Tuesday 28 February 2006
Less Fat Tuesday
It's Fat Tuesday today and it's made me realise that I have actually put a lot of weight on in the last 6 months. The gym has stopped, the consideration of joining a new gym was a January fad, I eat more sugary things than I have ever eaten before, I'm still drinking too much and only that crap Lite beer if they have nothing else but the terrifying thing is that I am eating more food.
It is the American way. Big portions, as much as possible and often. When I first came here over 2 years ago, in restaurants I couldn't finish half my plate. If I had a big lunch I would forego dinner. If I had a big breakfast, not real breakfast you understand, but healthy stuff like pancakes, bagels and doughnuts, I would miss out on lunch.
Now I eat a big fat juicy steak for lunch and get home in the evening and could quite easily munch on, well another big fat juicy steak, and heavy on the mash!
This post is actually making me feel ill. I have never been a diet person, never been a fat person, a small(ish) beer belly is not fat is it? That's just called being socialable.
I always say that I eat reasonably healthily (of course it could be better), I play football, I walk a ton more than your average SUV driving Yank, I cook a lot, and never crap. I am actually not a big red meat eater and I love veg but I think I have what they call portion control all wrong. Of course they also call it being an American. The land of the free and the plenty. 60 million people are considered obese in the US, obese being over 25% body fat for men, a woman is obese if she has over 30% That's not fair right there is it?
I have to say that some of the sights that you see are walking dietry adverts. Who needs a gym or a keep fit DVD when you can just wonder around the suburbs of Chicago?
So Lent is perhaps, no definitely, a wake-up call for me. One I think men of a certain age need to think about, that age being me. Exercise, fruit, water, portion control and I might even have to cut down on that sociable drinking too. Damn, I try so hard not to talk like one, so no way am going to start looking like your average American. ¶ 02:06
It is the American way. Big portions, as much as possible and often. When I first came here over 2 years ago, in restaurants I couldn't finish half my plate. If I had a big lunch I would forego dinner. If I had a big breakfast, not real breakfast you understand, but healthy stuff like pancakes, bagels and doughnuts, I would miss out on lunch.
Now I eat a big fat juicy steak for lunch and get home in the evening and could quite easily munch on, well another big fat juicy steak, and heavy on the mash!
This post is actually making me feel ill. I have never been a diet person, never been a fat person, a small(ish) beer belly is not fat is it? That's just called being socialable.
I always say that I eat reasonably healthily (of course it could be better), I play football, I walk a ton more than your average SUV driving Yank, I cook a lot, and never crap. I am actually not a big red meat eater and I love veg but I think I have what they call portion control all wrong. Of course they also call it being an American. The land of the free and the plenty. 60 million people are considered obese in the US, obese being over 25% body fat for men, a woman is obese if she has over 30% That's not fair right there is it?
I have to say that some of the sights that you see are walking dietry adverts. Who needs a gym or a keep fit DVD when you can just wonder around the suburbs of Chicago?
So Lent is perhaps, no definitely, a wake-up call for me. One I think men of a certain age need to think about, that age being me. Exercise, fruit, water, portion control and I might even have to cut down on that sociable drinking too. Damn, I try so hard not to talk like one, so no way am going to start looking like your average American. ¶ 02:06
