Supersize Me
I do not watch many movies on the for-pay channels (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc.). Frankly, I don't watch a lot of movies anywhere anymore. The last time I went to the theater, was a year ago to see The Passion of the Christ. Once in a while Gert and I will rent a movie. More times than not it is a chick-flick which I abstain from viewing.
Last August my mother asked if I ever saw the movie Supersize Me. I hadn't and explained the above paragraph to her. She told me a little about it. From her description, it sounded like something I would enjoy. But Supersize Me was not shown anywhere around me. I figured I catch it on cable someday.
Someday was last night. As the lead-in to Kirstie Alley's new show Fat Actress, Showtime promoted Supersize Me. I mentioned it to Gert and she thought she would enjoy it, so we hunkered down for a movie. Five minutes in I actually put away the laptop (that doesn't happen much) and watched the movie.
In June I will turn 40. Over the last several years I have seen my age growing on me. I am not as active as i once was. I cannot burn off what I eat like I used to. Red meat takes its toll on my digestive system. I eat smaller quantities because I cannot handle what is normal. These are all things I have noticed and done, without too much reflection. I have a middle-age roll to my physique. While I was once young and skinny, I am no longer.
I feel I know what I need to do healthwise. My diet, while perhaps better than it once was, is not as good as it should be. There are too few fruits and vegetables. There is too much soda. Mid-week, when we are feeling run down, I find it too convenient to rush out for fast food or a pizza. McDonald's once was a staple.
The ol' #2 (two cheesburgers, soda, and fries) was something which I looked forward to. But even before last evening, McDonald's had lost its spot in the rotation. It hardly mattered what I ate there anymore, it passed through me in record time. More and more, Wendy's and Burger King were visited. Within the last year, Taco Bell was added, even though I had never eaten there before.
Morgan Spurlock is the creater of the movie Supersize Me. The premise of this documentary was to find out what would happen if one ate only McDonald's food for a month. The results were not pretty.
As one would expect, Spurlock gained weight (25 pounds), had his cholesterol count skyrocket (65 points), had a whole host of other medical ailments (to the point of his physician stating that he was sick), was lethargic, and had heart palpitations. None of this, I suspect, is a surprise. And yes, eating only fast food is unrealistic. But I suppose I, like many others, was just amazed at sitting down and seeing this spelled out in front of us. Sometimes we know something isn't good for us, but it takes a careful look before it changes behavior. Needless to say, Gert and I were affected enough to make changes.
It is easy to get riled up from watching a movie and proclaiming that we'll never eat fast food again. While possible, I suspect, knowing the two of us, doing so would find us breaking that proclomation soon enough. Rather, I will say : I'm pushing 40. I already am overweight. I am already lethargic. It is time to get busy.
Stay tuned. I am off for a walk . . .