NEWSFLASH: McDonald’s existed back when I was a kid

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  • eemitchell1984
    eemitchell1984 Posts: 83 Member
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    I love this thread! We need to stop blaming the economy and marketing agencies on our personal choices. C'mon people! Are we really so weak and lemming-like as individuals in society now that we cannot have ownership over our own actions? DO we really want to give that right away?? WE are the ones to blame! To give away the right of having power over your own decisions and ownership of the repercussion of those decisions is just pathetic.

    I grew up fat. Plain and simple. Both of my parents are obese and guess what they taught me... how to be obese! I grew up eating mac n cheese with hotdogs, fast food, ramen noodles with grilled cheese sandwiches, chocolate milk for breakfast with sugar cereals, ice-cream for desert every night... and NO veggies or fruit! Sure they tried... my mom may have steamed some broccoli and then drowned it in cheese. Needless to say, my idea of nutrition and a healthy and the foundation for which i made all my choices in the last 30 years concerning my body was doomed from the beginning. Guess what, its not McDonald's fault, or Oscar Meyer, Kraft, Kelloggs, Hershey's, Dryers... etc. fault that my parents feed me those foods. Its THEIR fault (and yes, they now know this). I am a single mom, I commute 3 hrs a day, and am gone from 7am-7pm Mon-Friday. I am THE person who should be saying that I NEED the convenience of fast food to feed my child. But, I refuse! I am going to teach him what my parents didn't teach me. It's MY responsibility to make sure he eats healthy foods, learns positive habits and how to make the right nutrition choices, and gets outside to exercise and play. If I fail him and repeat the cycle I grew up with... it is NOBODY'S fault but my own! Start taking some personal responsibility people!!!
  • _Calypso_
    _Calypso_ Posts: 1,074 Member
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    I think maybe you don't enjoy critically looking at problems. Which is fine, but McDonalds is part of the cheap fast food that is making people obese - it's unhealthy food that is cheap. They do have some duty towards their customers not to feed them crap. Yes, McDonalds existed when you were a kid. People became more and more obese during your lifetime so far.

    Your comments about the Occupy Wall Street movements are similar.

    It's possible to lose weight, but there's no known cure for conservatism/libertarianism/whatever it is that stops you seeing things in context. As Stephen Colbert pointed out, "Reality has a well-known liberal bias."


    Okay - lets go with your logic that McDonalds supplies cheap and fast food. Okay - I ate it as a kid, teenager, in college - never overweight - why?? Because I rode my bike EVERY.WHERE. I played in the pool, at the park, hiking trails, etc. Not sitting on a Kindle, Ipad, Wii, Playstation, etc!!

    However, a parent does not have to feed their children chicken mcnuggets multiple times in a week. One can easily make a healthier meal (with possible leftovers) at home for the same price or possibly cheaper!! Do not blame food chains for your (general) weight issues. Put the Big Mac down, move more and make more meals at home!

    Well said OP!!!! :drinker:
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    Could you enlighten me as to why you feel that McDonalds/Corporations bear more responsibility to me than I do for myself? Be specific.

    ... Well, for the first part of my specific answer, I'll have to ask you to review your reading comprehension skills. Specifically, how did you get the impression from what I said that I thought McDonalds should bear more responsibility for you than you yourself do?

    What I said is that when restaurants serve food, however cheap it is, they bear some responsibility to their customers not to serve them crap. Yes, people can do nutritional research and learn to stay away from their cooked food and stick to salads. But you know what? Some kids don't know. And adults who are too busy to think their food is terrible for them, they may not know.

    Not everybody has studied nutrition. People don't expect their food to be processed, calorie-laden crap, they just want lunch. McDonalds take advantage of people not knowing.

    First of all, your entire post here supports the notion that you believe McDonalds should bear more responsibility than people themselves, because you believe McDonalds should change their business for people who "don't know." That's just silly.

    McDonalds, at least the last time I went to one which was admittedly quite some time ago, has their nutritional information available in the store. All you have to do is ask. It may even be posted on the wall of the restaurant. You don't even need to pull out your smartphone, because it's right there. Saying people "don't know" actually means they "don't care enough to take responsibility for myself and look at the information right in front of my face."

    If I recall, McDonalds also offers lower calorie options, salads, and fruit in response to consumers wanting options other than burgers and fries. Nothing is stopping people from ordering those foods, or not eating at that restaurant. It is not McDonalds's responsibility to make sure I order a balanced meal when I enter their establishment any more than it is the responsibility of the all-organic locally-sourced family-owned restaurant.
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
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    I dont understand how anyone could become fat from McDonalds, that stuff tastes like ****.
    The thought of eating enough of it to put on weight makes me shudder :sick:

    This is kinda true. McDonalds is the worst tasting, lowest quality fast food. Never have understood why people like it so much. Carls Jr would be such a massive lifestyle improvement. :D

    OMG a big mac tastes so damn good.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    You know what, I changed my mind. Let's just stop making decisions for ourselves. Let's let everyone else make those decisions for us. That sounds awesome...

    Oh wait, no it doesn't. Because I like choosing for myself. I like deciding if I want a small, medium, or large whatever I want.

    If you don't like McDonald's foods, or Little Debbies, or whatever, than make a decision and don't eat it. Simple. You make choices for yourself, I'll make my own choices. You make decisions for yourself, I'll make my own decisions. We'll all be happy.

    I am a big believer that if everyone minded their OWN business, the world would be an amazingly happy place.

    And because this is too awesome not to share
    jedi-cats-gif.gif
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I dont understand how anyone could become fat from McDonalds, that stuff tastes like ****.
    The thought of eating enough of it to put on weight makes me shudder :sick:

    This is kinda true. McDonalds is the worst tasting, lowest quality fast food. Never have understood why people like it so much. Carls Jr would be such a massive lifestyle improvement. :D

    Because maybe I dunno... people have different tastes? Just a thought... :ohwell:
  • stonejake
    stonejake Posts: 2
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    Right on ...NO ONE makes us FAT only our selves !!! The fast food company's don't give it away to make us fat we buy it and eat it .Actually I love mcdonald's fries :)))))
    :happy: :laugh:
  • kirili3
    kirili3 Posts: 244 Member
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    Alright, ya'll do what you want.

    The spread of calorie-laden, processed food and the obesity epidemic go hand in hand.

    Yes, people are responsible for what they eat. However, as some of you have mentioned, people have been campaigning for companies to display their nutritional information - people who think that, maybe, people shouldn't be eating crap while thinking they're eating lunch.

    Some people here mock documentaries showing what's in McDonalds, and then say that people should know what they're eating there so it's their own fault. Which is it? Either they get to know through documentaries and articles, or they think they're eating normal food.

    Anyway, I expressed my opinion. You're welcome to yours.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    I think maybe you don't enjoy critically looking at problems. Which is fine, but McDonalds is part of the cheap fast food that is making people obese - it's unhealthy food that is cheap. They do have some duty towards their customers not to feed them crap. Yes, McDonalds existed when you were a kid. People became more and more obese during your lifetime so far.

    Your comments about the Occupy Wall Street movements are similar.

    It's possible to lose weight, but there's no known cure for conservatism/libertarianism/whatever it is that stops you seeing things in context. As Stephen Colbert pointed out, "Reality has a well-known liberal bias."

    But if McD's customers didn't WANT that food they wouldn't serve it!
    The only reason they make burgers and fries like that is because CUSTOMERS WANT IT!

    I think another big change in our lifestyle is partially to blame for the obesity epidemic - ELECTRONICS!

    I'm 51 and when I grew up we didn't have Video Games, Home PC's, and the internet.
    We were TOLD TO GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY.

    I didn't have a car till I was 18 or older, so I either WALKED or BICYCLED to go places.
    I got off my BUTT AND MOVED!

    I live in a small community (subdivision) where the entrance is less than a mile from the furthest house and yet the parents all park their cars at the entrance to pick up there spoiled little brats from the Junior High and High school busses!
    Their poor kids can't be expected to walk a few hundred yards to their houses - and it's always the same cars doing it!

    It is a learned behavior - so now the kids DEMAND to not walk anywhere!
    It's this lack of exercise and easily obtainable crappy food that is doing it - and NOBODY IS FORCING THEM TO EAT IT!

    I'm 51 and FAT - and it is MY FAULT - because I at loads of Pizza, McDonalds, Wendy's, etc when I got out of the Air Force.
    And I do NOT blame McDonalds, Wendy's, and other fast food places I BLAME MYSELF!

    Its time that Americans quit passing the buck and take the blame individually!!

    Dave

    I agree with Dave above. And to a large extent I agree with the OP.

    I am 37 -- so I grew up primarily in the 80's and was a teen in the early to mid 90's. I was a chubby, big kid growing up and one of the only obese teens in my high school - I'd say we were a minority of two dozen out of roughly three thousand students!

    While I don't blame my parents for my weight issues - my dad's struggled with his weight his entire life, too, and my mom to a smaller extent - I think it's because our lifestyle was SUPER similar to the way "most" families seem to live today.

    We went out for fast food all of the time, and restaurant meals at "nicer" restaurants several times per week - steakhouses, cafeterias, pizzerias, etc. My mom made meals at home but they were heavily laden with butter & salt and relied upon convenience foods as ingredients. Portions at home weren't huge but we ate dessert with lunch AND dinner. Always.

    I had no interest in sports and hated P.E. class so I wasn't urged to be very active. I rode my bike and swam in the summer and dropped a few pounds every year...but mostly I loved reading and Art. I spent a lot of time writing stories on the typewriter and watching VHS tapes. Similar to kids of today with computers, iphones, and video games.

    As the only child of slightly overprotective parents, I was driven everywhere. I did not walk to the bus stop. I didn't roam our town. From the age of probably 10-11 onward I thought I was "too cool" to play outdoors. So I didn't. And my weight continued to go higher and higher.

    Back then most of my friends were skinny or average. While they may have had a genetic advantage w/o obesity in their families, I believe lifestyle was the primary cause for my weight problems! My friends were forced to play outside, walk to school, and restaurant meals (fast food or otherwise) were a huge deal and for special occasions only.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I am a big believer that if everyone minded their OWN business, the world would be an amazingly happy place.

    And because this is too awesome not to share
    jedi-cats-gif.gif

    QFT X 10000000
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    I want a 20 piece nugget.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Could you enlighten me as to why you feel that McDonalds/Corporations bear more responsibility to me than I do for myself? Be specific.

    ... Well, for the first part of my specific answer, I'll have to ask you to review your reading comprehension skills. Specifically, how did you get the impression from what I said that I thought McDonalds should bear more responsibility for you than you yourself do?

    What I said is that when restaurants serve food, however cheap it is, they bear some responsibility to their customers not to serve them crap. Yes, people can do nutritional research and learn to stay away from their cooked food and stick to salads. But you know what? Some kids don't know. And adults who are too busy to think their food is terrible for them, they may not know.

    Not everybody has studied nutrition. People don't expect their food to be processed, calorie-laden crap, they just want lunch. McDonalds take advantage of people not knowing.

    First of all, your entire post here supports the notion that you believe McDonalds should bear more responsibility than people themselves, because you believe McDonalds should change their business for people who "don't know." That's just silly.

    McDonalds, at least the last time I went to one which was admittedly quite some time ago, has their nutritional information available in the store. All you have to do is ask. It may even be posted on the wall of the restaurant. You don't even need to pull out your smartphone, because it's right there. Saying people "don't know" actually means they "don't care enough to take responsibility for myself and look at the information right in front of my face."

    If I recall, McDonalds also offers lower calorie options, salads, and fruit in response to consumers wanting options other than burgers and fries. Nothing is stopping people from ordering those foods, or not eating at that restaurant. It is not McDonalds's responsibility to make sure I order a balanced meal when I enter their establishment any more than it is the responsibility of the all-organic locally-sourced family-owned restaurant.

    Actually... it's posted right next to the picture on the menu board now. They have put calorie info front and center.

    I must admit. I have changed my mind about what I wanted to order just because of the calorie counts.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
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    Equal Opportunity Eating:

    Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders won't upset us, all we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it your way....Have it your way at Burger King!

    burger-king-de-olho-em-voce.gif
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
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    I think maybe you don't enjoy critically looking at problems. Which is fine, but McDonalds is part of the cheap fast food that is making people obese - it's unhealthy food that is cheap. They do have some duty towards their customers not to feed them crap. Yes, McDonalds existed when you were a kid. People became more and more obese during your lifetime so far.

    Your comments about the Occupy Wall Street movements are similar.

    It's possible to lose weight, but there's no known cure for conservatism/libertarianism/whatever it is that stops you seeing things in context. As Stephen Colbert pointed out, "Reality has a well-known liberal bias."


    Nobody forces you to eat fast food. Just saying

    EXACTLY! If anyone is to blame for a child being overweight, its the parents. If you do not want your child overweight or yourself for that matter, YOU have to do something about it. No one else is to blame for it. Put down the cheeseburger and fries and go eat something healthy. Gees...I just love the "its not my fault" society! *eyes rolling*
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    Alright, ya'll do what you want.

    The spread of calorie-laden, processed food and the obesity epidemic go hand in hand.

    Yes, people are responsible for what they eat. However, as some of you have mentioned, people have been campaigning for companies to display their nutritional information - people who think that, maybe, people shouldn't be eating crap while thinking they're eating lunch.

    Some people here mock documentaries showing what's in McDonalds, and then say that people should know what they're eating there so it's their own fault. Which is it? Either they get to know through documentaries and articles, or they think they're eating normal food.

    Anyway, I expressed my opinion. You're welcome to yours.

    tumblr_inline_mls2cyUduA1qz4rgp.gif
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    I want a 20 piece nugget.

    x2
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    I think maybe you don't enjoy critically looking at problems. Which is fine, but McDonalds is part of the cheap fast food that is making people obese - it's unhealthy food that is cheap. They do have some duty towards their customers not to feed them crap. Yes, McDonalds existed when you were a kid. People became more and more obese during your lifetime so far.

    Your comments about the Occupy Wall Street movements are similar.

    It's possible to lose weight, but there's no known cure for conservatism/libertarianism/whatever it is that stops you seeing things in context. As Stephen Colbert pointed out, "Reality has a well-known liberal bias."

    I eat McDonald's every day for lunch. A double burger and an ice cream cone. It fits my macros, so it's plenty healthy.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    The problem with saying that McDonald's existed when 'you were a kid' sort of thing, is that they have changed the ingredients and formulas for their foods to make them addictive. The perfect combo of salt, fat, and sugar to make your body crave more. I have a fast food addiction. I would eat it two to three times a day if I could. It has nothing to do with my mother, or father, as they cooked meals for the most part. The problem is that once I got hooked, it's like quitting cigarettes. I -crave- their crappy burgers and fries. I long for a coca-cola from McDonald's. I hate cooking, ever. It's so convenient for me to just pull up, order, get it, and eat while I'm driving.

    I eat McDonalds once a week on average (twice some weeks, never other weeks) and don't have this problem with feeling addicted to their food.... neither do my kids. They occasionally ask to go to McDonalds during the week, my reply is "maybe at the weekend" and they're cool with that. and most of what they look forward to about McDonalds is the play area and the happy meal toy. So they're clearly not addicted to the food.

    I'm not sure why you feel so addicted to McDonalds? Do you eat a very restrictive diet the rest of the time? Do you get enough salt and fat in your diet? If you don't then that may explain cravings for salty, fatty foods. (too much fat and salt is bad for you but they are essential nutrients and eliminating them from your diet completely isn't healthy and will lead to cravings).
    I do think their entire practices should be called to the table. That we should put the fire to their feet to help with the problem, not keep contributing to it. They could make small changes that don't alter their profits all that much, and it would make a big difference in how people eat. One example would be to not sell 32 oz or larger sizes of coke. Remove the large option of fries. Add less salt and sugar to their food.

    In the last decade they've made many such changes - the introduction of McDonalds salads, the introduction of an option to have apple slices instead of fries with happy meals, the introduction of the option to have fruit juice instead of pop with happy meals... really they're doing all these things because customers want them.

    My husband has large fries and large pepsi when he goes to McDonalds and he's not obese. Again, common sense should tell you that a big, active man will probably burn the calories in large fries and a large pepsi while a small, sedentary woman or a child probably won't, so small, sedentary women and children should opt for smaller options. Happy meal fries and drinks are tiny. Miniscule, even.

    Salt and sugar are not bad for you in moderation.
    I think poor people use fast food as their grocery store. They don't make enough to buy the healthy stuff because the healthy stuff costs way more than the bad stuff. So it's cheaper and easier for two working parents to pick up something each night than to cook. Our country has its priorities in money and power, not health and longevity. Until that changes, we are doomed.

    it's kind of patronising to say you know all about what poor people do... the above sounds like it's all based on stereotypes. Or like you've seen a few poor families do that and assume it's the same the world over. If that's what people are doing where you live because it's very hard for them to acquire other foods, then the responsibility is NOT on McDonalds to make their food healthier, it's the responsibility of the local government/municipality to make fresh food easier to access, e.g. by providing affordable public transport or supporting local farmers in distributing their produce more widely.
  • kirili3
    kirili3 Posts: 244 Member
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    Could you enlighten me as to why you feel that McDonalds/Corporations bear more responsibility to me than I do for myself? Be specific.

    ... Well, for the first part of my specific answer, I'll have to ask you to review your reading comprehension skills. Specifically, how did you get the impression from what I said that I thought McDonalds should bear more responsibility for you than you yourself do?

    What I said is that when restaurants serve food, however cheap it is, they bear some responsibility to their customers not to serve them crap. Yes, people can do nutritional research and learn to stay away from their cooked food and stick to salads. But you know what? Some kids don't know. And adults who are too busy to think their food is terrible for them, they may not know.

    Not everybody has studied nutrition. People don't expect their food to be processed, calorie-laden crap, they just want lunch. McDonalds take advantage of people not knowing.

    First of all, your entire post here supports the notion that you believe McDonalds should bear more responsibility than people themselves, because you believe McDonalds should change their business for people who "don't know." That's just silly.

    McDonalds, at least the last time I went to one which was admittedly quite some time ago, has their nutritional information available in the store. All you have to do is ask. It may even be posted on the wall of the restaurant. You don't even need to pull out your smartphone, because it's right there. Saying people "don't know" actually means they "don't care enough to take responsibility for myself and look at the information right in front of my face."

    If I recall, McDonalds also offers lower calorie options, salads, and fruit in response to consumers wanting options other than burgers and fries. Nothing is stopping people from ordering those foods, or not eating at that restaurant. It is not McDonalds's responsibility to make sure I order a balanced meal when I enter their establishment any more than it is the responsibility of the all-organic locally-sourced family-owned restaurant.


    They made their nutritional information available because people campaigned for them to do so! in those documentaries all the cool bros here don't watch. People can campaign further, and have been - that's WHY mcdonalds serve things like broccoli and salads alongside crap.

    Take personal responsibility! I never said people shouldn't.

    The nutritional information, the salads, that's all due to consumer action. Not smug statements that completely ignore the context people live in.

    These restaurants started mass producing cheap, terrible food and realized they could make lots of money of it. They are taking advantage of people. Yes, we can all study nutrition and stay way. But we can also demand that the company makes things that are good for people, and buy food conditional to that.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    I dont understand how anyone could become fat from McDonalds, that stuff tastes like ****.
    The thought of eating enough of it to put on weight makes me shudder :sick:

    This is kinda true. McDonalds is the worst tasting, lowest quality fast food. Never have understood why people like it so much. Carls Jr would be such a massive lifestyle improvement. :D

    Lowest quality? How do you figure? They use low quality cows and chickens to make their 100% beef burgers, wraps and sandwiches?