Awhile back, Debbie and I watched Super Size Me: A Film of Epic Proportions, a documentary by Morgan Spurlock. Did you see this? The filmmaker became a guinea pig for a most unfortunate experiment: he ate at McDonald’s three times a day for 30 days. In the process he gained 23 lbs., his liver began to turn to jelly, his cholesterol sky-rocketed, he got depressed, and he became addicted to the sugary, salty, chemicals in the McFoods he was eating. It took 5 months for him to lose 18 lbs. and get back to a healthy place with his liver and cholesterol. It took another 9 months to lose the last 5 lbs..
Available on the DVD as a bonus feature was an interview with Eric Schlosser, the author of “Fast Food Nation.” It was fascinating and horrifying to hear the affects of the fast food industry. Obesity and the health effects are skyrocketing in our country. The preservatives and sugars and salts and trans fats are making fast foods and snack food unhealthy and addictive. (Ironically, I heard Saddam Hussein discovered Nacho Cheese Doritos from the US Army guards. He ate an entire bag every day).
My kids wake up wanting Apple Jacks, cookies, or candy for breakfast. Throughout the day, I generally snack a bit on sugary delicacies. I feel like I need to set a better example and have a harder line to keep my kids from eating so much junk. I am about 8 to 10 pounds over the weight I would like to be, a weight I have been able to get to only once in the last twelve years. (When Debbie and I got married, I gained 30 lbs. in the first year. As a poor, single, college guy I was eating cereal every meal or peanut butter and jelly on tortilla sandwiches, so I needed to gain some weight since I was so skinny but not that much).
8 to 10 pounds may not sound like much, but it’s like running around with a newborn baby strapped to my gut or my back. I truly want to stop snacking so much and start excercising more and begin eating healthier foods. Any advice on losing weight that doesn’t want to leave? What about healthy alternatives to the trans fats and the preservatives? We shop at Trader Joe’s (Jo Jo’s instead of Oreos) and have a hamburger from In-N-Out (even the author of Fast Food Nation mentioned in the interview how much better In-N-Out is compared to other hamburger chains due to its fresh ingredients) rather than Jack in the Box (notice the signs for Jack in the Box actually say “Jack in the B-Jesus Fish”).
Any other ideas for getting into good shape? After our vacation of course. 🙂
UPDATE: I just discovered a story about a man in Virginia who actually lost 80 lbs on an almost all McDonald’s diet!