"No Mayo?" Why Americans Are Fat

Hmm, I've never seen a difference between the calories in whole wheat bread and white bread. A quick comparasion on here of the same brand shows no difference.

For me, a good mayo adds flavor. I love mayo. i would rather forego cheese over mayo. I guess it boils down to your taste.

I dont really do soda.

PS - not American.

Whenever I order a sandwich at a deli, I give the precise description of what I want: whole-wheat bread, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mustard. Nine times of 10, the counter person replies: "No Mayo?"

Nope, don't want the empty calories and fat that come with Mayo or white bread.
Mayo is not very flavorful in any case and white bread tastes no better than wheat.

Add up all those mayo and white bread calories, not to mention high-fructose corn syrup in sodas, the propensity of Americans to eat fast food or packaged food products, and a generally sedentary lifestyle, there's little wonder why Americans are so chunky. I recall several "aha" moments even in Italy where I saw thin people drinking wine, eating pasta. They tend to walk a lot more, eat fresher food, their pizzas are ultra-thin crust, and it's nearly impossible to find mayo, Cokes and fries. Dessert and snacks there are usually fruit, sometimes a small scoop of gelat, unless it's a special occassion.

I recall at my heaviest my meals consisted of McMuffins, burritos and chips, Domino's pizza. For what it's worth. One can make allot of progress just by eating more fresh stuff and cutting the junk.

Well the idea of the thread as I envisioned it was to show that the U.S. diet is not a good one. Mayo is but one symbol of that, but the list goes on--potato chips served with sandwiches, fries with burgers, the calories in a typical meal at Boston Market., the crud put in processed food.

If you want to dispute that argument, to show that U.S. patterns of eating are in fact healthy, go ahead. Otherwise, don't just whine about the thread by using cliches such as "fail." Using a tired cliche to dismiss an argument without addressing it is lame. But if you prefer to write in today's favored cliches, you just committed an "epic fail."

Read the above post, yes there are other factors. The "No Mayo!" story was intended as a story to illustrate a larger problem--poor food choices of Americans when eating out, which also includes fast-food, larger portions than what's available in other countries etc., and all the sedentary factors you mentioned.

Yes, you can eat mayo with lunch every day, and still lose weight, but if you follow an American pattern of eating highly-processed, nutrient-shallow foods and having a sedentary lifestyle, chances are you will gain weight.

The story was intended to illustrate a problem: Why are sometimes people so surprised in America when you ask for a more nutritious choice?

unless you eat too much of that "highly processed, nutrient-shallow food[/i], no, you won't, gain weight.

I'm a personal trainer. A majority of my clients come to me to lose weight. I ask them about their diet.
In every case, eating at restaurants is a common habit. Just an observation.

Every country has SOME bad eating habits. Don't fool youself. Did you know that many Canadians' condiment of choice for french fries is GRAVY?! They serve that option in most restaurants there that offer french fries. I had never heard such a thing before we started vacationing there once a year (from childhood on.)

we have that here in NJ. Disco fries. yuck

It's not a condiment of choice, canadians are more known for using vinegar (why, i have no idea). what you're refering to is a poutine: fries, gravy and curds of cheese, and some poutine places will have a bunch of other toppings on them too

Personally I think it's more about cutting out the processed stuff. If you made fries with fresh potatoes, chances are it wouldn't be as bad as the frozen stuff. For a several weeks I didn't lose any weight at all, despite being on my feet 60hrs/week for work. but then for two weeks I ate nothing but leftovers from a big party we had (and all of it was my mom's cooking, mostly rice-based dishes since it was all perian food *drools*) and in those two weeks I immediately lost 4 pounds. It didn't matter that I was eating a bunch of carbs sloshed in deliciously oily sauces, what mattered was that it was REAL FOOD, and not the cold-cut sandwiches and granola bars I was having at work everyday. And I think the best part of that time was that those two weeks was the only time I was ever actually full. Aside from then, every time I had a bagel or some other kind of sandwich or cereal for breakfast, I ALWAYS would suddenly become starving 3 hours into work on the dot. But with real food, I was always content. It was a beautiful time, and I now eat leftovers for breakfast every chance I get!

Every country has SOME bad eating habits. Don't fool youself. Did you know that many Canadians' condiment of choice for french fries is GRAVY?! They serve that option in most restaurants there that offer french fries. I had never heard such a thing before we started vacationing there once a year (from childhood on.)

The American diet change dramatically in the 1980s, there was an increase in consuming "convenient" easily prepared foods. Things with a long shelf life, fast cooking, and more easily manufactured. The American obesity rate has more than doubled in since that time.

Your grandmother may have eaten more fried foods with lard, butter and animal fats. I bet that she wasn't chasing it down with Ocean spray juices (you ever notice its kept at room temperature for days), sodas, sugary cereals, crackers, or potato chips.

The food that she was eating was more satiating because of the fats and fibers, so she could get her daily calories and feel good versus today when 2000 calories leave most people still wanting to snack.