This is probably going to be a controversial post because, hey, I listened in to someone else’s conversation! On a train, said loudly enough to be heard by everyone, but still nonethess private.
Five professional ladies came onto the train platform yesterday where I was standing – all carrying some food or drink at 5pm – everything from a banana, wrap, bag of crisp/chips, muffins and all had coffee. The conversation on the platform and on the train (I didn’t purposefully join them) featured food and TV big time.
One, my favourite, told a hilarious tale of how on her no-eat day (doing the 5:2 perhaps?) was a ‘miserable old cow!’ Then recounted how, on the next ‘eat’ day’, she demolished (her words) 3 pre-packed sandwiches, 2 glasses (or maybe 3) of wine; a huge pasta supper THEN (and this is where it gets interesting) – a gold-foil chocolate bunny from Easter – (large she said at least 1,000 cals) which was a gift for her children, and 2 leftover packets square crisps/chips (which again she said she scavenged for and didn’t even like); some old ‘Nobby nuts’ (why she asked?) and finally some sweets/candies that had been brought back from Kefalonia by a work colleague which everyone gagged at! The conversation then went onto Masterchef and various other cookery programmes with equally thumbs up and thumbs down approval. Throughout the whole conversation everyone agreed eating well and controlling your weight was tough.
I wasn’t sure what to make of this because all 5 females were slim and trim and most in their twenties but each and every one had a fixation with their body image and were prepared, like I was years ago, to try a regime of famine then feast for their everyday nutrition. I learned a lot from this encounter (maybe I need to travel on pubic transport more!) and I suspect teenagers would have given an equally graphic account of their food consumption for the day.
I wanted to comment – I have the experience to know it wouldn’t necessarily have been welcome. Will they be the ‘obese’ statistics of the future? It’s the way I started out at 8 stone 9lbs (aged 21) some 30 odd years ago! Then went on to gain some 9 stone. What do you think? I’m seriously interested to know.
Many will know I’m involved with the HOOP CHARITY and the more we know the more supportive we can be. Yes I’ll probably eavesdrop to find out more, but I promise never to be judgemental and will try to help if required.
CAROL