Hello readers!
I like to do my research about helth, well-being and fitness.
One interesting subject is “portion sizes”.
The first time I went to the States (1981 – I was 14 years old) and fell in love with pretty much everything I saw there.
My father has American relatives and one of his cousins (John) and his wife (Maribel) offered to take Christianne (my cousin) and I on a trip across the country. It was amazing! We traveled from Florida to New York driving through Alabama, Tenesse, Arkansas, Mississipi, Missouri and Illinois (most of my relatives were living in Chicago at the time). Also, John and Maribel took us to Disneyworld and it was awesome!
Another thing I remember is that, besides having so much fun, I put on 5 kilos during the time I spent in USA (a bit more than a month). We didnt have Mac Donald´s and another delicacies like Pringles in Brazil at the time. Plus all the different breakfast cereals and french toasts, muffins and brownies…. Wow! Everything was new and delicious.
The second time I went to the States was in 1996 (I cant believe I went to Europe much more times than to the USA), with my parents and my brother. We went to New York for a week. Again, it was AMAZING!! I loved it soooo much!
And I remember that, no matter how hungry I was, I always needed to share my portions with my mother because the servings sizes were huge!!! A small cup of orange juice was enough for both me and my mother. A bagle filled with cream cheese was too big……
I think that this probably explain why the Americans are getting so fat, much more than what type of food they are consuming.
I mean, its important to eat healthy things but the portion sizes will determine weight gain.
If you need your daily chocolate bar, sure you can have it. Just eat a little of it as an afetrnoon snack, for instance. Or a little slice of cheesecake. This is why the French are thin… I suppose. If you are in Europe and order a meal at a restaurant, its usually pretty small (because they expect you to have an entrée, main dish and dessert…).
Here, in Brazil, we have something that is really insteresting. We have the restaurants that sell food by the weight of the amount of food you put in your plate. We call them “the Kilogram Restaurants”. They have a huge buffet with a large variety of salads, meats (fish and chicken included), pasta, vegetables, legumes and of course the fried greasy junk stuff. You choose what you want to put in your plate and the waiter weigh your plate. Its good because you determine how much food you will buy and what sort of food you will eat.
In our restaurants “a la carte”, when you choose a meal (usually a main dish that comes with a side dish), they will serve you lots of food, but them it comes in separate dishes and not on a plate, so what most people do is to share a dish with another person or even 2 other persons.
I know its all cultural stuff.
I subscribed to a website called Hungry Girl and I recieve their daily newsletter and I can see how much diet stuff is avaliable in the USA. For instance the chocolate puddings with less than 100 calories per cup. Even with sooo many delicous low cal stuff, the Americans are getting fatter and fatter as time passes…. Go figure…..
help the poor little animals.
Boycott stores that sell puppy mill dogs.
Adopt a pet and save a life!
“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t hate anyone who’s gay.”
–God
I´m so grateful that I do workouts. I´m a 43 years old Brazilian from Rio. I´ve always had issues about food (exactly the “emotional eating” thing).
I have never been fatso I dont have any before/after pictures to proudly show my progress.
My “progress” has been happening deeply inside of me, of who I am. Its dificult to make a long story short, but basically exercises have been saving my life every single day.
Exercises save my life every time I come home from work and I am deadly STRESSED, every time I miss my mother (who was my best friend and died when I was 33 yrs) and I miss my husband (who lives in New Zealand – and I live in Brazil) ALL THE TIME!!! The exercises help me to cope with missing him so much!
Exercises have this amazing power to make you want to stand naked in front of your bedroom mirror and want to KISS your own body because it makes you love yourself SO MUCH!
Do you know that feeling, when you finish a tough exercise series and you get in the shower and its like you´re in paradise?
Well, here, in Brazil, people dont know a thing about in home fitness videos, which I think is a shame.
I love fitness DVDs because I can practice every time I want (although I live very close to the beach and like to go for walkings and swimming).
And because you can have the best trainers in the world right there, just for you!
I started with Leslie Sansone´s Walk Away the Pounds and now I have a huge collection including yoga.
Anyway, I probably have much more to write about but its my 8 AM and I so going to do some exercises to start my day properly. (to be continued) xoxoxo
Gee! I havent post since May 28th!
No excuses for me.
Anyway, I love my Blog. I really do.
Its just that time run so fast that its hard to keep up with the things I like/need to do.
Just a question of discipline, I think. I should write a journal and organize myself in a way that I can fit all my taks in my everyday life.
I have been pretty upset with the Brazilian Government for not wanting to give us, public servants, a decent updating of salary. You see, the most recent one happened in 2006 so its been a while.
We are going to have elections for president next October so maybe this is all a political game of interests. Who know?
The union decided to give the strike a break wich means we are back to have the counter opened from 12:00 to 5:00PM. ARGHHHHHH!!!!!! To many stupid lawyers!!! SHIT! I hate them!!!!
Changing subjects, its less than two months for me to catch the plane and be in New Zealand with my husband again. Its going to be wonderful being close and doing the things we like doing together. Its always so great.
Besides, next September 16th it will be 7 years since Cam and I are together and next January 13th we will be celebrating our 5th Anniversary.
Well, we are doing much better than many couples with “normal”.
Changing subjects, I must force myself to do other work outs besides Leslie Sansone´s Walk Away the Pounds. Let me explain: Leslie is so great and her workout is anough to get anyone fit. I LOVE it! By the way: today I did 15 miles!!!!
The thing is: I have those other workouts inside my wardrobe and need to try them. Jilliam Michaels, Bob Harper, Yoga………….
I am so blessed to find those workouts I can do at home. Thay are truly my life savers! I cant imagine my life without them and, on the days I dont exercise, I dont feel really good.