Is Being Over-Weight A Sin?

[JaneFW]

You two ladies seem t now a lot about calories. Do you have a menu on healthy food that would be from 1800-2000 calories? If you do would you post them please?

Stan, what I use is a free program called Fitday.com. I have used it for about 8 years. You can search their vast database for any foods you eat, and the amount you are eating (I have learned to assess a lot of mine but I do have a scale and also measuring cups if I really need to be precise). You input the food, the amount, and it calculates calories, fat, sodium etc. You can even build up your own database, which I have done over the years, inputting your own foods.

What to eat really depends on your preferences. You should always eat breakfast. With that amount of calories (which is much higher than mine so hard to figure out how to add those extra calories) you can have a healthy cereal, something with lots of fiber, and a banana, milk and another piece of fruit. You can snack on nuts in the mid-morning. At lunch, go for your main meal of the day which could/should be a large piece of protein - tuna or salmon steak perhaps, with a side of pasta or a baked potato, and a side of vegetables. My understanding is that the grains/carbs should be a 'side' rather than a main. I, personally, would have more fruit with that, and you can certainly "afford" bread with it. Mid-afternoon snack could be crackers and cheese. In the evening, eat lighter with a good hearty vegetable soup, and some kind of light dessert.

It's hard to figure out for you, but let me just say that what I have on my menu at Fitday to eat today is:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal & coffee, no dairy creamer (no sugar)
Snack: Pear
Lunch: Baby spring mix w/spinach salad & celery, topped with about half a cup of salmon (prepared without any extra oil on the grill), with 2 tbsp of raspberry vinagerette. For dessert I have strawberries, blueberries and raspberries (about 1/2 cup of each) & a nectarine
Snack: Apple & Greek yogurt

I am at 684 calories with that, and only 12g of fat. That's about a third of what you need to eat, so you see the difference? You could have had a full cup of oatmeal, and a side of pasta with the salmon and still be doing really well.

All I can suggest is looking hard at the labels of everything that you eat. But if anyone is looking to control their eating, keeping a food diary - even a written one - is essential. It's also essential to be extremely honest. Some research shows that people consistently under-assess how much they eat - especially the quantities. If in doubt, assess over!! There's nothing wrong with being a little hungry at times.

 

[JaneFW]

To carry on the thought about children's menus .. I know I can be something of a conspiracy theorist at times, but it does seriously seem to me that many of these big food chains are 'training' our kids to be obese. It would think that the restaurants would want to encourage children to try some of the dishes on the adult menu, so that they can switch over to the adult menu with more ease. I figure that in reality of course the bottom line is the mighty dollar (or pound or euro).

What we have always done - for as long as I have been mom to my stepkids, and since my bio kid was old enough to sit up in a restaurant - is to let them look at the adult menu and see whether they were interested in anything. If so, then I would get that meal and get two plates, and split it with them. I have never been able to finish a main course, so it was no loss to me, and in fact most portions can easily feed two people. It has worked in encouraging the boys to think outside of the "burger and fries" mentality. Of course they are eat from the adult menu now, and I have noticed that they will really consider the menu, and will more often choose something healthy and flavor-ful than plain old x and fries or deep fried x. I just don't get why restuarants can't offer smaller portions of their main courses for children. I don't think it would be that much extra hardship. It would, however, take away from their bottom line profit, so yeah - never going to happen.

 

[blythe_ann]

Jane- that and many parents don't like to "force" their kids into eating something they don't like, thus creating picky eaters who will only eat x and fries. Which is sad.
My parents didn't do too much with my diet and I was a picky eater. One day in junior high on a field trip we all went to burger king and got a free whopper and fries. I realized I really didn't like fries, they are kind of bland. Lol, changed my life forever.

 

[grasping the after wind]

To carry on the thought about children's menus .. I know I can be something of a conspiracy theorist at times, but it does seriously seem to me that many of these big food chains are 'training' our kids to be obese. It would think that the restaurants would want to encourage children to try some of the dishes on the adult menu, so that they can switch over to the adult menu with more ease. I figure that in reality of course the bottom line is the mighty dollar (or pound or euro).

What we have always done - for as long as I have been mom to my stepkids, and since my bio kid was old enough to sit up in a restaurant - is to let them look at the adult menu and see whether they were interested in anything. If so, then I would get that meal and get two plates, and split it with them. I have never been able to finish a main course, so it was no loss to me, and in fact most portions can easily feed two people. It has worked in encouraging the boys to think outside of the "burger and fries" mentality. Of course they are eat from the adult menu now, and I have noticed that they will really consider the menu, and will more often choose something healthy and flavor-ful than plain old x and fries or deep fried x. I just don't get why restuarants can't offer smaller portions of their main courses for children. I don't think it would be that much extra hardship. It would, however, take away from their bottom line profit, so yeah - never going to happen.

AFAIK most children do not have independent incomes of their own and are therefore not able to buy anything their parents do not allow them to buy. You may blame restaurants for trying to sell their products but don't forget that the consumer is king and any restaurant that does not cater to its customers will fail.

 

[JaneFW]

AFAIK most children do not have independent incomes of their own and are therefore not able to buy anything their parents do not allow them to buy. You may blame restaurants for trying to sell their products but don't forget that the consumer is king and any restaurant that does not cater to its customers will fail.

I don't get the relevance of your first sentence. I was merely saying that restaurants could provide better options for children. Many parents don't even think about it, I suspect. Many parents figure that it's one meal out of many, so no big deal. I'm pretty much conditioned to expect that the kids menu will be rubbish, so it doesn't surprise me. If more parents stopped and looked at what is on offer, they would complain about it. I do see parents do exactly what I did - share a plate of decent food rather than fork out $5-$8 for fat and sodium.

 

[JaneFW]

Jane- that and many parents don't like to "force" their kids into eating something they don't like, thus creating picky eaters who will only eat x and fries. Which is sad.
My parents didn't do too much with my diet and I was a picky eater. One day in junior high on a field trip we all went to burger king and got a free whopper and fries. I realized I really didn't like fries, they are kind of bland. Lol, changed my life forever.

That's great Blythe. I see my kids making good choices and it makes me happy. My kids will often choose water over soda, and a banana over sweets - but not always of course!

On the picky eater thing - I have spoken to a LOT of parents about this, and I think that the medical community may be starting to realize that some kids do not like the taste and texture of a food even from being very young. I had a child like that. He started out as a 3 month old getting his first semi-solids and seemed to like most things, however, around age 8 months, he would no longer eat those things. I can't begin to express the frustration of being the parent of a picky eater. You cannot force a baby to eat. I went to a pediatrician and she said - and I will never forget - that a child with no health issues will not starve itself to death. Well, she was wrong. No, my child didn't starve himself to death (obviously) but he would flat out refuse to eat anything but the food he wanted. He was a small baby (5lb 6oz) at birth, so the idea of him dropping weight was very frightening. And when i say refuse, I mean he would not eat anything whatsoever, and you dare not - at that age - let the baby go hungry. I had years of struggles with this strong willed child. Just years. Even now, he maintains around 65lbs (he is 11!) So he is small and skinny. He likes what he likes, and it's a struggle to get him to accept new food, but his range of foods is quite good - he will eat mild curries, he loves his beans and rice (good little tex-mex boy as he is) and he will also eat fish and veggies and fruit. But it has been a hard struggle to get him to this point. I do not consider myself to be a lazy parent who over-indulges their child - which I know is not what you said, but it is a common perception of the parents of picky eaters, and one I used to hold myself. Some kids really are that tough to budge.

 

[grasping the after wind]

I don't get the relevance of your first sentence. I wasn't saying that kids have independent income, merely that restaurants could provide better options for children. Many parents don't even think about it, I suspect. Many parents figure that it's one meal out of many, so no big deal. I'm pretty much conditioned to expect that the kids menu will be rubbish, so it doesn't surprise me. If more parents stopped and looked at what is on offer, they would complain about it. I do see parents do exactly what I did - share a plate of decent food rather than fork out $5-$8 for fat and sodium.

The point is that I can't see why restaurants should be blamed for providing what their customers want. If parents were either demanding different menu choices or if they were taking their children to restaurants that provided different menu choices the general population of restauranteurs would be crawling over each other to provide those choices as well. If as many parents as you seem to suggest are so unconcerned about their children's diets that they don't even pay attention to the nutritional information about what is offered, I suggest that it seems somewhat strange to expect perfect strangers to be more concerned about those diets or to be held responsible for them.

 

[JaneFW]

The point is that I can't see why restaurants should be blamed for providing what their customers want. If parents were either demanding different menu choices or if they were taking their children to restaurants that provided different menu choices the general population of restauranteurs would be crawling over each other to provide those choices as well. If as many parents as you seem to suggest are so unconcerned about their children's diets that they don't even pay attention to the nutritional information about what is offered, I suggest that it seems somewhat strange to expect perfect strangers to be more concerned about those diets or to be held responsible for them.

Whatever.

 

[JaneFW]

I cannot see any reason why restaurants cannot offer the same meals for children as they offer for adults, just scaled down. A child's menu should not mean any old garbage is fine.

 

[blythe_ann]

Jane- I totally get what you mean, I was a stubborn kid who wouldn't use the same utensil on two different foods, no matter how much my mom wanted me to. As a matter of fact, any pushing on her end probably resulted on pushing on my end.
But, I still hold that many parents aren't even concerned about the foods their kids eat. I mean, if it was popular, than fries wouldn't be on the menu by popular demand (at least at some places), but from the parents I know, it's not a "big deal" what their kid eats.
Just an observation from a kidless third party, though.

 

[ImperialPhantom]

I cannot see any reason why restaurants cannot offer the same meals for children as they offer for adults, just scaled down. A child's menu should not mean any old garbage is fine.

Most restaurants that I've been to have options that, when put together, can make a healthy meal for a kid. Steamed veggies, a rice option, chicken breast, etc (different depending on what nationality of food). Even Texas Roadhouse has healthy options that can be strung together to make healthy meals for the whole family. Bottom line, however, is that restaurants put what sells in thee u and if something doesn't sell, they will remove it.

 

[JaneFW]

I just think that if there were more options, they would be embraced.

I didn't go to restaurants when I was a child. There was no money for eating out, there often wasn't money for eating in! So, it was only when I made my own money that I started going out to eat. Therefore, I was never made aware of a child's menu until I became firstly a step-parent in my 30's. I have to say that I was shocked at the disparity between what was offered to parents and what was offered to children. It had never crossed my mind that there would be such a huge difference. OTOH, my husband was unsurprised. I figure that, as a child, this was his experience.

Perhaps it's because it has become the accepted norm that this is how we feed children, that is why people don't complain or insist on better. Also, how would they do that? It would take a mass effort with parents boycotting restaurants. I couldn't imagine that happening.

I will say that in the vegan/vegetarian restaurants I have visited, there is no such disparity. Also, in British restaurants, there is often not a set child's menu, and if there is, the menu does cater for smaller versions of the adult meals, at least in my hometown. For example, mine and my husband's favorite restaurant in my hometown is the one where we had our first date. It is a family operated Italian restuarant - and I mean proper Italian, not Olive Garden. There is not a child's menu, but they will make smaller portions of the adult meals for a child, if they cannot share with an adult, with a sibling, or manage an adult meal. That said, this is not a HUGE bowl of overcooked pasta with a little tomato sauce. It is a small portion of al-dente pasta with exquisitely flavored pasta sauce, where you can savor the taste of the olive oil, the garlic, tomatoes, and whatever else is in it.

So perhaps there is as much issue in the care taken with any food, not just children's food, because there are many restaurants - mostly chains - that I simply will not eat at, Olive Garden being one of them, because the standards of food for adults and children is consistently low.

 

[JaneFW]

Another issue I have had here is with the servers insisting that I choose a side when they come with the meal, even though I know I'm not going to eat them. They say "but they're free." I say "I don't care, I'm not ordering something I'm going to eat." I know it's what they are told to say, but still - are they encouraging obesity in this? I always tell my kids to just order what they will eat. Don't get sides if you won't eat sides! Don't let your eyes be bigger than your belly!!

 

[dallasapple]

Another issue I have had here is with the servers insisting that I choose a side when they come with the meal, even though I know I'm not going to eat them. They say "but they're free." I say "I don't care, I'm not ordering something I'm going to eat." I know it's what they are told to say, but still - are they encouraging obesity in this? I always tell my kids to just order what they will eat. Don't get sides if you won't eat sides! Don't let your eyes be bigger than your belly!!

I get the sides(since they charge for them) and take it home..I NEVER leave a resturant without a doggie bag..in it I have scraped every last morsel off of everyones plate (LOL...Oh well germs are shared around here anyway) and there is usually at LEAST one full meal from everything combined in the fridge..for ME to eat later or the next day for lunch..but normally one of the kids get into it before i do..so I get everything that comes "with the meal"..

Dallas

 

[JaneFW]

I get the sides(since they charge for them) and take it home..I NEVER leave a resturant without a doggie bag..in it I have scraped every last morsel off of everyones plate (LOL...Oh well germs are shared around here anyway) and there is usually at LEAST one full meal from everything combined in the fridge..for ME to eat later or the next day for lunch..but normally one of the kids get into it before i do..so I get everything that comes "with the meal"..

Dallas

That's a good idea Dallas. It's just that the sides in the restaurants I go to aren't very healthy or they aren't things I eat, or I don't like the way they are prepared. LOL!! Like green beans in bacon fat with bacon pieces. Pourquoi? Can I not have vegetarian green beans? Or they are fries. Or mashed potatoes, and I don't eat potatoes when I don't know how they have been prepared or what they have been mashed with, kwim? So, just color me super controlling and finicky.

Oh, and I totally agree with leftovers. I will take stuff home all the time and re-heat it.

 

[dallasapple]

That's a good idea Dallas. It's just that the sides in the restaurants I go to aren't very healthy or they aren't things I eat, or I don't like the way they are prepared. LOL!! Like green beans in bacon fat with bacon pieces. Pourquoi? Can I not have vegetarian green beans? Or they are fries. Or mashed potatoes, and I don't eat potatoes when I don't know how they have been prepared or what they have been mashed with, kwim? So, just color me super controlling and finicky.

Oh, and I totally agree with leftovers. I will take stuff home all the time and re-heat it.

Yes I know what you mean..but lots of times they have something like grilled veggies..or beans ...that you can ask are these vegetarian..Im not picky about if its sauteed in butter though..in fact I switched a side the other night..they happened to have sweet potato fries..I subsituted ..those were DELICIOUS..I don't care if they were fried..LOL!!!Also usually too...they will let you subsitute a with a salad ..I mean I'de rather get that then let them charge me for nothing..

LOL!! I just had a funny thought.we coudl say.."well then can I just go in the back and have a look around?maybe I can take some carrotts or a tomato at least "..

Seriously if Im goign to pay $10 for a black bean veggie burger that comes with "sides" ..Im going to get something for my money...a salt shaker ..a fork..a cloth napkin ..maybe I can dig up some of thier flowers and plant them at home.. I dont know something..

Dallas

 

[blythe_ann]

No sides, I'll just take this nifty napkin, thanks! LOL, Dallas, I so want you to do that and report back!!

 

[sdmsanjose]

Originally Posted by sdmsanjose http://www.christianforums.com/t7624224-post59562640/#post59562640

You two ladies seem t now a lot about calories. Do you have a menu on healthy food that would be from 1800-2000 calories? If you do would you post them please?
Stan, what I use is a free program called Fitday.com. I have used it for about 8 years. You can search their vast database for any foods you eat, and the amount you are eating (I have learned to assess a lot of mine but I do have a scale and also measuring cups if I really need to be precise). You input the food, the amount, and it calculates calories, fat, sodium etc. You can even build up your own database, which I have done over the years, inputting your own foods.

What to eat really depends on your preferences. You should always eat breakfast. With that amount of calories (which is much higher than mine so hard to figure out how to add those extra calories) you can have a healthy cereal, something with lots of fiber, and a banana, milk and another piece of fruit. You can snack on nuts in the mid-morning. At lunch, go for your main meal of the day which could/should be a large piece of protein - tuna or salmon steak perhaps, with a side of pasta or a baked potato, and a side of vegetables. My understanding is that the grains/carbs should be a 'side' rather than a main. I, personally, would have more fruit with that, and you can certainly "afford" bread with it. Mid-afternoon snack could be crackers and cheese. In the evening, eat lighter with a good hearty vegetable soup, and some kind of light dessert.

It's hard to figure out for you, but let me just say that what I have on my menu at Fitday to eat today is:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal & coffee, no dairy creamer (no sugar)
Snack: Pear
Lunch: Baby spring mix w/spinach salad & celery, topped with about half a cup of salmon (prepared without any extra oil on the grill), with 2 tbsp of raspberry vinagerette. For dessert I have strawberries, blueberries and raspberries (about 1/2 cup of each) & a nectarine
Snack: Apple & Greek yogurt

I am at 684 calories with that, and only 12g of fat. That's about a third of what you need to eat, so you see the difference? You could have had a full cup of oatmeal, and a side of pasta with the salmon and still be doing really well.

All I can suggest is looking hard at the labels of everything that you eat. But if anyone is looking to control their eating, keeping a food diary - even a written one - is essential. It's also essential to be extremely honest. Some research shows that people consistently under-assess how much they eat - especially the quantities. If in doubt, assess over!! There's nothing wrong with being a little hungry at times.

Jane I am really impressed in your discipline all these years with food and your weight; that is impressive!
Thank you for your information

 

[Conservativation]

Here we often see figures from the CDC posted as a final sound source on a certain set of other subjects. Similarly the Journal of the AMA is used. Hence it seems the CDC is a credible source among the posters here, and with that sense of assurance I then share this article that seems to disagree with a lot of whats been said here, unless some feel that others have been attempting to say that nearly everyone is obese, and I dont think thats the case, I can be wrong though for sure. It seems to disagree because it seems, and I could be wrong, that the impression is that rather than so many being obese, there are plethora other things to call it, or assign it to, what have you, even a sense that when someone is obese yet they have a set of reasons or excuses they not be counted, or many of them not be counted. Imagine those doing this study, as they looked at the data and maybe said, "well we cant count this group because they have XYZ issue, though they meet the threshold, and this other group they seem to be tall anough to carry extra weight, and by the way some of these people have low cholesterol and better cardio health than many less heavy folks so lets reconsider the numbers"

One in every three adults and one in every six children in the United States is obese, According to the survey, the [COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=inherit ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=inherit ! important]average [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=inherit ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=inherit ! important]body [/FONT][/color][COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=inherit ! important]mass [/FONT][/color][COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=inherit ! important]index[/FONT][/color][/FONT][/color][/color] (BMI) for men and women in the U.S. is 28.7. A BMI of 25 or greater is considered overweight, while a BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese. The prevalence of people classified as overweight or obese is 68.8 percent of the population overall – 73.9 percent of men are [COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=inherit ! important][COLOR=blue ! important][FONT=inherit ! important]overweight[/FONT][/FONT][/color][/color] or obese, while 63.7 percent of women are. The prevalence of obesity in children is approximately 17 percent.
“The good news is the prevalence hasn’t gone up – but it also hasn’t gone down,” Ogden said. “And the prevalence of obesity in men has caught up to women. Obesity used to be more prevalent among women [12 years ago].”

Read more: CDC: 1 in 3 adults is obese | Fox News


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[Sailor_A]

So perhaps there is as much issue in the care taken with any food, not just children's food, because there are many restaurants - mostly chains - that I simply will not eat at, Olive Garden being one of them, because the standards of food for adults and children is consistently low.

According to cons source 1 in 6 children are obese in the USA. I don't think things are any better in England. However I'm not sure this is mainly due to restaurants. There should be healthier options for children and I think over here they have really taken to that. However people don't eat out 7 days a week do they? I know when I was a child eating out was a treat and we only ever got to go on birthdays. It's more important what they feed their children at home. If they give them chicken nuggets and chips every day at home they are the problem.