The American Diet

Its not that america is eating lots of great food and being happily chubby.... america is eating lots of the poorest quality overpreserved chemically and genetically modified shit... depression, divorce, death.... apparantly no negative consequence is enough to stray the country away from the one minute meal.

Maybe not the country, but it sure strayed ME away....

Less food, higher quality food, lots of SMALL (1" of cucumber) snacks.

I something around 235 at the start of the year, 255 last year was my highest weight... maybe tipping 260+ at one point... in early 07 I was wearing lots of heavy winter shwag while stepping on a scale in some department store... the scale proceeded to hit 280 something and....

Never returned to 0....

235 was the result of curbing the completely excessive eating, namely ditching the excessive eater girlfriend... but fast food had been my diet for years upon years.

Early 08... started cookin, doing things more organic/paying attention to what I was actually eating...

Last month (or so) I broke the 200lb mark for the first time since highschool, and with a more "perfected" diet of fruits/veggies and very little meat (LOTS of water too!) I've hit 185.

No real goal, just eating like I REALLY feel like eating... developing a "genuine preference" for foods... like now, its spliff and rice time... no I'm not eating the spliff :cheers2: eace:

Anyone in here headed in the same direction? Tips/ideas?

 

It's not just the US, but Canada, the UK and Australia as well. Figure most people across the West consume generally the same high-fat, genetically-modified, nutrient-deficient foods. So obesity is becoming endemic across the West, along with diabetes which is directly linked to the latter.

Even many people who aren't fat are still consuming foods that are genetically modified foods loaded with corn syrup or artificial sweetners like aspartame. It not only affects people's bodies, but their minds as well. I believe a good reason for people's inability to think critically has a lot to do with their nutritionally-deficient diets.

 

my views - americans eat way too many processed carbs , poor quality protein along with not enough protein, and little to no fruits and veggies.

i'm in the process of leaning out. i'm taking it slowly to maintain my strength levels. so i just eat at a deficit. my main goal is to get lots of quality protein, then i'll go with lots of veggies (salads, snack on celery w/ PB or almond butter), then i get my carbs in and around my training. i keep it fairly simple, with some added fish oil caps and protein powder along with some green tea extract pill. i drink lots of home made green tea for energy boosts

 

Yeah, i'm with you. I've slowly been dropping more and more, what i think is best described as "junk" (fast food, genetically modified shit, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, all that shit) from my diet in the past few years and I just feel so much healthier in general.
It's sad that if you try to inform people that what they're eating is deteriorating their physical and mental health, they just write you off as pretentious because "eating healthy is trendy"

shit, some things are trendy for a reason

 

I eat whatever the fuck I want.

Good thing that I wasn't raised in America, and we've always naturally eaten a whole of veggies and good food in my family. Lots of meat though... I probably eat much more meat than the average person... but that's because I'm a MAN.

 

My diets great aside from my vice, which are soft drinks/coffee.

 

i eat really well too cuz my parents were health freaks. i eat seafood but not meat and eat vegetarian at home. i cant resist pizza and soda, though, and i'm pretty sure the little body fat i have is due entirely to my excessive consumption of beer.

 

I think the media has driven such shitty trends over the years (the aggravating stop playing this music on the radio/stop showing this on tv sorta stuff) so people grow a negative connotation to the word "trend" all together...

So when a VERY positive trend comes along, if the media doesn't also latch onto it and in turn bring its drones into the picture, it doesn't get the MAJOR attention required to change the habits of an entire nation/world. Those who could follow it hear/associate trend, and run away... and those who could have followed it know nothing of it.

This is also my theory of how the human driven world has deteriorated over time... somewhere in there a person decided to not listen to/help someone else and their ideals spread, eventually by blood, all the way to our time.

As long as we don't talk to eachother openly and freely, we can never solve the worlds problems... health would be one of them

 

We have completely different views - yours more mechanical, mine more... spiritual? I just go for whatever looks good, try lots of things and find what I like, while still trying lots of different things.

And that would seem to be the basis of being successful... just go with whatever YOU can follow... I think alot of people fail diets because they are following someone elses diet... instead of developing their own with guidance.

Good luck on your fit quest

 

Had no idea it was so widespread... the grass is greener once again

 

Sounds like you're going in the right direction. Don't forget physical activity.

.

 

I eat lots of fruit and vegetables lately, quit smoking (basically) and I feel great!!!! I cringe when my kids eat pizza pops!

 

http://www.amazon.ca/Defense-Food-M...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214192611&sr=8-1

unfortunately finding time to cook properly/healthily regularly is, well, difficult for a lot of households. mine included, due to really weird schedules. i did cook up some brown rice tonight to go with my stir fry though... no leftovers for lunch tomorrow though

 

I don't drink coffee or drink brown sodas. (generally) I try to eat as little red meat as possible. I drink organic milk. My one problem is that I don't drink nearly enough water. I don't do any of this for the specific reason of weight control, I do it mostly because these things are bad for my body. At 19 years old 5'10" and 125lbs. I don't really have much to worry about in the weight department yet, but someday my metabolism will start its slow and steady screech to a halt (or at least a lot slower than it is now) and at that point I shall have to watch what I eat more carefully. I don't think I'm doing too badly right now though.

 

eating a lot of NONGRATIFYING food, and then eating more of it in persuit of the gratification that isn't there, because of a culture that brainwashes people out of having any sort of imagination, in the further nongratifying persuit of symbolic value.

=^^=
.../\...

 

Yummy yummy. I just love this stuff.

Peace

 

beer is my only real curse. and not eating. pfft. but i eat healthy. have for years.

 

Funny thing is Americans 'used to be known for being slim,but that was 25,30 years ago.Look at older films of scenes in public(people walking on the street,ball games etc.).Not that many overweight Americans back 30+ years ago.Many people quickly blame the McJunkie type places and yes they are garbage,but also look at the junk sold in supermarkets now.Alot of the so called healthy stuff 'now is still junk.

 

Well first off crankyelbow, congratulations to you on your weight loss success!

I grew up with a mother who constantly did the yo-yo dieting, was a compulsive over-eater, and used foods (the worse the better) as rewards. My father was the same, although he was fortunate in not getting too over-weight. My mother has struggled with her weight since her teenage years, complains about being overweight but doesn't want to change her lifestyle in order to be thin, which I don't understand because if you dislike something about yourself enough, wouldn't you want to do something to change it?

As a child living at home, we ate fast food more often than not, and I struggled with up and down weight in addition to anorexia, bulemia, and a distorted self image. I didn't realize it then, but a lot of my preoccupation with food and weight was a direct result of my mother and HER relationship with food/weight. So I didn't have a very good example of healthy eating and love of my body.

Anyway, I made the switch to eating a healthy diet back when I first became pregnant with my oldest son (whom is now 8 years old). I felt like I finally had to take control and start eating right, as it wasn't just myself I was affecting anymore, it was my unborn child.

That turned things around for me a lot. I saw how much better I felt eating foods that were actually good for me, the results were amazing really. And, I did it gradually, not all that once, which I think helped adjust. I mean, when you're used to eating junk, sometimes the "good" stuff doesn't always seem appealing at times.

Anyway, it's funny, because when I eat things that I'm not used to eating anymore (junk-wise), I actually feel like crap physically. And then I think, wow, I was actually consuming this kind of thing on a daily basis at one point...no wonder I always felt like hell! *laughs*

I think the real key to weight loss is not dieting. Dieting doesn't work for the long haul, only temporarily. It's adapting a healthy attitude about eating and what you consume, and also very important, physical exercise.

Do that, and I think you'll be in good shape. Keep up the great work.

 

"hippychick" said "the real key to dieting is not dieting".Very true.--This diet food craze started about 20 years ago,and the average American is 20 pounds heavier than they were 20 years ago.----------When I went to school,the heavy kids stood out,because most kids were slim.