studiojek

My father's theory is that North Americans just keep getting fatter and fatter to fit into their jumbo cars better hehe!

waterlilybarb

HAHA!  Not a bad theory.  Too bad they don't start making cars a bit smaller - everyone would be trying to lose weight to fit in them.

studiojek

Sort of a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum! Which came first, fat cars or fat people to fit in them!?? haha!

It's HOT here today, I imagine the same with you Barb?

waterlilybarb

Yes it is, and miserably humid.  Thankfully there's a breeze.  It stormed much of last night, and is threatening rain again.  I wouldn't mind if it would feel fresh afterward, but it just makes it feel like a sauna.

penny3760

Not all North Americans are fat.  I do agree with you about Americans getting heavier.  It's not because of laziness.  People work just as hard as they use to but it's not a physical labor. They sit behind a desk and let computer's do the work for them.  It's a shame. We have machines to do the work for us.

themegababe

haha Yes Penny, not all north Americans are fat.  But I think it is because of laziness and poor eating.  It wouldn't be bad if we were behind a computer all day... if we ate well and went on a walk at night. But we have the McDonalds craze and all you can eat syndrome.  I read a book that talked about McDonalds putting something in it's food that blocks the message receptors saying you are full, so you keep eating and never get satisfied.  It is crazy.   but I ate there awhile back and it was true, after a whole burger and fries, I was still hungry!  Crazy

waterlilybarb

I think another part of the problem is the fast food.  People are so busy and tired that they often grab fast food on their way home.  I've seen it with a few of my relatives, and unfortunately it's beginning to show in their kids.  They've also cut back on the amount of P.E. kids in elementary school get, so if they aren't inclined to do sports outside of school, they don't get much exercise.  It's unfortunate, but you can't just let your kids play outside anymore.  Someone always has to be available to supervise because there are so many pervs out there.  When I was a kid, we could run and play all over the neighbourhood without our parents being afraid...and all that running around kept the majority of us slim.

penny3760

So many things have changed since I was younger.  It's so sad.

cshapiro

You said it.  When I was a kid(my son just asked me if that was in "the olden days") I was outside all day.  I left the house after breakfast and I didn't come back in until it was getting dark.  I roamed the neighborhood with my friends  on our bikes and we played hockey in the street and came home tired and dirty like a kid should be on a summer day.  We also watched very little TV and had no video games(Gasp!!)

studiojek

Hi Penny!

I know not all North Americans are fat - I'm North American and I'm not fat - so I know I was generalizing (for humor's sake!). However, I don't think it's only about computers. I sit in front of a computer all day long at work but still manage to get exercise and eat well. Basically, it's a mix of things, as it often is, which makes a large and growing (no pun intended) population of N. Americans obese.

My childhood was like cshapiro's: we were always outside, rode our bikes, no videogames. Sure, we ate McDonald's and ice cream and candy, but our daily energy level just seemed higher!

themegababe

I was a child not long ago (I'm only 23), but I used to run around all the time, just like you guys!  We (tried) to build treehouses in our backyard and ran from one friends house to another.  And while we had to ask if we could go to the park, we could usually go, that is, after we were like 8 or something. But then the whole Polly Klaus thing happened (she was abducted from her bedroom window) and it scared a lot of people.  There was a whole fear of even being in your own home.  Anyways, that made a lot of parents keep a much tighter reign on their kids.  And like Barb said, be available to supervise.  Which is hard for most families now, who have to have 2 incomes to keep their families running.  So it's just a tough world to live in.  And we have to make a lot of effort to go to the gym.  Thankfully I have a really fast metabolism right now, but I know that once it slows down I am going to need to go on more walks and work out more often.  

And yes, it is convenient to grab fast food.  American needs to slow down.  We all do so much, run our kids from activity to activity.  And just never stop and smell the roses.  Tonight I have nothing to do, and it's wonderful!  I love time to just relax and go slow!  

Anyways, enough or my rant!

imarielle626

Even when I was a child I was able to run/bike around.  Until a certain age I was supervised by an adult, but as I got a little older we were allowed to go hang out at the elementary school a block from my house (they had a huge field and jumgle gym that we used to play on).  Kids also just naturally are more active and have faster metabolisms so at that age it isn't hard to stay thin.  It's once you get past that age that it becomes a problem.  That's where I am right now.  I notice myself that I gained some weight while living in the hostel in Israel because it was just so easy having three meals provided for you everyday buffet style and with my classes I became lazy and didn't go to the gym.  But now I live on a pretty big campus, but everything is walking distance so I don't even have to make an effort to get exercise.  I just opt for walking places as opposed to taking the bus.  But I can definitely see how many people gain weight once starting college.  It is easy to be lazy and not eat right, especially if you are used to having a parent cook for you (or even cook for yourself).  And with the addition of alcohol to many college students' diets...people don't realize how bad alcohol is for you health-wise, not just judgement-wise!

themegababe

Not to change the subject, but I am...  haha Hopefully my bikini is bright enough for you now... and it's very patriotic! haha

Also, I have been enjoying these deep convos as of late. It's good to have a place to come and talk and express your opinion and not be judged!

waterlilybarb

I can definitely see your bikini this time Meg - no worries about looking like a nudist.

I like that we have all sorts of discussions in this thread too.  It's very much the women talk - sometimes funny, sometimes serious, all mixed together.  I'm ever so glad I hijacked this thread   and we now have our own little corner of the forum to do with as we please.

studiojek

I'm glad too! I love popping onto the giggle box - I can't believe there are 106 thread pages!!!

meljones_83

Yeah, I like popping in here too - these days it seems like I only get the chance to come on and see what I've missed!

Hope everyone is well, I'm very excited today as I get to meet my new class tomorrow, the kids I'll be teaching in September. I've heard they're a pretty nice bunch to teach overall and I haven't heard much about them which is a good sign as I'll have no preconceived ideas about them.

waterlilybarb

Hey gals!

What age kids do you teach Mel?  It ought to be fun meeting them, and hopefully they're as nice to teach as you've heard.  It is nice not to have preconceived ideas so they can start out with a clean slate.

waterlilybarb

Just wanted to say "hey!" - so Hey!

Catch ya' on the flip side.

shinny

Yip that's true ! They put Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) into McDonalds Food which A) Gives it taste and B) Is what makes you feel hungry shortly after eating !

It's so bad for you. I can't eat it because it gives me palpitations. I don't really eat McDonalds food, but I noticed I got the same reaction after eating Chinese food here. Sure enough, they load all their dishes here with MSG. You now have to ask them to leave it out when you place your order! Which I do if we are having Chinese Food.

It's also what makes McDonalds so very very salty ! I dislike their food because of that, it tastes very salty to me. I'm not a big salt lover and I can taste it immediately when it's in food.

Most people eat too much salt (because it's in all pre-packed foods, cereals etc) I actually had to add it to mine, lol because the last time I had a blood test done they said it was borderline too low ! That made me laugh.

Oh and Happy Belated 4th of July to those of you celebrating Independence Day.

bala

i love mc donalds food it one of the thing i loved when i went shopping with my parent when i was kid that hassle my parents to go there at lunchtime whenever we went shopping in the summer.