A 68-year-old man is currently serving 15 months in a federal prison for “willfully mislabeling doughnuts as low-fat.”
Apparently, the man’s scheme was working smoothly, that is until his customers began to complain that they were getting fatter.
In a related story reported in the “Fond du Lack Reporter,” a Wisconsin man is suing a cable television company for making his wife fat and his kids lazy.
According to the article, Timothy Dumouchel and his family were receiving free cable. Being the honest man that he is, the father called the Charter Cable Company and demanded to have his cable service cut off.
Apparently, Dumouchel and his family were taken off the billing list but continued to receive free cable for four years.
“I believe the reason that I smoke and drink every day and my wife is overweight is because we watched the TV every day for the last four years,” Dumouchel said in a written complaint, as reported by the “Fond du Lack Reporter.”
No matter who is to blame — be it a sneaky baker selling a mythical low-fat doughnut, or the cable company whose service turned a normal family into a bunch of beer-swilling, portly, uninspired channel surfers — the fact remains the same.
American are getting fatter.
Stories like these are all over the place. People get fat and blame someone else for their expanding wastelines.
The trend started last year with the girl who sued McDonald’s, claiming their food made her fat.
Get out of town! McDonald’s greasy food can make you fat if you eat it every day?
Anyway, the point is that people are fed up with being out of shape. And now, they are looking for a quick means of shedding those unattractive excess pounds.
Consequently, weight loss fads like the low-carb Atkins and South Beach diets are the biggest trend among those people who feel the need to lose a few pounds.
For those of you who subscribe to these diets, I have some bad news.
The Atkins and South Beach diets, in the long run, do more harm to your body than good. Sure, a low-carb diet can help you drop a few pounds quickly, but the human body cannot maintain a healthy balance without carbohydrates.
According to Autumn Douglas, a registered dietician and an employee of the University’s Wellness Education Department, the low-carb diets focus more on weight loss than health.
“Those diets can be dangerous,” Douglas said. “Carbs are the body’s most efficient source of energy. Without carbs, the body burns protein, which breaks down lean muscle mass.”
Getting fit and losing weight requires a lifestyle change that involves making healthy decisions about good food choices as well as a regular exercise routine.
“To lose weight, a person should exercise 30 to 45 minutes a day, 5 to 7 days a week,” Douglas said. “You can eat your favorite foods, but make good decisions. Try to concentrate on what you should be eating rather than what you shouldn’t be eating.”
So it breaks down like this: getting fat doesn’t happen overnight.
In order to get fat, a person must eat a steady stream of unhealthy foods as they avoid participating in any physical activity.
Losing weight doesn’t happen overnight, it requires a disciplined diet of the proper foods, and a consistent exercise routine.
Avoid the fad diets, and accept the fact that a “magic weight-loss pill” does not exist. The only way to lose weight, get in shape and stay healthy is by eating the right foods and to exercise.
Now I know some of you may be intimidated, but don’t fret or be intimidated, because Ms. Douglas is available for to help you get started. As a registered dietician, she can meet with you and make an assessment of your nutritional goals and needs, and she also can work with you to develop a meal plan and a workout routine
It’s easy, painless and very cheap — only $10 per semester. Just call the Wellness Education Department in the Student Health Center at 578-5718.