The average person doesn't know what healthy is
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youcantflexcardio wrote: »@kimny it is mostly roomates, and my neighbor who used to drink heavily with almost daily. I'm 29 BTW
That explains a lot. Roommates like to comment, criticize, and rag on each other. No matter what you do, if it is different than what they do, they will bug you about it. You don't even have to say anything, just by doing something they can watch you do they will bug you about it. Your choices are to either ignore them or move out on your own.5 -
I think anyone who has turned on a tv or read anything has heard by now that we are all too fat and such but maybe it is harder to apply that to yourself and know what to do about it. You hear a lot about how terrible this food or that food is or fad diets. What is not out there so much is talk about how to figure out how many calories you individually need and that you don't have to be eating a ton of food every day to gain just a couple hundred extra calories over maintenance every day. A lot of people do weird extreme things and then decide losing/maintaing is too hard.
My experience has been that if you are doing something that is not normal in your community like walking 1.5 miles even though it is raining or snowing or giving up drinking alcohol then people will think you are weird. In another place or time with different people it would not be weird. It can be frustrating when you know something is fine for you and someone comes at you with concern or negativity.
Do what you know is right for you.5 -
youcantflexcardio wrote: »@kimny it is mostly roomates, and my neighbor who used to drink heavily with almost daily. I'm 29 BTW
That explains a lot. Roommates like to comment, criticize, and rag on each other. No matter what you do, if it is different than what they do, they will bug you about it. You don't even have to say anything, just by doing something they can watch you do they will bug you about it. Your choices are to either ignore them or move out on your own.
Seems to me this is the case, particularly given the fact that the OP recently changed his lifestyle and per his other posts said he used to eat the same way and the same foods that the roommates do, so any change like that is noticeable and people will comment.
Question for you, OP (don't have to answer), just curious. From what I understand, you originally got healthy and in shape when you were in the military. If you hadn't gone into the military do you think you'd still have the same lifestyle as your roommates? Perhaps they don't know much about health because they've never been in a situation where they've (or anyone else you see as not knowing much about health) needed it. Not saying that's an excuse because as adults we're responsible for our health but maybe it's a reason.
My family is all unhealthy. I can't specifically say why I've chosen a different route other than I like being active and healthy but for them, they have vague ideas that they should eat less but no one cares to change. If any of them did want to change they'd need to learn quite a bit about calories, energy expenditure, not eliminating food groups, etc. so in my case I'd say the "average" person around me doesn't care enough to learn about being healthy and then follow through.4 -
Walking and riding your bike places instead of taking a car isn’t weird, but sadly I feel like it’s not so common anymore at least around where I live. When I was a kid my mom didn’t have a car, we would always ride our bikes to the grocery store. And when I was in elementary school I walked 4 miles everyday to school and back. When I asked my great grammy what it was like back in her day she told me the mileage that she walked everyday just going places and it blew me away... she said it wasn’t all that uncommon for a kid in kindergarten to walk 10 miles to school. Society now a days is so fast pace and demanding, most of us don’t have the luxury to walk everywhere anymore. So now I feel at least in my case I have to make an effort to exercise purposefully.1
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I think that most people have a decent-ish idea of what's healthy; with the glaring exception of how weight loss works, and the inevitable skews caused by the latest food fad or food scare.
I think what the OP is seeing is due to custom and herd mentality. Food behaviors are deeply ingrained, and small deviations are often treated like vast departures from the norm (whatever the "norm" might be).
When I was growing up, my food was weird to neighbors and schoolmates. It was the late 1960's/early 1970's, but my father had Meniere's disease; and so Mom used very little salt and lots of herbs and even (gasp!) garlic! And it seemed like the only people besides us who ate large kosher pickles lived in ethnic enclaves in New York City, and the only others who ate yogurt were 107-yo goat herders in Azerbaijan.
My parents also moved in politically liberal circles, and so there were always hippie friends dropping by with tofu-&-something-or-other casseroles to share. The issue of whether sugar should be allowed in the house, much less the body, was so hotly debated that one hippie-esque family friend code-named it "Vitamin S."
Now that I'm an adult, most of the people who get invited into my home have a wider world view and/or are more accepting of individual differences. But there's still a question of household etiquette that I struggle with: what is the proper point, after letting someone in the front door but before allowing them to open the refrigerator door unsupervised, to warn them not to turn the peanut butter right-side-up?4 -
I hear a lot of false information out there.
You have to eat low carb to lose weight.
Fruit is bad because of all the sugar.
Dairy is bad.
Shrimp is bad for your cholesterol.
Go to the gym to lose weight.
All B.S.7 -
I get frustrated when people try to FORCE me to eat chemicals. I used to eat only chemicals... I can't believe it honestly. I have lost 1/3 my body weight and am healthy but still wanting to lose more. People keep telling me "you need to eat" "you need to treat yourself" "You need to have something naughty now and then". How is having chemicals in my body "treating myself". I'm sorry but I find this world so messed up right now. People don't realize just how addicted to processed sugar they are. They feel attacked if you even suggest they give up sweets. But ultimately, what does processed sugar do for you? Gives you energy? Is that really it... there is nothing good about it. You're much better off having an apple. I get so up in arms about this kind of topic actually. And people think I take it too far.... I think more people need to do their research on what they're putting in their bodies everyday.42
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Great discussion. I would like to add that "healthy" and normal range of scale weight aren't the same thing. In my thinking, "healthy" involves measures like blood pressure, lipid profile, immune response, insulin sensitivity, degree of cardio vascular fitness, and the ability to move heavy things when you have to. Plus, I suppose, "lack of sickness" lol.5
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Chrystalanne90 wrote: »I get frustrated when people try to FORCE me to eat chemicals. I used to eat only chemicals... I can't believe it honestly. I have lost 1/3 my body weight and am healthy but still wanting to lose more. People keep telling me "you need to eat" "you need to treat yourself" "You need to have something naughty now and then". How is having chemicals in my body "treating myself". I'm sorry but I find this world so messed up right now. People don't realize just how addicted to processed sugar they are. They feel attacked if you even suggest they give up sweets. But ultimately, what does processed sugar do for you? Gives you energy? Is that really it... there is nothing good about it. You're much better off having an apple. I get so up in arms about this kind of topic actually. And people think I take it too far.... I think more people need to do their research on what they're putting in their bodies everyday.
Does our body know the difference between the sugar in an apple ( which you are suggesting people eat) and the sugar in a chocolate bar?
What difference is there chemically ?
Edited to add - you mentioned research. Could you post some of the research you have done to support the claims you have made above?
Peer reviewed studies would be great! Thanks!12 -
Chrystalanne90 wrote: »I get frustrated when people try to FORCE me to eat chemicals. I used to eat only chemicals... I can't believe it honestly. I have lost 1/3 my body weight and am healthy but still wanting to lose more. People keep telling me "you need to eat" "you need to treat yourself" "You need to have something naughty now and then". How is having chemicals in my body "treating myself". I'm sorry but I find this world so messed up right now. People don't realize just how addicted to processed sugar they are. They feel attacked if you even suggest they give up sweets. But ultimately, what does processed sugar do for you? Gives you energy? Is that really it... there is nothing good about it. You're much better off having an apple. I get so up in arms about this kind of topic actually. And people think I take it too far.... I think more people need to do their research on what they're putting in their bodies everyday.
Everything is made of chemicals. What does sugar do besides give energy? Taste good. Treat yourself? Yup. Otherwise most of us will binge or burn out. Agree about the apple, but sometimes, you just want some caramel on it. Lol
**edit** ma'am, you are still in the short game, meaning, you see the scale go down as "victory". Some of us are in the long... well hopefully long game. We strive not to see it go up as much. If you can give up all processed sugar and Hyperpalitable foods for the rest of your life, more power to ya. Some of us can't. As I stated about, obesity is not just biological, but also environmental. Let's face it, most of us have a high calorie comfort food.12 -
Chrystalanne90 wrote: »I get frustrated when people try to FORCE me to eat chemicals. I used to eat only chemicals... I can't believe it honestly. I have lost 1/3 my body weight and am healthy but still wanting to lose more. People keep telling me "you need to eat" "you need to treat yourself" "You need to have something naughty now and then". How is having chemicals in my body "treating myself". I'm sorry but I find this world so messed up right now. People don't realize just how addicted to processed sugar they are. They feel attacked if you even suggest they give up sweets. But ultimately, what does processed sugar do for you? Gives you energy? Is that really it... there is nothing good about it. You're much better off having an apple. I get so up in arms about this kind of topic actually. And people think I take it too far.... I think more people need to do their research on what they're putting in their bodies everyday.
Well I mean given that everything is chemicals...
Mild amounts of truth laden snark aside, see 100_PROOF_'s post. Unless you're cooking all of your food from scratch, including sauces and condiments, (and who knows, you might be) you're likely consuming added sugar on a daily basis. Either in the form of processed sugar or in the form of fruit juice (or both). There's no need to demonize it in the same way that there's no need to demonize processed foods in general (people seem to forget or just flat out don't know that just about everything they consume has been processed in some way).10 -
Ok. Maybe hamburger helper was a bad example. And it is delicious.
Neither of my parents had time to cook and I was left to my own devices. Typically frozen pizza, TV dinners, spaghetti-o’s (my fave). So I never learned about cooking or nutrition.
College thru my 40’s because of time or money I lived on fast food. Literally:
McDonald’s Monday
Taco Bell Tuesday
Wendy’s Wednesday
Thurs - Sun - a case of beer and peppermint patties
I wish I had learned the importance of nutrition when I was in my teens, rather than 50’s. I’d like to see today’s kids learn what I did not. That is all.10 -
There is a reason why we have an obesity epidemic. 35-40% of Americans are considered seriously overweight. 35%! It is our biggest issue concerning our health as a nation, and yet a majority of us still think we eat healthy.4
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Chrystalanne90 wrote: »I get frustrated when people try to FORCE me to eat chemicals. I used to eat only chemicals... I can't believe it honestly. I have lost 1/3 my body weight and am healthy but still wanting to lose more. People keep telling me "you need to eat" "you need to treat yourself" "You need to have something naughty now and then". How is having chemicals in my body "treating myself". I'm sorry but I find this world so messed up right now. People don't realize just how addicted to processed sugar they are. They feel attacked if you even suggest they give up sweets. But ultimately, what does processed sugar do for you? Gives you energy? Is that really it... there is nothing good about it. You're much better off having an apple. I get so up in arms about this kind of topic actually. And people think I take it too far.... I think more people need to do their research on what they're putting in their bodies everyday.
Who is forcing you to eat chemicals? Besides the fact that every substance, organic, natural, manmade or processed has a chemical composition - I’m not sure how anyone can force you to consume foods you don’t want to.15 -
Ok. Maybe hamburger helper was a bad example. And it is delicious.
Neither of my parents had time to cook and I was left to my own devices. Typically frozen pizza, TV dinners, spaghetti-o’s (my fave). So I never learned about cooking or nutrition.
College thru my 40’s because of time or money I lived on fast food. Literally:
McDonald’s Monday
Taco Bell Tuesday
Wendy’s Wednesday
Thurs - Sun - a case of beer and peppermint patties
I wish I had learned the importance of nutrition when I was in my teens, rather than 50’s. I’d like to see today’s kids learn what I did not. That is all.
Was it atleast good beer? When I was in college the only thing I could afford was old Milwaukees best, aka the beast, pabst blue ribbon, supposedly has bite, but actually bites. Or Busch light if we had a few extra bucks. Funny, I was at a place a while back and saw lots of early 20 somethings ordering pabst. Has it made a come back or something?0 -
Christinaluvly wrote: »There is a reason why we have an obesity epidemic. 35-40% of Americans are considered seriously overweight. 35%! It is our biggest issue concerning our health as a nation, and yet a majority of us still think we eat healthy.
Eating healthy and being obese aren't mutually exclusive.21 -
I am only responsible for myself and my dependents.3
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Ok. Maybe hamburger helper was a bad example. And it is delicious.
Neither of my parents had time to cook and I was left to my own devices. Typically frozen pizza, TV dinners, spaghetti-o’s (my fave). So I never learned about cooking or nutrition.
College thru my 40’s because of time or money I lived on fast food. Literally:
McDonald’s Monday
Taco Bell Tuesday
Wendy’s Wednesday
Thurs - Sun - a case of beer and peppermint patties
I wish I had learned the importance of nutrition when I was in my teens, rather than 50’s. I’d like to see today’s kids learn what I did not. That is all.
I'm glad you mentioned Hamburger Helper because I looked up a recipe for home made, made http://divascancook.com/homemade-hamburger-helper-recipe-cheeseburger-macaroni/ in 25 minutes and it was delicious! (Made a few tweaks, most important one being adding 8 oz tomato sauce.)
In general, Hamburger Helper can serve as a useful metaphor for people's attitudes towards cooking. This is NOT directed towards anyone on this thread, but rather people like the husband of the author of the link:
"I wasn’t introduced to Hamburger Helper until I got married. It was part of my husband’s pre-marriage meal rotation which consisted of 3 meals; Hamburger Helper, spaghetti with sauce, and cereal. Seriously, that was his diet. Bless his heart."2 -
Well, here is something that makes that pink salt somewhat attractive:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/microplastics-found-90-percent-table-salt-sea-salt/
Yikes! Actually it's probably inert and should count toward your fiber goal...4 -
100_PROOF_ wrote: »Chrystalanne90 wrote: »I get frustrated when people try to FORCE me to eat chemicals. I used to eat only chemicals... I can't believe it honestly. I have lost 1/3 my body weight and am healthy but still wanting to lose more. People keep telling me "you need to eat" "you need to treat yourself" "You need to have something naughty now and then". How is having chemicals in my body "treating myself". I'm sorry but I find this world so messed up right now. People don't realize just how addicted to processed sugar they are. They feel attacked if you even suggest they give up sweets. But ultimately, what does processed sugar do for you? Gives you energy? Is that really it... there is nothing good about it. You're much better off having an apple. I get so up in arms about this kind of topic actually. And people think I take it too far.... I think more people need to do their research on what they're putting in their bodies everyday.
Does our body know the difference between the sugar in an apple ( which you are suggesting people eat) and the sugar in a chocolate bar?
What difference is there chemically ?
Edited to add - you mentioned research. Could you post some of the research you have done to support the claims you have made above?
Peer reviewed studies would be great! Thanks!
May not know the difference in the sugar, but body most likely knows the difference in the other ingredients. Not that you can't have a chocolate bar occasionally, but for overall health the apple is most likely a better choice on a regular basis.17
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