Mike’s Daily Rant 10/26/2012 Got 2 B Wealthy 2 eat Healthy

MikeDaMotivator

The view must be fantastic up there on that high horse!

It is. I love it up here!! Wanna join me?

MikeDaMotivator

"pisstivity" = much-needed vocabulary addition. Thank you, sir.

You make excellent points. We got a smaller refrigerator for exactly the reasons you mention. Also, I don't mind eating the same thing repeatedly if that's what it takes to not fuss with planning/cooking too often ;-)

One of the many things I love about MFP is the pie chart, b/c it makes pretty clear what all you're eating. Sadly, if you stock your pantry like the woman you describe, it's going to be wildly out of whack.

Unfortunately, it is true that less processed foods and meats that aren't antibiotic-laden ARE more expensive. As others have noted, $3 berries! How many bags of chips could you buy with $3? Your aggravating experience was a peek into a Pantry of Privilege, for sure. We can't all afford the nifty brand treats and fancy drinks. There are definitely cost factors (along with other considerations) linking poverty and obesity. And can we just pause for a moment to appreciate the irony there? Obesity used to be reserved primarily for the wealthy!

HOWEVER - someone who can afford a pantry like that woman's, and most of us MFPeeps I think, can afford to make *better* choices. Another commenter mentioned the berries vs. dinner out. YES!

$3 berries vs ramen to feed your family of 12 - I get choosing the ramen
$3 berries vs dinner out to be healthier - go you!

Claiming you're not wealthy enough to eat healthy while stocking up on expensive crap? Massive case of spoiled bratness.

Good for you for such a positive response. I think I'd have been much snarkier. Good man.

Thank You.

MikeDaMotivator

Well said! I shop about twice a week so I can have the best fresh foods, minimal processed items in my fridge (like mayo, ketchup, Laughing Cow). No fruit drink cause I like to eat my fruit and get the fiber. I don't keep even diet soda on the house now and just buy a bottle of Coke Zero on my way to work a couple times a week like people do coffee. I have lost 100+, would like to lose another 20# but have maintained this since May and intend to maintain till I am dead.

You ma'am are quite awesome!

MikeDaMotivator

Awesomeness! I had a friend ask me for diet advice, and then say that she wanted to "eat like a normal person", meaning soda, ice cream bars, and chips and the like. Eating a lot of processed food is a cultural norm, not a physiological one.

Wowsers!

MikeDaMotivator

Can i have the shopping list please

Yes. :-)

MikeDaMotivator

Not a single item from your list? damn, I would've at least pretended to get a fruit or a veggie and let it sit there and go back to make herself feel better. Guess it doesn't matter how much you push some people they need to get that light bulb alone.

She is clearly not ready and she has to do it for her not me. I was only tring to help.

MikeDaMotivator

Good post. Many people could use a friend like you. It just comes to the fact that sometimes people aren't ready to change. She was probably hoping you'd come over, say oh, stop drinking soda, and you'll be fine. When she realized it's a lot more difficult than that, and her whole diet needs an overhaul, she probably became overwhelmed.

Hopefully she'll come back to you soon and apologize for her ways. It's hard to accept that everything you've been eating for your whole life is wrong and bad.

I dont need an apology. She needs to apologize to herself if anyone. I want her to do better but until she does it falls on deaf ears.

MikeDaMotivator

Hey, at least she knows you're still there if she changes her mind and decides to make the change. I don't think you wasted your time though. Any time you are able to educate someone is time well spent. They can no longer plead ignorance and have the choice whether to make the change. If they don't, then they only have themselves to blame. They can't claim ignorance. You demonstrated that 'it's too expensive' is not a valid excuse.

Thanks for your 'rant' though. It was very good to read and a reminder that I need to get myself to the grocery store after work to get some fresh food for my own healthy eats!

Well said. Thank You im glad I could help remind you.

MikeDaMotivator

First off, I was looking at your pictures in your profile and have to say you did a great job of making yourself healthier. Very impressive. Congratulations.

Second, as you found out, you really can't change anyone else, even if they say they want to change. It comes from within. I hope you can salvage the friendship if you feel it's worth salvaging.

Thank You and I dont think this disagreement is a deal breaker in our friendship. At least I hope not. I am over it already. I dont know if she is yet but Im sure she will be soon.

MikeDaMotivator

Loved it!!!

Thank You.

MikeDaMotivator

I you. You make my day better and I completely agree with you!!! I've been able to save at least $50 every shopping trip (I only shop when I get paid the 10th and 25th of the month or else I spend the money on other things. I suck at saving money )

Love you too :-) gotta tighten the belt even more to start saving for a rainy day.

MikeDaMotivator

She then texts me 5 minutes later and says that I was mean and hurt her feelings. I texted back and told her that she hurt my feelings as well. She wasted my time, lied to me and does not trust what I say. I told her that if she didn’t buy Oreos and lays that she could use savings from those things to afford fruit and vegetables.

Umm Lays potato chips are on sale for $1.99 a bag, I was going to buy the dill ones.. I like them.. Don't yell Mike

LOL not going to yell im on y way to get a bag too. LOL.

MikeDaMotivator

You sir, you are a good friend. No, you are a FANTASTIC friend. To take the time to provide both positive & negative feedback, understand & truly help your friend to such magnitude is commendable.

Proud to have you on my friend list! Keep up the good work & as always thanks for sharing your unique perspective!

Thanks for all those kind things you said. I am glad to have you as a friend also.

MikeDaMotivator

This is such a great post and it's all true. I cut my monthly grocery bill in half just by not buying processed food, drinks, and really planning my meal around healthy fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. With the exception of bread and condiments, I don't buy or eat any processed foods and I plan my meals first then make my grocery list. I'm very fortunate in that I've never met a fruit or vegetable I didn't like and I'm happy to eat tofu, chicken, and fish forever (I don't like pork and I'm indifferent about beef) so it wasn't a big change for me to start eating better. Too bad about your friend.

Im happy to hear that. congrats to you.

MikeDaMotivator

I am going to take your advice!!! Im tired of spending my money on processed junk just cuz my husband and his parents like it! Im going to be healthy even if they wont be!!!

Good for you! Take a stand! But compromise a little as well. :-)

MikeDaMotivator

Funny you should post this just as I realized the same thing (before I read this)

I made inquiries at a local gym and realized I really need the gold membership which is priced at a little over AU$1000.
Ouch! a bit steep I thought, too much, how can I possibly justify spending that much on me? Then I realized I can pay weekly which brings it to just under AU$25 <

---

a bit less than a family meal at macca's or a packet of ciggarettes.

I am definitely worth more than that, so I am going back up there (sans kids) and signing on the dotted line! I've already noticed that I spend less on groceries and as an added benifit of not giving the kids processed junk, my 14 year olds zits have cleared up.

Way to go! Keep me updated.

MikeDaMotivator

Oh well.

gramacanada

I teach a womens group things like this. They won't believe it or give it a try.
They continue to pay me, waiting for the day I give them the magic key.
I buy only the produce I will use in a couple of days. I almost never throw anything out.
If you don't over buy, nothing has time to go bad. When you go to the store ONLY get what you went for.
Then GET OUT. Don't cruise the aisles. That's when you see all the 'ooo I want that' things.
Cut down on condiments. Read flyers. Sales, cycle. Learn when your products are due to go on sale.
I pay $40 a week for groceries. I get all the nutrients I need. And don't eat the cheapest of everything.
I buy milk, no other drinks. They're unnecessary, and don't have enough nutritional value for the price.
It's a learning process. And it takes time. Some people would rather not do either.
They want an instant magic fix.
The OP here may have just changed a lot of minds and /or lives.
I too, think You Sir, are Awesome!

xxloveiswarr

So much truth. When my friends try to talk about how they eat or how hard it is to eat healthy I just tune out. I guess that isn't very nice, but I'm not interested in wasting my breath anymore. Great effort on your part. Hope your friend reconsiders.

jenilla1

Mike - You are adorable! Everything you said is so true, especially regarding the lame excuses junk food addicts make about the cost of healthy living. If you can't afford to make healthier food choices, you are NOT trying hard enough, because I SAVE money avoiding all the unhealthy crap other people stuff in their faces. (You would be so proud of my kitchen!)

Obviously, it's her business what she eats, but since she brought you in and wasted your time, I can see why you would be so disappointed in her. She is clearly NOT ready. Sadly, some people will never be ready. Hopefully, in time, she will get it, but don't hold your breath. It was awesome of you to try to help her change. I think she wants it, she just doesn't want it bad enough yet...:flowerforyou:

MikeDaMotivator

I teach a womens group things like this. They won't believe it or give it a try.
They continue to pay me, waiting for the day I give them the magic key.
I buy only the produce I will use in a couple of days. I almost never throw anything out.
If you don't over buy, nothing has time to go bad. When you go to the store ONLY get what you went for.
Then GET OUT. Don't cruise the aisles. That's when you see all the 'ooo I want that' things.
Cut down on condiments. Read flyers. Sales, cycle. Learn when your products are due to go on sale.
I pay $40 a week for groceries. I get all the nutrients I need. And don't eat the cheapest of everything.
I buy milk, no other drinks. They're unnecessary, and don't have enough nutritional value for the price.
It's a learning process. And it takes time. Some people would rather not do either.
They want an instant magic fix.
The OP here may have just changed a lot of minds and /or lives.
I too, think You Sir, are Awesome!

Thank You for those kind words.

MikeDaMotivator

Mike - You are adorable! Everything you said is so true, especially regarding the lame excuses junk food addicts make about the cost of healthy living. If you can't afford to make healthier food choices, you are NOT trying hard enough, because I SAVE money avoiding all the unhealthy crap other people stuff in their faces. (You would be so proud of my kitchen!)

Obviously, it's her business what she eats, but since she brought you in and wasted your time, I can see why you would be so disappointed in her. She is clearly NOT ready. Sadly, some people will never be ready. Hopefully, in time, she will get it, but don't hold your breath. It was awesome of you to try to help her change. I think she wants it, she just doesn't want it bad enough yet...:flowerforyou:

Thank You very much for that. Very well stated.

coolraul07

Years ago I had a similar attitude: healthy = $$$$. Finally, a light bulb went off in my head and I did the simple math. Look at the unit prices and you don't even need a calculator because $1/lb is a little more than 6 cents per ounce (technically 6.25 cents, but let's round down to keep it simple).
Now look at that fresh produce that's $3/lb;that about 18 cents per oz (c/oz). $3/lb may seem expensive for produce... that is until you compare it to the unit prices on cookies and chips. The name brands may cost 40-50 c/oz, and even the store brand stuff often costs more than 24 c/oz. When you look at it that way, those chips and cookies are now $4-$8/lb! That $3/lb produce doesn't seem so expensive anymore!
Once I started looking at all food in c/oz, I saw everything in a whole new light. I no longer buy myself those (high sodium) cold cuts that were actually costing me about $7/lb. Hell, on the rare occasion I buy steaks I don't pay more than $6/lb and that's for quality cuts like rib-eye and porterhouse!
Long story short, maybe if your friend converted some of the prices on her receipt to c/oz, she'd see that cost vs. healthy is a fallacy.

MikeDaMotivator

Years ago I had a similar attitude: healthy = $$$$. Finally, a light bulb went off in my head and I did the simple math. Look at the unit prices and you don't even need a calculator because $1/lb is a little more than 6 cents per ounce (technically 6.25 cents, but let's round down to keep it simple).
Now look at that fresh produce that's $3/lb;that about 18 cents per oz (c/oz). $3/lb may seem expensive for produce... that is until you compare it to the unit prices on cookies and chips. The name brands may cost 40-50 c/oz, and even the store brand stuff often costs more than 24 c/oz. When you look at it that way, those chips and cookies are now $4-$8/lb! That $3/lb produce doesn't seem so expensive anymore!
Once I started looking at all food in c/oz, I saw everything in a whole new light. I no longer buy myself those (high sodium) cold cuts that were actually costing me about $7/lb. Hell, on the rare occasion I buy steaks I don't pay more than $6/lb and that's for quality cuts like rib-eye and porterhouse!
Long story short, maybe if your friend converted some of the prices on her receipt to c/oz, she'd see that cost vs. healthy is a fallacy.

Maybe she could but I trully believe that she doesnt want to see the truth. She wants to have an excuse although it not an excuse she is convinced.

Pinkigloopyxie

Awesome post. I look back on the past and wonder why we seemed to need so many treats and thought veggies were so expensive. It was some sort of weird mental block, I don't know. I spent $25 on fruits and veggies for two weeks just yesterday. Add eggs/bread and that's $30 for 2 weeks for one person. Rather cheap.

MikeDaMotivator

Awesome post. I look back on the past and wonder why we seemed to need so many treats and thought veggies were so expensive. It was some sort of weird mental block, I don't know. I spent $25 on fruits and veggies for two weeks just yesterday. Add eggs/bread and that's $30 for 2 weeks for one person. Rather cheap.

Exactly. The question I always ask myself is how much do you value your health? I guess I should ask that to all my friends that claim to want a healthier lifestyle.