pity and disappointment - cross posted

you know, one of the things I am starting to blatantly notice when I'm out grocery shopping is that i see these people piling all kinds of junk food into their carts and I feel so sad for them.  they are destroying their bodies with the crap.  I used to be a HUGE junk food junkie and I can understand where they are coming from.  junk food is cheap, easy and quick.  I just can't shake the pity feeling out of me for them...especially the ones with families that they are fedding this crap to.  i feel sorry for their kids and spouses and any other relatives that live with them.  i feel sorry for the people at cookouts during the summer time.

I know our choices are limited but I am very thankful that i eat so much healthier now which leads me to the disappointment portion of this post.  why must healthy food be so expensive.  i feel like I'm being penalized for taking care of myself.  Is the process of producing healthy food more expensive than for junk food???????

Oh and by the way, i ws told on facebook that i looked better when i was fat LOL

Being a low income family ourselves ...I totally know where most of these people are coming from! All of this organic and all natural products are EXPENSIVE. And even the non organic HEALTHY stuff is ridiculous. A little tub of strawberries here is like 6 bucks, and only half of them are worth eating. A box of little debbies is $1.50.

People are struggling big time! I'm trying my hardest to feed the 4 of us on pennies. I just dug out my Six Ingredients or Less cook book and I'm going to go through it with everyone and pick some meals. It's crazy to see some Moms asking how they can feed their family dinner on 5 bucks! That's easy. I know it. But I can bet it won't be the healthiest meal, but it will be a warm one.

 If your family likes beans, they are really inexpensive, as I'm sure you know. I used to go to a health food store with a deli and they had a lentil salad that I absolutely loved.  It was cold so good for summer.  The lentils were cooked (not mushy) and there was onions and orange sections broken up.  Actually, those are the only things I remember that were in it, but it was the best thing ever!  I think I have the recipe somewhere so if you are interested in it, let me know.  

We are so fortunate that we can get amazing strawberries for about $3/pint.  If I go the the farmer's market, I can get lots of fresh veggies at a pretty good price.  Definitely one of the upsides of living in Hawaii.  

I wish you the best!

Aloha,
Barb 

I agree Aaron.  I find when I go to the store I'm looking at what the person in front of me is purchasing and start forming opinions that I have no right to.  I remember shopping before surgery and if I got a salad, a box of Tasty Kakes, chips, and a six pack of diet coke...I was embarssed thinking the lady behind me was forming all kinds of opinions...I was 261 lbs an the and salad and diet coke had to look like a joke...only people didn't know the salad and one Tasty Kake in the box was for me...the rest of the box, chips and diet coke were my mom's by request.  I also do my father's shopping and though I try my best to get him to eat healthier he likes Little Debbies, Oreo cookies, honey dip buns...when I check out with his order I know people are thinking I'm some kind of junk food addict.

We have to remember people have to make their own choices based on finances or other factors and we don't know what's going on in their lives.  They, like me, may be shopping for someone *****quested those items...and who like most children won't eat something health without a bribe.  It's just another case of to each his own.  I give my opinion and advice when friends ask me about my meals and portion size; otherwise, I don't make any comments and try very hard to not form opinions.

By the way, that person who lied on Facebook should have kept their comment to themselves...good case in point!  You look great hon!  Keep up the hard work!
Brid     

Oh man....I just looked at your pictures and Brid is right!  TOTAL LIES!  You look great!

Living in LA and shopping at Trader Joe's, now, I don't really see that much junk food floating around.   For me it's the game day get together with friends where I notice them all eating Taco Bell or other fast food that makes me cringe.

It's funny.  I've gotten cravings from time to time for lots of little things - a piece of candy, a cookie, maybe even a spoonful of ice cream.  The one thing that I HAVEN'T craved is any sort of fast food.  Yay!

I never really gave much of a crap what others thought, even when I was fat, so I didn't care or give much thought to the possibility that others were thinking things about me.  I mean, you just can't please some people.  If it's not the fat thing, people will find someone else to talk behind your back about.  Remember way back in the day when McDonald's had 10 cent hamburgers on Wednesdays or something?  I used to be at McD's, every Wednesday as soon as they started serving lunch and order me a bagfull of heart attack.  I knew what the workers there were thinking.  They knew I was going home to make love to that bag of burgers.  I didn't give a crap.  It was true.  Hell, most bad things people think abput me probably are the truth anyway.

Now I'm on the other side of that fence.  I'd love to say that I have become more enlightened and never form opinions in my head about what I see others consuming, and I really try, but I am human.  I fail myself as well, whether it's a subtle shake of the head or a couple of nasty thoughts.  I usually slap myself out of it as soon as I realize what I'm doing.  Remember, that person with the shopping cart full of Pringles or Dorities was once you.  You before you were ready to make a life altering decision.  Maybe one day they will make that decision.  Maybe not.  They're just in a different place in their own lives at that time.  This makes me no better or worse than them.

In the end, though, I can truly only help myself.

Cheers,

Chris

Chris, if I weren't married, and you weren't half a world away... I think I might just ask you out...

You put into writing exactly what I was thinking...

Aaron, It is interesting how cognizant we are now on choices and pother people's choices. I do a similar thing every day in my work cafeteria. It is large deluxe setup with many options. Most are high fat and calorie. Add to that we have a bakery open all day. I just walk by on my way to microwave my WW dinner.  I see the overweight people with trays loaded with paninis, fries, burgers and such. Funny thing, that was me over a year ago. I always looked for the biggest and mosst fattening sandwich. So, I am happy that I walk by and have no desire to go that route again. -- Tom