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Archive for February, 2010Sigh, sigh, I need ice creamSunday, February 28th, 2010I really want some ice cream. Really would like a double dip mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone from Braums (it is kind of like Dairy Queen but it is only in the Midwest and is better…they have the ice cream bar where you can select which ice cream you want if you order a cone) Sigh. I can’t have one though. I have about 1,000 miles away from one. Second, I gave up this type of sweet for Lent and it wouldn’t be a good food junkie thing to do. Bigger Sigh. Ice cream. The problem with trying to pull an all-nighterSunday, February 28th, 2010First, I’m not 20 years old anymore. The recovery time well…there is no recovery time, trying to work all night just hurts. Secondly, apparently trying to work all night tells your body that you should munch on whatever you can get your hands on. Friday night’s almost all-nighter (I quit at 3 a.m. Saturday, but in all fairness, I did get up at 4:30 a.m. Friday morning), resulted in me really munching down on left over fish sticks and tortilla chips. And lots of black tea. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to take a nap and try to catch up on my sleep. Feeling pretty goodFriday, February 26th, 2010Today, I turned down a Girl Scout cookie. Now, don’t get me wrong I plan to order some because I believe in supporting the scouts, and besides, Thin Mints can be put in the freezers and enjoyed later. But I said no when I really wanted it, and I’m pretty proud of that. Small victories. Apple =Thursday, February 25th, 2010Goodness. well, right now. Signs of springThursday, February 25th, 2010I can tell that Spring is getting near. My fruit choices are getting better. When they are better, I’m more inclined to eat more fruit because it tastes better. Right now, enjoying very tasty Granny Smith apple. Yummers. More importantly, the strawberries are looking fabulous and so is the asparagus. I like spring. I welcome its arrival. I wantWednesday, February 24th, 2010something to eat. Overslept a bit this morning and walked out without by yogurt. Now, I’m a little hungry and grumpy. Thinking I see soup and a bagel in my future. g Fat and LifestyleTuesday, February 23rd, 2010Yeah, I am going to hammer on this again. And I’m sorry. A couple of responses to my Monday column made me think. One recognized that fat is not a lifestyle, the other really really disagreed with me. It was nice to see a wide range of opinion and I welcome a good debate. Talking is good, they say. But I wanted to give you guys a little more info on why I feel the way I do. A lifestyle, to me, is something you choose. Food is a lifestyle choice. We decide to eat at McDonald’s or to eat organic foods. We ultimately decide how much we are going to eat. That decision may be fueled by boredom, depression, low self-esteem. But we don’t change the behavior. That part is a lifestyle. And I don’t disagree with those that point to caloric intake and eating all of the bad things. But being fat, or even obese, isn’t a choice. We want to eat the way we want and not deal with a consequence. Fat is the result of our actions and is something we don’t choose. In order not to be fat, we have to change our lifestyle. We have to change our lifestyle to get a more desirable result. So now, I open the floor for everyone to disagree with me. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings…I work in newspapers, I am use to getting yelled at LOL Stupid Chocolate Bunny!Monday, February 22nd, 2010Stop looking at me delicious Chocolate Easter Bunny! Stop looking at me while I walk through the grocery store. Yes I know you are there. I see you right next the marshmallow, oh-so-cute-Peeps. Stop looking at me. I’m not going to eat you. I’m NOT going to eat you. Stop tempting me, Stupid Chocolate Bunny! Fat is not a lifestyle choice.Monday, February 22nd, 2010Film director Kevin Smith is a big guy and his size got him booted off a Southwestern Airlines flight. The airplane servants thought he was too heavy — even though he could fasten his seat belt, even though he could put down the armrests, meeting the airline’s own criteria. His removal has stirred up a bit of debate, especially as Smith, who is also known for his character role Silent Bob from films like “Dogma,” has issued a string of irritated Tweets. I felt bad for Smith. He admits he is fat, but his weight really isn’t a safety concern on flights. He didn’t deserve the boot. Booting “Bob,” frankly, makes me mad because it makes me feel that society looks down on those of us who are heavy — those of us who don’t fit into the ideal picture of health and size. What is worse than Smith’s rejection was the discussion that followed. CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” did a segment about the Smith Incident. It included panelists vocalizing on both sides of the argument. An at-home audience asked if the airlines should simply add larger seats for passengers who are fat. One panelist Peggy Howell, who represented the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, liked the idea. She even said one group of interior designers had developed redesigned airplane layouts that included larger seats OK, cool. I could live with larger seats. But then this advocate for National Activists Against Obesity, Meme Roth, said that other passengers and airlines shouldn’t subsidize a lifestyle choice. Lifestyle choice! Seriously? I just couldn’t believe that someone who is trying to make the world healthier would say something like that. It isn’t like I decided to take illegal drugs or be devoted to only my religion. I started looking at her Web site. It focuses on food and efforts to ban junk food. And from her TV talk I got the feeling she just blamed people for having bad eating habits and food choices. I keep thinking she believes fat people just sit on their butts and shovel food in their mouths all day. As someone who struggles with weight, I know that food and habits have a big role in my being overweight. But it’s not just a lifestyle choice for everyone. Some people have glandular and metabolism problems. Some people eat because of mental health issues. Right or wrong, it’s how they deal with fear, loneliness, depression — or to simply cope. I don’t know a single fat person who just sits at the table and eats. I know even though I don’t always make the best choices, I still try. Just about every heavy-set person I know tries to eat healthier. It can be agonizing. We don’t choose to be fat. We don’t get up in the morning and say “I’m going to eat my weight in McDonald food today.” We know we are heavy because we have made some bad choices, because of what was easy, available or even cheap. We aren’t happy about it, which incidentally leads some us (including myself) to eat more. Food is a crutch. It makes us feel better. Food is an enemy. It rules our lives. Being thin isn’t as easy as banning junk food from schools or making transfats illegal. After all, fruit is full of sugar, too. Should I stop eating fruit? I know activists like Meme mean well as they target the obesity epidemic. But they don’t get it. They want to label it a lifestyle choice without fully understanding why some of us eat. Why some of us are fat. Why some of us spend every minute thinking about what we are going to eat and what people are thinking as they see us eat. No, Meme, it isn’t a choice. It’s a daily battle. An apologyThursday, February 18th, 2010I wanted to apologize for not posting much the last few days. It has been hectic. Our news editor has taken on some sport responsibilities — he is helping design and layout the Olympics section. For me and the other page designer, however, this has meant a little more work. I will actually design the front page three days in a row! The extra design work is coupled with an extra story assignment for the upcoming expanded Health section. Busy is an understatement. But that is where I have been and I just ask that you be patient with me while I deal with the workload.. And surprisingly, I’ve been pretty good…minus a little King Cake for Mardi Gras and some Valentine Candy. |
