfortable with the idea of legislating morality, I don’t believe that it would be at all a bad thing if somebody were to sue for size discrimination and win. It’s just human nature for people to try to see how much they can get away with, and people do bring their personal prejudices to work with them, so a lost lawsuit may just show those middle-managers what they can’t get away with anymore.
So, you ask, why don’t I just go on a diet or get to the gym? Well, for one thing, there’s nothing wrong with my diet. I like good food and good wine, but I do not overindulge. I see no reason to starve myself and be miserable just to fit somebody else’s ideal. I don’t like the gym, but I’m hardly a couch potato; I walk around quite a lot at work, and most weekends I’m out walking around a city somewhere. Shopping with me is an endurance trial, sightseeing is even more so. I may not be in the gym pumping iron or running on a treadmill but I stay active.
But why should I have to change? Why should I have to justify this one minor aspect of who I am to people? Why should anybody? Wesley Snipes doesn’t. Were I to start tomorrow eating nothing but rice cakes and spending 8 hours a day in the gym, two things would happen. One is I would probably lose some weight. Two is I would turn into a major bitch. If I kept at that regime for a while, and lost a bunch of weight, it would certainly change me, but I don’t believe it would change me for the better. I believe I am meant to be the way I am. I’m a good person, successful and smart, kind to animals and old people, and I’m a lifelong friend to people I love. I’m stylish, well-put-together, and beautiful. I’ve got good hair and an impressive shoe collection. I am a little vain, but I’ve got it under control. If I were to completely change myself so that somebody would like me, choose me, love me, hire me… they wouldn’t get me, they would get a bad karaoke version of me. And that would be a shame.
124 comments, latest by Stormi at 7:18 am 3/13
Girlfriend, I love you just the way you are. You are smart and lovable and funny, and I can't wait to meet you when you get stateside!
I hear what you are saying. Loud and clear. I think most of us have had experiences like this that have hurt us, but we just don't talk about them. And probably most of us have made, or laughed at, at cruel joke that was told at someone else's expense. I applaud your honesty in tackling a hurtful subject.
My Achilles tendon is my looks, too, but for different reasons.
"Ogni scarrafone e` bello a mamma sua"
Neapolitan saying meaning "every cockroach is beautyful to his mum"
We're all beautyful in some way. (mind you, me more than others but hey, I'm from Rome)
I once worked at a company run largely by trim slim members of the Swiss Army. I noticed that every time a non-Swiss executive (whether American, German, Italian, or French -- but not Swiss) was being pushed out the door, he always would gain about 40 pounds on the way out. I was unclear as to whether the weight-gain came from depression or whether it was a way of thumbing one's nose at the Swiss discipline he was leaving. I asked a couple of them, and they didn't know either. These guys generally lost the weight in the following year.
Neapolitan saying meaning "every cockroach is beautyful to his mum"
I always mean well unless you mess with my feathers. ;-)
I've spent most of my life as an XL, graduating high school at 218 pounds on a 5'7" frame.
During the course of my adult life, I've gone up and down, as low as 158 (during a couple of "high-stress" diet situations) and as high as 225 (after 3 months recuperating from major surgery). I am now at 10 pounds below my weight in High School.
I've always been healthy, active, etc, but got tired of the comments, too. I'm sure it is much worse for a woman, given society's ridiculous body-image you are expected to adhere to.
Physically, I felt better thinner, but emotionally, I feel great in plus size. Hell, it's a family tradition, anyway.
Stormi, I think you are lovely just as you are.
I'm currently on a diet. I went up to 16st (at 6'1). I was happy in myself but the pressure from other people and a warning from my doctor has made me think about losing weight. I'm currently 14st 3lbs, a lot trimmer and hopefully a lot fitter.
I lost weight without a fad diet, without going to the gym and without buying stupid excercise machines of satellite TV. I eat right, eat regularly and cut down on the alcohol a bit (cutting out the weekend binge did me lots of favours).
I think as long as you keep yourself active, eat right and drink sensibly your body will find its own 'perfect weight'. Pay no attention to those charts. According to them someone my height should be something like 10st 7lbs......which is ridiculous. I'd look like a less buff Pee-Wee Herman.
Oy Stormi! I can so identify with you. As a kid I was quite normal size, but I didn't realise it. I grew up sandwiched between a tall skinny brother and a skinny sister. We have another "normal-size" brother at the end. Comments dropped "jokingly" by certain members of my family reinforced my own self-image as fat. Now when I look back at photos of my teenage self I was a long gangly thing and I'm so angry at myself for not enjoying my slim figure when I had it. At age 18 I was 5' 5" and weighed 55 kg (120 lb). Here I am, 4 children later, and forever battling my weight, for health reasons as much as for looks. I'm equally angry at my family member for those insensitive comments, even though they were well meant.
I have to give my husband credit, he's never made a comment about my weight. He's still pretty trim though he was enormously fat as a child. Yet the weight all fell off him when he was about 17, which just goes to show. I'm not sure what, but it does go to show - I suppose that you don't need to drive children made about their weight.
I'm also lucky that no one outside the family has ever made comments to me about my weight except for a couple of times people have asked me when I was having my baby, (this is Israel and people have no shame). I don't know who was more embarassed, me or them, when I said there was no baby. For that reason I never ask someone if they're pregnant - I know exactly what it feels like. I work on the assumption that they'll tell me, or as my ma-in-law says, it's a secret you can only keep for 9 months, and I'd absolutely hate to embarass someone in the same way if it's just plain old overweight.
Our 13 yr old daughter is also a long skinny thing, about 5' 6" and weighing about 105 lb, and she definitely is concerned about her weight - gaining it that is. I got a bit worried when she started asking about calories and stuff, but thankfully that phase passed. Anyway she enjoys her food too much. They had a medical in school and she was quite surprised to be told she was "exactly right". I was surprised too. I was sure they'd tell her she's underweight. She actually fits a standard UK size 10 (US size 8) so as long as she doesn't get any thinner I guess she's OK. I'm glad she goes to a religious school wehre the emphasis is very much on character qualities and not on looks and fashion, both amongst the girls and the staff, but even so I've always got a weather eye out on her.
Meanwhile my long skinny brother is now long (6' 3")and very not-skinny. Which also goes to show.
Dave Ray, I can sympathise with you too. I really ought to lose about 30 lbs just for health reasons. I lost about 20 lbs this past year, by accident really. I had joined a diet group at the hospital and lost about 10 lbs. Then came the summer and it was just too hot to eat, I was swimming, I joined a new gym which was fun for a change, and the weight fell off without me noticing or even trying. I only realised when my skirt fell down at work! It caused a bit of a sensation I can tell you!
But now my weight has gotten stuck. I feel fine physically and emotionally but my doctor keeps nagging me...
The funny thing is I've never been able to weight by trying. I tend to lose weight very easily when I'm sick for more than a few days, or if I'm under a lot of stress.
If I'm bored or in a rut, that's when I tend to risk putting on weight.
When I was at school, a long, long time ago, some of my group of friends were, shall we say, well rounded characters. We'd picked up an expression from somewhere (from a TV show perhaps? Can't remember): "Pleasingly Plump". If any of the more rounded personalities was feeling sorry for herself because of her weight, we'd tell her not to worry, she was just Pleasingly Plump.
I used to have a car with a license plate that started with "BBW". My big beautiful friend loved it. :)
That is so sweet of you. You must have been a very special bunch of friends. There aren't many teenagers who are so tolerant of those different to them.
I'll only be able to keep the secret for a few more months.
Frank! Ewww! I was just having supper!
LOL!
LOL! Hubby has recently lost a few pounds around his middle, and can now pull off his "fat" jeans without unbuttoning them!
Until about the age of forty or so, I only weighed 103 lbs. I hated it. No matter what I did, I couldn't put on weight. Believe me, there isn't a whole lot of selection when it comes to buying clothes in a size three. I just didn't feel good most of the time. No energy, blood sugar bottoming out all the time.
Now I weigh 128, and am so comfortable! I quit smoking eight years ago, cut way back on the booze. I feel great! I never want to be skinny again.
At my last physical, the doc told me that I was overweight. I laughed in delight! I have no intention of losing a single pound.
Lady Red, overweight at 128 lbs???!!! Either you're extremely short or your doctor is half blind, half mad or both. He should be delighted that you quit smoking and booze. Surely those are much more unhealthy than a few extra pounds. Anyway, what extra pounds? I still don't understand, seriously.
I know people go crazy when thin people say they hate being thin, but I remember my daughter trying on a skirt and it fell off her in the shop. She burst into tears right there and said "it's not fair! Nothing fits me!" We were quite amused at the time since most of the family is on the big side to put it mildly, but I could sympathise with her too. It really was difficult to find clothes for her. She was too tall for children's clothes but too skinny for women's sizes. Now she's developed a bit she's a standard women's size (and she looks gorgeous too, but I can't tell her that because I'm her mum so it doesn't count).
Could this be considered a visual diet aid?
It would be a damn shame. Stormi, you're the shit.
Little-known fact: Palestinians are the fourth (I think) fattest people on earth. We put mounds of sugar in everything, and drink pots and pots of sweet tea and coffee. The transition from a farming lifestyle to a modernity with plenty of cheap carbohydrates was not kind to us. I was always made fun of for being really thin in Jordan; even my cousins who were my age were plump around the middle.
It is ridiculous and it is offensive.
Thank you for a heartfelt and brave post, Stormi. I think the weight issue and the issue of "looks" in general, affect women more than men, women are judged on their looks more than men are. If a man is 30 lbs overweight it doesn't seem as big a deal as when a woman is 30 lbs overweight. And I don't think men are as insecure about their looks as women are. For one thing, men don't spend half the time we do on taking care of their appearance or being on a diet or worrying about the size of their butts or if their boobs are getting droopy or if they're getting wrinkles.
I don't like making fun of large people (we have quite a few in my family) and I think it's high time that we drop this prejudice, it's offensive and should not be acceptable any more.
Btw, have you seen the film Zuckerbaby? It's a bit old but very enjoyable, the protagonist is beautiful and strong and brilliant and she reminds me of you a bit :-) I think you'll like it.
Annie, I'm a bit under 5'4". The charts doctors use these days are ridiculous! If we all listened to their advice, we'd be a planet of stick people!
I can sympathize with your daughter. I think skinny people get (and feel) as much grief as pleasantly plump people do. Like Kristofferson said in his song "Jesus was a Capricorn": "Everybody's gotta have somebody to look down on."
People look down on Capricorns?
Retail cost of sugar when I lived in Jordan: 7 piastres/kilo (about 4.5¢/lb in US money).
Hear, hear.
Stormi, I love you to pieces. Your comments are consistently funny, informative, warm, and smart.
Do you check your DL email addy? I'd like to email you if that's OK.
LOL!
ev, how can Palestinians be fat? Aren't they all being starved by those nasty Israelis?
I hope not. I have enough trouble just being overweight and Jewish.
LMAO!
I hope not. I have enough trouble just being overweight and Jewish.
LOL!!!
Wasn't Mr. Tumnus a Capricorn?
Or am I thinking of Unicorn.
Oh. Faun.
Who's Mr. Tumnus?
He's the goat bastard in Narnia.
ev, from your link:
Told you he was Jewish...
Oh. I didn't realize his name was Tumnus. I need to see the movie again with subtitles (an additional reason that I hate going to the movies in the US, the lack of subtitles.)
I haven't even seen the movie, I was just going on memory of the books :-) Have you read them, zorkie?
No, I haven't.
zorkie, they're very sweet and very lovely.
After seeing the movie I reread The Magician's Nephew. It was written last (I believe), but the content pre-dates the action in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (it explains how Narnia came into being). They're kids' books so they're quick reads.
You never read the Narnia books, zorkie?!
Told you he was Jewish...
LMAO!!!
I have the Narnia books, btw, in English. I'm just not sure if I would like to read children's books, I have to be in the mood.
I didn't read them till just a couple of years ago. I've read lots of kids books in the last few years. :-)
It goes with the profession, I'm sure :-)
LOL! Yes.
But I'm glad I caught up with so many classics I somehow missed when I was a kid.
Also, my wife took Harry Potter (and the Sorcerer's Stone) out of the library before it became hugely popular, so I get to feel I was ahead of the crowd on that one.
You people are such hippocrates... Look how much mileage you got from that poor Ton 'O Fun guy. What is it about him that makes you go ewww, lol, etc.? The setting? No... Does he smell bad? Well, we have no way of knowing. Let's see, here's another guy in a similar setting:
Does he invoke similar feelings? I didn't think so. Tsk, tsk, tsk...
packen, LOL!
Stormi, this is a beautiful and thought-provoking post. The fact is, that until fairly recently, thin was considered to be a sign of sickliness. And in truth, there really is no reason that people should judge others by externals, although it can't be helped that shallow people will.
I noticed in zorkie's Sarah Silverman link last night - the comedienne who seems to have no red lines whatsoever - does have one subject she won't touch:
What the heck is wrong with our society?!
packen -
Ummm... those sheets look like they haven't been washed in weeks.
Anyway, all kidding aside, I really do like the Tons O Fun guy. He has such a sweet vulnerable look on his face. And the thought of squeezing his soft prodigious flesh sends shivers down my spine, just as the thought of holding the world's biggest female breast would for a straight guy.
Thank you, everybody, and thank you all for sharing.
I make fun of Tons O' Fun, but not because he's a big guy. He's skeezy, and the soda cans and the wrinkled sheets and tube of club crackers and the whole thing are just bleh. The whole thing is seedy and that's what's funny about it.
packen, I do check my DL yahoo email, pretty much every day.
Now that I think about it more carefully, I believe it was cba who asked...
Now that I think about it more carefully, I believe it was cba who asked...
LMAO!
Stormi, LOL!!!
Who will remember the diss ziss time? :o)
Hmmm, and who is this stud muffin, packen?
Now that I think about it more carefully, I believe it was cba who asked...
zorkie
I haven't seen that movie, but I have seen what I believe is an American tv-movie remake of it: Babycakes, starring Ricki Lake.
I think Ricki Lake is a little smarmy, I saw her show a couple of times and she got on my nerves. I don't know if she still has the show, it was a few years ago.
Hmmm, and who is this stud muffin, packen?
I have seen approximately 200 episodes of Ricki Lake. I used to live with a talk-show-watching-freak. Jerry Springer, Sally Jesse Raphael, Ricki Lake...shudder.
I never saw her show; never saw the point of a female Jerry Springer. But I remember her from Hairspray and Cry-Baby (I love John Waters movies), and I liked her in those films.
LMAO!!
Not my first thought :-)
I never saw her show; never saw the point of a female Jerry Springer. But I remember her from Hairspray and Cry-Baby (I love John Waters movies), and I liked her in those films.
She was great in those! I love John Waters too, Serial Mom is my number one of his.
She was great in those! I love John Waters too, Serial Mom is my number one of his.
I always think of Serial Mom when I see people wearing white shoes in the winter!!!
Am I the only one who keeps seeing an emaciated third leg on that guy, starting from his right knee and going outward? (It's actually a weird fold in the sheets.)
No, he's too skinny and he has his shirt on and I don't like boxers that much.
Am I the only one who keeps seeing an emaciated third leg on that guy, starting from his right knee and going outward? (It's actually a weird fold in the sheets.)
No, he's too skinny and he has his shirt on and I don't like boxers that much.
And I was going to comment about his messy bed but I thought better of it... I should've known better. Always go with your gut instinct on bloggie :-D
Could this be considered a visual diet aid?
Try this.
I didn't even notice the boxers.
All I noticed was the messy bed and the optional third leg.
BTW joem, here's something that might interest you (shamelessly plugging my own hippolink).
annie, I see the leg too.
It's not a leg, people! What's wrong with you?
Hey, overweight people are jolly, lazy and not too intelligent.
They are also often invisible.
About half my life I have weighed 30-40# more than what I "should" weigh. I too have been deeply hurt by a comment or reaction I never expected. The pressure is definitely more on women in American society to be thin, but the prejudice is there against men as well.
My brother-in-law lost a great deal of weight a couple years ago. He told me he was amazed at the different way he was now treated by coworkers; for one thing, he was taken more seriously.
Sorry Siggie.
Yes annie, I see the penis too.
Stormi, you should be so lucky :-D
Bit of a strange shape though.
OK, then, how about this one?
Sometimes an emciated leg is just an emaciated leg.
Heh. That Versace logo is so tacky.
The ugliest pair of sunglasses I ever saw were Versace, with giant gold logos on the sides, and covered in spotted pony fur. That's what I think of now whenever I see the disembodied Versace head.
And pretentious people with the logo at the bottom of their espresso cups.
Since we're getting all Freudian, maybe it's not a leg or a penis, but an enormous line of cocaine.
They are also often invisible.
About half my life I have weighed 30-40# more than what I "should" weigh. I too have been deeply hurt by a comment or reaction I never expected. The pressure is definitely more on women in American society to be thin, but the prejudice is there against men as well.
My brother-in-law lost a great deal of weight a couple years ago. He told me he was amazed at the different way he was now treated by coworkers; for one thing, he was taken more seriously.
This is part of my point; it's acceptable to treat people differently because of their size, because nobody says anything, nobody talks about it. And it shouldn't be acceptable. It's the same, it's just as wrong, to treat somebody differently because of the label inside their jeans as it is to treat them differently because of the color of their skin.
It would be a damn shame. Stormi, you're the shit.
Little-known fact: Palestinians are the fourth (I think) fattest people on earth. We put mounds of sugar in everything, and drink pots and pots of sweet tea and coffee. The transition from a farming lifestyle to a modernity with plenty of cheap carbohydrates was not kind to us. I was always made fun of for being really thin in Jordan; even my cousins who were my age were plump around the middle.
The thing that keeps my weight somewhat under control is no sugar in the coffee and tea, no more than 2 meals a day, distilled spirits straight or mixed with diet soda - presently cuervo and diet coke. I have a theory that carbs very late in the day will stick to you.
Does this mean no more Elizabeth Taylor or Kirstie Alley jokes?
I think Kirstie Alley's silly behavior has made her fair game. Liz Taylor... there's so much more there to make fun of, her weight has got to be at the bottom of the humor heap.
The thing that keeps my weight somewhat under control is no sugar in the coffee and tea, no more than 2 meals a day, distilled spirits straight or mixed with diet soda - presently cuervo and diet coke. I have a theory that carbs very late in the day will stick to you.
My metabolism is just the opposite.
I have to eat supper within one hour of bedtime, else I will sleep poorly, be extremely cranky when I wake up the next morning, and be ravenously hungry the whole day and eat like a pig.
Now here is a visual diet aid.
Actually, I hope this kid, and the not quite so obese brother beside him, gets some help, or at least some responsible parents, before it is too late.
One thing - I tend to avoid soft drinks. I get my caffeine from coffee (typically black), and usually I only let myself have one 12-oz bottle of IBC Root Beer on weekend days.
I simply cannot eat a "standard" size-fast food meal for lunch - I will be falling asleep at my desk within an hour and a half to two hours.
And I've noticed that if I eat a really big lunch, I'm usually even hungrier later in the day than if I ate a smaller, but filling meal. A rebound effect.
I simply cannot eat a "standard" size-fast food meal for lunch - I will be falling asleep at my desk within an hour and a half to two hours.
And I've noticed that if I eat a really big lunch, I'm usually even hungrier later in the day than if I ate a smaller, but filling meal. A rebound effect.
There was a study somewhere recently that calculated the number of calories the average american consumed weekly from soft drinks. It was huge. And every gram of sugar is a gram of empty carb.
Lunch ? What's that.
If I eat before I go to sleep, I'll be hung over in the morning, most of the time.
I'm old enough to remember when a Coke was 6 1/2 ounces. Not these 20 oz. monstrosities they have today.
And I can also remember when McDonald's had an "extra large" size of fries that is the same size as their current "medium" fries.
To me, I drink soda for the flavor, and savor every mouthful.
If I need to drink just to quench my thirst, I'll just drink water. (Or Gatorade on certain occasions.)
When I was in junior high, I spent a weekend with my best friend and his family at their country house.
We had soda and potato chips with every meal.
Mom was scandalized when I told her about this.
I drink sprudel (or plain water) and coffee; tea or hot chocolate on occasion. I've never been a big fan of soda, except the occasional root beer or cream soda, sometimes a Sprite.
My diet for the most part is pretty good; not 'health food', but healthy food. Real food: fresh vegetables, lean meats, grains and noodles and fresh bread and cheese. I enjoy my food; cooking and eating something delicious is one of the most basic pleasures a person can have. If you have to consume the calories anyway, why should they be bland and flavorless.
Those two kids though, they're not eating good food, and I truly don't believe they're getting any enjoyment from what they're eating. If you eat so much that you feel sick afterward, that's not enjoyment (Thanksgiving is an exception--it's practically a law to overeat at Thanksgiving). I also can't believe that those kids feel good; eating disgusting greasy food like that makes me feel really bad, and I only have a fast-food meal once in a while. I could not imagine eating that every day.
What you said, Stormah.
What's sprudel? I saw someone mention that earlier, at first I thought it was "streudel".
After the first three or four bites, food doesn't taste as tasty anymore. When I go out to a restaurant I usually order two or three things and only have a little bit of them; the rest gets taken home.
Most dinner portions at restaurants are way too big. It took me the longest time to learn to NOT EAT THE WHOLE DAMN DISH and use the doggy bag.
It was probably me that mentioned it earlier, Frank.
Sprudel is mineral water with bubbles. It is not the same thing as club soda, every spring has a different taste because of the salts and minerals. One of my favorites is Gerolsteiner, from the north Eifel town of Gerolstein, about 40 minutes from here.
That's definately true in America. Not so true in London, that's a guaranteed way to lose weight.
This is funny, here they're charging $2.60 CDN for a one-liter bottle of Gerolsteiner. At my local village shop I buy an entire rack of 12 bottles for €3
I'm not big on bottled water, my attitude is "why pay for what I can get for free".
My favorite bottled water is actually CVS's brand - it comes from Saratoga Springs and I really like it.
I think my favorite European water is Evian. I never liked Perrier.
Ditto here....I suspected I'd gain weight when I retired, but discovered that I lost 10 lbs....the difference? Fresh fruit for snacks in place of potato chips and candy bars. Hummus & Lamb instead of Pizza from the federal cafeteria. I had already replaced soda or pop with water, before I left work, which was another 10 pounds.
And I miss the half sized soda bottles, as Frank mentioned, 6.5 to 7 ounce sizes....that's enough for those times I want a soda.And I really miss Cherry Phosphates .... how many out there even recall what they are? As an 11 year old, my idea of the ideal meal, when I could get away with it, was a Cherry Phosphate, bowl of chlli, and order of fries.
Most of you won't believe this but NYC has some of the best tap water in the country. From upstate and Canadian reservoirs.
Brits dining in America:
From WaPo
But you still need a filter to keep out the copepods, if you're really strict about keeping kosher ..
Yes, I can vouch for that.
Ocean City, Maryland and Carson City, Nevada also have very good water.
Los Angeles is absolutely atrocious. You won't make the mistake of drinking unfiltered tap water twice.
Aruba's water is absolutely flavorless. That's because it's desalinated ocean water. It's interesting in the shower - it takes an incredibly small amount of soap to lather up, but it takes forever to rinse.
But you still need a filter to keep out the copepods, if you're really strict about keeping kosher ..
Me Kosher ????
But you still need a filter to keep out the copepods, if you're really strict about keeping kosher ..
I thought it was OK as long as the treyf portion was less than 1 in 60 or some ratio like that?
Me Kosher ????
I do use a filter however.
I thought it was OK as long as the treyf portion was less than 1 in 60 or some ratio like that?
Er, how big are those critters, anyway?
I do use a filter however.
Brita - on the faucet
When I entered college, I weighed just under 130 lbs., at 5'9".
In my seventh(!) and last year of college, I weighed 190.
My mom blamed it on my habit of pigging out on bread with cream cheese spread (salmon, chives, etc.).
Eat beans today, make homemade seltzer tomorrow.
Works for me.
premature posting. I meant to correct zeltzer to seltzer and hit "post" instead. Why? Probably because I'm drinking Heiniken at the moment. Anyway, most soft drinks are way too sweet for my taste. Sometimes I mix seltzer with juice--I love cranberry juice.
#102 Frank, that was a cute article. I liked this:
Do you order your seltzer from NYC ? In the old fashioned bottles ?
Er, how big are those critters, anyway?
They're pretty small. You need magnification to see them properly. But I understand that they may be visible to the naked eye if you put the water in a dark dish.
The OU had a pretty extensive write-up on it back then.
Do you order your seltzer from NYC ? In the old fashioned bottles ?
Oh, I thought you were just saying it with a Yiddish accent or something, LOL!
As I understand it, a size 10 is supposed to be for an average woman. And that was based upon measurements of WACs -- so how accurate is that? All these women who are upset because they don't fit into a size 1/4 amaze me.
I also can't figure out what is supposed to be "normal", anyway. For the health insurance plan at work, this year they instituted a health plan. We had to fill out a questionnaire to figure out our health status and what we could do to improve it. (This is not mandatory, but the coverage is really sucky if you don't do it.)
According to it, my weight range should be 136-182 pounds. Now I could buy 182 pounds, and I am working on that. But 136? That is obscene! The company called me up for a follow-up, and I mentioned that to a caller. She agreed with me. I did a worksheet on line, and it said my top weight should be 170. I am 6 feet tall. This is silly.
Look at the newsmagazines when they talk about weight. The articles either say Americans are a bunch of porkers, or that Americans have problems with anorexia. Which is it?
The weight to height thing is silly. Body type, muscle type, bone type have a lot to do with it, more than height. I am also 6 feet tall, with a "medium" build according to the doctors, which means 44 shoulders, 35 inch sleeve, 31 inch inseam (32 if low rise jeans) and the lightest I have ever been as an adult was 175 and that at a time I was super fit, with very low body fat, and a never to be seen again 31 inch waist. Today I bounce between 185 and 200, right now about 190. If I were to weigh 136 or even 170, I'd have to chop off a limb. These charts are nuts.
My room mate in college, who was a corner back for a big 10 school, was 5'9" standing on a book, but with heavy muscle mass, thick bones, large frame (also a 44), event though shorter than me. He weighed 180 at his fit playing weight. No way he'd ever meet 136 either, let alone 170.
Great post Stormi.
I've had a lot of exposure to women with bulimia and anorexia and the body image issues in our culture are killers.
I believe those that promote this are actually a minority, but a powerful one. There's a lot to say about this, but the key thing is not to raise our little girls to buy into it.
zorkies point about women being more concerned about looks is true, but I think that most of this torment is self imposed. I think women care more about their looks and those of other wommen more than men (or at least the men who really care about them).
RadioMatt, it used to be size 10 but now I think it's about a 12-14.
Elizabeth Hurley said not too long ago that if she were Marilyn Monroes size 14, she'd kill herself. Duh.
We talked about looks on a recent thread, were you in on it? I wish people would stick with developing their personality more than looks.
Elizabeth Hurley has made numerous nasty comments; that's not the only one I read. And she gets away with it, where she could not if she had said, for example 'If I were as black as Oprah I would kill myself'. There hasn't been any kind of public reaction against her for that. And that is what I find so objectionable.