Half and Half

[tanthe]

On an episode of Queer Eye For The Straight Guy earlier they were doing a weight loss challenge for a newly wed couple, because apparently newlyweds tend to chub up quite a bit once they hit the "comfortable" married zone

Comments

[lunamoth42]

I've encountered a number of old friends (like, I've known them since high school) who chubbed up now they're in their 30's. What it came down to is, they continued to eat the same way as when they were 16. And since our metabolism slows down in our mid to late 20's, they started putting on the pounds and not understanding why. It takes actual thought and consideration to put it together, which a lot of people don't have.

[tanthe]

Well, often it seems as though they were able to maintain their weight while single and actively in the dating market, but once they're married then people don't seem to give a crap anymore. I've noticed it with married relationships too... people seem to think that they don't need to try once the ring is on the finger, as though they've accomplished their goal and that was it. And that's why I think many marriages fail and fail within the first couple of years

[lunamoth42]

But I guess I'm trying to give some people more credit than they deserve?

Indeed. People are generally rather dumb I've noticed. This is why we need to put warnings on things like don't use your hairdryer while in the tub. :P

[catdraco]

I think a certain amount of chubbiness once you get married is fine. I mean, you do kind of "let go" a bit once you really feel like you're in a relationship where you're loved for the person you are, rather than what you look like. But I'm talking a dress size, not an entire wheelbarrow of lard. And you don't get to just become apathetic in general: I think in a healthy relationship, your focus shifts from things like "how good do I look?" to "where are we going together?" You know, working on meaningful goals - as long as you're healthy, weight is then a side issue, not a deal-breaker: it's also not a symptom of a generalised apathy, which I think is a deal-breaker.

Anyway. Yeah, I agree. So many people are absolutely clueless about what's healthy and what isn't. I have all sorts of theories about why, but I think the strongest reason is that most people don't know how to cook. I mean, you know how much fat is in icecream if you make it yourself just once - same goes for mayonnaise. Ain't no denial once you start beating

[tanthe]

saying they never knew they were 'that much weight'.

Denial is a strong component in these things sometimes. Much like with any addiction, if you don't accept that you have a problem, then you can avoid actually dealing with the problem.

Once you saw how much they ate and drank the answers they needed were pretty obvious!

I think everyone has problems realising what a normal portion looks like. Here in the US it's hard because if you go to an average chain family restaurant (like a Lonestar or something), the portions you get served are massive, and are really about twice what a normal sane portion ought to be. Hence the prevalence of doggy bags too. I remember one program saying that if you wanted to lose weight and still eat out, ask for the doggy bag up front, halve the portion you're served, put half in the doggy bag and eat the remaining half. But if you don't realise this, and you come to think that those portions are representative of a normal portion, then you can get into trouble really easily.

[catdraco]

I have an LJ friend who's finally made it to the great list of people not on my Default View filter: she's a nice lady, and I don't want to 'unfriend' her (as then she won't be able to read my journal), but I can't bear looking at her journal any more. The level of denial is just too much for my eyes.

This woman is really the side of a house. She is so obese, she requires an oxygen tank to get around. She's on some medications which would probably be exacerbating her weight slightly, but she blames her entire weight gain on that.

She also doesn't eat vegetables, because she doesn't like them. She eats salami and nuts as a snack because "her body needs protein". She thinks two quesadillas is a small breakfast, and organises every social event with her friends around Applebee's or Wendy's. She refuses to cook because she doesn't like cooking. She congratulates herself on exercising if she goes to the mall

[leonatos]

I know what you mean. Over here in Ireland it's not nearly as bad, but we are always hearing about horror stories of 30 stone people and kids keeling over with heart disease because they are so fat.

In Ireland, we don't eat out as much as in the US, and what some people don't realise is that eating out means more salt, fat and preservatives in their food, and means more weight gain compared to an equal serving of food cooked at home.

I'm fortunate in that the lifestyle I lead means that I don't need to worry about my weight. Thanks to the 10-12 miles I cycle most days of the week, I eat two full dinners (one in college, one at home) with a healthy breakfast and snacks (little pop or soda and maybe some alcohol) and still keep a healthy weight, if leaning towards and becoming slightly underweight at times. Hell, I'm one of the few students I see lacking some form of a jowl or another. No gym, but I have a large dog to walk as well.

[lunamoth42]

what some people don't realise is that eating out means more salt, fat and preservatives in their food, and means more weight gain compared to an equal serving of food cooked at home.

*emphatic nod* Yup yup yup. When you eat out, you have no control over the ingredients and they are under no obligation to divulge every single thing that goes in it. At least when you work with groceries and make it yourself, you know precisely what you're getting.

Not to mention, eating out costs so much beyond the worth of what you're getting. I mean, if a package of dry organic pasta is $2 and jarred organic sauce is $5, that's a dinner for 4 totalling $7. Compared to ONE pasta dish at a chain restaurant like Olive Garden.

[tanthe]

I mean, if a package of dry organic pasta is $2 and jarred organic sauce is $5, that's a dinner for 4 totalling $7. Compared to ONE pasta dish at a chain restaurant like Olive Garden.

Yeah, and you're buying organic. It's interesting when people don't want to buy organic because of cost, yet have no qualms about going out to dinner all the time.

As I replied to leonatos, our landlady only cooks for herself and her husband, so her daughter and boyfriend (both in their 30s) and the daughter's 2 sons (9 and 1.5 - 6 weeks older than Dashiell), are on their own for food. The daughter doesn't cook, so it's take-out or eat-out every night, unless the landlady cooks enough for them too. The oldest boy had cellulite on his tummy when we moved in, which is almost 5 years ago... imagine having cellulite and being overweight at age 5 or so

[tanthe]

Well, it does depend where you eat out too. The quality/class of restaurant has a lot to do with it. In higher end restaurants they're more often going to be using more fresh products, which reduces the amount of preservatives and other crap in the food. But the lower end chain restaurants, the ones that serve the same exact stuff on one side of the country to the other, they'd be more likely to have some kind of pre-made food items that come from the franchise place, and as a result higher in preservatives, salt and crap

[deinera]

I am definitely in the category of "doesn't eat well," but I know I don't. I worked at one of those "coffee" places. And occasionally people would come in and order their drinks with steamed heavy whipping cream. :| You think half & half is bad? Have your cereal with heavy whipping cream.

*shudders*

[abigailvr]

Half and half on cereal?? A whole tub of Breyers?? Cripes!

[tanthe]

I think the guy said he'd polish off half a tub of Breyers in about an hour while watching a movie. Which is still an insane amount of ice cream.

The half and half thing really gets me. The idea makes my stomach roll, but then I don't even like whole milk on my cereal because I don't like really fatty milk.

[abigailvr]

That is a ridiculous amount of ice cream. The fact that he does it while watching a movie demonstrates the dangers of distracting oneself while eating. He just eats without thinking about it and then is surprised he's gaining weight!

I am pretty sure that after not having any cow's milk for years I won't be able to tolerate the mouthfeel of whole milk on cereal or to drink either. Half and half belongs in coffee or maybe on fresh strawberries but certainly not in cereal! Ick.