tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574108863901446875.post3557785665575850420..comments2023-09-01T04:08:11.945-04:00Comments on It's a Cotten life: Plus Size GuiltBethaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13545557406808163428noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574108863901446875.post-54032153198420223582011-10-04T16:26:47.691-04:002011-10-04T16:26:47.691-04:00It is funny how food affects each person different...It is funny how food affects each person differently. I def agree that creating a stigma about food=fat at a young age is probably the worst thing you can do. Once somebody has it in their mind that they are "destined " to be overweight I think they probably will be. The psychological effects of how we were raised def play a large part in our outlook. Like Sheena said about differences in upbringing, we weren't really allowed a lot of junk food so when we did get our hands on some it was "eat the whole bag of Halloween candy in one day" kind of thing. I think- when I was a teen and wasn't home often I began not caring about food and hence I never fell into bad eating habits. I actually ended up not liking sweets very much. As far as what's healthy. . . I think being 10-20 pounds overweight is by no means unhealthy. But when you have high blood pressure, diabetes, it high cholesterol to name a few weight related issues- it can be very hard on your body. I think people should focus on eating healthy instead lo being skinny and a lot of problems could be avoided.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12515611959417609841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574108863901446875.post-27326191775233888872011-10-04T13:39:31.464-04:002011-10-04T13:39:31.464-04:00It is interesting to learn why and how we eat (oth...It is interesting to learn why and how we eat (other than to stay alive:>). Wayne and I have always found it intriguing how certain families are different. Mine and his for instance. When I was growing up, we normally had a pantry and refrigerator stocked with a lot of food. Healthy stuff - fruit, nuts, and meals, and also not-so-healthy - pop, candy, desserts. As kids, we never got too excited about food, it was always around. Desserts would go bad and have to be thrown out, and pop would get stale and taste like aluminum. Wayne, on the other hand, remembers fighting with siblings over dessert, raiding the kitchen before groceries even got put away, and eating more than his share, because there wouldn't be any leftovers later. So, two very different food/eating habits. Very interesting. We have also observed other families that fall into one of the two categories. <br />So, I think the story of the girl having access to unlimited chocolate has a point. Not to sound like my family's way was superior, but I do think it made us learn to eat what our body 'needed' and not what our eyes 'wanted.' For example, all three of us would and still do eat lots of fruit, sometimes preferring it to dessert. I just read an interesting article about the non-diet: eating what your body is 'telling you' it needs. Might sound a little bit froo-froo, but maybe has a point.Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16353654672518772048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574108863901446875.post-51749652371814493142011-09-30T18:06:34.143-04:002011-09-30T18:06:34.143-04:00Oh boy, where to start. WELL, first, I think you&#...Oh boy, where to start. WELL, first, I think you're very right, that the mental issues surrounding women and food in the U.S. are ridiculous. Guilt, guilt, and more guilt. Recently, I've gained weight, which is a first for me, really. So now I know about guilt: when I don't exercise, when I eat food (let alone unhealthy food), etc. Now when I go out to eat and really want a hamburger and fries, I leave feeling fat and gross and ill. But is it a physical thing or is it a mental thing? I've never really felt ill before, so I think it's actually a mental thing. I feel so guilty that it becomes a physical manifestation. So I get the guilt thing. And it is no fun. Stupid Puritans.<br /><br />Second, recently, the French have actually begun to have increased heart disease, etc., so they're not as healthy as they once were. But I'm sure you've heard of the Mediterranean diet and Europeans, especially the southern Europeans, tend to have a much healthier diet. Less processed foods (cheese, fresh veggies), more healthy fats (olive oil, fish), and it's all eaten in a more leisurely fashion. Stress changes how your body metabolizes food by making it less efficient. Stress increases fat. They are a much less stressed group of people by the Mediterranean Sea. Better food, less stress. Let's go!<br /><br />This will not help your medical issue anxiety at all, but there are such things as Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals that mess w/ your endocrine system AKA hormones. These chemicals either block hormones or mimic hormones, resulting in messed up bodily functions. Almost all the major diseases in Americans (cancer, diabetes, heart disease) can be a product of EDCs. BPAs are the most famous of these, but there's lots out there and they come not just from plastic leachates, but from pesticides, industrial chemicals, fats in foods exposed to EDCs. They're very pervasive. I attended a conference once where one of the presentations was about this and the woman presenting said she believed from the bottom of her heart, this is the biggest threat to American health and that the big diseases all stemmed from Americans' ignorant and/ore careless use of chemicals that are inadequately tested. Mom has similar beliefs. The states w/ the highest obesity rates not just have poor health habits, they also tend to have the least strenuous laws about chemical use, mostly industrial. And that's the big reason behind the push for organic food and BPA food containers. Endocrine disruptors can be directly related to obesity, so I think we also have to add Americans have that to contend w/ as well.Virginiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18267127013147675947noreply@blogger.com