Oh Say Can You See…

All the fat people.  I wanted to use the line, “I see fat people” as the title to this blog but my friend Heidi used it for her blog so I am out of luck this week.  It’s been Labor Day and the television pickings have been a little slim – yes, we have Storage Wars, Doctor Who, Project Runway and Torchwood Miracle Day filling my DVR but none of those shows could hold a candle to what I witnessed this holiday weekend. Ok, there is also Russian Dolls, Roseanne’s Nuts, Web Therapy, Entourage, True Blood – you get my point.  It’s me – there will always be something to watch; some things just not as relevant to health.
I was lucky enough to get an invitation to spend the weekend in Maine with good friends and the best part is we are all television addicts.  In fact, three of the six (four if you count me) all work in television.  So there was much discussion about the new season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – how staged was that discussion about Taylor’s husbands suicide? The new additions to the cast of RHOBH and of course, Storage Wars – my newest addiction; and, since we had someone with us who actually works at A & E, there was much inside scoop.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I am always amazed by what I see when I leave New York City and actually venture into America.  Yes, there should be border patrols set up on all the area bridges and passports required to be in this city because the rest of America is just plain scary.

Here I was, going to Maine thinking – healthy, granola munching, LL bean wearing ordinary nature loving outdoorsy – well, I will just spit it out – thin people.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  I have never in my life seen so many morbidly obese people in my life – not just overweight, but morbidly obese. Did you know the Whoopie Pie is the state food of Maine – I thought it was lobster. The picture you see here is the Twiggy of Maine.

I often wonder how people get that way. It can’t be comfortable.  It must take so much time to eat that much – preparation, eating time, digestion, bathroom time; yet, this next picture sums it up – this entire garbage pail was filled with fast food detritus.  So maybe it doesn’t take so much time after all?  Who knew?

So, I got to go into an ordinary grocery store to shop for some of the food we needed for the “bake” we were throwing on the beach.  More to come about that.  However, I never get to go into ordinary supermarkets because I am blessed that I live within walking distance of Whole Foods and can afford to shop there (although I must say, walking into a Food Emporium in Manhattan – prices are actually higher).

When I get the opportunity to venture into a regular grocery store, I am like a moth to a flame; Linda Blair in the exorcist with my head spinning minus the pea soup explosion; The Walking Dead zombie.  There are so many things in those stores that I have never heard of and make it so hard for people to stay thin.  The temptations are overwhelming for the average person.  I look at those foods with disgust because I know what they are doing to me; how they are decreasing my health and life expectancy, but the normal consumer just gets taken in by the marketing.

Here is a picture of something that horrified me which I never knew existed – Oreo’s specifically for Halloween.  And, rumor has it that they are coming out with triple stuff oreos.  Really? Is that necessary?  Double stuff wasn’t enough?  Bring it on – America needs to keep those waistlines large – that weight won’t keep itself on.  Oh, and here is another great Maine sign – as if a half gallon of ice cream isn’t enough – now you get four more scoops per container for the same price.  Golly – it is cheap to be fat in this great land of ours.  But, there is food to eat so you do not become obese in Maine and it’s also not expensive. I mentioned this “bake” earlier.  It was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced.  I am used to calling this company called “Claws on Wheels” and having a clambake delivered to my backyard or to the beach.  This however was the actual deal.  And it is exactly how we should be eating.  There were clams, mussels, hake and lobster picked from the ocean that day from the water I was looking at; corn, and onions picked from the ground less than 5 miles from where I was staying.

So, while it is super easy to eat unhealthy foods, I think it is just as easy to eat healthy foods that promote a longer life and a healthier life.  It’s not easy out there – I get that.  I can only ask that you try, keep the conversation in the front of your mind and eat with a sense of awareness.  Think before you order and think before you swallow (awkward but I’ll leave it in)
As we were driving home back from America and into the country of Manhattan – where fashion week was about to start – you can tell Fashion season because everywhere you look on the streets are emaciated boys and girls, too tall and genetically perfect to be anything but clothes hangers, I caught a glimpse of this sign. It couldn’t be more perfect for how I feel about the state of prescription drug usage in this country: a neon sign with just the right letters not working – a new store; a “harmacy.”
So fall television is about to begin; RHONJ should be winding down, RHOBH is revving up and then 90210 starts this week and let’s not forget that Naomi is pregnant and Ringer starts – all hail Sarah Michelle Gellar.  I’m excited!
Until next time…….