Supersize THIS!

As a junk food loving, self-professed couch potato, this story rings true for me. See, in my youth, I was never a small person, but I was extremely fit playing soccer for thirteen years. At my best, in high school, I was a 190lb bullet of muscle. Third or fourth fastest in my soccer league (defenses were always surprised when I blew by them or beat them to a ball), strong as an OX, lean and muscular.

So what changed? Working stiff with a paycheque, beer and computers. When I took the computer course back in 1996, I gained over 20lbs during that six month boot camp. Programming at 4AM with Jolt Colas and leftover Italian food (thanks to Bill's mother) plus having a dish named after you at the local watering hole (The Hickory House, ask Jeannie for the Victor Veal) will do negative wonders for one's waist.

How can my rotund self return to its former glory? Well, never really because my ass is too old for that kind of activity nowadays. Any activity would help though and with the help of the Good Wife, the expensive treadmill in the basement (currently used as shelf space) and my bicycle (nicknamed Roo II), I intend to make a visible dent in the old physique this year. Stay tuned for those results.

As for this story, well, as I always tell people, take it with a grain of salt. Supersize me was sensationalized because it knocked a specific vendor; McDonald's. I am sure all the competitors like Wendy's and KFC enjoyed the resulting fallout against them, but as this article suggests, maybe people were too quick to get on the health kick bandwagon.

North Americans as a whole love to point the finger at anyone else but themselves for their own woes. It is not the junk food people's fault that the majority of our asses are spreading faster that Becel on a warm counter. The fault lies in our willingness to accept that there is nothing we can do about it; that it is simply the way things are because we are too busy, to poor, too whatever to do something about it. That's a crock and we should be ashamed of ourselves. We have only the man or woman in the mirror to look at for responsibility for our ever expanding personal real estate.

Anyhow, I hear Supersize Me is an interesting exercise so I still intend to view the DVD. This teacher dispels the all the readily accepted notion that it is all "their" fault. And the whole thing has served to possibly help stir my lethargic backside into motion. Now THAT would be something to see. :)

Ciao.


Edmonton Sun: - Mcflick myth gobbled up