Six Flags over Texas cutting trans fat from its menu.

^Good luck as well, and just curious, what is in yellow vegitables? starch? *** Edited 2/22/2007 3:07:34 AM UTC by P18***

Good luck Chuck. I'm not at the point where I can't ride anything (well, I HAVE been denied rides on Rye Playland's bumper cars and Morey's Rollie's Coaster because of my height) but I know I don't want to get to that point. I not only want to ride what I want but also lead a healthy life for every possible reason. I'm hoping this will be what it takes...

Good luck, Chuck.

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I lost 10 or 20 pounds working at Cedar Point as a ride op. It was easy because I was on my feet all day walking around. My ride was very slow paced, but I know some coaster operators who lost even more than me.

Working that hard gave me a pretty big appetite. I may have been able to lose more if I had watched what I ate.

I don't have any trouble getting on rides. I still need to lose about 20 more to be where I want to be.

Seems to me that as Americans, our tendency is to concentrate on what we eat. Not a bad plan, since that is the simpler solution...but it is only half of the equation. I used to play racquetball all the time, now the most exercise I seem to get is walking around in the parks.

Good luck to Chuck and anyone trying to lose weight, it's NOT easy. But it IS worthwhile.

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Charles Nungester said:

P.S. Im waiting for someone in a car to DIAL A COP and tell them, My riding partner don't have his seatbelt on. Then it's no different than 1 in four being part of the Bolshivik/Nazi party and ratting on their own.

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Of course, I'm the one who will leave the car in park until everybody puts on their seatbelt when I'm drive. ;) Hey, my car's not a demoracy. I *am* the sole dictator! :)

I'll just agree to disagree with you on the environmental things, though I *have* taken a good hard look at what the scientists say.

^The environment is an *entirely* different scenario. No one individual benefits from changing his/her behavior. For instance, the latest research shows it STILL costs more to drive a hybrid than a regular fossil-fuel-guzzler, even with the tax benefits. That's "batsh!t crazy" (TM) - as an economist, one of the REAL jobs of government is to CORRECT where market forces will lead us down the wrong road. "Public goods" are like air and water, where everyone has an interest, yet no one *individual* would be expected to behave in "everyone's best interest". How many of us could, or would, buy a B2B bomber, if *national defence* were left to market forces?

I have YET to see Al Gore's movie, and I know he's gotten a LOT of flak, but the latest research I saw says that Beluga whales have *about* 25-30 years left in the wild due to the changing climate - not that humans are in ANY way *responsible*... ;)

edit: Sorry to get OT - blame jeremy! :)

*** Edited 2/22/2007 3:22:32 PM UTC by rollergator***

Gaia's Revenge.

The Earth can take care of itself...and will. :)

Al Gore's movie is worth the time, gator. Even if you didn't like the guy before, he has some very interesting things to say. I can't say I agree with 100% of the points he makes but there's a lot there that can't be disputed.

Too bad the guy wasn't that charismatic when he was running for Pres in 2000.

Losing weight is very hard work -- I know, I've lost 60 pounds since June 2005 -- but if you put your mind to it you can do it. It'll be frustrating at first as you won't think you're getting any results. Don't give up! Sometimes it takes a few weeks for the body to say "Oh, ok, I get it...commence weight loss!" lol

The key is to find what works for you. What worked and continues to work for me is eating a healthy breakfast and lunch but only a very small dinner -- and never eating after 7pm except in very rare circumstances [client dinner, for example]. As the day progresses I eat fewer carbs and more proteins.

But no matter how well you eat you'll also need to exercise. Get a gym membership, then pay to have 1-2 sessions with a trainer for about four months. Explain your goals and the trainer will help you get there and monitor your progress. I know for a fact that without the trainer I would not be where I am today. Having a trainer was the motivation I needed to keep going.

Good luck, Chuck! You can do it ;)

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Charles Nungester said:
I know it's not what you mean but don't get me started on the whole ECO terroist either

Chuck, who knows one volcanic eruption can out mass a whole century of human air pollution. BUT OF COURSE, WE CAUSED IT! (AL GORE)

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http://www.hawaiinews.com/archives/volcano_watch/000440.shtml

It's weird how politicized this issue has become. I really don't think the scientific community has a political agenda other than figuring out what is going on with the planet.

Anyway, the media has jumped all over trans-fat as the next big thing so of course you are going to see companies jump on the bandwagon.

And someone mentioned earlier that eating shouldn't be for pleasure. But I contend it should be. But we need to be responsible with it. Anyway, if you want to avoid trans-fat, make your own food. It will be cheaper, and with practice, will taste better. ;)

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Lord Gonchar said:Gaia's Revenge. The Earth can take care of itself...and will.

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True...once the pesky humans wipe themselves out, the Earth will rise again... ;)

Indeed.

Yeah, I think Earth was doing just fine before we showed up on the scene.

Sheesh, my first post *would* be about fat! :P I really have to applaud Six Flags for this move-- there is NOTHING good about trans fats, except that they may pad manufacturers' wallets with increased shelf lives of products. Trans fats are more dangerous than saturated fats, because they clog arteries more quickly and easily. My hope is that SFOG will follow this trend, and eventually I'd like to see all food products free of this stuff. Yes, I'd prefer that it be voluntary, but for something this dangerous I wouldn't be too upset if Uncle Sam stepped in. At least put a warning label on foods that contain trans fats.

Frankly, I don't understand why anybody would argue FOR this poison. I admit, though, that I'm biased-- foods that contain significant amounts of trans fats for some reason do a number on my digestive tract! TMI, I know... I have noticed that when food manufacturers change their products to a healthier (but not really healthy) fat, that there's little change in taste or texture. So why use the stuff?

I have a weight problem, and I know it. I'm trying to make healthier choices, but it's not easy. Nobody has a right to tell me what to eat, but I feel that I have a right to know what's in my food. Oh, and btw, I'm also a diabetic, and I still indulge in sweets fairly frequently, BUT I know how certain things will affect my sugar and adjust accordingly. Next time I go to a park, I may even sample some cotton candy with no fear-- I know that when I'm at a park, low sugar is more of a concern than high, because I don't even want to stop to eat! :D

So, yay for Six Flags! Hope other parks follow suit.

Cat Purrson

First of all, welcome. Second, I hate to have to disagree with your first post ;)

I'm not saying that trans fats are something that people should stand up and defend, but if someone want to include that stuff in their diet, that decision shouldn't be made for them by someone else. Soda is generally a terrible thing for a number of reasons but I surely wouldn't want someone either making it illegal or impossible for me to drink the stuff. That is exactly what the city of New York and SFOT is doing. People do a lot of things that are bad for themselves but provided they aren't hurting anyone else, I don't see why they shouldn't be given a choice.

Would society be better off if trans fats weren't around? Absolutely. But I believe people have the right to make that decision for themselves. There is such a thing as taking things a little too far.

Okay, maybe not an outright ban, BUT I want to know that whatever I'm about to eat either doesn't have any trans fats, or has very little. Maybe have trans fat and trans fat-free products? I think that'd be going a bit far, but for the sake of discussion...

I know soda isn't exactly healthy, but moderation is important in all things, and if a person is careful with their soda intake it shouldn't be a problem. Soda tastes good; there's another difference. Why would anyone want to use trans fats when there are alternatives that taste the same, and are less harmful? Most people probably wouldn't even notice a difference. I think that the RDI for trans fats is something like 0.5 grams, maybe 1 gram. A medium order of McD's fries is 5 grams. So that's anywhere from 5 to 10 days' worth of trans fat. I sure miss their fries.

Heck, I know Oreos aren't good for me even without the trans fat, but I still eat 'em! (They used to have a ton of the stuff.)

I'll agree that the government banning things like that is a bit scary, and like I said before I'd just prefer that manufacturers start making products without the "frankenfats" to begin with. As for things like smoking, they not only affect the smoker, but anyone around them. No, the government shouldn't ban smoking-- but I appreciate it when businesses limit or ban smoking on their premises. I don't want to be forced to inhale someone else's smoke, and if a business doesn't give me someplace where I don't have to, I probably won't frequent the place. Some of our local restaurants have voluntarily banned smoking, and our hospital forbids smoking anywhere, even in the parking lot. For the sake of others, people with asthma, other breathing & lung problems.

Oh, and FWIW, I'm a biologist with some chemistry background, so I know more than the average bear about things like trans fats! :) Not an expert though-- I don't pretend to be.

Thanks for the welcome, Rob!

Cat Purrson

But isn't the FDA doing a *bang-up job* on food labelling as it is?

Wow, my sarcasm is in high gear today...LOL!

P.S. Welcome CatPurrson...and, ummm, meow... :)

LOL... :)

Actually, manufacturers can claim "0 grams trans fat" as long as the content is less than a half of a gram per serving. So if a cookie is 0.49 grams, and a serving is one cookie but someone eats 3... well, you get the picture! :)

Cat Purrson

I wonder if they could add trans-fats to cigarettes? Then I'd be set. :)

^I wonder if trans-fat turns you into a raise the gate kinda guy? ;)