Gratefully, I have never battled being overweight. Granted, I have gone through a mini roller coaster of the ups and downs (A proud recipient of the Freshman 15, pregnant round and glorious, and a bit plump here and there) but I have never been labeled as nor have I ever considered myself "fat."Recently, I have noticed that my clothing size has gone down a bit. Not coincidentally, I have moved to Europe. What do these two things have to do with each other?
Before I left for Switzerland, there had been growing debate in the USA about "portion sizes." I vehemently denied any link between the waistline of America and the general size of the portions served in our restaurants. After all, you're the one who controls what you actually put in your mouth, so put your fork down when you're full! Right? Wrong.
Arriving in Switzerland opened my eyes to the correlation of average portion size in restaurants and the propensity of that given population to over eat. Sizes here are not small, but they are smaller. They are, in fact, enough. Doggy bags are unheard of. And as I look around, it's not easy to find someone who is obese. In fact, I could go for days and maybe weeks in between seeing someone who is unhealthily over weight. In contrast, there are an enormous number of folks who are carrying around a very unhealthy amount of weight in the USA. I posted a picture of Cinderella's Castle because it was at Disneyworld where I was most astounded at the unbelievable sight of the heaviest people I have ever seen in one place. It was not only parents, but their children, too. In fact, a disproportionate number of very heavy folks were going around on rented scooters...they simply could not walk around the theme parks.
It's true, obesity is fueling many chronic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease. These are expensive to treat due to their chronic nature, and contribute greatly to the health care crisis we are experiencing now.
Thinking back on my time pre-Europe, I can remember being in a restaurant and having that big plate of food in front of me--and although I was full, I still picked at the plate and ate more than I needed. Even someone like me, who generally does not have a large appetite could not resist that food just staring at me. Even though I got a doggy bag, I still ate more than I should have.
In contrast, just recently I returned from a wonderful trip to the USA...not without enjoying some of my favorite restaurants. But this time I SPLIT the entrees between my aunt and I, and found that I was more than satisfied.
If you are finding that you are carrying a couple more pounds, or even many more pounds, than you want--consider making it a habit to share an entree with your dinner companion instead of ordering a whole one when you dine out. It will be easier on your pocket book, and your waist.
For an interesting article on this topic visit: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1447051
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Great thoughts, speaking as one who is overweight.
ReplyDeleteThe insidious thing is that weight doesn't just pile on 50 lbs at a whack. It increases gradually--5 lbs a year or so, from about the early 30s, in my case. It's so gradual that it's easy to delude ourselves into thinking we can deal with it later, meanwhile never changing diet or lifestyle. But the time it becomes a serious problem, losing it is easier said than done. The moral of that story is, don't put it on if you can help it, but if you do put it on, take it off immediately. DO NOT WEIGHT. Er, WAIT!