Re: REPLY TO PAT IN CAL - O'WEIGHT IN THE STATES TODAY

[Guest guest]

> What is it like in Cal - the land of Hollywood and the Beautiful

> People? Cal has been criticized for producing women who

> are far too thin -- or is this just Hollywood?

> -----------------------------------------------------

No, sadly Hollywood, the land of shattered dreams, is not the

only ugly sister in the family. There are scads of magazines,

for the 20s and even the teens, where they show grotesquely

thin women who model obscenely expensive clothing. They

stalk up and down the fashion runways, while the rich and

thin women with strong wills watch and swear to try and lose

even more weight so they, too, can wear something like that.

There are lots of stories now in the US press about the growing

numbers of teen, and even worse, pre teens with bulimia. After

playing with Barbie and her equals in baby hood, they have been

imprinted with the image of an impossible female figure, so they

see themselves as fat, even while they are becoming emaciated.

There is a sad joke that I heard some time ago. A fat lady went to

her doctor, and he gave her a strict diet. Told her to eat exactly

what was on that list, all of it.

She came back a month later, having gained a lot of weight. Of

course the doctor asked her if she had eaten what she was told

to, and she snapped " Of course I ate what you said, but it was hard.

I could barely get my regular meals down with all that stuff you

wanted me to eat. "

I have no " Magic Pill " for mind or body, to reverse the tide of

fat that is getting on human bodies. Unfortunately, the most

people who don't have the education to understand this, are

the ones who suffer the most with that fat disease. They think

that all they can afford is a loaf of white bread and some cold

cuts with mayonnaise, and a bottle of sugared soda. Maybe for

veggies they have a can of pork and beans.

Yes, looking back, most of the ones I've seen in health food stores

are not fat, and some of the men are real hunks. (I may be 73, but

I'm not blind) and yet, on the other hand, some of the older folks

seem to be hunting for better health. I've yet to see someone come

into the place in a wheelchair, but some are on canes. They all seem

remarkably cheerful though.

o, dya reckon they are in that condition because they are over

eating the good stuff - or dya think they are eating some good

stuff and tossing down lots of trouble makers, like simple carbs,

at the same time?

Yes, I think that a lot of the trouble is just that, those mean old

carbs really do taste good. We have been trained from childhood

that if we're good, we can have a cookie. I think that is universal,

for tired and cranky mothers to bribe a child like that. I used to

take mine out to the car and swat them on the fat rumps, but

now it would probably be called child abuse. But my kids turned

out to be nice people.

When you go to visit someone, they feel obliged to hand you a

cup of coffee and something to nibble on. Pies, cakes, cookies,

all of that spells a good hostess.

I don't know the answer, but perhaps the only thing is to educate

the young folks, and hope that they will turn out good.

Sincerely, Pat in CA