Everything Thanatos is saying in this thread hits all the right nails on the head. The rest of you (well, some of you) are making dents in the wood instead.
jeepguy, that is the terrible fucking idea. Yes, yell at a kid for being slow, so that they will garner the sniggers of their peers. That will do great to motivate them to get out in front of everybody and fail to be good enough! Because when you are operating on the assumption that you're the "slow one" or the "fat one" then of course you'll just keep trucking to succeed, not retreat from to avoid the humiliation!
Seriously. What Thanatos said about the gym being a place for healthy people and not people who want to be healthy is absolutely correct. I know it's part of the reason why I am straight up terrified of going to the gym. And the first person who says "Just don't be afraid" is gonna get smacked. That kind of reduction of legitimate fear to a simple on/off switch never helped anybody.
I won't say "don't be afraid" but I will say that you should find a YWCA rather than a regular gym.
I'd say the JCC should be a go-to answer, simply because it's hard to tell gender over the internet. The changing rooms are full of old people (although I could never figure out where they go, as there's never more than one of them in whatever fitness room I'm in), so you won't be the ugliest there. I personally jump on the eliptical in one of the little branch fitness rooms on my campus for the TDS/TCR hour (burns 1100 calories, on average). The room's small enough for me to change the TV and turn up the volume w/o complaints (it also helps that everybody likes those shows). It's not the most effective because my dorm's right next to the all you can eat caf and the only thing edible there is the ice cream, but it hold off the weight enough so I can eat a self-made sundae nightly without blowing up like a balloon.
I also lift weighs at least twice a week (gym class), which should help me gain muscle weight, which will help me burn calories faster (I'm also thinking of weighing down my jackets to accomplish that purpose).
Also, I read somewhere that there are people who were so fat that they get around using wheelchairs, and get their insurance to pay for it. Fuck that.
Back when I worked for the Postal Service we got a (voluntary) group membership at a local health club, it wasn't super duper fancy, but it was a cut above the 24 hour fitness. It had a large number of older people who went there, and the had a separate womens only weight area as well as the main co-ed part of the gym (as my friend Diane explained to me; girls don't want guys to see them use some of the machines because it's either creepy or humiliating or both) but the best thing about it was that there was just a wide variety of body types who used the place. There were a lot of old guys who just used the gym for raquetball and the sauna, and half of them were pretty fat, it wasn't judgmental and not the sort of place you felt self-conscious working out in. Compare that to the gym here on the Bangor base with all the grunting Marines and it's very clear that gyms vary greatly.
I'm probably the only person in my family (besides my mom) that isn't obese. Note that I didn't say overweight, I actually mean obese. So many of them whine about being fat and do next to nothing to combat it that my sensitivity towards people in their predicament has all but disappeared. Granted my dad's family grew up in Alabama and being black and southern is a super double whammy with eating habits and some lifestyle choices. But in all honesty their outright refusal to make even small steps toward being healthy makes me really annoyed. My dad eats whatever the hell he wants, checks his blood sugar maybe once a year, and doesn't exercise at all. Pretty much every day he's on borrowed time and doesn't care how it affects the rest of the family. It just seems so selfish...
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JohnnyCacheStarting DefensePlace at the tableRegistered Userregular
Yes, fat people much prefer it when you treat them like a hypersensitive child rather than a friend with human flaws like the rest of us.
Please find something I have said that would suggest I have been demeaning or hurtful to people with weight issues, or to show that I believe negative reinforcement to be anything but catastrophically unhelpful. Give me a quote in its proper context that justifies singling me out.
I treat my illness with a great deal of levity, because otherwise I'd spend most of my time wallowing in self-pity. Quite literally all of my close friends are or have been overweight at some point in their lives, and they all take it in stride when they can. Just because you know someone who is self-conscious about their weight to the point that trying to get them to laugh about it causes them to break out in rage-tears doesn't mean the rest of the world is so wretchedly unhappy. It's not about "motivating" people for Christ's sake, it's about removing the taboo and making your own flaws something that can be talked about, even joked about, without anybody getting hurt.
Most of what you said, I would be inclined to agree with, but the dig against me personally is just staggering.
I guess I took your post on page 3 somehow more literal then you meant it? Or perhaps I took it as outwardly directed, not inwardly?
Negative re-enforcement, btw isremoval of a condition, not punishment.
Something I've noticed in people's posts - is a really strong slant towards exercise specifically for being fit.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Fallingman on
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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JohnnyCacheStarting DefensePlace at the tableRegistered Userregular
How do you teach kids the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle when 1) health isn't something your average kid is thinking about, 2) most athletics in gym class enforce resentment for overweight kids, decreasing the likelihood of doing them when there's choice involved, and 3) their parents might not be on board with them being more healthy. What I mean by 3 is, bad food is easy, quick, and cheap, and a busy parent's going to prepare that in a pinch. Anyone who's gone to a nutritionalist knows that planning a week's worth of healthy meals structured just for you takes a lot more planning, time, and (not necessarily) cash to do. If your mom or dad tells you to eat the pizza, you eat the pizza, you don't argue with them about it.
do you have a suggestion that goes beyond throwing up our hands
I actually like the idea of you throwing up your hands.
Being overweight is the business of the overweight person. I'm glad to see fast-food restaurants have lost business, and have altered their menus in an attempt to keep up with the 'health trend'. I think, slowly but surely, society is working towards slimming down. Supermarkets are filled with what I would have labeled contradictions years before. Now you can buy microwavable low-calorie, low-carb meals, some of which are mentioned by weight-loss organizations and I can say that so far from what I've seen they're on the level. Companies are providing healthy alternatives that are slowly nearing the same convenience as fast-food. It's a good place to start.
If you're not overweight, and if you're not responsible for someone who is overweight, then this isn't your problem. Don't tell your friend to lose weight, don't drop subtle hints; just leave them be. Any smoker will tell you, it gets more than annoying when people around you keep telling you to quit. They know they should quit (by now, everyone with enough liberty to go out and lose weight by themselves knows what they need to do) so don't make it your problem.
Has anyone pointed out how wrong it is that most highschools are usually surrounded by like 10 fast food places
Fuck man, the high school near me has a pizza hut in it.
See, that's just wrong. You really can't do much about restaurants near a school apart from zoning laws (which I wouldn't agree with) but people should raise more of a stink about Pizza Hut in school.
I mean, didn't some schools ban coke machines a while back?
Something I've noticed in people's posts - is a really strong slant towards exercise specifically for being fit.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Everyone should exercise but if you are obese it's not an exercise issue, it's a calorie issue. You need to eat fewer calories. The easiest way to do this without feeling really hungry all the time is to determine which foods in your diet are the most calorie rich and replace them with filling but lower calorie fare. Eat the salad. Skip the dressing. It's good for you.
VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
edited March 2009
I don't see how keeping kids healthier in general through school from a young age is at all the same as telling your fat friend they need to loose weight.
Everything Thanatos is saying in this thread hits all the right nails on the head. The rest of you (well, some of you) are making dents in the wood instead.
jeepguy, that is the terrible fucking idea. Yes, yell at a kid for being slow, so that they will garner the sniggers of their peers. That will do great to motivate them to get out in front of everybody and fail to be good enough! Because when you are operating on the assumption that you're the "slow one" or the "fat one" then of course you'll just keep trucking to succeed, not retreat from to avoid the humiliation!
Seriously. What Thanatos said about the gym being a place for healthy people and not people who want to be healthy is absolutely correct. I know it's part of the reason why I am straight up terrified of going to the gym. And the first person who says "Just don't be afraid" is gonna get smacked. That kind of reduction of legitimate fear to a simple on/off switch never helped anybody.
I won't say "don't be afraid" but I will say that you should find a YWCA rather than a regular gym.
I'd say the JCC should be a go-to answer, simply because it's hard to tell gender over the internet. The changing rooms are full of old people (although I could never figure out where they go, as there's never more than one of them in whatever fitness room I'm in), so you won't be the ugliest there. I personally jump on the eliptical in one of the little branch fitness rooms on my campus for the TDS/TCR hour (burns 1100 calories, on average). The room's small enough for me to change the TV and turn up the volume w/o complaints (it also helps that everybody likes those shows). It's not the most effective because my dorm's right next to the all you can eat caf and the only thing edible there is the ice cream, but it hold off the weight enough so I can eat a self-made sundae nightly without blowing up like a balloon.
I also lift weighs at least twice a week (gym class), which should help me gain muscle weight, which will help me burn calories faster (I'm also thinking of weighing down my jackets to accomplish that purpose).
Also, I read somewhere that there are people who were so fat that they get around using wheelchairs, and get their insurance to pay for it. Fuck that.
Back when I worked for the Postal Service we got a (voluntary) group membership at a local health club, it wasn't super duper fancy, but it was a cut above the 24 hour fitness. It had a large number of older people who went there, and the had a separate womens only weight area as well as the main co-ed part of the gym (as my friend Diane explained to me; girls don't want guys to see them use some of the machines because it's either creepy or humiliating or both) but the best thing about it was that there was just a wide variety of body types who used the place. There were a lot of old guys who just used the gym for raquetball and the sauna, and half of them were pretty fat, it wasn't judgmental and not the sort of place you felt self-conscious working out in. Compare that to the gym here on the Bangor base with all the grunting Marines and it's very clear that gyms vary greatly.
I would add that if there was some way I could read and post on this forum while on the elliptical (I can't run, my throat dries right up), I would never leave the gym, as you guys probably know by my posting habits.
I don't see how keeping kids healthier in general through school from a young age is at all the same as telling your fat friend they need to loose weight.
Yeah. Those kids aren't able to knock you down and sit on you.
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VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
Something I've noticed in people's posts - is a really strong slant towards exercise specifically for being fit.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Everyone should exercise but if you are obese it's not an exercise issue, it's a calorie issue. You need to eat fewer calories. The easiest way to do this without feeling really hungry all the time is to determine which foods in your diet are the most calorie rich and replace them with filling but lower calorie fare. Eat the salad. Skip the dressing. It's good for you.
more smaller meals helped me a lot, on top of obviously making the healthier decisions. not eating at all then eating a lot of food at night is one of the worst things every but it's easy to fall into when you're not being conscious of it.
Everything Thanatos is saying in this thread hits all the right nails on the head. The rest of you (well, some of you) are making dents in the wood instead.
jeepguy, that is the terrible fucking idea. Yes, yell at a kid for being slow, so that they will garner the sniggers of their peers. That will do great to motivate them to get out in front of everybody and fail to be good enough! Because when you are operating on the assumption that you're the "slow one" or the "fat one" then of course you'll just keep trucking to succeed, not retreat from to avoid the humiliation!
Seriously. What Thanatos said about the gym being a place for healthy people and not people who want to be healthy is absolutely correct. I know it's part of the reason why I am straight up terrified of going to the gym. And the first person who says "Just don't be afraid" is gonna get smacked. That kind of reduction of legitimate fear to a simple on/off switch never helped anybody.
I won't say "don't be afraid" but I will say that you should find a YWCA rather than a regular gym.
I'd say the JCC should be a go-to answer, simply because it's hard to tell gender over the internet. The changing rooms are full of old people (although I could never figure out where they go, as there's never more than one of them in whatever fitness room I'm in), so you won't be the ugliest there. I personally jump on the eliptical in one of the little branch fitness rooms on my campus for the TDS/TCR hour (burns 1100 calories, on average). The room's small enough for me to change the TV and turn up the volume w/o complaints (it also helps that everybody likes those shows). It's not the most effective because my dorm's right next to the all you can eat caf and the only thing edible there is the ice cream, but it hold off the weight enough so I can eat a self-made sundae nightly without blowing up like a balloon.
I also lift weighs at least twice a week (gym class), which should help me gain muscle weight, which will help me burn calories faster (I'm also thinking of weighing down my jackets to accomplish that purpose).
Also, I read somewhere that there are people who were so fat that they get around using wheelchairs, and get their insurance to pay for it. Fuck that.
Back when I worked for the Postal Service we got a (voluntary) group membership at a local health club, it wasn't super duper fancy, but it was a cut above the 24 hour fitness. It had a large number of older people who went there, and the had a separate womens only weight area as well as the main co-ed part of the gym (as my friend Diane explained to me; girls don't want guys to see them use some of the machines because it's either creepy or humiliating or both) but the best thing about it was that there was just a wide variety of body types who used the place. There were a lot of old guys who just used the gym for raquetball and the sauna, and half of them were pretty fat, it wasn't judgmental and not the sort of place you felt self-conscious working out in. Compare that to the gym here on the Bangor base with all the grunting Marines and it's very clear that gyms vary greatly.
The place I work out is actually a musclehead gym - but I like it for that reason. The dudes are quiet, considerate, focused on working out, not there to flirt or pose really. I like that everybody is just wrapped up in what they're doing.
Something I've noticed in people's posts - is a really strong slant towards exercise specifically for being fit.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Everyone should exercise but if you are obese it's not an exercise issue, it's a calorie issue. You need to eat fewer calories. The easiest way to do this without feeling really hungry all the time is to determine which foods in your diet are the most calorie rich and replace them with filling but lower calorie fare. Eat the salad. Skip the dressing. It's good for you.
Surely its both. But my main point was that it's easier to convince kids to do something that's fun. Food is a hard one, because it is usually dictated by the family, rather than schools.
Learning physics won't help prevent heart disease when you get older
PE should 100% be about health and fitness, not weight loss
This means it is also about exercising, and should INCLUDE exercising, imo
Obese teenagers aren't thinking about being healthy. They're thinking about that girl in math class with the long blond hair.
God, the concept that teenagers might have to do something in school that they don't want to is mind boggling
Have to? Most classes I took that I didn't need for the future, I did the bare minimum because the only thing that mattered was that I got the credit. If you think that kids with no real incentive are going to actually commit to this than I want what you're smoking. In most places anyway, health class isn't mandatory throughout post-secondary education. Tell me, who do you think keeps up with PE? I dropped it because of the change rooms and the sweating, while most people who kept up with it did it to keep playing games for one period a day.
So teens only want to do the bare minimum PE classes required to graduate
Why not make sure those classes are the best they can be and the most informative and hte most likely tos eed better habits later in life?
or we could just concede lol horny teens I guess
Where did I say we shouldn't improve the quality of health class? At the same time, quality of information isn't necessarily an incentive to the overweight kids, though.
Something I've noticed in people's posts - is a really strong slant towards exercise specifically for being fit.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Everyone should exercise but if you are obese it's not an exercise issue, it's a calorie issue. You need to eat fewer calories. The easiest way to do this without feeling really hungry all the time is to determine which foods in your diet are the most calorie rich and replace them with filling but lower calorie fare. Eat the salad. Skip the dressing. It's good for you.
Egg drop soup, because how full you are is determined by mass.
When I do get fast food I like Taco Bell and I get two spicy chicken soft tacos, it's around 300ish calories and it has lots of fresh tomatos and is very flavorful. As far as quick meals go, it's pretty close to the sort of thing I would make for myself at home (grilled chicken + vegetables = meal!)
I personally love playing basketball---this helped keep me active throughout high school and college. But afterwards, I didn't have access to a basketball court that fit within my budget.
Something I've noticed in people's posts - is a really strong slant towards exercise specifically for being fit.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Everyone should exercise but if you are obese it's not an exercise issue, it's a calorie issue. You need to eat fewer calories. The easiest way to do this without feeling really hungry all the time is to determine which foods in your diet are the most calorie rich and replace them with filling but lower calorie fare. Eat the salad. Skip the dressing. It's good for you.
Egg drop soup, because how full you are is determined by mass.
The thing about soups is that they are very high in sodium. It can cause other issues, and for the dieter it can increase hunger feelings over time which can lead to failure of the diet. Spicy foods are good but salty is generally bad.
I don't see how keeping kids healthier in general through school from a young age is at all the same as telling your fat friend they need to loose weight.
The only way you'd be keeping them healthy through school is if the school's feeding them, and cafeteria's aren't everywhere. Teaching a kid how to eat healthy is good, but when that kid has little-to-no control over what they eat, all you're doing is providing them information for the future. And that's if the kids keep up with those classes.
Something I've noticed in people's posts - is a really strong slant towards exercise specifically for being fit.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Everyone should exercise but if you are obese it's not an exercise issue, it's a calorie issue. You need to eat fewer calories. The easiest way to do this without feeling really hungry all the time is to determine which foods in your diet are the most calorie rich and replace them with filling but lower calorie fare. Eat the salad. Skip the dressing. It's good for you.
Skipping soda (or pop or coke or fizzy drinks or whatever the fuck you call it) is probably one of the most important if you are a big soda drinker. Cutting one 20 oz soda a day will make you lose (or not gain, anyways) like 2 pounds per month.
Ideally almost all of your fluid intake should be ice cold water*, but having a little diet soda, black coffee or tea, or some juice (being mindful juice is high in calories compared to actually fruit, so it counts as a treat and not as good for you) is fine.
This obviously applies more to sedentary people, rather than someone who does physical activity all day. Still, it's ridiculously easy to cut weight with minor changes.
* If the water is cold enough, it actually has a negative caloric value due to the energy required to heat it. I think it's like 100 calories burned per gallon of ice water.
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VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
I don't see how keeping kids healthier in general through school from a young age is at all the same as telling your fat friend they need to loose weight.
The only way you'd be keeping them healthy through school is if the school's feeding them, and cafeteria's aren't everywhere. Teaching a kid how to eat healthy is good, but when that kid has little-to-no control over what they eat, all you're doing is providing them information for the future. And that's if the kids keep up with those classes.
Seriously. What Thanatos said about the gym being a place for healthy people and not people who want to be healthy is absolutely correct. I know it's part of the reason why I am straight up terrified of going to the gym. And the first person who says "Just don't be afraid" is gonna get smacked. That kind of reduction of legitimate fear to a simple on/off switch never helped anybody.
While I don't think "don't be afraid" is good advice, because I've been in that same place, in most cases there is no reason to be afraid. But, its OK to be afraid, as long as you don't let the fear control you. Letting what other people may or may not think about how you look control whether or not you try something that could be good for you or fun isn't a good way to go about things.
It can be tough, but after I got out of high school I eventually decided I wanted to get in better shape for my own health, and I've never once seen a case of anyone being mocked or bothered about their weight in the University or community centre gyms that I've gone to. I'd say 75% or more people in any gym have headphones in and are concentrating on their own workout. Maybe commercial gyms have different environments, I don't know.
Oh, and asking a friend who already goes to show you around is a good way to get over the fear if you really want to try the gym. Some places also have intro sessions you can pay for where a trainer at the gym will give you a tour, show you the basis of how to use the machines, etc.
Has anyone mentioned the unhelpfulness of the fact that we're pretty much trained from birth to have stupid eating habits? Well, I'm going to mention it again either way.
We are pretty much trained from birth to have stupid eating habits. We're born with an intuitive sense of when we need to eat and when we're full, and then our parents and our culture make a conscious effort to fuck that up. Our parents insist we clean our plate, no matter what. If we eat everything on our plate, then we can have dessert, letting us eat even more. Don't eat until you're full, eat until the arbitrary - and probably too-large - amount of food on your plate is gone.
And then we grow up thinking that the proper amount to eat is the entirety of what we're given, no exceptions. We wander into a restaurant and are handed stupidly large quantities of food, plus all-you-can-eat bread and soup and salad. And how much do we eat? Every last bite.
It is not surprising that we are a nation of fat-asses. It is difficult to grow up into anything but, unless you have either a quick metabolism or some very good dietary habits, which you sure as fuck won't acquire by watching American culture at work.
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I submitted an entry to Lego Ideas, and if 10,000 people support me, it'll be turned into an actual Lego set!If you'd like to see and support my submission, follow this link.
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SarksusATTACK AND DETHRONE GODRegistered Userregular
edited March 2009
Even if a crispy chicken sandwich at Wendy's is decent, calorie-wise, its bun is still made largely of flour and high fructose corn syrup. I'll pass on that.
Even Subway's 9-grain wheat bread has high fructose corn syrup in it. It's maddening, considering how much of our food is filled with this crap.
I don't see how keeping kids healthier in general through school from a young age is at all the same as telling your fat friend they need to loose weight.
The only way you'd be keeping them healthy through school is if the school's feeding them, and cafeteria's aren't everywhere. Teaching a kid how to eat healthy is good, but when that kid has little-to-no control over what they eat, all you're doing is providing them information for the future. And that's if the kids keep up with those classes.
and this is bad?
It's ineffective. You're not keeping them healthier in general through school, you're providing half-ass prep for when they have the resources to actually lose weight, after school.
Wash on
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
edited March 2009
Being a former fatty (Well, still technically chunky), I'm probably at my leanest I've been in 10 years at a whopping 220 pounds. To be fair, the term "stocky" could refer to me. I have a 52 inch chest and a 34 inch waist.
I have a really, REALLY negative attitude towards the idea of "losing weight". I'm not adverse to exercise, I think people should eat healthy, and losing fat should be the goal people strive for. Losing weight is something that sick people do.
Our national obsession with health and being fat at the same time, I think, is in part due to people trying trendy "easy" things, stupid infomercial exercise machines that (90% of the time) don't fucking work, and this goddamned OCD-styled tethering to the scale.
The scale is not a determinant of how good you look. Your weight (in pounds or kilos) is not a determinant of how fat you are. You know when you look good? When you look in the mirror and see new muscles popping out of what used to look like a stack of pancakes topped with two pink saggy tomatoes. When you go from seeing nothing but flat fat to a bit of your rib sticking out (the muscles covering the ribs, mind you) to the cutout of your obliques on the sides of your stomach starting to show to your stomach finally shrinking up, not when the scale tells you you're the proper weight for your BMI.
I'm sorry, I really just had to get that off my chest.
In the UK, they removed the 'bad' foods and some mothers actually took fast food orders through the school gates. They actually felt that they were crusading for the rights of their kids.
If I had kids I would have walked up and said "Do what you like, but if I hear that you fed my kids something unhealthy, I'll do whatever it takes to see if I can press charges. And if I'm around when you do it, I'll pull you away from my child by your hair."
Has anyone mentioned the unhelpfulness of the fact that we're pretty much trained from birth to have stupid eating habits? Well, I'm going to mention it again either way.
We are pretty much trained from birth to have stupid eating habits. We're born with an intuitive sense of when we need to eat and when we're full, and then our parents and our culture make a conscious effort to fuck that up. Our parents insist we clean our plate, no matter what. If we eat everything on our plate, then we can have dessert, letting us eat even more. Don't eat until you're full, eat until the arbitrary - and probably too-large - amount of food on your plate is gone.
And then we grow up thinking that the proper amount to eat is the entirety of what we're given, no exceptions. We wander into a restaurant and are handed stupidly large quantities of food, plus all-you-can-eat bread and soup and salad. And how much do we eat? Every last bite.
It is not surprising that we are a nation of fat-asses. It is difficult to grow up into anything but, unless you have either a quick metabolism or some very good dietary habits, which you sure as fuck won't acquire by watching American culture at work.
My fiance's mother grew up in an area where people actually died from starvation. Now that she lives in the UK (dont get me started on the state of food there) she was told that she has high blood pressure. The idea that you can eat too much is completely foreign to her and the antithesis of everything she was told growing up.
We're not that far removed from these 'bad habits'. Hell, my grandfather went through both wars. He'll eat any fucking thing.
Has anyone mentioned the unhelpfulness of the fact that we're pretty much trained from birth to have stupid eating habits? Well, I'm going to mention it again either way.
We are pretty much trained from birth to have stupid eating habits. We're born with an intuitive sense of when we need to eat and when we're full, and then our parents and our culture make a conscious effort to fuck that up. Our parents insist we clean our plate, no matter what. If we eat everything on our plate, then we can have dessert, letting us eat even more. Don't eat until you're full, eat until the arbitrary - and probably too-large - amount of food on your plate is gone.
And then we grow up thinking that the proper amount to eat is the entirety of what we're given, no exceptions. We wander into a restaurant and are handed stupidly large quantities of food, plus all-you-can-eat bread and soup and salad. And how much do we eat? Every last bite.
It is not surprising that we are a nation of fat-asses. It is difficult to grow up into anything but, unless you have either a quick metabolism or some very good dietary habits, which you sure as fuck won't acquire by watching American culture at work.
A lot of the "eat everything on your plate" ideology came out of the depression, and the children whose parents went through the depression. Save everything, don't waste anything, I don't care if you don't like it it's what's being served. At a time when you didn't know if you'd have dinner in a week, it made sense. But it carried over to generations when it wasn't necessary, and also where portions were getting larger and larger, all-you-can-eat restaurants were gaining popularity, speed and convenience were taking precedence over quality and nutrition, and the amount of physical work people did was being gradually reduced by technology.
Man, I'm glad my parents never enforced the clean plate thing. I will leave food on the plate, especially if it's not something I especially like. My dad always made us taste everything though. Even if it was awful. But we just had to taste, we didn't have to eat all the spinach if we didnt want to.
And now I love cooked spinach (and raw) thanks, Dad!
I don't see how keeping kids healthier in general through school from a young age is at all the same as telling your fat friend they need to loose weight.
The only way you'd be keeping them healthy through school is if the school's feeding them, and cafeteria's aren't everywhere. Teaching a kid how to eat healthy is good, but when that kid has little-to-no control over what they eat, all you're doing is providing them information for the future. And that's if the kids keep up with those classes.
and this is bad?
It's ineffective. You're not keeping them healthier in general through school, you're providing half-ass prep for when they have the resources to actually lose weight, after school.
what is your alternative? isn't it better to do something? school is about education
Man, I'm glad my parents never enforced the clean plate thing. I will leave food on the plate, especially if it's not something I especially like. My dad always made us taste everything though. Even if it was awful. But we just had to taste, we didn't have to eat all the spinach if we didnt want to.
And now I love cooked spinach (and raw) thanks, Dad!
Same with my household.
I think, as a nation, we should ban scales and only sell calipers.
I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but people in the US straight up eat too much food. I work at an Olive Garden. The portions are absolutely insane. After salad and breadsticks and the entree, people still order dessert. Chipotle burritos are great, but people generally shouldn't be eating a whole huge burrito in one sitting. Compound that with the fact that modern living cuts exercise down by a bunch and you have fat people. It is simple really, caloric intake - caloric output. But I tend to think that it is mostly on the intake side.
The problem is that people see huge plates at resturaunts and such and think, "This is a normal meal" It isn't. It is far too large for your average non-olympic athlete. For your typical desk jockey. Until people realize this, it isn't going to change.
edit: and yes, yes it has been mentioned. Damn it jeffe.
JebusUD on
and I wonder about my neighbors even though I don't have them
but they're listening to every word I say
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VariableMouth CongressStroke Me Lady FameRegistered Userregular
edited March 2009
it's also that eating a lot of delicious food is fucking easy to do and fun.
Yeah I really don't know what's up with our portions. I liked the servings of food that restaurants served in other countries I visited better. I actually had room for desert after eating my dinner!
Something I've noticed in people's posts - is a really strong slant towards exercise specifically for being fit.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Everyone should exercise but if you are obese it's not an exercise issue, it's a calorie issue. You need to eat fewer calories. The easiest way to do this without feeling really hungry all the time is to determine which foods in your diet are the most calorie rich and replace them with filling but lower calorie fare. Eat the salad. Skip the dressing. It's good for you.
Skipping soda (or pop or coke or fizzy drinks or whatever the fuck you call it) is probably one of the most important if you are a big soda drinker. Cutting one 20 oz soda a day will make you lose (or not gain, anyways) like 2 pounds per month.
Ideally almost all of your fluid intake should be ice cold water*, but having a little diet soda, black coffee or tea, or some juice (being mindful juice is high in calories compared to actually fruit, so it counts as a treat and not as good for you) is fine.
This obviously applies more to sedentary people, rather than someone who does physical activity all day. Still, it's ridiculously easy to cut weight with minor changes.
* If the water is cold enough, it actually has a negative caloric value due to the energy required to heat it. I think it's like 100 calories burned per gallon of ice water.
Metabolically, and hydratively, the only two things that really matter are "Does it have sugar" and "does it have caffiene" - "colored" drinks hydrate you just fine, as do diet sodas, and caffiene is actually good for short term weight loss - the amount in soda has more value as a stimulant then penalty as a diuretic. And the temperature thing, at a comfortable cold drinking temp you're talking maybe 5-10 calories difference
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Back when I worked for the Postal Service we got a (voluntary) group membership at a local health club, it wasn't super duper fancy, but it was a cut above the 24 hour fitness. It had a large number of older people who went there, and the had a separate womens only weight area as well as the main co-ed part of the gym (as my friend Diane explained to me; girls don't want guys to see them use some of the machines because it's either creepy or humiliating or both) but the best thing about it was that there was just a wide variety of body types who used the place. There were a lot of old guys who just used the gym for raquetball and the sauna, and half of them were pretty fat, it wasn't judgmental and not the sort of place you felt self-conscious working out in. Compare that to the gym here on the Bangor base with all the grunting Marines and it's very clear that gyms vary greatly.
It's true. In fact, it has also been stated that I've got two turntables and a microphone.
I guess I took your post on page 3 somehow more literal then you meant it? Or perhaps I took it as outwardly directed, not inwardly?
Negative re-enforcement, btw isremoval of a condition, not punishment.
I host a podcast about movies.
I'll admit that I've always been fairly fit - but until I grew older - I never 'exercised' per se. But what I did do, was play sports... A lot of sports. I played football (soccer), rugby, basketball, tennis, martial arts etc. I rode a bike everywhere because my parents expected it of me (never got a lift), I spent my days swimming at the beach and when we got older - started surfing.
I never once thought about that I did as 'exercise' because I enjoyed every second of it. Even if my friends didn't play any sports, they still played outside and rode bikes.
My point is that I've seen kids gyms. I remember having to run at school. But if you want a kid to be more active, then get them involved in something that they enjoy.
Fuck man, the high school near me has a pizza hut in it.
I host a podcast about movies.
I actually like the idea of you throwing up your hands.
Being overweight is the business of the overweight person. I'm glad to see fast-food restaurants have lost business, and have altered their menus in an attempt to keep up with the 'health trend'. I think, slowly but surely, society is working towards slimming down. Supermarkets are filled with what I would have labeled contradictions years before. Now you can buy microwavable low-calorie, low-carb meals, some of which are mentioned by weight-loss organizations and I can say that so far from what I've seen they're on the level. Companies are providing healthy alternatives that are slowly nearing the same convenience as fast-food. It's a good place to start.
If you're not overweight, and if you're not responsible for someone who is overweight, then this isn't your problem. Don't tell your friend to lose weight, don't drop subtle hints; just leave them be. Any smoker will tell you, it gets more than annoying when people around you keep telling you to quit. They know they should quit (by now, everyone with enough liberty to go out and lose weight by themselves knows what they need to do) so don't make it your problem.
See, that's just wrong. You really can't do much about restaurants near a school apart from zoning laws (which I wouldn't agree with) but people should raise more of a stink about Pizza Hut in school.
I mean, didn't some schools ban coke machines a while back?
Everyone should exercise but if you are obese it's not an exercise issue, it's a calorie issue. You need to eat fewer calories. The easiest way to do this without feeling really hungry all the time is to determine which foods in your diet are the most calorie rich and replace them with filling but lower calorie fare. Eat the salad. Skip the dressing. It's good for you.
I would add that if there was some way I could read and post on this forum while on the elliptical (I can't run, my throat dries right up), I would never leave the gym, as you guys probably know by my posting habits.
more smaller meals helped me a lot, on top of obviously making the healthier decisions. not eating at all then eating a lot of food at night is one of the worst things every but it's easy to fall into when you're not being conscious of it.
The place I work out is actually a musclehead gym - but I like it for that reason. The dudes are quiet, considerate, focused on working out, not there to flirt or pose really. I like that everybody is just wrapped up in what they're doing.
I host a podcast about movies.
Surely its both. But my main point was that it's easier to convince kids to do something that's fun. Food is a hard one, because it is usually dictated by the family, rather than schools.
Where did I say we shouldn't improve the quality of health class? At the same time, quality of information isn't necessarily an incentive to the overweight kids, though.
Egg drop soup, because how full you are is determined by mass.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/healthtool-fast-food-choices
Here's a tool to help you.
When I do get fast food I like Taco Bell and I get two spicy chicken soft tacos, it's around 300ish calories and it has lots of fresh tomatos and is very flavorful. As far as quick meals go, it's pretty close to the sort of thing I would make for myself at home (grilled chicken + vegetables = meal!)
The thing about soups is that they are very high in sodium. It can cause other issues, and for the dieter it can increase hunger feelings over time which can lead to failure of the diet. Spicy foods are good but salty is generally bad.
The only way you'd be keeping them healthy through school is if the school's feeding them, and cafeteria's aren't everywhere. Teaching a kid how to eat healthy is good, but when that kid has little-to-no control over what they eat, all you're doing is providing them information for the future. And that's if the kids keep up with those classes.
Skipping soda (or pop or coke or fizzy drinks or whatever the fuck you call it) is probably one of the most important if you are a big soda drinker. Cutting one 20 oz soda a day will make you lose (or not gain, anyways) like 2 pounds per month.
Ideally almost all of your fluid intake should be ice cold water*, but having a little diet soda, black coffee or tea, or some juice (being mindful juice is high in calories compared to actually fruit, so it counts as a treat and not as good for you) is fine.
This obviously applies more to sedentary people, rather than someone who does physical activity all day. Still, it's ridiculously easy to cut weight with minor changes.
* If the water is cold enough, it actually has a negative caloric value due to the energy required to heat it. I think it's like 100 calories burned per gallon of ice water.
and this is bad?
While I don't think "don't be afraid" is good advice, because I've been in that same place, in most cases there is no reason to be afraid. But, its OK to be afraid, as long as you don't let the fear control you. Letting what other people may or may not think about how you look control whether or not you try something that could be good for you or fun isn't a good way to go about things.
It can be tough, but after I got out of high school I eventually decided I wanted to get in better shape for my own health, and I've never once seen a case of anyone being mocked or bothered about their weight in the University or community centre gyms that I've gone to. I'd say 75% or more people in any gym have headphones in and are concentrating on their own workout. Maybe commercial gyms have different environments, I don't know.
Oh, and asking a friend who already goes to show you around is a good way to get over the fear if you really want to try the gym. Some places also have intro sessions you can pay for where a trainer at the gym will give you a tour, show you the basis of how to use the machines, etc.
We are pretty much trained from birth to have stupid eating habits. We're born with an intuitive sense of when we need to eat and when we're full, and then our parents and our culture make a conscious effort to fuck that up. Our parents insist we clean our plate, no matter what. If we eat everything on our plate, then we can have dessert, letting us eat even more. Don't eat until you're full, eat until the arbitrary - and probably too-large - amount of food on your plate is gone.
And then we grow up thinking that the proper amount to eat is the entirety of what we're given, no exceptions. We wander into a restaurant and are handed stupidly large quantities of food, plus all-you-can-eat bread and soup and salad. And how much do we eat? Every last bite.
It is not surprising that we are a nation of fat-asses. It is difficult to grow up into anything but, unless you have either a quick metabolism or some very good dietary habits, which you sure as fuck won't acquire by watching American culture at work.
Even Subway's 9-grain wheat bread has high fructose corn syrup in it. It's maddening, considering how much of our food is filled with this crap.
It's ineffective. You're not keeping them healthier in general through school, you're providing half-ass prep for when they have the resources to actually lose weight, after school.
I have a really, REALLY negative attitude towards the idea of "losing weight". I'm not adverse to exercise, I think people should eat healthy, and losing fat should be the goal people strive for. Losing weight is something that sick people do.
Our national obsession with health and being fat at the same time, I think, is in part due to people trying trendy "easy" things, stupid infomercial exercise machines that (90% of the time) don't fucking work, and this goddamned OCD-styled tethering to the scale.
The scale is not a determinant of how good you look. Your weight (in pounds or kilos) is not a determinant of how fat you are. You know when you look good? When you look in the mirror and see new muscles popping out of what used to look like a stack of pancakes topped with two pink saggy tomatoes. When you go from seeing nothing but flat fat to a bit of your rib sticking out (the muscles covering the ribs, mind you) to the cutout of your obliques on the sides of your stomach starting to show to your stomach finally shrinking up, not when the scale tells you you're the proper weight for your BMI.
I'm sorry, I really just had to get that off my chest.
If I had kids I would have walked up and said "Do what you like, but if I hear that you fed my kids something unhealthy, I'll do whatever it takes to see if I can press charges. And if I'm around when you do it, I'll pull you away from my child by your hair."
My fiance's mother grew up in an area where people actually died from starvation. Now that she lives in the UK (dont get me started on the state of food there) she was told that she has high blood pressure. The idea that you can eat too much is completely foreign to her and the antithesis of everything she was told growing up.
We're not that far removed from these 'bad habits'. Hell, my grandfather went through both wars. He'll eat any fucking thing.
And now I love cooked spinach (and raw) thanks, Dad!
what is your alternative? isn't it better to do something? school is about education
Same with my household.
I think, as a nation, we should ban scales and only sell calipers.
The problem is that people see huge plates at resturaunts and such and think, "This is a normal meal" It isn't. It is far too large for your average non-olympic athlete. For your typical desk jockey. Until people realize this, it isn't going to change.
edit: and yes, yes it has been mentioned. Damn it jeffe.
but they're listening to every word I say
Metabolically, and hydratively, the only two things that really matter are "Does it have sugar" and "does it have caffiene" - "colored" drinks hydrate you just fine, as do diet sodas, and caffiene is actually good for short term weight loss - the amount in soda has more value as a stimulant then penalty as a diuretic. And the temperature thing, at a comfortable cold drinking temp you're talking maybe 5-10 calories difference
I host a podcast about movies.