new york councilman wants to ban fast food restaurants.

[catmother]

IMHO people don't have to eat garbage in fast food restaurants. there are rare times when i'm out doing chores and i'm hungry. i run into McDonalds and get the grilled chicken sandwich and tell them to hold the mayo or give it to me on the side so i can just put a small amount on. i understand burger king also has grilled chicken. one thing i noticed with mcdonald's chicken it's very salty.

the facts are out there. people have choices. eliminating these restaurants will not control obesity.

[RagingInMiami]

1. And even if they want to eat garbage

They should have that right.

[catmother]

2. exactly.

[BuhByeChimp]

3. We may be forced to eat garbage.....

Due to our current national spending, gas prices, minimum wage, etc., we may be forced to eat garbage to survive....

[catmother]

18. yes. we'll be hovering around the garbage pails at pizza places,

looking for the crust on the end that many people throw away.

[Tulum_Moon]

51. Only the rich

throw away their crusts.;-)

[catmother]

58. to me that's one of the best parts of the pizza. i'm not a big

pizza eater. i love it but it's a little too heavy. i always ask my husband to save me the crust on his, but now he eats it. lol

[MikeNearMcChord]

4. You got a link on that? Thanks :-)

:hi: I agree with you, and I am one that was living that lifestyle, I feel the same way about lawsuits against FF joints and greasy spoons. If we are going to be a free society, we got to have personal accountability. Life's a series of choices, good or bad.

[MamaBear]

7. Here you go.

http://www.amny.com/news/local/am-food0622,0,1696813.story?coll=am-topheadlines

It's from amNew York, a give-away paper we grab on the way into the subway.

"In a town where you can get a slice of pizza or a hot dog on nearly every block, one city councilman wants to limit the number of fast food restaurants as a way to fight obesity.

"Councilman Joel Rivera, health committee chairman, said at a hearing Wednesday he was exploring the idea of using zoning laws to prevent fast food joints from taking over city streets. More than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight or obese.

"You're not going to totally eliminate fast food restaurants, but you could limit the amount," Rivera said after the hearing.

"He said there is a high concentration of fast food eateries in low-income communities, and suggested that might to contribute to obesity rates, which also tend to be greater in those areas"

More at link.

Edited to add: I don't see this going anywhere. Those fast food places are the entry jobs for thousands of young people, and the only work some folks can get. I think it would be economically bad. It would be nice if those fast food places could modify their offerings a bit.

[MikeNearMcChord]

15. Muchas Gracias!

:hi:

[catmother]

19. i'm from new york. do they still have all the food vendors up

around 48th street? i used to buy falafel from a guy there. it was awesome. after he put the tahini he would put a scoop of babaganough (sp?) on top.

everytime i ate it i would just reek of garlic. fortunately my co-workers ate it too.

we had wonderful chinese restaurants that we would order from. no MSG and you could get brown rice. back then, '89, you could get the whole lunch including soup for $5.00. do you know if Empire Szechuan (sp?) is still around? they had the best wonton soup.

[MamaBear]

101. Vendors, we got vendors ...

I don't work in midtown any more (came downtown in '98), but yeah, the street vendors are still mostly around: falafel, dirty water hotdogs, hot soft pretzels (they're $2 now on some corners); down in the financial district their business was totally disrupted in late 2001, and then they came back (the fried chicken you can smell cooking a block away), and now they're being chased around again by the massive construction projects with the work finally getting underway at the Trade Center, the rebuilding of the WTC subway station, and the massive overhauls of the Broadway-Nassau-Fulton and South Ferry subway stations. All needed work, but it is a noisy mess down here these days.

Empire Sech. is still around, plus the moving waves of trendy stuff -- since '89 we've had cajun and bar-b-que and tex-mex and the smoothies & wraps, giant muffins, cupcakes, exotic coffees and upscale burger joints, sushi -- but I don't think you can get lunch anywhere for $5 anymore.

Giuliani made it very difficult for the street vendors to work, and Bloomberg hasn't been much friendlier, but they hang in there.

[catmother]

102. i worked at new york tel on 6th and 42nd for 9 years and then 2

years at 30 rockefeller plaza. i used to shop in the stores in the concourse of the world trade center. they were open till 7 pm so i would grab the train when i got off a 5 pm. shop, then hop right on the subway in the building. always got a seat cause that was the last/first stop. one helluva long ride though to forest hills.

my husband worked downtown and he called it "the bowels of the city". lol he drove to work -- i remember he found a parking lot for $8.00. the express bus was $7.00 and of course, the subway was a long ride so for $1.00 more he had the convenience of driving. he left early in the morning so traffic wasn't too bad.

[catmother]

10. no i was doing something and had the tv on when i heard it. it

was on MSNBC. didn't get the councilman's name.

[slackmaster]

5. McDonald's et al could just start taking longer to prepare orders

Then it would be slow food.

:dunce:

[catmother]

13. thanks for the laugh.

[phillinweird247]

6. Noone is forcing anybody to eat there....

Whats next a potato chip ban.
When are these god damn politicians going to do something usefull?

[Exultant Democracy]

22. Ha, are you a comic? Lets play guess who's it gonna kill!

How about some poor inner city child who through the marvels of modern living gets to be malnourished and overweight at the same time!

No one forces him to eat McDonald's, but that is all Mom brings home. Wait, sorry, his mom brings home potato chips too.

Why don't we give the kid a name like, Sam. Sam gets to look forward to obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Since Sam is also malnourished he will have problems concentrating in school. The only good news is that Sam will probably never be educated enough to know how badly he got fu*ked, the bad news is that he is going to feed his kids the same shit.

Thank god the politicians were doings something important like passing a non-binding resolution.

[WI_DEM]

8. Is he proposing closing down existing businesses?

That is just plain dumb and lots of working poor folks would also lose their jobs.

[Jed Dilligan]

9. Well, they do stink to high heaven

I wouldn't mind if the zoning laws kept them farther away from other stuff, like housing, but as far as controlling people's diet's goes, it's a free country or used to be.

Pretty chilling that both the left and the right and especially the center have lost their grasp of civil liberties.

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. Seems like every restaurant fast or not promotes obesity.

[catmother]

16. you're right. i do eat about 4 times a week in a chinese

restaurant. they don't use MSG and everything is fresh. i just get assorted vegetables and rice. now, on the other hand, when i want comfort food i go to the Cracker Barrell. their vegetables remind me of my grandma's, cooked soft and i think there's a little bacon in it. i don't do this often. it's funny though. the cracker barrel that i go to has a big can of lard standing on one of it's shelves in the front of the restaurant. the first time i saw it i thought someone left in there by mistake, but it's been sitting there for over a year.

[seabeyond]

12. hoooyahhhh... lets get it on. along with drinking in bars

smoking in cars..... shit, just having a job if you smoke. i say lets do food patrols too. and ...... pump into a tv in every home an exercise show that all are required to paticipate in. and then.... ya... all have to go to specified place and get on a scale

i am down on this

[donco6]

70. Winston . . . Winston - I can't see you doing your knee bends!

Ugh.

Can't I have a greasy disgusting burger if I want? And a smoke afterwards?

[seabeyond]

78. ah hahahahaha.... soon in our world we will not even have to use our

brains, cause we will have all to tell us exactly where to put our foot as we make our uniquely individual? no mass zombie like journey thru life. oh joy

and all for the good of our health, or the wisdom of others or the name of the lord. pick and chose

[catmother]

84. well things are so automated. i just bought a "roomba" -- the

little robot vacuum. it works pretty good. less stress on my aging back. lol

[Beelzebud]

14. I thought there was no slipper slope to this type of shit?

No slippery slope my ass.

It's ok if they're going after the smokers right?

It's ok if they're going after the fatty foods right?

Where is the line?

[Exultant Democracy]

17. At least someone is trying to do something

This is one of those sticky wicket issues but sooner or later someone is going to have to say "No, you can't feed your kids what you want. You have no nutritional education and you are going to kill your child."

It is just like our oil problem. The single best solution is to slap on a gas tax of a few dollars. Of course we all know that would never happen because of the power of stupidity and cowardice.

These fast food restaurants are almost almost all eco-terrorists already, and they are waging war on the poor and the ignorant. Why shouldn't we outlaw these enemies of the American people?

[Beelzebud]

20. A Brave New World.

Fuck that... America is supposedly a free country.

[Exultant Democracy]

25. Freedom is very important

I think that the freedom for children to grow up healthy and breath clean air is pretty important. In fact I think that it is a freedom worth fighting for.

Then again maybe I am crazy for thinking that cutting down the rain-forests (which surprise! are important to the environment)in order to provided space for methane factories, I mean cows (surprise again they are bad for the environment) is criminal.

I may be crazy but I think feeding beef growth hormone to children is criminal. (Now if I replaced children with Baseball players in that sentence maybe John McCain would care.)

I may be way off here but the fact that the children today (who have no choice where mom and dad get dinner) are going to be the first generation in recent history to live shorted and more sickly lives, is criminal.

Well all I have to say is "Fuck that... America is supposedly a free country" and if these kids can't stand of for their freedoms it is up to americans that can to make a change.

This is something that has to be regulated just as urgently as fuel efficiency standards, and while we wait the bodies will continue to pile up.

[catmother]

21. i said to my sister one time. any mother who brings her kids to

McDonalds is guilty of child abuse. she had a fit and said she only brought them there once in a while. my sister is not poor, and she's very educated. she knows the facts. she has had a long time problem with weight and now my oldest niece does (not obese just maybe 20 lbs overweight). my sis would go to the gym and work out for an hour and then stop for a thick shake. she's 52 now and still battling. she also likes to drink. not in excess, but a few. now that stuff turns right to sugar and she knows that.

but it's her choice.

[darkism]

23. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why people laugh at the left.

"Eco-terrorist?" Give me a break.

No, it's not good for you, but as long as the left is perceived as wanting to take away peoples' SUVs/meat/fur coats/fast food, they're not going to win any points with anyone but vegans and Greenpeace.

Now pardon me while I run to Burger King.

[Ron Green]

28. Yeah, just like they laughed at (and cursed) the left for trying to tell

business owners whom they had to serve and universities whom they had to admit in the 1960's.

A certain amount of social engineering is inevitable and even necessary on a crowded and complex planet. The libertarian argument that keeps popping up here at DU surprises me sometimes in its vehemence, considering that corporations want nothing more than "freedom of choice" for consumers, never mind the health of the people or the earth.

[Exultant Democracy]

39. great post n/t

[catmother]

29. interesting. i consider myself a person "of the left". my husband

says i've become a "whaco left". the other day i made a list of things that i feel make me a liberal or "the left". i showed them to him and he said most people in the country would agree with me on the issues.

they were:

pro choice
anti death penalty
universal health care
living wage for everyone
gay rights -- even marriage if they feel they need it
anti iraq war
environment

there are other things but this was just what came to my mind.

you're absolutely right. we will never get elected if we demand the things you mentioned. i certainly would like to see the chemicals and hormones taken out of food, but we can't push to hard right now.

[Exultant Democracy]

32. Wrong the reason they laugh is because they hate us...

The reason they hate us is civil rights. They may pretend that isn't the reason but it is. When the Democrats took up the fight for civil rights we lost the south, and it still hasn't come back. That is when the line was drawn and that is why they hate us.

"SUVs/meat/fur coats/fast food" are all newer issues, and guess what they hated us before they were issues and they would hate us and laugh at us even if they weren't.

So why don't you tell some poor little black child that will grow up to be obese and suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure that "Your issue is a joke to me kid."

[Beaverhausen]

41. Does the environment mean anything to you?

If so, you might want to read up on the extreme inefficiency of and incredible pollution caused in the production of "meat" products.

[Beelzebud]

42. I agree. I think I'll have some fast food tonight as well. :D

[WinkyDink]

31. Please, for my sake, start with the potato chip companies. Thanks!

[KurtNYC]

24. Wrong "solution"

I was talking with a teacher last night. She has 4 kids in her class who are diabetic -- Type 2 in seventh grade! The country is awash in stuff that isn't really food. Diet sodas are not taxed because under the law they are not food. They have zero calories and zero nutrition. So what? Recent studies have shown that diet soda makes people crave sweets and it is entirely possible that the fast food industry knows this. They have decades of data on how to get people to eat more and spend more. They know what few consumers know: drink diet soda ---> crave dessert.

But what this council member is proposing is rediculous. What he should be pushing for IMHO is for more areas (parking lots, empty lots) to be zoned for use to sell produce and locally produced foods. This is one of the most diverse cities on the planet and we love each others' foods. Food is perhaps the most easily translated part of another culture. And anything, absolutely anything, is better for you than fast foods which are scientifically designed to make you hungrier or leave you hungry for nutrients in spite of having injested 1000s of calories.

Ensuring the availability of more healthy options is an essential part of addressing this problem. People work increasingly long hours and therefore increasingly get their food from snack machines and drive-throughs. We need healthier options for working people.

And here is a link to the story the OP mentions:
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/428889p-361577c.html

[catmother]

26. has anyone seen the movie "supersize me". if you didn't i

would highly recommend it.

[Beaverhausen]

38. "Fast Food Nation" will be released soon

Should be just as good.

[AngryAmish]

27. Just make sure the parking lots are a mile from the restuarant

That would make a trip there more healthy.

[WinkyDink]

30. What is meant here by "garbage"? I don't frequent fast-food places,

but I don't need to, and I like to cook.
But "garbage"? That's a totally absurd descriptor.

[catmother]

55. i hate to cook, but i don't go to fast food restaurants. i do some

cooking, but when i do it's healthy.

if i had the money i would hire a Gourmet Vegetarian Chef to prepare our meals.

[WinkyDink]

100. Heh. I'd hire Curtis Stone, "Take-home Chef". Stir that risotto, baby!

[catmother]

33. funny thing. my husband does not eat in fast food restaurants.

he is overweight. he just makes poor choices. like a donut with his coffee. the other day he ate lunch at one of those bread companies. the ones with all the fancy breads and they make sandwiches too. he had tuna fish salad and they put on some sprouts. i laughed when he told me. did they try to make it look healthy with the sprouts when they had the tuna drenched in mayo?

i've been into health since the early 80s. he says he doesn't understand how i can keep my weight down and eat what i want. he eats at the chinese restaurant with me. i'll order the vegetables and he'll order the sesame chicken or something else deep fried. i weight myself every day and if i gain a pound or 2 i just cut back. it's just the way i live my life. i have trained myself to stay away from certain foods unless i want a treat like the "cracker barrell". and when i do "indulge" in the unhealthy foods, it's a treat -- a reward for my good behaviour the rest of the time.

[Snivi Yllom]

34. Come on! Can't people make these decisions for themselves?

Just go to the checkout line in the store and see the crap people stuff their overflowing carts with.

I will never forget one obese woman in front of me. She had fattening TV dinners, loads of icecreams, cookies, whipped cream AND a TV Guide.

these people would so the world a favor and keep eating themselevs into the grave.

[Exultant Democracy]

37. Adults can, children can't

That obese woman in front of you will most likely eat herself into an early grave. Now think about the overflowing cart of ice cream,tv dinners cookies and whipped cream, if she has kids, what will they eat?

It kills more people then crack, and like crack it targets the poorest and least educated, and even if "these people would (do) the world a favor and keep eating themselves into the grave" for everyone that dies there are a few poor kids that will be taking their place far too soon.

[Beelzebud]

43. And can children DRIVE to McDonald's and pay for the meal?

[Exultant Democracy]

56. A joke? Well it sure is funny

http://www.frac.org/html/hunger_in_the_us/hunger&obesity.htm

Ha ha poor kids are so poor and their parents make such bad choices that they get to be overweight and obese at the same time! Think about it FAT and HUNGRY like in that movie Seven (it was a comedy too.)

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9904E4DE1739F931A35752C1A965948260

Wait this is funny too "Chronic nutritional problems stunt growth, prevent normal learning and mental development, and yield high susceptibility to illness." Ha ha fatty gets to grow up to be stupid and sick.

http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/408.asp
Look the fat kids are sad that they are fat. Stupid kids they should have known better
then to grow up poor.

I almost forgot the best one. http://www.meridianhealth.com/jsmc.cfm/MediaRelations/News/BreakingNews/20060407.cfm

Fatty can't even fit in a car seat. I guess they can't drive up to McDonald's cause they can't ride in cars cause they are so fat Ha Ha.

[Beaverhausen]

40. Have you watched TV during "children's TV hours"?

tons of commercials for fast food, food with nothing but sugar and fat, etc. It's ingrained in children that this is the food they should eat.

[Beelzebud]

44. Yeah if the TV is their only source of input maybe...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

60. They got rid of the strip joints in Times Square too.

How do you feel about that?

Frankly, I'd prefer the strip joints.

[Avalux]

35. Again, someone trying to control the lives of others.

It's wrong. Period. x(

[Ikonoklast]

98. Bingo!

We have a winner. I'll eat whatever the hell I want to, if I want to. If it's bad for me, I suffer the consequences. You won't get fat, I will. You won't suffer a heart attack. I will.


You CANNOT legislate or outlaw bad decision making. Go after booze and cigarettes, those are both proven killers. See how many people are left voting Democratic after you take away their after-work beer, or glass of wine with dinner. Take away their smokes.


Please stop telling me how to live my life. Damn people sound JUST LIKE REPUKES.

[senseandsensibility]

36. McDonald's actually has a great Asian chicken salad now

Has anyone tried it? It has orange marinated chicken breast, lots of greens, almonds (in a separate pack), peppers, and a really good Paul Newman asian ginger dressing, which is low fat. I hadn't eaten at McDonald's in years, but I was pleasantly surprised.

[dysfunctional press]

47. it's AWESOME! i've had three of them in the past week.

(there's a 24-hour mickey d's two blocks away)

try adding some fresh pineapple or mango to it!

[senseandsensibility]

50. Sounds great

I've had a craving for fresh pineapple lately. Yummy!

[Xenotime]

45. Asian salads, grilled chicken..too little too late...

There should be a fast food tax and stronger gov't control over "fast food"

[Beelzebud]

46. Fast food tax? Way to fuck over the poor even more...

[Exultant Democracy]

57. It is a good thing that the poor have an advocate like you to help them

:sarcasm:

[Avalux]

48. No one is dragged into McDonald's and force-fed a burger and fries.

It's a choice, just like anything else. Personal Liberty.

[Exultant Democracy]

59. Well both of those statements are false

First, I'm sure many of us here have seen a child having a temper tantrum get dragged into a McDonald's" I know that wasn't what you were thinking of, but it isn't exactly divorced from this issue either. What choice does a child have if the parent says we are eating here?

As for your second part, that no one is force-fed a burger and fries. I have seen plenty of parents tell their children that they better clear their plate sometimes even in a raised voice.

Children don't have the freedom of choice that adults do. We protect them from cigarettes and we protect baseballs players from animal growth hormone, why wouldn't we protect of children from animal growth hormones too?

[catmother]

62. very good points. sometimes we do not protect them from

cigarettes. if the parent smokes, which many do, second hand smoke can be more harmful than actually smoking.

[Exultant Democracy]

63. Thanks

You are right we don't do enough to protect kids from second hand smoke. I remember when I was little and my mom wouldn't let me sleep over at a kids house if their parents smoked as a kid this sucked, but I didn't have any choice in the matter.

[catmother]

65. i don't know how old you are. i' m nearing 65 and i smoked

when i was younger. i smoked when i was pregnant. i smoked around my child. but we didn't know the facts back then. camel used to have a big billboard in times square with a picture of a nurse on it saying "more doctors smoke camels than any other brand".

now it makes me ill. even when i pass a store where the employees are outside for their cigarette break it gives me a headache and i feel queasy.

when you think about it -- when you first try to smoke -- youre body rejects it. you cough and get dizzy. but you force yourself to get used to it. in my day smoking was the "in thing". i stopped 23 years ago when it was about $1.00 a pack. if i didn't then, i sure would now. $6.00 a pack at 2 packs a day. wow that's a lot of money going up in smoke.

[Exultant Democracy]

72. I'm about to turn 25 so when I was young the verdict was already in

all of this of course didn't stop me from smoking for almost 8 years 15-23. If they hadn't banned cigs from bars I would have never been able to stop.

[catmother]

76. that is so interesting. my hairdresser is 27. i smelled smoke

on her one day. i said "do you smoke"? she said "yes". i said "do your parents know"? she said that they do and that they lecture her constantly. also told me that almost everyone in the salon smokes. there mostly in their 20s. i think when we're young -- we feel that nothing can hurt us. when i think back to some of the things i did. well it's amazing that i wasn't strangled with my own pantyhouse. lol. my aunt and my grandma used to say "child you have no fear, you don't read the papers". i was a divorced mother in the late 60s in new york city and i went wild until mid 1970 when i met my present husband. i have no regrets.

[Avalux]

71. So now we're going to regulate by law how people raise their kids?

Other than abuse, which must be substantiated, we can't stick our fingers into parenting and start demanding people feed their kids what we tell them to. We can make recommendations, we can educate and hope they get it, but we ultimately can't police people in that manner. It's treading dangerous ground and I refuse to go there.

[catmother]

73. the information is out there. i guess some people just don't

pay attention to it and we can't force them. we need to start educating in the schools.

when my niece was in elementary school she had a very progressive teacher who talked about food and coffee. she said that coffee was a drug. my niece raised her hand and said "my mother used to take drugs". she meant coffee. lol

[Avalux]

74. I agree completely. Education.

If people are well-informed, they might not choose to go to McDonalds, etc. - may stop and say "hey, this isn't good for my kids". Start with kids in school, they can learn to develop good eating habits to carry through adulthood. It's the best we can do. Funny coffee story.
:hi:

[catmother]

75. it is. my sister didn't think it was funny at the time.

[Exultant Democracy]

88. We already do regulate how people raise their kids

For example child safety seat laws have nothing to do with abuse only child safety. If you are right then child safety laws are treading dangerous ground.

I can't imagine from the tone of your post that you have a firm grasp of how serious this situation is right now.

http://www.frac.org/html/hunger_in_the_us/hunger&obesit...

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&r...

http://clearinghouse.missouriwestern.edu/manuscripts/40...

And if you were thinking that the child safety seat laws was just a straw-man
http://www.meridianhealth.com/jsmc.cfm/MediaRelations/N...

As for abuse, how isn't it substantial abuse if it kills the kid?

[Terran1212]

49. It's going to be unpopular to do that, but I would support that

Just feel its a social ill we can do without. We're all happier without it.

[Jewlery]

53. No way...

That would be forcing me to live by YOUR standards.  Because
you don't like it, therefore I shouldn't have it either?

I can't believe this is even being considered!

[Fox Mulder]

52. That's absurd!

If I'm in a hurry, I don't have time to cook anything! What am I supposed to do then? Go hungry?

Fuck that.

I agree with you. Eliminating fast food places will NOT control obesity. It's up to the people to control it themselves, not the government.

[catmother]

54. one of the things that bugs me about McDonalds is the play

area for kids. they have us feed our kids junk and then they have the Ronald McDonald house where parents of sick children can stay.

doesn't make any sense.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

61. Fuck Anybody Who Tries To Take Away My Burger King. This FatPhobia Is

pissing me the hell off already.

[catmother]

64. hey calm down. no one is taking away your burger king. lol

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

66. Actually Let Me Rephrase: Fuck Anybody Trying To Make My B.K. Healthy! LOL

I know my B.K. ain't goin anywhere. I'm more just fed up already with all these self righteous morons who want fattening foods taken off the market and replaced with healthy crap.

I can't even get decent tasting fries half the time any more because this healthy oil crap.

[catmother]

67. my friend is a vegetarian, but it's not for health reasons. he eats

the veggie burgers at mcdonalds and burger king and has the fries too. he's almost 49 and in great health. still looks like he's in his 20s.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

68. I Eat Whatever Fattening Foods I Can, BK Double Cheese, Fries And I Look

in my 20's too.

[catmother]

69. he remains thin too.

some people have fast metabolisms.

when i was young, about 17 i couldn't get up to 100 lbs. i ate like a pig. hamburgers, fries, thick shakes, cake. finally i made it to 100 lbs. and got a little more curvy. for years i could eat whatever i wanted and not gain weight, then around 30 things changed.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

77. I'm Almost 32 And Still Disappear If I Turn Sideways.

[catmother]

82. i'm so jealous. i'm not complaining. i'm almost 65 and i look

pretty damn good. i have had some nipping and tucking. i do watch what i eat and i drink tons of water with lemon and i don't go out in the sun anymore which is pretty hard living in phoenix. i get sun just walking from the parking lot to my car.

[seabeyond]

79. parents were taking all the fat out of little ones diets too, until they

found out the babies and little ones need the fat for their brains to grow. and how terribly unhealthy and wrong to eliminate and treat like an adult as opposed to simple and easy moderation for the life of a child.

[catmother]

85. you're right. remember susan powder telling us we could eat

hyge amounts of food as long as it didn't have fat. well i gained weight and so did a lot of other people.

[seabeyond]

89. i did all the crazy in teens and twenties, thru out scale in 30's

listened to my body and that was embracing chocolate, all in moderation. no guilt. i swear guilt adds 100-1000 calories depending on how much guilt one beats themselves up with. and you know .... over a decade i have been perfectly fine. in moderation...oh and did i say, that includes chocolate. like to see anyone take my chocolate away

[catmother]

93. i think they've decided now that chocolate is good for you. the

dark chocolate. i eat it in moderation. also coffee has benefits.

when i lived in new york i used to listen to a nutrition guy on the radio. i remember him saying "if eating healthy becomes stressful, you're negating the whole purpose". i always remember this when i want to indulge in something that i know is not good for me.

gotta have some fun in life. sometimes i look at these skinny, so-called healthy vegetarians and they don't look so healthy and they don't look happy.

i remember years ago a woman who was a few years older than me said "when you get older you've got to have some meat on your bones". i didn't understand it then. but now i know what she meant. i have a little meat and i look healthy. in fact, i don't want to lose any weight. it would show in my face right away. just look at nancy reagan. OMG

[seabeyond]

95. omg

lol lol i am reading along all good enjoying your post and get to nancy reagan and i say omg as i see your omg.... and i don't even use that term, lol.

so i guess we concur on that one.

and yes dark chocolate good, but really a little of any chocolate make you happy good. and coffee too. the keep trying ot demonize it, but can't make it stick. interesting what you say though on the meat as you get older. not there yet, just well on my way. thanks for the info

[catmother]

96. i've looked at some pictures of myself when i was about 48.

i thought i looked good then, but i was way too thin. people still refer to me as being thin -- i'm not. it's just that i'm not fat. i have a lot of muscle. my husband of 36 years says "you're perfect". isn't that nice?

[seabeyond]

97. ahhhhhhh... yes, that is nice, but

true, i am sure

[catmother]

99. the funny thing is i can't say that to him. he needs to lose about

30 lbs. he's been bugging me about making meatballs. my first husband was italian and i learned how to cook from his mother. i stopped making meatballs quite a few years ago. so last week i surprised him. did it the way he remembered. first browned them -- then into the sauce.

he enjoyed it so much. i told him i would make a deal with him. that if he lost 30 lbs i would make him meatballs every week. he seems to be eating less since i said this.

he's a good guy and i want him to stay around and not develop the problems that come with being overweight when you're older. he's almost 59, but looks older than me.

[Snivi Yllom]

103. Fucking A!

I have a huge fucking hardon against the fat police.

[davepc]

80. I'm pro choice

and I choose not to eat there. Others can choose to do the same.

I don't need some guy from the government telling me what I can or cant choose to put in my own body.

nanny-statism at its worst.

[im10ashus]

81. What next?

Chicago alderman wants a ban on bars? Aren't there bigger fish to be frying these days? Especially in NY where we just lost a big chunk of our Homeland Security funding to some small town in Cheneyville? People have to make certain choices for themselves.

[chaska]

83. As an over the road truck driver I have no option but fast food. EVER.

That is all you can get at these damned corporate truckstops. I guess some do have sit down restaurants, but they have the same damn deep fried shit as the fast food places.

[catmother]

87. well like is said in my post, when i'm in a hurry i get the grilled

chicken sandwich. i remembering hearing something not to long ago that a woman lost weight eating at McDonalds. it was the choices she maid. the opposite of "supersize me".

and what about the "subway guy". he lost a ton of weight. don't even know his name, but now he's a spokesman for subway.

[B2G]

86. My god!

Parents are feeding their children fast food? What else are they doing...letting them run with scissors and rent "R" rated videos?

Take them away and let the state raise them, since they know best!

Ugh.

[B2G]

90. And you know what?

This idea of the "evil" fast food empire conspiring against the poor really pisses me right the hell off. It costs 20 buck to feed a family of 4 at McDonalds. People can go to the store and buy 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, a box mix of pasta or pototoes and a bag of frozen veggies for way less. Why don't they? Because they'd have to actually cook it.

It's about laziness. Pure & simple.

[SoCalDem]

91. When the city government grants unlimited permits,

they have to look in the mirror. Fast food outlets are not the problem...it's that there are TOO MANY of them.. they chase out the local restaurants and vendors because they have big-bucks behind them, and can do it.. Once a small local restaurant closes, it NEVER comes back..

Would the same city allow a bar on every corner or an "adult store"...Zoning should be about BALANCE... When ANY kind of business overloads a community, everyone suffers.. Do we really NEED as many fast food places as we have?? Nope? They ALL got permits, so they are here to stay..

Local governments are to blame for handing out permits like candy at Halloween..

If you want a balanced city, business-wise, you must have brave city administrators who are willing to look out for ALL the people in a community....and look out for their city-image.

[madmusic]

92. Joel Rivera- Democrat = Mommy Dearest

What about all those mom and pop businesses with kids?

[catmother]

94. well i just put a small potato in the microwave. when that's done

in goes a big bowl of trader joe's frozen organic broccoli.

[lumpy]

104. Ridiculous

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