I won't be as bold as the author to equate obesity with poverty, but there is a strong, undeniable connection. I type this as I eat my breakfast (rolled oats with milk, brown sugar, and a pink lady apple), sitting 55 pounds lighter than I was exactly seven months ago [side note, holy hell fifty-five!]. If you look at the cost of my meal, we're talking pennies. PENNIES. Gallon of milk: $2.50; container of rolled oats: less than $2; bag of brown sugar: $1.50; three pounds of apples: $3. Grand total = $9.00, with no less than ten servings yielded from this lot. My breakfast today was easily less than a dollar, and I could feed myself exactly the same thing for the next week-and-a-half without having to go shopping again. The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate that good, easy, CHEAP meals are not out of the reach of the poorer populations. I'm not at all trying to argue that those of low income are incapable of feeding themselves properly; no, instead, I'd like to highlight the other side of this story.
Since I started caring about what I eat, my grocery bill went down. DOWN. I probably spend around $50 a week on food, with the majority of my spoils being in the form of fruits and vegetables. I put very little emphasis on grains, sugar, and meat. Dairy isn't off limits, but I'm lactose intolerant so I'm careful with my choices (yogurt for the win!). Nowadays, if I have to cook it, I'm probably angry about it. I unintentionally went on a semi-raw diet and feeding myself has never been easier. There's very little planning involved, less mess, I've almost completely eliminated cooking oil from my diet, and I just feel better. It's caused a severe dependence on tupperware and cutting boards, but I suppose there are worse things in life. I hadn't expected a healthy lifestyle to be cheaper; in fact, I was under the impression that "health" foods are more expensive and therefore out of reach for me. Lean Cuisines are ridiculously expensive. So are organic items. But I eat none of that.
The expense in losing weight doesn't come from specialty foods or gym memberships (I have never been a card carrying member of a gym). It's the cost of a lifestyle. I'm lucky in that I don't have to consider the costs of childcare, and I live in an area that is safe enough for running outdoors (even in the dead of night). I have health insurance, which for person my age is become rarer by the day. I consistently work mostly daytime hours, so I'm able to juggle the struggles of exercising during "normal" hours instead of rearranging my life around the graveyard shift. All of things make a difference. There are no specific costs associated with each element of a lifestyle, but when thrown together in the mix called life it's incredible to consider the costs of being poor.
And then there's the money stuff. I do most of my writing on my laptop. I also have a swanky desktop. And unlimited internet. With WiFi. Do you know how much these things cost? If you've ever been poor, I'm sure you can imagine the staggering figures that seem completely unachievable in attempting to acquire such things. There have been times I would have to cut a block of ramen noodles in half in order to feed myself two meals, so the luxury of laptops and internet and smart phones just weren't options. Not only are these items expensive, but the opportunity costs are pretty high as well. I have been able to take charge of my medical treatment by informing myself through exhaustive Google searches. I have learned how to count calories from websites and blogs. I have recorded my food and exercise habits for the world to see (and for myself to reflect on) on this very blog. It is very true that I could have done it without the conveniences of my nice laptop and the WiFi for which I overpay, but the question presents itself again: at what cost? The time and effort it would take to get myself to the local library to have one hour of supervised internet usage... not exactly ideal. But I, as a member of the middle class, don't have those worries. Quelle dommage.
Other things to consider: do you own a car? If the answer is yes, then you've probably never considered what it would be like to have to carry your groceries on a bus. Do you own pots and pans? Then you probably cook for yourself. Even the "minor" details like utensils are things that some folks don't have/can't afford. Reality peeps, reality.
In short, today's buzzword is: *jazz hands* reality. [We're going for repetition here] The reality of the obesity epidemic is that it can happen to anyone, anywhere. That's unavoidable. Some people are lazy, some people eat like shit, some people have legit reasons for being the way they are. No judgements. But the key to reversing this trend is wrapped up in a nasty web of reality that prevents the lower class from being able to help themselves. I've lost the weight, anyone can do it, but it's surely a lot harder when you're fighting a dozen other wars at once.
Okay. I'm done being serious. It is really draining having to put together coherent thoughts. FML.
I've had an unpleasant problem as of late. I spent the weekend at my parents' and they fed me MEAT for three days straight. I love me some cow, seriously, I do. But my poor digestive tract doesn't know what to do with massive amounts of meat anymore. I didn't poo from Sunday afternoon until late (LATE) yesterday, despite having overdosed on fiber and other poop-inducing foods (blueberries and coffee FAILED ME... bastards). I'm happy to report that I'm back to normal now, but it was touch and go for a while there.
As I was contemplating disemboweling myself, I was desperate for alternatives to my #2 problem. I complained about it to my friend in a text that read, "If I don't shit soon, I'm going to shit myself." I realized how ridiculous that sounded a fraction of a second before pressing SEND and it sent me into a creative frenzy. "I'm going to shit myself" is a phrase I use at least twice a day, so then... what would make me shit myself?
Celine. The answer is always Celine.
I live in Iowa, I'm fierce about my Hawkeye love, but I'll always have a special spot in my tiny heart for Omaha, and this is why.
PS - I was totally at that concert but it's not my video. I lost all my shit when I murdered my phone (sad face), but a dozen other people put their crap up on YouTube for me to enjoy.
PPS - It's really important that you know I sat FRONT ROW CENTER for the Omaha show. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if my head was one of the ones blocking the view in this video. I wore a pink jacket and I spent half the show swatting the lady behind me because she kept poking me in the ass to sit down. I never sat down.
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