The average person doesn't know what healthy is
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NorthCascades wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »youcantflexcardio wrote: »I've had people ask me why I think I need to lose wieght when I'm at like 27% bf. I've heard people who would medically classify as obese say they are fairly healthy and a little overweight. I've had people tell me I'm weird for weighing out a steak, and call it obsessive to track what you put into your body, or be weirded out by things like almond milk, natural peanut butter, Himalayan pink salt, or calling my choice to 93% lean ground beef ridiculous etc etc., the list goes on.
This got me thinking - is the average American person really so unhealthy that anything remotely healthy seems foreign and weird?
I'm not weirded out by foods, but almond milk, natural peanut butter, Himalayan pink salt, etc are not on my normal shopping list. I don't see why those particular foods have any more health 'virtue' than dairy milk, regular peanut butter, kosher salt, etc.
Just as I believe demonizing foods is an unhealthy approach, giving individual foods a 'health halo' is unhealthy too. An approach that includes a variety of foods that fit one's calorie needs and budget, and does so without creating arbitrary categories for virtue and vice, is preferable to whatever is fad of the moment.
The US could stand to improve education about food and exercise, and how energy balance is key to maintaining a healthy weight. Perhaps if we could do that we'd be less susceptible to fad diets and random lists of Top Ten Foods to Never Eat Again type nonsense.
A spiteful unikitty could only dream....
Himalayan pink salt just tastes better. That's all there is to it. It doesn't make you healthy, it doesn't impart ancient wisdom, it doesn't come with a trip to the Himalayas to hike. But it tastes better, and that's enough for me.
I'm totally on board with it tasting better, especially when used finishing a dish where a little stands out. But when seasoning food about to be cooked where it won't be noticeable I'd opt for plain old kosher salt.
Samsies! I read that table salt is the only place we get iodine in our diets, so don't give it up completely.
Right, none of my salt contains iodine and when I stopped eating Thai food on a regular basis, I started developing signs of iodine deficiency, so now supplement.4 -
youcantflexcardio wrote: »I really hope by "the average person doesn't know what healthy is" you're including aspects of health that aren't related to weight...
Yes I am. I've been told "you're addicted to lifting weights". I lift an hour a day 5x a week. My roomates think its crazy that I ride my bike to my parents house sometimes - it is like 9 miles, not that far. Most people I know probably can't run a mile without stopping and they are fine with that.
I've also been told it's a bit weird that I cut my drinking down to 1-3 drinks a week. It's a lot more than wieght.
Obviously not everyone I know says these things but I do hear them and I just think it's a bit odd that things like this are even getting negative reactions.
Ya, I had to get a new social circle when I stopped being a heavy drinker.4 -
When I told my OH we were having Hamburger Helper for dinner tonight he said, "Who are you?"
I replied, "Wasn't the 'Homemade' implied?"
I'm going for a blend of these two recipes, will throw in my own touches, and probably reduce the cheese due to the calories:
https://www.countrysidecravings.com/homemade-hamburger-helper/
http://divascancook.com/homemade-hamburger-helper-recipe-cheeseburger-macaroni/2 -
Lillymoo01 wrote: »I find it amazing that some stores don’t carry XS sizes anymore
but they do carry XXL and even XXXL!
I often have to shop in the teen and children's range because too many stores no longer stock XS. Buying clothes can be a very frustrating procedure because as a 40+ year old I don't necessarily want to be wearing the fashion of our younger folk. I actually prefer shorts that cover my behind and tops that don't show my stomach!
I hate how some stores START at size 2 or 4 now which is too big for me with vanity sizing.5 -
@kimny it is mostly roomates, and my neighbor who used to drink heavily with almost daily. I'm 29 BTW2
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I think most people have a warped perception, but only because obesity is normal to see now. With 70 percent obese/overweight, it is rarer to see people at a healthy weight. The more people see overweight people, the more their perception of a healthy weight is changed. A majority think overweight people are at a healthy weight and anyone in the healthy weight range is "sooooo skinny".2
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This discussion reminds me of a funny Seth Meyers joke: “A new study said “none” is the healthiest amount of alcohol to consume. Said every American, “Do we LOOK like people who care what’s healthiest for us?!?” 😂7
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I think most people know what healthy is...IMO, "healthy" doesn't have anything to do with using a food scale or logging, etc and I can see how people would think it's odd. I'm healthy and I haven't logged anything in over 5.5 years and I only use my food scale every once in awhile.
I also don't use pink salt...it's been sitting on my kitchen counter for about 4 years...I've never had almond milk, and I do eat fattier cuts of meat along with a lot of other lean meats and protein sources. I exercise 5-6 days per week and nobody seems to think that's weird, but a lot of people simply don't want to do that. I cook most of my meals using whole or minimally processed foods which to my knowledge, nobody thinks is weird...but again, they're just not willing to put in that effort much of the time.
I think intuitively people know what is healthful and what is not...it's more a matter of wanting to live a more healthful lifestyle or not. For some people I suppose it is or seems like a lot of work...for myself, I enjoy cooking and enjoy eating well prepared home cooked meals and I love riding my bike, hiking, rock climbing, etc...these things aren't particularly chores for me most of the time.
I am bumping up Friday night pizza night to tonight due to needing a convenience factor with a school thing tonight.6 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »youcantflexcardio wrote: »I really hope by "the average person doesn't know what healthy is" you're including aspects of health that aren't related to weight...
Yes I am. I've been told "you're addicted to lifting weights". I lift an hour a day 5x a week. My roomates think its crazy that I ride my bike to my parents house sometimes - it is like 9 miles, not that far. Most people I know probably can't run a mile without stopping and they are fine with that.
I've also been told it's a bit weird that I cut my drinking down to 1-3 drinks a week. It's a lot more than wieght.
Obviously not everyone I know says these things but I do hear them and I just think it's a bit odd that things like this are even getting negative reactions.
Is it possible you're sending off a vibe that people are reacting to?
Not really, I don't talk endlessly about it - I come here to do that. I maybe make a mention of a goal or a PR once in a while but I definitely don't try to push anything on anyone.3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I think most people know what healthy is...IMO, "healthy" doesn't have anything to do with using a food scale or logging, etc and I can see how people would think it's odd. I'm healthy and I haven't logged anything in over 5.5 years and I only use my food scale every once in awhile.
I also don't use pink salt...it's been sitting on my kitchen counter for about 4 years...I've never had almond milk, and I do eat fattier cuts of meat along with a lot of other lean meats and protein sources. I exercise 5-6 days per week and nobody seems to think that's weird, but a lot of people simply don't want to do that. I cook most of my meals using whole or minimally processed foods which to my knowledge, nobody thinks is weird...but again, they're just not willing to put in that effort much of the time.
I think intuitively people know what is healthful and what is not...it's more a matter of wanting to live a more healthful lifestyle or not. For some people I suppose it is or seems like a lot of work...for myself, I enjoy cooking and enjoy eating well prepared home cooked meals and I love riding my bike, hiking, rock climbing, etc...these things aren't particularly chores for me most of the time.
I am bumping up Friday night pizza night to tonight due to needing a convenience factor with a school thing tonight.
The bolded part kind of is the whole point of this thread - I think a lot of people DON'T know. I thought so until recently when I heard things like "why do you think you need to lose wieght you look fine" or hearing someone who is obese say they are healthy and only a little overweight. Or how people don't know what a true portion size is. Or how walking the dog for 5 minutes is excersise. Those sorts of things.2 -
I don't really find this is the case, at least where I live and in my circle of friends/family (I am not in the US, just outside Toronto, Canada). I mean, maybe if I started to take my food scale out in public and stopped going out, I might get some questions, but otherwise everyone does their thing. Yea there are some people who are a bit misguided about nutrition, but overall people I know are very aware and they are active.. they walk, run, bike, hike, ski, lift, play sports, run marathons. Just do your thing.4
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youcantflexcardio wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »I think most people know what healthy is...IMO, "healthy" doesn't have anything to do with using a food scale or logging, etc and I can see how people would think it's odd. I'm healthy and I haven't logged anything in over 5.5 years and I only use my food scale every once in awhile.
I also don't use pink salt...it's been sitting on my kitchen counter for about 4 years...I've never had almond milk, and I do eat fattier cuts of meat along with a lot of other lean meats and protein sources. I exercise 5-6 days per week and nobody seems to think that's weird, but a lot of people simply don't want to do that. I cook most of my meals using whole or minimally processed foods which to my knowledge, nobody thinks is weird...but again, they're just not willing to put in that effort much of the time.
I think intuitively people know what is healthful and what is not...it's more a matter of wanting to live a more healthful lifestyle or not. For some people I suppose it is or seems like a lot of work...for myself, I enjoy cooking and enjoy eating well prepared home cooked meals and I love riding my bike, hiking, rock climbing, etc...these things aren't particularly chores for me most of the time.
I am bumping up Friday night pizza night to tonight due to needing a convenience factor with a school thing tonight.
The bolded part kind of is the whole point of this thread - I think a lot of people DON'T know. I thought so until recently when I heard things like "why do you think you need to lose wieght you look fine" or hearing someone who is obese say they are healthy and only a little overweight. Or how people don't know what a true portion size is. Or how walking the dog for 5 minutes is excersise. Those sorts of things.
This is not my experience...maybe you need new friends who are a little sharper...maybe it's an age thing...I'm 43...pretty much everyone I know knows where they stand health wise.7 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »youcantflexcardio wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »I think most people know what healthy is...IMO, "healthy" doesn't have anything to do with using a food scale or logging, etc and I can see how people would think it's odd. I'm healthy and I haven't logged anything in over 5.5 years and I only use my food scale every once in awhile.
I also don't use pink salt...it's been sitting on my kitchen counter for about 4 years...I've never had almond milk, and I do eat fattier cuts of meat along with a lot of other lean meats and protein sources. I exercise 5-6 days per week and nobody seems to think that's weird, but a lot of people simply don't want to do that. I cook most of my meals using whole or minimally processed foods which to my knowledge, nobody thinks is weird...but again, they're just not willing to put in that effort much of the time.
I think intuitively people know what is healthful and what is not...it's more a matter of wanting to live a more healthful lifestyle or not. For some people I suppose it is or seems like a lot of work...for myself, I enjoy cooking and enjoy eating well prepared home cooked meals and I love riding my bike, hiking, rock climbing, etc...these things aren't particularly chores for me most of the time.
I am bumping up Friday night pizza night to tonight due to needing a convenience factor with a school thing tonight.
The bolded part kind of is the whole point of this thread - I think a lot of people DON'T know. I thought so until recently when I heard things like "why do you think you need to lose wieght you look fine" or hearing someone who is obese say they are healthy and only a little overweight. Or how people don't know what a true portion size is. Or how walking the dog for 5 minutes is excersise. Those sorts of things.
This is not my experience...maybe you need new friends who are a little sharper...maybe it's an age thing...I'm 43...pretty much everyone I know knows where they stand health wise.
I think it's probably an age and living situation thing. I know that at 44, the only people who know what kind of salt I use are me and the Safeway delivery guy. At any given time, my friends and I may or may not be drinking for any number of reasons, no one pays much attention unless it's something new and interesting to taste. Fifteen years ago, with roommates and a lesser need for sleep, that would not have been the case at all.4 -
youcantflexcardio wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »youcantflexcardio wrote: »I really hope by "the average person doesn't know what healthy is" you're including aspects of health that aren't related to weight...
Yes I am. I've been told "you're addicted to lifting weights". I lift an hour a day 5x a week. My roomates think its crazy that I ride my bike to my parents house sometimes - it is like 9 miles, not that far. Most people I know probably can't run a mile without stopping and they are fine with that.
I've also been told it's a bit weird that I cut my drinking down to 1-3 drinks a week. It's a lot more than wieght.
Obviously not everyone I know says these things but I do hear them and I just think it's a bit odd that things like this are even getting negative reactions.
Is it possible you're sending off a vibe that people are reacting to?
Not really, I don't talk endlessly about it - I come here to do that. I maybe make a mention of a goal or a PR once in a while but I definitely don't try to push anything on anyone.
You don't need to talk endlessly about something to come across in a way that gets people's backs up.9 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »youcantflexcardio wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »I think most people know what healthy is...IMO, "healthy" doesn't have anything to do with using a food scale or logging, etc and I can see how people would think it's odd. I'm healthy and I haven't logged anything in over 5.5 years and I only use my food scale every once in awhile.
I also don't use pink salt...it's been sitting on my kitchen counter for about 4 years...I've never had almond milk, and I do eat fattier cuts of meat along with a lot of other lean meats and protein sources. I exercise 5-6 days per week and nobody seems to think that's weird, but a lot of people simply don't want to do that. I cook most of my meals using whole or minimally processed foods which to my knowledge, nobody thinks is weird...but again, they're just not willing to put in that effort much of the time.
I think intuitively people know what is healthful and what is not...it's more a matter of wanting to live a more healthful lifestyle or not. For some people I suppose it is or seems like a lot of work...for myself, I enjoy cooking and enjoy eating well prepared home cooked meals and I love riding my bike, hiking, rock climbing, etc...these things aren't particularly chores for me most of the time.
I am bumping up Friday night pizza night to tonight due to needing a convenience factor with a school thing tonight.
The bolded part kind of is the whole point of this thread - I think a lot of people DON'T know. I thought so until recently when I heard things like "why do you think you need to lose wieght you look fine" or hearing someone who is obese say they are healthy and only a little overweight. Or how people don't know what a true portion size is. Or how walking the dog for 5 minutes is excersise. Those sorts of things.
This is not my experience...maybe you need new friends who are a little sharper...maybe it's an age thing...I'm 43...pretty much everyone I know knows where they stand health wise.
I do need some fit/active friends, I won't argue with you there. I don't think its an age thing these I got the comments in question from a variety of ages, sometimes much older. I think it's more environmental - a lot of these are friends and family members live unhealthy lifestyles - after I came home when I got out if the military I joined them in those lifestyles. I fit in. Now, I'm going back more towards who I was during my service, and it's a shock because they saw me 2 weeks a year back then.2 -
Americans seem to have a warped sense of a normal size. Well over half the population is overweight so it's often seen as "normal."
I remember reading about a study years ago that people who had overweight friends were more likely to become overweight themselves. Maybe the gist of the study was that bad habits tend to rub off on people?
Personally, I've been overweight many times in my life. I know now that it's work to maintain a healthy weight. It takes time to plan healthy meals and exercise. It's easy to slack off and not care but I think once you've been overweight and then lost weight, you realize it's worth the effort. For me, there's a family history of heart disease and diabetes. I'm hoping to defy the odds! Or at least for as long as I possibly can!6 -
youcantflexcardio wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »I think most people know what healthy is...IMO, "healthy" doesn't have anything to do with using a food scale or logging, etc and I can see how people would think it's odd. I'm healthy and I haven't logged anything in over 5.5 years and I only use my food scale every once in awhile.
I also don't use pink salt...it's been sitting on my kitchen counter for about 4 years...I've never had almond milk, and I do eat fattier cuts of meat along with a lot of other lean meats and protein sources. I exercise 5-6 days per week and nobody seems to think that's weird, but a lot of people simply don't want to do that. I cook most of my meals using whole or minimally processed foods which to my knowledge, nobody thinks is weird...but again, they're just not willing to put in that effort much of the time.
I think intuitively people know what is healthful and what is not...it's more a matter of wanting to live a more healthful lifestyle or not. For some people I suppose it is or seems like a lot of work...for myself, I enjoy cooking and enjoy eating well prepared home cooked meals and I love riding my bike, hiking, rock climbing, etc...these things aren't particularly chores for me most of the time.
I am bumping up Friday night pizza night to tonight due to needing a convenience factor with a school thing tonight.
The bolded part kind of is the whole point of this thread - I think a lot of people DON'T know. I thought so until recently when I heard things like "why do you think you need to lose wieght you look fine" or hearing someone who is obese say they are healthy and only a little overweight. Or how people don't know what a true portion size is. Or how walking the dog for 5 minutes is excersise. Those sorts of things.
But how is the conversation topic of whether or not you need to lose more weight even coming up? Are you saying things like, "I can't eat that, I'm on a diet" or "I wish I could go out, but I prefer to eat at home so I can use my food scale" or "Can't hit the bar tonight, I'm on the wagon b/c of weight loss".... ? How is the topic of their weight and whether or not they are healthy or not coming up?5 -
I think most people get taught a decent overview of nutrition. Fruit and veggies = good. Lots of sugary stuff and fried foods = bad. Balanced diet = good.
What is severely lacking is education about weight management. How calories work, what TDEE means, how to manage your weight safely and healthily (avoid crash and fad diets, etc.).13 -
fittocycle wrote: »Americans seem to have a warped sense of a normal size. Well over half the population is overweight so it's often seen as "normal."
I remember reading about a study years ago that people who had overweight friends were more likely to become overweight themselves. Maybe the gist of the study was that bad habits tend to rub off on people?
Personally, I've been overweight many times in my life. I know now that it's work to maintain a healthy weight. It takes time to plan healthy meals and exercise. It's easy to slack off and not care but I think once you've been overweight and then lost weight, you realize it's worth the effort. For me, there's a family history of heart disease and diabetes. I'm hoping to defy the odds! Or at least for as long as I possibly can!
I don't know if it's so much that habits rub off as it is that people gravitate to other people with similar interests. I started getting my fitness on 6 years ago and my circle of friends has changed quite a bit with changing interests.
Rewind to back then and I had a few buddies that I would meet up with most every Sunday at the sports bar to watch football...we'd get there around 10:30/11 AM and wouldn't usually leave until the night game was over at around 9:30 PM. I still get together with them occasionally, but it's usually only for one game. For the most part, I only watch the Sunday night game these days, and usually at home...during the day I'm busy meeting up for a group ride or going solo or meeting up with some people to do some rock climbing, etc.
I've met a lot of cool people over the years with meetup.com and at my gym and my circle of close friends has changed significantly due to changing interests. Most of my friends are of the fit and active persuasion.5 -
psychod787 wrote: »youcantflexcardio wrote: »I really hope by "the average person doesn't know what healthy is" you're including aspects of health that aren't related to weight...
Yes I am. I've been told "you're addicted to lifting weights". I lift an hour a day 5x a week. My roomates think its crazy that I ride my bike to my parents house sometimes - it is like 9 miles, not that far. Most people I know probably can't run a mile without stopping and they are fine with that.
I've also been told it's a bit weird that I cut my drinking down to 1-3 drinks a week. It's a lot more than wieght.
Obviously not everyone I know says these things but I do hear them and I just think it's a bit odd that things like this are even getting negative reactions.
How old are you, or at least how old are the people who are commenting? Are you just talking about your roommates?
I don't know anyone who would think it was weird to cut back on drinking, or to walk or bike instead of drive somewhere. Not that I know a lot of people who do those things, but they don't look down at people who do. I know plenty of people who aren't all that healthy, but do try to eat some stereotypically "healthy" foods in the hopes it would help. My parents, who think everything new is ridiculous, buy almond milk and natural PB.
I do think a lot of people have a warped idea of what a healthy weight is. We get many stories here of people who are just out of the overweight range and have family members expressing concern that they are getting too skinny. IMHO people are just too accustomed to seeing overweight people, so they lose perspective.
As far as weighing and logging, I don't think those behaviors are inherently healthy or unhealthy. Some people do think it is weird or obsessive, mostly because it's just foreign to them and they don't understand it. I wouldn't say that someone who thinks weighing portions is weird, doesn't understand what healthy is, though. You can live a healthy lifestyle and never touch a food scale or almond milk.
Well kimny, in my "neck" lol of the woods, seeing people walk and bike places in strange. To OP, we live an alternative lifestyle, weighing, measuring, food/weight, and tracking calories is just some of our "bags". I don't believe it's any worse than people who have multiple partners or live on a commune. It is what it is and to each their own.
LOL, interesting. I used to live in NY (suburbs) so probably a bit progressive. But now I'm in central VA in farm country and people still seem generally hip to what a healthy lifestyle may entail, even if they don't bother with it. I guess it's very regional! I see the OP is in CO, which is always held up as a "healthy" state, but maybe it's just parts of it!3
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