In the USA - weight gain due to culture?
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debdelilah
Posts: 82
I was just thinking about something after reading the eating disorder thread and the worst date thread, and thinking about my own dating/going out habits.
When I go on a date to a restaurant, I'm doing something almost everyone in this country does - it's almost part of the script - a very common thing to do on a date or while dating. But one hundred years ago, my date might have invited me to "go walking" - it used to be common!
Dancing used to be a part of romance, but unless you like country music clubs, there are very few options for actually doing this on a casual date...Dance lessons are more likely to be taken as preparation for a big event, or for a major hobbiest, but you can't assume that your date will know how to, or want to dance, or that there is even anywhere you could go out to dance.
In the worst date thread, it came up a lot that after a date some men had immediate "expectations", and even in some cases paying for dinner paid into that. How much better to get to know someone while walking together - but who would suggest that as a date these days?
When I go on a date to a restaurant, I'm doing something almost everyone in this country does - it's almost part of the script - a very common thing to do on a date or while dating. But one hundred years ago, my date might have invited me to "go walking" - it used to be common!
Dancing used to be a part of romance, but unless you like country music clubs, there are very few options for actually doing this on a casual date...Dance lessons are more likely to be taken as preparation for a big event, or for a major hobbiest, but you can't assume that your date will know how to, or want to dance, or that there is even anywhere you could go out to dance.
In the worst date thread, it came up a lot that after a date some men had immediate "expectations", and even in some cases paying for dinner paid into that. How much better to get to know someone while walking together - but who would suggest that as a date these days?
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Replies
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My first date with my partner of 10 years was going for a walk in some local woodland. We took the dog as a chaperone
In fact quite a few of our early dates consisted of going walking, and then stopping for a drink in a pub along the way. I don't know if this is any more common in the UK than it is in the US. 0 -
I went on a date a few days ago with a Canadian guy to a local fair
. We had a nice wander around, and then stopped in a bar for a drink. We're in Aus, so maybe that's a commonwealth thing.
At least you got dinner out of it, when I went to school in the states, the men wouldn't even offer that!!0 -
If you live in a suburb and don't use mass transit to get to work you drive an awful lot here in the US. I visited family in Seattle a couple of months ago and didn't rent a car - I walked everywhere and used the bus alot - burned a ton of calories, just like when I was a teenager in Dublin. But here in Minneapolis, I end up driving alot.0
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im not in the USA but i think part of it depends on where you live...
I live in a really beautiful part of the uk me and my friends often go for walks up the hills but i couldnt imagine doing the same when i was living in the city, just going for a walk somewhere...
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in Ireland we have Irish dancing called set dancing its very fast great fun and burns an amazing amount of calories ok its not cool enough for alot of people but I really think its a great way to exercise it's different usually a full set is 8 if your lucky 4 fellas 4 girls and a half set is 4 different areas have different steps,great fun the really serious go for competition but the rest of us just enjoy it! :laugh: I can bet if you did this 3 nights a week weight gain would not be too much of a problem!0
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Yes, it's due to culture. But I find it very hard to believe that a lack of a 100kcal burn from a walk on an early date is the cultural issue. I can think of more severe reasons why the land of cheese in a can, cookie dough tubes, single person portions big enough to feed a village and 3 litre fizzy drinks cups is seeing weight problems.0
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I don't really think that dating culture contributes towards obesity - I think it's more of what one does for recreation and diet. If you unwind on the computer or in front of the TV and eat lots of junk food or heavy food and drink sugary drinks, weight gain just happens. We cook less for ourselves and depend more on restaurants and grocery store deli or what's in the freezer case - frozen pizza, fried chicken, cheeseburgers etc. We look at food and hunger as more as an inconvenience rather than a reason to socialize. We used to spend so much time around food as a culture - farming, canning, preparing for the winter. Now everything we want food-wise is done for us before we encounter it. We spend less calories to gather food and feed ourselves than we used to. But now it's down to throwing it into a microwave or slapping it together in a bowl , getting it at a drive thru.
Just my observation...0 -
The problem is not that we go out to dinner. The problem is that when we order dinner, they bring each of us enough food to feed 3 people and, since many of us were raised to eat what's on our plate, we try to eat it all.
We have choices about where we go and what we eat.0 -
I think you may be onto something here....0
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Yes, it's due to culture. But I find it very hard to believe that a lack of a 100kcal burn from a walk on an early date is the cultural issue. I can think of more severe reasons why the land of cheese in a can, cookie dough tubes, single person portions big enough to feed a village and 3 litre fizzy drinks cups is seeing weight problems.
What you say is very true, but since WWII Americans and now canadians drive more & more. We don't walk anywhere unless we have to - where 50 years ago - we would walk 1/4 or 1/2 mile to get the tram, tain or bus - now we waddle to our car thats parked right outside our door and try to park as close to out destination as possible and strain to get to the office. As a teenager, I walked everywhere now I have to make a point of walking. But you are right - the easily available junk food is a huge issue.0 -
Going for a walk is great IF the weather is good... sadly in the UK not so.
Dressing to impress someone when your wet and windblown is kinda difficult too0 -
in Ireland we have Irish dancing called set dancing its very fast great fun and burns an amazing amount of calories ok its not cool enough for alot of people but I really think its a great way to exercise it's different usually a full set is 8 if your lucky 4 fellas 4 girls and a half set is 4 different areas have different steps,great fun the really serious go for competition but the rest of us just enjoy it! :laugh: I can bet if you did this 3 nights a week weight gain would not be too much of a problem!
And how many pints would we be having at the local afterwards? LOL0
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