My mom is staying with Emily and Reece this weekend while their parents are out of town. Last night I went over to visit them and took the DVD “Supersize Me” so we could all watch it. I thought Reece might get a little bored with it, but I was hoping my mom and Emily and I would enjoy watching it. We were riveted to our seats the entire two hours. Yes, even my seven-year-old nephew watched most of it. It was an amazing documentary. The film maker, Morgan Spurlock, ate nothing but food from McDonalds for thirty days. What happened to him during that time period was horrifically frightening. I’m not being the least dramatic by saying that. If you’ve not watched this informative, entertaining documentary, please do so. You’ll think differently about fast food afterwards, I promise.
Writing about fast food brings me to the whole weight issue. Please allow me to present my thoughts on something. I’ve expressed this opinion many times, to many people, and I almost always get the same response: “Oh, I’ve never thought about it that way.” Here’s what I think: The overweight person has a much tougher time dealing with losing weight than an alcoholic or drug addict has with overcoming his/her addiction. Why? I’ll tell you. While trying to lose weight, an overweight person STILL HAS TO EAT TO SURVIVE. Get it? An alcoholic or drug addict, who, by the way, can go to rehab (which is covered by insurance and when they get out are applauded as having done something remarkable) and learn to kick their addiction, and abstain from alcohol or drugs and survive. An overweight person cannot do that. She must continue to consume, although in smaller portions, the very thing to which she is addicted! To put it in the most practical terms, what an overweight person must experience to lose weight is like telling an alcoholic, “Okay, you must stop drinking so much or you are going to die. However, you still must consume one vodka martini in the morning, one at noon, one at six p.m., and one before bed. That’s all you are allowed, just four drinks per day, and we expect you to overcome the addiction this way and be normal like we are!!” That, my friends, is what an overweight person experiences as she tries to control her urges. AND, she also must put up with the ridicule and narrow mindedness from people who think she is weak. Sure, there are arguments that could be made about my idea, but you have to admit I’m correct about that fact that we must eat food to live and therefore we overweight people face a very difficult situation every single day of our lives.
8 comments:
That is such a good point. It would be nice if you could avoid food entirely, huh?
I'm now dealing with a slowing metabolism, finding that for the first time I have to sort of constantly "diet" just to stay at the weight I'm at now. Ugh!
My stepdaughters saw Supersize Me and made me watch it. They were riveted.
I also agree with your comparison. I am a 200 lb. food addict/bulimic. The thought of being fat disgusts me & I stick my finger down my throat after I eat sometimes. It's a love/hate relationship (kinda like marriage). Alcoholics drink because they cannot handle every day occurrences and/or their life is in the crapper. Food addicts just prefer pizza & ice cream over a glass of vodka. They are both sad. I pray daily for the courage to overcome this. I will put you in my prayers Vanessa.
Hi Vanessa. I'm very lucky to have never struggled with my weight. Like Lucinda, I find that as I age I am starting to have to be more careful. I think you make a really good point about the complexity of trying to control an addiction to something that you can't get away from, ever. Good luck. I'll be thinking about you.
That film was amazing.
And amen, sister. You make an great point.
Hi Ness,
You are right about this. We do have to eat and the struggle to make the right choices & eat the correct portions of food is a constant battle. I haven't see the film yet but restaurants, for the most part, serve way too large portions. It is also a tremendous waste.
Loveya,
Auntie L
That movie was very scary, and very enlightening. I completely agree with your thoughts on the weight issue. I never really thought of it that way before, but you make an incredibly interesting point.
Supersize me was so good!!!And, it saddens me that our family loves to eat so much.
We're Southern, Emily, and that usually means live to eat - not eat to live. I don't want you to think that food is bad, though, Em, it's actually evil. I'm kidding - it's just difficult to control oneself when you're brain keeps telling you to take one more bite!!
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