Obesity: Times have changed By Deborah Donaldson Posted: Dec. 19, 2006
I agree with fellow community columnist Steve Paske's concerns about the cost of obesity, and I applaud his solutions ("America, your obesity is costing me," Dec. 13). But perhaps I can speak for those who battle weight issues against some powerful forces.
I was brought up to finish everything that was put on my plate. That meant taking a bite of the fat with the meat, sopping up the gravy with a piece of bread and dabbing that last bit of butter onto the potatoes - good food but laden with calories. And what about all those Friday fish fries we religiously consumed?
We were expected to take second portions. My dad would put more on my plate because "there's not going to be any dieting here." We could not leave the table until we were granted permission, so we ate the seconds to earn the privilege of being released to do our homework.
My mother's mantra about eating was, "If you've ever really been hungry . . . ," referring to her months in a Japanese concentration camp while living in the Philippines during World War II. Food was precious, a daily crisis.
At age 17, I attended my first funeral. When I got home, instead of offering a hug, my mother asked if I wanted something to eat. Food was comfort.
Eating well was viewed as a sign of prosperity to my parents. Having something rich like prime rib was infinitely more satisfying than the lean chicken we ate when times were tough. Begin able to afford butter instead of margarine was like heaven. Even though we were allotted only one bottle apiece, it was a real treat to have soda at Christmas.
Our family was able to balance the calories against weight gain by doing what other families did. We walked to school (including round trips home for lunch), we did yardwork and housework - the boys cut grass and shoveled; the girls washed dishes and vacuumed - plus any other chore assigned to us.
We played outside, ran around, climbed trees, rode bikes and trudged to sledding grounds. Our parents didn't drive us. We walked or we didn't go. Not like today.
I can't tell you how many hours I spent helping to prepare food. Not just cooking and baking but picking fruits and vegetables, then pickling, canning and freezing food. That was before women joined the work force.
Now, very few moms have time to control what goes into the food that has to hit the table the minute the kids get home. So they accept fast food, which is not the same as good food made fast.
Funny that I read the Paske column, then watched the NBC show "Biggest Loser." The audience is amazed at the results. I'm amazed at the premise - those 300-plus-pound "losers" are financially rewarded for being fat in the first place.
I was stunned to hear that a quarter of a million people called to audition. But maybe I shouldn't be. Heck, even the show's host is chubby. Being fat used to be shameful (does anyone else remember "fatty-fatty two-by-four"?). Now, it's not.
The NBC show is sponsored by Jell-O. During a commercial break, there was an ad for Subway, touting "twice the meat." Nothing from Jenny Craig. As an advertising professional, I look for opportunities to tie our product to program content. Yet the juxtaposition is just sad.
So, yes, obesity is a problem. It would be great to have time to walk or a "little woman" at home to cook good meals served at just the right time. But that won't happen anymore.
Deborah Donaldson of Wauwatosa is the principal of a media, marketing and public relations Obesity- times have changed