An Argument Against Fast Food

Where did my quotes go???

No. We are fat because we ate at a caloric surplus. The food (regardless of type) didn't just jump in our mouths and crawl down our throats.

We overate, etc. A lot of people also have a tendency to do the stress/bored/emotional eating. Some people have issues recognizing portion control, etc. And some people just didn't educate themselves to realize that they can't eat 3000 calories and be 150 lbs with no exercise. The point is - it's "OUR" fault..not the food industry, the food itself, or the people in our lives. There is a time we should start taking accountability for our own actions.

ETA: Not everyone using MFP is trying to lose weight. That's why it is My FITNESS Pal.

I don't blame fast food for my being overweight. That's an infantile notion. The movie Supersize Me just made me want to eat french fries. But the knee-jerk reaction to DEFEND fast food in the wake of articles explaining why it has little to no nutritional benefit begs the question, why are we so desperate to keep it? Are we really that obsessed with food that we can't let go of the Crunchwrap Supremes and the Big Macs without throwing a temper tantrum at the people criticizing them?

To point out, the phrase "as so many people do" - doesn't mean everyone.

So you have a grasp on the English language! Congratulations. Want a medal? He was the one who criticized my generalization first, so I criticized his playfully in return. Obviously generalizations don't apply to every single member of the human race.

ETA: Not everyone using MFP is trying to lose weight. That's why it is My FITNESS Pal.

I don't blame fast food for my being overweight. That's an infantile notion. The movie Supersize Me just made me want to eat french fries. But the knee-jerk reaction to DEFEND fast food in the wake of articles explaining why it has little to no nutritional benefit begs the question, why are we so desperate to keep it? Are we really that obsessed with food that we can't let go of the Crunchwrap Supremes and the Big Macs without throwing a temper tantrum at the people criticizing them?

It's called a discussion. Really, you are the one most upset by people discussing and putting out opposing points.

Hahahahaha. These forums are a joke for actual discussions, because of you and others like you who sit back and pick out the parts you don't like in people's posts rather than contribute anything useful or open-minded. They're more like a combination of a digital ****-waggling contest and high school locker room gossip.

No. We are fat because we ate at a caloric surplus. The food (regardless of type) didn't just jump in our mouths and crawl down our throats.

We overate, etc. A lot of people also have a tendency to do the stress/bored/emotional eating. Some people have issues recognizing portion control, etc. And some people just didn't educate themselves to realize that they can't eat 3000 calories and be 150 lbs with no exercise. The point is - it's "OUR" fault..not the food industry, the food itself, or the people in our lives. There is a time we should start taking accountability for our own actions.

ETA: Not everyone using MFP is trying to lose weight. That's why it is My FITNESS Pal.

I don't blame fast food for my being overweight. That's an infantile notion. The movie Supersize Me just made me want to eat french fries. But the knee-jerk reaction to DEFEND fast food in the wake of articles explaining why it has little to no nutritional benefit begs the question, why are we so desperate to keep it? Are we really that obsessed with food that we can't let go of the Crunchwrap Supremes and the Big Macs without throwing a temper tantrum at the people criticizing them?

No one is throwing a temper tantrum and this is certainly not a knee jerk reaction. If you want to cut out all fast food then please be my guest. Standing on a soap box claiming that any fast food consumption is bad for you seems a bit much though. Go back and read the OP again, please.

To point out, the phrase "as so many people do" - doesn't mean everyone.

So you have a grasp on the English language! Congratulations. Want a medal? He was the one who criticized my generalization first, so I criticized his playfully in return. Obviously generalizations don't apply to every single member of the human race.

I think, maybe, you need to take a break and calm down. Really. Why are you attacking me? This is a discussion. If you can't handle opposition, then the forums aren't for you.

Hahaha. I'm not attacking you, dear, I'm calling you out on trolling, which is exactly what you are doing. If you can't 'handle' me doing that then you're the one who needs a break! ;D

WHOA WHOA WHOA. How am I trolling? Do you even know what a troll is? I'm having a discussion. Please stop with the accusations .

you're actually not having a discussion about the topic... you're having a discussion about the english language... and, well, trolling.

Before you flame without reading the post, please keep in mind that while I have not listed the sources, Brendan Brazier, top triathlete and nutritional specialist lists ALL his sources in his book (Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life). It would take pages to list them all here.

I'm not saying any diet is better than another, just that I found this quite interesting to read, and thought others might too.

A calorie is defined as a measure of food energy. It might seem logical, then, to assume that the more calories consumed, the more energy our body is supplied with. Of course, we know this is not the case, otherwise people with the highest energy would be those who eat at fast food restaurants. By simply consuming more calories, we are not guaranteed more energy. Many conventional nutrition books would have us believe that if we expend a certain amount of energy, it can be quantified and replaced. They suggest that by simply adhering to calorie counts, with no consideration of other factors, we can accurately gauge the amount of food we need to consume to maintain low body weight and high energy. But it doesn't work that way.

Unfortunately, most foods in the average North American's diet require almost as much energy to assimilate as they contain, because while they are high in calories, they are low in nutrients. The nutritional value of food stated on the food packaging label refers to what is in the food - not what the body actually gets from it. By consuming more easily assimilated foods, you can conserve a large amount of energy, therefore reducing stress in the body, and helping with recovery. There are two main reasons for this. First, foods in their natural, nutrient-dense state can be digested and assimilated with less energy expenditure than processed, refined foods. Second, when more nutrient-rich foods are present in the diet, the body does not have to eat as much as if it were fed less nutrient-rich foods. Today, I consume 30 percent fewer calories than I did just two years ago, yet I have more energy - by means of conservation, rather than consumption.

Essentially the point is this: because fast food is not nutritionally dense, your body has to work harder to get fewer nutrients, which is a WASTE of energy. Energy that could otherwise be used on anything from recovery - which would allow you to train harder and more often - to mental energy, to just feeling better in your day to day life. The more steam lined your system, and the less it has to work to digest the food you introduce, the better YOU will operate. The more weight you'll lose. The better you will feel.

But hey, I'm not here to say you HAVE to do it. I'm not even saying you should! If you'd rather eat fast food because you really enjoy it, then I would never advocate giving it up! But if your goals are to perform better and to feel better, not just lose weight, it may be worth considering.

Have at it. And let's try and keep it civil, K?