My Nutrition Rant

[varbo]

I'll start this rant off with a few of points that I appoligize for in advance:
-I didn't search to see if I'm touching on other things said
-I am just writing it and my brain likes to bounce around
-I spell like crap and put capitals in random Places

So Here we go

Watching TV and seeing the world today is pissing me off. There are so many fad diets out there that promise a quick way to lose weight and become thin. This big problem is NOT that these diet don't work, its that they DO work. If you don't get me, here it is. These diets work, people lose weight quickly, they inspire others who lose weight quicky. To this you probably say, "whats wrong with that?" 2 things, one, its not good to loose weight too quickly and the other is that they are't taught to keep it off.

My realisation that I made a while ago (which a lot of you probably made years ago as this is a fitness site) is that no one should ever "go on a diet." Some people may say that I'm stupid for saying that but here me out. Going on a diet is a temporary thing and you'll go back to the way you were when you're done and I think that thats is kinda stupid. What you want to do is change your diet and lifestyle which is a perminant thing.

Some may say, but when you're bulking or cutting, you temporarily change your diet but I say not really. You alter your carb, protien and fat content as well as your calorie consumption but the lifestyle and core fundimentals are still there. You are making a consious effort to change your food consumption to meet your goals in a way that promotes your health. Also, when you are doing thing some drastic changing things, you're doing it for a competion and that doesn't count.

Then you have ads that say that losing weigt is easy if you give them lots of money, but the reason it is, is because they make it easy in exchange for lots of money. they don't teach you how to do it on your own because first they don't make any money then and also because then it won't be as easy.

Oprah is another huge problem I have (for many reasons) because she's a bandwagon jumper. Somebody has an easy diet and it works for her, hey I'm going to tell all the women watching in TV land that its easy and they should all do it. then se gains weight again. So another diet comes and same thing, and then she gains weight again. Doesn't she learn, and don't the people watching learn. This, after all, is the woman who unleashed doctor phil on us (shutter.)

Then there's the whole thing where people are dieting and not doing any exercising but walking, once a day, for 15 minutes. Sure, to start, this will help the inactive person, but after a few months when it stops working these people just quit instead of pushing it up a notch. Whats worse is when people think that they can reach weight goals just by eating different.

I won't even get into the "if I eat anything I want I gain and if I stop eating at all I gain" argue ment because that is a whole lot more ranting.

The things that people have to learn are:
-Its a change of lifestyle
-The hardest part is the change, once it becomes habit its easier
-Eating unhealthy and being lazy is OK as long as its only temporary and you sluff it off. I don't know how many times I've heard people say "well that greasy breakfast killed my diet, well I guess today's a write-off" and then it becomes the week and then they're back to their old ways
-Exercise is important too! Going for a walk at lunch is good to start, but you'll have to do more than that as time goes on.


I'm sure there's other things but I've typed enough. besides, the other on this site will fill in the blanks.

[cuteitaliangurl]

Nice rant. But I think people that are obese should realize that food is fuel, and not for pleasure really. I often refer to the word "diet" as per my food consumption, and not diet in terms of losing fat/ weight etc. It is a lifestyle change and an individual's overall mentality. I have never used a "fad diet" like those on television, but again, I have been very active all my life, and in most cases, people find me very thin/ skiny. I agree that one greasy breakfast won't really make much of a difference once in awhile, but regularly, then there is problems.

Good rant and post.

[Hans_Rachid]

Originally Posted by cuteitaliangurl

Nice rant. But I think people that are obese should realize that food is fuel, and not for pleasure really.

I beg to differ, I think ideally you want to find a balance between eating healthy and getting some pleasure out of it, rather than makin it a chore; that way you're much more likely to stick to it. If you're into bodybuilding or fitness competitions, sure, you're probably going to have to think food = fuel and focus on the end goal, but for most people I think it can and should be easy and enjoyable. I think a lot of it is a matter of learning. You have to learn to enjoy drinking water, eating fruits and veggies, and become aware of what is bad for you. Once you realize what's inside a Krispy Kreme doughnut and how bad it is for you, you're probably not gonna want to wolf down a whole box. You might still enjoy one once in a while but that's all right. Personally I used to never drink water, favouring soft drinks and juices instead, and always had to have some kind of sweet pastry as a dessert at the end of a meal, but they really don't appeal to me anymore, I would much rather have a glass of water and a fruit salad instead. You just have to educate yourself and become aware of what's good for you and what's not, and to find the food you enjoy the most out of what's healthy, and suddenly the greasy and sugary food don't seem so attractive anymore. Unfortunately, most lack the information, or are not even aware of the problem because being fat has become the norm in North America

[cuteitaliangurl]

Thanks Hans, I actually wanted to state that but really did not want to type out all the little things. Maybe my line that I was trying to express got misconstrude. It is mostly the lack of information and knowledge, but also "some" people tend to over eat due to social or self esteem issues and grab food as "confort". But that is another whole issue I have, but you are correct, thanks for "disagreeing" and writing the verbage I didn't want to write.

I guess my post was very "generalized" and not specific enough, but hey, I am only human.

[tooncesthecat]

It is difficult to make wise choices regarding dietary habits when the selection of food is pretty crappy in most grocery stores. Then once you leave the store, you pass about 100 fast food restaurants on the way home. Couple the ease of getting crappy food with sedentary lifestyles of many and the expectation of many of us to get what we want IMMEDIATELY and you have a recipe for a disastrous diet/exercise plan! After spending a couple of days at the Arnold Expo, it was truly motivating to see so many great bodies! I'm going to hit the gym even harder for the next few weeks

[johnny_on_the_spot]

i think the problem is far worse then fad diets...

look at our culture. 20 years ago, what did fat people look like? 250 lbs? 300 max.... now? 300 is a normal weight for some people. i know people well over 300, some close to 400. what about 20 years before that (1960's) 220 would easily be considered heavy, now it is normal.

so what happened in 40 years?

high fructose corn syrup
hydrogenated oil


hfcs is in all soda and most processed foods. what is it? its basically a sugar substitute, but a lot cheaper. what does it do? it lets you drink a 2 liter of soda with out even thinking about it. you think that was possible in the early 1970's? (hfcs was introduced in the mid 70's). in a nut shell hfcs stops your brain from realizing that you are drinking or eating and you should feel full. which eventually leads people to eat and drink more.

hydrogenated oil - otherwise known as trans fat - you see everything trans fat free now, why? because trans fat will kill you faster then any other fat. why? because they take oil and do some chemical shit too it. take a bowl of vegetable oil and let it sit at room temp, what happens? its still oil. take hydrogenated oil and do the same thing, what happens? it turns to a solid... well thats real good for your arteries... you want an example... look at margarine...


those 2 things are killing Americans, because we are glutens for excess. luckily trans fat is being weeded out, but when will hfcs? if you want sugar, eat a candy bar, at least that has real sugar in it and you will feel full after you eat it. dont bother with soda, its empty calories (granted i still have one from time to time because i like coke, though i used to drink a 12 pack in less then 2 days)

[varbo]

Thanks for the input everybody. Good points were brought up.

Overnight I thought of more stuff that is pissing me off about nutrition and people.

First is the what I call the "Diet Coke people." OK, I'll admit it. Sometimes you'll see me eating a piece of sugarry cake or pie with a diet coke. but there is a reason. I will have a sugarry caffinated drink a couple times a week. This is something that I allow myself because there are days that I need a boost to get finish off my day and I do have the metabolism to handle it. so on days you see me with the diet coke is because the cafeteria lady made something that I just didn't want to pass up and I decided that my sugar would come from the cake and not the pop. Its a substitution and the reason I don't have defined abs. OK I'm not perfect. But the "Diet Coke people" I speak of are different. These are the people that are eating a completely unheathly, gourging meal with a diet coke. Honestly, I was at a seafood place the other day and saw a very large woman eating all you can eat battered fish and fries and asked for a Diet coke. SHE HAD 4 PLATES OF HEAVILY BATTERED FISH!!!! I also see this at buffets. people get a diet coke and them go up to the bufet and fill their plate 4 times. I can see going to an unhealthy restaurant and ordering a diet drink with your meal because you're trying to take the edge off but these people just piss me off.

Then there's the people you decide to eat healthy and don't have a clue how. There is the "I'm eating nothing but salads people," the "no more sugar people", the "no more meat people" and the "no more carb people." These people hear things in conversation or on TV and change their diet based on partial information. I know so many people like this. Get the information, research on the web, find out whats good for you, go on forums like this, ask questions to people who know what their talking about, not your fat friend who just lost a pound last week. The frustration with this just gets to me. my female friends sit around talking about their new diets that they're going to do and when I put my 2 cents in because I research this stuff, I get a snotty glare as if I'm the idiot. I won't call myself an expert but I do research and probably know more than your friend who has a friend who "tried this diet that went something like this." When it comes to anything fitness or nutrition related I've resigned myself not to say anything anymore around these people.

[johnny_on_the_spot]

i know exactly what you are talking about with diet soda - people think it means that they are eating healthy and then they eat like 2 big macs and a quarter pounder and a super sized fries...

though some people do just grow accustomed to the taste of diet coke and cant drink regular coke anymore (im a diet dr pepper man myself if im drinking diet soda, which isnt too often)


also, i get the same response from people about fitness. people think they have all the answers with these ridiculous diets, they all think that eating no carbs is a good idea and throw on 3 lbs of bacon because it doesnt have carbs... yeah thats a good idea!

[Insex]

Excellent thread folks.

My personal view on the health & fitness industry is kind of the same as my view on the supplement industry: The companies are out to get your money. They don't care about you and your health.

This is my take on people and weight loss (or weight gain if you're trying to put on more muscle): People don't need the latest and greatest product in order to achieve their goals. Instead, what people need are purpose, inspiration, motivation, and correct knowledge. The health & fitness and supplement industries would have you believe otherwise. They say, "You need the titanium-plated Ass-Blaster 2000 to lose all that flab!" Or, "You've got to take Super Weight Gain 4000 to get big and impress all the chicks!" The other day, I was at GNC buying some multivitamins and a sleep aid. I heard the store clerk talking on the phone with a customer who wanted to lose body fat, and she called for advice. Well what the Hell do you think a nutrition shop clerk is going to tell you?!?! Of course he's going to tell you to take HydroxyCut Hardcore, Lipo-6, and this and that.

To keep the weight off, people have to think in terms of making a lifestyle change. No timetables, no dates. Just keep eating healthy and exercising until the day you die (although, it's OK to have unhealthy things as long as they are in moderation or occasions).

[pliny_2001]

I'll just jump in on two points:

HFCS isn't cheaper than sugar. The gov't uses our money to subsidize it's production by Archer-Daniels-Midland in order to create more value out of our corn crop. The subsidies then make it less expensive of a sweetener than sugar -- ever increasing subsidies to ADM meant that it first became cheaper on a national level, and then enough was produced to go to export internationally. If the production subsidies were removed from HFCS, it would nearly instantly vanish from our diets, b/c it would then be cheaper just to buy sugar. On a similar note, I hate ADM.

Which is the other (and Insex's) point: people need to realize that industries exist to get your money. ADM, Hostess Cupcakes, and supplement companies need your money, not your health. Figure that out, and you'll start being a lot healthier.

[sleepyles]

Originally Posted by pliny_2001

I'll just jump in on two points:

HFCS isn't cheaper than sugar. The gov't uses our money to subsidize it's production by Archer-Daniels-Midland in order to create more value out of our corn crop. The subsidies then make it less expensive of a sweetener than sugar -- ever increasing subsidies to ADM meant that it first became cheaper on a national level, and then enough was produced to go to export internationally. If the production subsidies were removed from HFCS, it would nearly instantly vanish from our diets, b/c it would then be cheaper just to buy sugar. On a similar note, I hate ADM.

Which is the other (and Insex's) point: people need to realize that industries exist to get your money. ADM, Hostess Cupcakes, and supplement companies need your money, not your health. Figure that out, and you'll start being a lot healthier.

Great post. But the sad part is eating healthier sometimes costs more than eating "junk". We buy organic fruit and veggies, and that costs an arm and a leg at the local farmer's market. A box of twinkies costs about $4.00 while a a 2-dozen apples costs us $5.00 at the market.

I only wish we had more markets available that supply fresh food, rather than the processed garbage of "ho-ho's, and ding dong's". What about schools that sell "junk food" in vending machines, great way to teach children about nutrition.