Do Some Peop;e REALLY Eat This Way

S

stayfit1

Cathlete
Yesterday I stopped at the local gas/convenience store to purchase my weekly lottery ticket (My husband just laughs, but I have those special numbers, and who knows maybe someday I will be lucky).

Well anyway, in front of me was a lady buying a stick of beef jerky, a big bag of Nacho Doritos, a candy bar and soda, oh and a pack of cigarettes. I could tell she was uncomfortable, because she kept pulling her blouse down in the back to cover her backside.

Then, I had to grocery shop. In the checkout in front of me was a mother with her two children. She had 6 frozen pizzas, spaghetti-o's,a taco kit, about 8 liters of soda and 1/2 dozen eggs. I know children can be picky about their food, but come on. A mother has the responsibilty of teaching and instilling good eating habits; or a least trying to instill good habits.

I can't believe people eat this way daily. Imagine how awful you would feel if your diet consisted of these foods regularly.

Thanks for listening to me rant.

Dianne
 
"Well anyway, in front of me was a lady buying a stick of beef jerky, a big bag of Nacho Doritos, a candy bar and soda, oh and a pack of cigarettes. I could tell she was uncomfortable, because she kept pulling her blouse down in the back to cover her backside."

And this same woman, no doubt, is baffled as to why she is overweight.

"Then, I had to grocery shop. In the checkout in front of me was a mother with her two children. She had 6 frozen pizzas, spaghetti-o's,a taco kit, about 8 liters of soda and 1/2 dozen eggs. I know children can be picky about their food, but come on. A mother has the responsibilty of teaching and instilling good eating habits; or a least trying to instill good habits."

This woman is, no doubt, baffled as to why she spends so much on food. Since this took place in a gas/convenience store, I'm sure she spent a lot more than she would have at the local market. I can hear is now, "I can't afford to buy healthy food like fruits and vegetables."
 
things like this just don't register with me. i do not understand how people live this way! even before i ate the way i do know, i never ate like THAT!

my brother in law's house used to make me sick, the freezer was filled to the brim with frozen everything from pizzas to pb&j sandwiches. fridge was empty of anything except condiments and soda. blech.
 
It totally amazes me too. The people who do eat this way are also fat & their children generally are too. That is what makes the world go round, oh well. Live & let live is my motto.

Karen:7
 
And those same people are on the path toward diabetes, colon cancer, heart attacks and all matter of preventable diseases. THEY are responsible for our rising health insurance costs. Call me a Nazi, but they really anger me. ANYONE can read the headlines on the magazines at the grocery check out counter for free that shout out the benefits of exercise, green veggies, no sodas, the rising diabetes epidemic, etc., etc. And many of these toxic bodies are on food stamps... They are poisoning themselves at our expense then getting preventable medical care (always at the ER, by the way) at our expense, too. I have no respect for these voluntarily uninformed, unhealthy toxic people. I apologize in advance to those of you who are related to some of them, but it is inexcusable.
 
And all of us on the Cathe forum are dedicated to developing the best physical and emotional people we can be. Thank you, everyone, for your excellent and like-minded support here! Remember our fun discussion about getting Cathe to do a Tshirt that says something like, "Jealous? You should try exercise!"? Let's start a grassroots Cathe campaign to save our ignorant fellow citizens (and ourselves some medical and insurance money...)!!:7
 
<A mother has the responsibility of teaching and instilling good eating habits; or a least trying to instill good habits.>

And apparently this woman's mother didn't teach her good eating habits and so the cycle continues. Maybe such people don't like fruits and vegetables or maybe it never occurred to them that there are alternatives in life. Old habits die hard. Then again, I wonder about people who spend so much money on cable tv watching reality shows. To each is or her own I suppose.
 
You know, it amazes me that people actually do eat that way. Given all the information out about nutrition.

Frequently, my older teen daughters will come home from friend's houses and tell me the friends had nothing to eat at their house. They tell me it's all junk, just what you described, all kinds of frozen pizzas, frozen meals, chips, packaged desserts, sodas, etc. My youngest daughter had some guy friends over and I overheard them saying EEWWW... all you have is lowfat crap to eat! ;) haha... we just laughed about it after they left.
 
I always notice what other people are buying at the grocery store. I mean, you stand in line for 15 mins or more..what else is there to look at? I also notice what other people order at restaurants. I have come to the conclusion that eating very badly ALL the time is nearly as bad as smoking. JMHO
 
I marvel at the breakfasts they offer at Cracker Barrel that have to brought out on two PLATTERS! And, no surprise, the people who order them are very overweight - I've seen no exceptions.
 
And what were YOU doing at Cracker Barrel? LOL! I find when I do visit the ol' Barrell I am inspired to eat much less as I see the same scenery that cakebaker has described. (Hey, they serve grits and catfish and occasionally I get a hankering!)
 
Let me start by saying that I agree with everyone here... but I may have a bit of a different opinion on some of the tone of this discussion.

having been on both sides of the coin I want to point a few things out. I was once that woman in the convenience store or that mother in the grocery store. Now, I wasn't always that way, through my early 20's I was a dancer and although i was in shape my eating habits were still not great. Dancers have horrible eating problems which is a well known fact. After I got married and went through some serious issues through the years, I ballooned up to 275 pounds. I was the one in the convenience storre buying the chips, the pints of ice cream. I was the one going through the McD's drive through ordering enough for two but eating it all myself. I was the one eating all the leftovers. I was also miserable and ashamed. The worst was the looks from people behind me on line, judging me with their eyes. My addiction was to food and it was my way of coping with some very serious issues ( I.E. having triplets with disabilites who went through numerous surgeries and therapies, the loss of my beautiful son at age 6, and many other things.)However, I was very aware that all people saw was my fat, and they were judging me. Did I do it to myself... absolutely! Did I long to be thin again and respected by strangers, of course. Was my addiction as real as an alcoholic or a drug addict... YOU BET! I always tried to remind myself that I couldn't hide my addiction from the world like some other people could because mine was visible and on display for all to see and judge.

You are all correct, anyone can read the labels on the frozen pizza and people do make excuses for why they have to spend "more" on "healthy foods" and people should understand that they are setting themselves up for some serious diseases. Deep down they do. Just like an alcoholic knows his liver will rot and a drug addict knows his brain will be fried. You can make as many T-shirts as you want, but in general shaming people to exercise won't work.

One day, 6 years ago on my 35th birthday, after realizing that I needed to help myself I changed my life. I lost 125 pounds, became a serious exerciser and am now getting ready to be tested for my PFT certification. I teach 5 cardio/sculpt classes per week as well as teach ballet. Boy, am I glad that I can see things from the other perspective. Never will I look in disgust and wonder " how people can actually eat like that" because I know how they can. They fight it every day. They are unhappy. Miserable, ashamed and every day they fear that people will be eying their groceries with disgust and wonder. They wish they had the strength to buy the "good stuff" They want to deep down, but today they don't. Maybe tomorrow they will is their greatest wish. My hope is that someday I will be able to help people, one at a time, to overcome their food addiction and the judgement from society that comes along with it.

I am pretty sure that if all of you saw me in that convenience store buying my bottle of water you would think to yourself " there's a woman who doesn't eat like a pig and who knows how to take care of herself" You would be right... but 6 years ago you would have been pretty horrified at my purchase and my appearance. This thread could have been about me back then. It would be a shame because I think I am a pretty good person and I would have hated to think that I was so misunderstood. I would have wished that someone would have reached out to me rather than stare in wonder of what I could possibly be thinking.

So, please understand, I agree with all you are saying. I am one of you now. I am vigiliant about my health and that of my family. I also am horrified that with all we know about nutrition and health that everyone doesn't get with it and change their habits. I just hope that maybe next time you see someone on line buying food that you would never put in your cart, you will think about how much better it would be to give them a smile and pray that someday they will get better. Maybe that would inspire them to try... you never really know.

Thanks for listening...
 
<And apparently this woman's mother didn't teach her good eating habits and so the cycle continues.>

This is not axiomatic. I have *always* lead a healthy lifestyle through both diet and exercise. I have gladly taken the responsibilty to ensure that my family has a healty diet as well. But when it comes right down to it, we each choose our own path in life and my 30 lbs overweight 25 year old daughter is the proof of that. She is in no way ignorant about what it takes to lose weight but yet I've seen her try various quick fix solutions. So I would conclude that some people just like to eat crap and can somehow get over the crappy feeling that sort of food must cause.
 
Ditto what Shelley said. Sometimes some of us are judgmental because those unfortunate people remind us of what we could be....and maybe we hope that our "superior" eating habits will insulate us from the misfortunes of illness when they don't always. Vicki said some things that are really on target.
 
Thank you, Vicki!!!

I have three daughters and they often thank me for teaching them about proper nutrition and exercise. We are big eaters around my house - but all good food, most of the time.

However, I too feel humbled because we are one of those people that may look at people who are very overweight with an accusing eye. I have printed your message and plan on bringing it home for my daughters to read. Thanks again!!!! Sometimes we need a wake-up call.

Nancy
 
Thank you Vicki for writing this and congrats on your weight loss. Good luck on your upcoming PFT certification. I'm sure you will inspire many clients!
 
You know it's funny. All my neighbors are in awe over how healthy my son eats. How he likes fish, likes broccoli, would reather have a salad than a happy meal (he's 7). And how their kids only eat crap. It's the difference in what's been available to the child and what eating habits have been instilled in the child. Ya know.

Kathy
 
Thank you for the reality check Vicki! Another point that should be made is that food addiction is extremely difficult to conquer. Unlike drugs or alcohol we must consume food. There is no going cold turkey from it that's for sure. It is inspiring to hear your story.

As for me, I don't pay attention to what others are buying at the grocery store or eating at restaurants. It's not my business and frankly, I am just not interested.:)
 
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