My wife and I were in the city today for our weekly trip to visit the daughter and I was noting how often we both would comment on other people and their apparent level of fitness... often low. For some reason, I mentioned to her that we sound like "fitness Nazis" with all of our judgemental comments. Kinda sad... but true. [img]redface.gif[/img]
Originally posted by Q.: My wife and I were in the city today for our weekly trip to visit the daughter and I was noting how often we both would comment on other people and their apparent level of fitness... often low. For some reason, I mentioned to her that we sound like "fitness Nazis" with all of our judgemental comments. Kinda sad... but true. [img]redface.gif[/img]
Isn't it though? I'm a scrawny bastard and I do that all the time too. Now, i'm only really skinny because of my metabolism, and not really in any position to comment on other people, but i do.
Maybe its an "American thing"?
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I do the same thing. A lot of times when I see people eating unhealthy food I am just thinking if they only knew what damage they are doing to their body would they be eating that. And the thing that ticks me off even more is that certain food is marketed as healthy so ppl. just assume that it is. I really want to say something when I see friends and family eating unhealthy food, but I don't. I guess I am the diet nazi.
Rip that's funny. I work with a bunch of women and it's like they all come in saying "i'm fat" or whatever and then they'll say they're going on a diet, but it's more of a crash diet like "i'm only going to eat tuna for the next month" type of thing and you try to explain to them what to do but they just say "i know...i know"
Oh man! I had kinda forgotten about that! It seems like none of my friends (male or female, actually) really understand how dieting works.
"Just eat lots of tuna," I had one friend tell me in my quest to gain weight. "I'm going low-carb. All I've eaten today is cereal, an apple, and a salad," I had a female acquantaince once tell me. The irony of that, of course, is that her daily intake was entirely carb based!
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Right now I've got two inches of winter waist to shed, but... My diet Nazi habits come out at grocery stores when I see morbidly obese men and women pushing carts (or sitting in a motorized cart) and check out what they're lugging up to the cashier--pop tarts, ice cream, sticky buns, high fructose cokes and other stuff. These people are the truest ad for these processed foods that inhabit the middle sections of stores. (Shop the edges only!)
Hey, Jean-Paul...remember that MH post you put up about 3 years ago about going with your wife to the store and getting angry at all te obesity? Still have it? It was a classic, and may have been what about you caught my attention.
I'll repeat here another claim I've made before. If you look at Life magazines from the 30s and 40s, in crowd scenes there are NO fat people in sight. A woman weighing 250 was guaranteed a job with a freak show! What happened? TV. The move from public transportation and compact cities to private cars and suburban sprawl. Convenience food & fast food.
Article on Perricone in todays NYT magazine. I think he's phony, but maybe I'll put one of his claims to the test. He says if you cut coffee and drink green tea instead for 6 weeks you'll lose ten lbs.
Now after weeks of miserable weather it's bright and sunny. Birds are singing like spring's about to bust out all over. Off to the beach to breathe salt air and start to lose some winter pallor.
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Originally posted by gardener: Hey, Jean-Paul...remember that MH post you put up about 3 years ago about going with your wife to the store and getting angry at all te obesity? Still have it? It was a classic, and may have been what about you caught my attention.
I think that was Lou, although JP may have said something similar too...
I agree with the general sentiment on this thread. I live in one of the fattest states in the country and it's actually fairly uncommon to find someone who looks like they're in shape. At my job I work with a bunch of very fat women and they're always talking about the latest diet fad. Then they bring in all sorts of junk food and bitch about how they refuse to exercise. I want to slap them sometimes.
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After reading through this, I kind of thought of something. Isn't it kind of funny how pretentious and self-rightous you can become about fitness when you start caring about it yourself and notice all the "others" who don't?
I mean granted, the unfit people do control their own destiny, but we can get pretty pompous about it. That's not such a great thing.
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Originally posted by sharkbait: After reading through this, I kind of thought of something. Isn't it kind of funny how pretentious and self-rightous you can become about fitness when you start caring about it yourself and notice all the "others" who don't?
I mean granted, the unfit people do control their own destiny, but we can get pretty pompous about it. That's not such a great thing.
Kinda like the religious zealots around here
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I don't feel self-righteous, I feel sad. Especially when I go to the swimming pool and there are more overweight kids than normal weight kids. I feel sad because they are putting themselves in a giant hole and they don't even know it.
Originally posted by sharkbait: After reading through this, I kind of thought of something. Isn't it kind of funny how pretentious and self-rightous you can become about fitness when you start caring about it yourself and notice all the "others" who don't?
I mean granted, the unfit people do control their own destiny, but we can get pretty pompous about it. That's not such a great thing.
I see what you are saying but I look at it in this way... It's like I have found the promised land and I know that it really isn't all that difficult to make changes in order to become more healthy. So when I see obese people I just wanna tell them that there is a way to get to improve their health. This is coming from a guy who 2 years ago was overweight.
I'll repeat here another claim I've made before. If you look at Life magazines from the 30s and 40s, in crowd scenes there are NO fat people in sight. A woman weighing 250 was guaranteed a job with a freak show! What happened? TV. The move from public transportation and compact cities to private cars and suburban sprawl. Convenience food & fast food.
That's a great point.
I'm actually doing a college paper right now on obesity/health in America. Here is an article I came across that is saying basiclly what you are...
Originally posted by sharkbait: After reading through this, I kind of thought of something. Isn't it kind of funny how pretentious and self-rightous you can become about fitness when you start caring about it yourself and notice all the "others" who don't?
I mean granted, the unfit people do control their own destiny, but we can get pretty pompous about it. That's not such a great thing.
That was EXACTLY my point... FITNESS NAZIS! We don't actually try to change our behavior because it's just between my wife and myself and it actually serves as a form of motivation but I wouldn't want our comments to be heard by anyone else... so that means that I'm at least a little bit embarrassed by them. I'm not letting the unfit off the hook - sure, some have legit reasons for their condition - but it is awfully judgemental and sounds pretty elitist! Still, it will cost ALL of us a hell of a lot to cover the health care costs that result from a large portion of the country that doesn't manage their fitness levels adequately.
Then there are the ones who don't manage their finances adequately... but that's another thread!
Still, it will cost ALL of us a hell of a lot to cover the health care costs that result from a large portion of the country that doesn't manage their fitness levels adequately.
Thanks for mentioning that, Q... I often forget that part of the unfit America equation.
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I mean granted, the unfit people do control their own destiny, but we can get pretty pompous about it.
I pretty much know the response ["personal responsibility," "nobody put a gun to the head of a 400-pounder when he weighed 150 and said 'Gorge!'], BUT...
1. There's no excuse for someone allowing himself or herself to get morbidly obese. BUT
2. There may be contributing reasons, apart from personal irresponsibility.
There are a lot of social factors that have since WW II sprung up, which contribute to the epidemic of obesity.
I'll make this point first as regards AIDS. It started among gays and drug-users, and we know how it spread from person to person. Unprotected sex, etc...But jet planes were a factor. Jet travel is a huge factor in spreading diseases of all kinds. And there was one gay air line steward who knew he was dying froms something highly infectious through one particular sexual practice...and who deliberately tried to take as many guys to the grave as he could. (Randy Shilts, And the Band Played On).
I think that in similar fashion there have been enabling social factors contributing to the spread of obesity.
Every obese person gets that way by calorie intake exceeding calorie expenditure, yes. That explains why Jimmy or John is obese.
It doesn't explain why there were only a few obese Jimmies in 1936, 1946, or 1951--and so many today.
I graduated from high school in 1952. A glance at my senior yearbook shows maybe 4 overweight seniors (one was Jayne Mansfield). Out of 300.
The high school in my town is a block away. A quarter of the students are well on their way to obesity.
One possible factor among many. The PE program emphasizes competitive team sports exclusively. The stars get the attention, nobody else.
There ought to be weight training for everybody from the ninth grade on. Leave football to the Eagles.
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Originally posted by gardener: One possible factor among many. The PE program emphasizes competitive team sports exclusively. The stars get the attention, nobody else.
THAT'S a good one!
1953
Published report by Kraus/Weber created concern about the physical fitness of America's children relative to their European counterparts.
1956
President Eisenhower creates the President's Council on Youth Fitness with cabinet-level status. The Executive Order specifies "one" objective. The first Council identifies itself as a "catalytic agent" concentrating on creating public awareness. A President's Citizens-Advisory Committee on Fitness of American Youth is confirmed to give advice to Council.
1961-63
President Kennedy changes the name to the President's Council on Physical Fitness to address all age groups. The President amended the Executive Order by one objective - enlisting the aid of citizens, civic groups, etc. With the aid of the Advertising Council, Inc., a nationwide public service advertising campaign was launched. President Kennedy 'walks the talk' taking the 50 mile hikes. State demonstration centers were designed in 1961 to showcase model elementary and secondary schools. In that same year, President Kennedy speaks at the Conference on Physical Fitness of Youth. Regional clinics and educational films are initiated. I still remember those old 35 mm films in school! ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
1974-1977
The Executive Order was amended with two additional objectives in 1976 to charge the Council with informing the general public of the importance of exercise and assisting business and industry in establishing sound physical fitness programs. In 1975, the third national youth fitness survey takes place and results did not show as much improvement as those of 1965. In 1976, the Presidential Sports Award was available in 43 categories.
1981-1989
The Executive Order is amended to 10 objectives. The 1985 National School Population Fitness Survey spurs the development of the National Physical Fitness Award. PCPFS joins National Recreation and Parks Association in the National Fitness Coalition to stimulate recreation and parks officials to initiate fitness programs. Some of Coach Allen's goals included: the National Fitness Foundation; U.S. Fitness Academy; National Fitness Classic; Adult Fitness Card; and National Fitness Testing Week, Youth Fitness Forums, etc. The Healthy American Fitness Leaders Award begins and a physical fitness postage stamp is issued. Coach Allen appointed 44 Special Advisors. 1983 - White House Symposium on Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine and May is proclaimed National Physical Fitness and Sports Month; 1984 - National Conference on Youth Fitness and 6 regional public hearings on physical fitness and physical education take place. Also in 1984, The first National Women's Leadership Conference on Fitness takes place with First Lady as Honorary Chair. In 1987, the Amateur Athletic Union is awarded the contract to administer today's President's Challenge. In the public health arena, the PCPFS reports on the 1990 Objectives in the exercise and fitness priority area. In 1991, the Participant Physical Fitness Award is added.
Maybe it was expanded TOO much...? Maybe the end of the Cold War lessened the feeling of urgency with competing with the rest of the world (the original impetus). Maybe the culture of the Europeans changed, too, just as ours did and this became less important.
I say BRING BACK MANDATORY PE IN ALL SCHOOLS... and make 'em shower! Now I AM starting to sound like a FITNESS NAZI!
Yeah, I'm the same Q, and I'm not in great shape. I think as long as you dont actually try to embarras people about it, its not so bad. It can be used as motivation for yourself, especially if you also admire people who do look after themselves. I might have a giggle at the girl on the treadmill walking 2mp/h, but I'll also be impressed by the guy doing heavy bent over rows. It can be a way of reinforcing whats both good and bad behavior for yourself.
As to fat people, I was talking with a guy I worked with a couple of years ago about it (he's very overweight) and he said to me, "Ben, fat people know everything there is to know about losing weight, they just dont do it". I believe in general thats true. Those women mentioned in the thread going on crash diets, at some level they know thats not the right thing to do, they've read it or seen it on Dr Phil or whatever. They're after an easy answer and a quick fix. Most of them do know whats required, but its too much like hard work. I'm sure there are people who dont know, or who cant lose the weight for some reason, but a lot of the time its about not being prepared to do whats really required.
The thing I wonder about most people who don't put in the time and effort to care for themselves: have they ever endured true hardship? I'm not talking about Reuben winning instead of Clay. I'm talking about stuff like being in physical competition, enduring the hellhole job long enough to make ends meet until something better came along, fighting back from debt and poor credit to financial health. Something--ANYthing--that required patience, endurance, resolve, and goal-setting.
The people I know who do not take care of themselves have not experienced something like that. I watched "The Untouchables" the other day, and I'm reminded of an exchange between Sean Connery (first speaker) and Kevin Costner:
--"You said you wanted to get Capone. Do you really wanna get him? You see what I'm saying is, what are you prepared to do?"
--"Anything and everything in my power."
--"And THEN what are you prepared to do? If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way because they're not gonna give up the fight until one of you is dead."
--"How do you do it then?"
--"You wanna know how you do it? Here's how, they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send on of his to the morgue!"
I'm not saying everyone literally needs that kind of mentality to achieve his or her goals, but some of us do. I know I do. There are times (like now) when I have trouble getting motivated, and I let things slip a bit. It's only when I regain that mindset that things start to really happen.
What was the question again? [img]smile.gif[/img]
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Yesterday this lady at Walmart picked up a bag of chocolate bars and then looked at her husband and asked if he wanted one too. I almost turned to her and said "you don't need to eat that".
I used to play this online game called Dark Age of Camelot. It's a pay to play deal and I was using it as a form of escapism.
Here was my routine: I'd get up, goto work (get a couple bacon/egg/cheese biscuits for the drive)... sit behind a desk 8 hours a day (grabbing a double quater pounder meal from mcdonalds for lunch and a king size pack of m&m's for snack) and drink at LEAST a 6 pack of pepsi a day. When I got home I'd scarf down whatever was for dinner as fast as I could and then log into the game. At 10pm I'd log off, goto bed and then repeat the process. I did this for 3 years and I gained 78 lbs in the process.
I was totally neglecting all aspects of my life... my work, my family and my finances. I felt like I was in a viscious circle of depression and all I wanted to do was not think about it my problems and that's the main reason I played this game.
During this time I was also neglecting my finances. We were living paycheck to paycheck and shutoff notices were not that uncommon.
Finally, something snapped and I knew that I wanted to change my life. It was just something that happened in my core being I think... and until all the other fat people want to help themselves they're just going to drift through life medicating themselves with food so they don't have to think about their problems.
I remember one of the big things that clicked was the movie Super Size Me. The constant feeling of "blah" and feeling happy when he was eating all that junk... I really think there is somethign to that because I was able to relate to that big time.
Using the same principles that I'm using to get myself into better physical shape I've started to get our finances into better shape as well. The key to both in my experiences thus far is self discpline.
Since I've found this website I've learned what it means to eat clean. I've learned that while it is hard work, I don't have to kill myself at the gym. I've learned that change takes time.
I went from 308 in November to 290 last Monday. I've made a little progress and I still have a long way to go. I feel so much better now that I'm not trying to escape from reality. I guess my main point is that the change has to come from within. What's the old saying? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink?
I think a lot of us myself included are fitness nazis in the aspect of making fun of people or becoming irritated with people in the gym by the way they train. I mean if it has no effect on us, maybe we should just shut the fuck up. Like a guy using a squat rack for something other than squats whenever you need to squat, bitchable. But I made fun of guys only doing quarter squats all the time, who the fuck am I to judge? Why should I care for that matter? I think in that sense is being a little snobbish, and a lot of us are or have been guilty of it, and I'll be the first to point myself out on that one but may of us are guilty of it.
Yeah, people may do dumbass things in the gym, do a machine wrong, do curls in the wrong place. But who taught them, probably no one. How do they know that that area is for squats and not curls...when they dont even know what a squat is. We were all beginners at one time.
Exactly. I was thinking about that today. "If everyone had the knowledge I did, then no one would be doing all of this stupid stuff I'm seeing."
I guess we all have to learn at somepoint. I know I did. I used to do God knows how many sets of curls on biceps days, and never got anywhere. Then I figured out I needed to do other lifts, and progress happened. I think that gyms should have a manual about physical fitness and muscle groups that should be read before one joins. That way we may be able to cut down on the clueless newbies and the gym vets that are idiots.
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Originally posted by obsolete29: Well... as a fat guy I'd like to respond.
I used to play this online game called Dark Age of Camelot. It's a pay to play deal and I was using it as a form of escapism.
Here was my routine: I'd get up, goto work (get a couple bacon/egg/cheese biscuits for the drive)... sit behind a desk 8 hours a day (grabbing a double quater pounder meal from mcdonalds for lunch and a king size pack of m&m's for snack) and drink at LEAST a 6 pack of pepsi a day. When I got home I'd scarf down whatever was for dinner as fast as I could and then log into the game. At 10pm I'd log off, goto bed and then repeat the process. I did this for 3 years and I gained 78 lbs in the process.
I was totally neglecting all aspects of my life... my work, my family and my finances. I felt like I was in a viscious circle of depression and all I wanted to do was not think about it my problems and that's the main reason I played this game.
During this time I was also neglecting my finances. We were living paycheck to paycheck and shutoff notices were not that uncommon.
Finally, something snapped and I knew that I wanted to change my life. It was just something that happened in my core being I think... and until all the other fat people want to help themselves they're just going to drift through life medicating themselves with food so they don't have to think about their problems.
I remember one of the big things that clicked was the movie Super Size Me. The constant feeling of "blah" and feeling happy when he was eating all that junk... I really think there is somethign to that because I was able to relate to that big time.
Using the same principles that I'm using to get myself into better physical shape I've started to get our finances into better shape as well. The key to both in my experiences thus far is self discpline.
Since I've found this website I've learned what it means to eat clean. I've learned that while it is hard work, I don't have to kill myself at the gym. I've learned that change takes time.
I went from 308 in November to 290 last Monday. I've made a little progress and I still have a long way to go. I feel so much better now that I'm not trying to escape from reality. I guess my main point is that the change has to come from within. What's the old saying? You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink?
Anyway... that's my sob story.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Obsolete. Hearing about someone turning their life around is always some of the best inspiration.
I used to be a fitness nazi, in my mind anyway. Now, having been down the road to fatness one too many times (see my log in the Training section for my latest on being overweight) after swearing to never let it happen again, I have none of that scorn left in me. If I can fall down after swearing I wouldn't and knowing better, how can I look down on those who don't have the information I do, and who probably don't know much better?
I've always said, I am one serious injury or setback away from being badly overfat or even obese - I can see myself falling into that destructive cycle very easily.
Now my thought process is simply that I hope they are able to find a healthy lifestyle and stick with it. No scorn, no pity, no superiority. Just wishing them well - for they are me.
I personally am not exactly the picture of fitness but I'm not obese either. I don't care if someone is 100lbs at the gym or 400lbs. The only people that bother me at the gym are the ones using the squat rack for curls when I want it, punks in groups tying up benches or the old guys using the dryers to dry their balls. Other than that, I think as long as you are there making an effort, even a small one, you're doing better than those who won't even try.
Everyone KNOWS that exercise is good for you. The main stumbling block IMO is proper nutrition. People need to be given the proper education on what is REALLY good for you and what isn't. There are too many people who still think that because something is "Low Fat" it must be healthy. They don't realize it's full of HFCS. So they try eating everything that is "low fat" and wind up fatter and frustrated and just give up.
It's really too bad
I really don't know of a better solution than to educate children better in school on nutrition and have mandatory PE. As for adults, I really don't know.
d
Now I AM starting to sound like a FITNESS NAZI! 
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