Supersize
I recently read a very sad story in the Washington Post about the obesity epidemic that has claimed over half the residents of Manchester, Kentucky. Manchester is a town that is booming with fast food and overweight people of all ages.
I thought about that as I was shopping at Costco today. My husband had asked me to buy him some khakis (34-29) and polo shirts (M). There were lots of khakis and polo shirts, but very few in his size. I’m convinced it was not because people of similar size had bought them all, but rather because most of the people shopping there these days wear L, XL, and 2XL. They are the same ones who come at lunchtime to snarf down the calorie-laden samples. They stand in line with carts overflowing with fat and calories in all sorts of packaging. They stop by the “food court” on the way out for pizza and a supersize soda.
Some of them ride scooters, as my Blogger friend Merle recently pointed out. When was the last time you saw a thin person on an electric cart?
I really feel sorry for these people who are not only shortening their lives, but suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes while they are here.
It’s not all about food, although food plays a big role in obesity. Our reliance on cars and public transportation instead of walking is also a contributor.
The sad truth is many children today are growing up thinking “large” is the norm and not realizing they have the power to choose another size.
posted by Barbara at 2:42 PM
12 Comments:
Did you read this before posting it?
A friend and I recently debated the cost of healthy food and I'm not exactly sure that I agree with his proposition that healthy food costs more unless one throws ease into the equation.
Healthy fast food does cost more than less healthy fast food. It's also harder to find. I'm not sure it's the same when one cooks for him or herself.
As a nation, the U.S. has become obese generally, and the town is a microcosm of this.
While kids don't have as much power over the plate as their parents do in terms of the food they purchase, teaching kids about proper nutrition, exercise and health gives them the chance to reverse course and make better choices at school and elsewhere.
Have you seen Morgan Spurlock's movie, Supersize Me? It's worth watching and gives viewers a lot to think about.
I have had a lifestyle for the past five years that hasn't allowed for eating healthy meals three times a day at home - and unfortunately it shows.
I've always been sort of anti-MacDonalds - Starbucks and Panera were more my speed for a quick meal, but their food has gotten way too expensive. Now I'm a new fan of the occasional Happy Meal - it's very cheap and you get a basic cheesburger, apple pieces, milk, and a toy! That's plenty to eat and it has all four food groups if you count the onions, pickles, and catsup, hahaha!
Drink sizes are absolutely ridiculous these days - at 7-11, MacDonalds, and especially at the movies. You can't get a reasonably sized drink. It's always HUGE! I hate that!
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Hi Barbara, I removed my comment because I woke up this morning and realized that I had RANTED!! OMG!
It's not your fault that you fell into one of the biggest red herrings that is out there. When it is a slow news day, they pull out the article that is likely to pull your heartstrings and has all the buzzwors like "obese", "child", "fast food", and "ignorance". Think for a minute, how did those Titan beauties get "Rubenesque" while living in an age before McDonalds or Burger King?
I read the article you responded to and it seemed to make the case that doctors and people are not confronting "obese" people enough to make them change their evil ways. I can tell you from experience that this is exactly not true. I (a large woman, as you know) has been confronted to the point where I do not seek minimum health care because every office visit had some sort of intervention about my weight. Yes, even the ones where I had the flu or the wax removed from my ears! A referral for a gastic bypass from my doctor drove me to brink of suicide.
You think that it is "sad" that half the town is overweight. Do you pity these people? Do you pity me?
If you did, then the article was successful. It was written in a slanted/biased way to evoke emotions. The poor fat people who don't know any better than to eat foods that make them fat aren't getting proper medical care that slams them for their overweightness.
Gee, when I read that article and pictured the people that it wrote about, it sounded to me that those poor, underemployed fat people were carrying on jobs, going out for meals and living the life that they chose.
Kelly -- You should have left one copy of your comment! :)
You reminded me there are multiple ways to look at many issues. The article actually made the point that people are quite content in the Kentucky town. Sort of like the experience of being a Jew in Israel, where it is such a different feeling to be in the majority for a change.
It is the dissenting views that make Blogging so interesting!
Kelly -- You asked if I felt sorry for you. I mainly feel badly about the weight-related physical problems that some overweight people must endure. Diabetes and injured knees can be so debilitating. And there are so many other potential problems. You look the picture of health and have a great attitude toward life. So the short answer is NO.
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