McDonald's Big Mac turned 40 in 2007: Time to retire this icon of unhealthy fast food?

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by Wendy D

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Congratulations to McDonald's!

The Big Mac should not be retired. It's not something that should be chalked up to "a bad decision by a former generation". I would imagine that a good many people who think it should be retired also feel that it's the gun's fault and not the trigger puller's that murders are committed.

Less than 10% of the public's weight problems are caused by actual medical conditions. In a good many cases, these medical conditions are treatable. There are two possibilities for having gone overboard and packed on a lot of pounds, two M words, actually... one is Medical and one is Mental. The fact that McDonald's makes food that tastes really good is a good marketing scheme for them. You can't blame the food for having a lack of self control, blame the culprit - yourself.

Are you or your child overweight? I wish I could feel sorry for those people who are severely obese, but as mentioned, MOST of the time, it's a lack of ability to tell yourself that you should eat food that is better for you and smaller portions. A Big Mac isn't the crown on the obesity epidemic. The United States' "all about ME and what I want and that I want it right now with a side of fries" mentality is what is to blame.

The problem of unhealthy food isn't that it's there and available, it's that you eat it and often times, far too much of it. You may even let your kids eat it, which is fine, in moderation and when they get plenty of exercise. Don't expect your child's school to handle getting your kids up and moving. You have a responsibility as a parent to do that, as well. Don't whine that you're busy. There should be nothing more important than caring for yourself and your children - period.

The computer won't work off 1000 calories per hour if I wolf down these three burgers? That video game won't melt the pounds? I can't eat 10,000 calories a day, not exercise and stay slim and frisky? The hell you say!

I remember growing up that McDonald's was a treat - I'd get to go there with my grandfather on the weekends that I stayed with my grandparents. We didn't eat it every day. We only had one sandwich, one order of fries and one drink for each person. These days when I go there, I'll see one person order 2-4 sandwiches and a few orders of fries and it's just for THEM. I find that disgusting. Again, a lack of self control that should not be blamed on the food, it's the person. Another problem is super sizing everything. Bigger sandwiches, the 5 gallon trough of Coke, the 4 pounds of french fries. What did you THINK was gonna happen?

Whatever is outlawed these days is merely a reflection of our self control not being a personal responsibility anymore. We can't police ourselves and do the right thing, so the government and other groups have to step in and do it for us. Yet people wonder why the government seems to keep closing in on us... I smoked cigarettes up until 250 days ago. The government kept taxing the heck out of those cigarettes. I knew smoking was bad for me, and yet I did it for 17 years. All the information was out there, the grim statistics were right in front of me, and yet I kept going. I look at it like this... you want to do something really horrible for you, including drugs? Knock yourself out, just don't expect the general public to take up for you and support you when you've gone too far and messed yourself up.

I paid an additional rider of $30/month for health insurance so that my coworkers did not have to pay extra for my nasty habit. I feel that obese people, considering they're costing my insurance costs to rise, just as well, should have to pay more on their insurance, also. After all, they're contributing in a big way (no pun intended) to the fact that health care costs are going up and obesity related health problems are on the rise. I could quote some statistics, but the research is easily done just by going to Google or Yahoo.

Self control, personal responsibility. I know it's hard to lose weight. I'm trying to do it, myself. Where there's a will, there's a way, or there's Weight Watcher's, Jenny Craig or therapy.

Don't blame those wonderful burgers for America's "health crisis", blame yourself. Don't make it other people's responsibility to make sure you don't overconsume or eat crappy food. Make it your choice, your responsibility and your job to take care of yourself and your children.

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