What would you do without your large Sodas in the USA?

Originally posted by ManFromEurope
What is it always with those fitness-fanatics and their dislike of sugar? Is it a forbidden substance? You think its a drug, right? Nope, it is not. Everyone can go along without sugar. Same with fat. We all could nibble on some tasteless soylent green to survive - but you know what?

I. Don't. Want. To. Live. Like. That!

My bloodsugar is extremely (and to me surprisingly) well, despite a decades-long abuse of sodas and sweets. My BMI is not affected by sugar, as I do enough sports to use its energies.

Therefore, I use my freedom to buy and eat and drink as much sugar-induced sweets and sodas as I like. Problem?

It's not so much the sugar but the High Fuctose Corn (GMO) Syrup that took over sodas in the 70's. I do believe that sugar is an addictive substance since reading "The Sugar Blues" back in the 70's as well.

I've never been able to kick the sugar habit - but I have been able to kick the HFC habit and I feel better for it. Personal experience only.

What will be next? A ban on red meat? A ban on cupcakes? Let's just ban krispy kreme and dunkin donuts too!

Banning something isn't going to bring an end to it. I thought prohibition taught this lesson to everyone. You ban something, someone is going to either make it themselves or find a way to get it.

This whole thing is really silly but it's also dangerous. We should not allow anyone to tell us what we can or cannot put into our mouth.

Originally posted by TiredofControlFreaks
reply to post by Rodinus

 

Rodinus

You state that you are not a bully and that you are asking polite question.

Your question, and I am paraphrasing here is:

"Given that there is an obesity crises in America"......

Well first of all, its not a given. The BMI at which a person is considered overweight is much lower today than it was in 1998. Why did the WHO instruct the medical community to reduce BMI? And since anybody talking about the "obesity crisis" lumps in obese people with people who are even slightly overwieght, it highly questionable to claim there is a crisis. And considering that overwieght people live longer than normal wieght or underwieght people, can you tell me exactly why its bad to be over wieght?

"and that obese people raise health care cost..."

Actually, obese people and even smoker's don't raise health care costs. Insurance companies do! Big Pharma is also responsible for a lot more in health care costs than smokers or obese people

"would a reasonable person not support a ban on extra large drinks?

So in your question, it is implied that anyone who disagrees with the ban is therefore "unreasonable".

Explain to me - how you can frame your question in this matter in the way that you have and then claim to be just asking a "polite' question.

You are not - you ARE a bully and you are trolling. In fact, I am almost certain that you are paid trail for the anti-obesity campaigners!

Reasonable people don't want the government to govern personal behavior and choices. Reasonable people want to impose limits on government intrusions in private lives. Reasonable people don't wish to see industries sued into bankruptcy and then their products taxed to death.

Unreasonable people - Bloomberg - can't bother to do the job they were elected for but still decide that they know know "what is good for everyone else".

BTW - I don't drink soda at all but if the population will defend my choice to smoke and make reasonable comprises as to where and when, then I will be happy to defend their choice to eat and drink as they choose.

Tired of Control Freaks

Thanks for your comment TCF,

First of all, if I may have upset or offended anyone on this thread by my wording, this was quite unintentional, my curiosity was only reacting to a news article I read on the Reuters site here :

*New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg vowed on Monday to appeal a judge's ruling that struck down his pioneering ban on large sugary drinks sold by the city's restaurants, movie theaters and other food service businesses just a day before it was to take effect.*

www.reuters.com...

After reading this article my mind got going as to how Americans would react to a ban like this (taking into consideration that this article was talking about the city of New York, I decided to target this post to Americans (I did not want to stereotype anyone)).

This is also the reason why I did a little research and added some extra links (one including the link for the Nutrition FAQ) :

nutrition.about.com...

Over here on the other side of the world, we are constantly bombarded in films, tv series etc with images of Americans drinking Extra large cups of soda (and in many HollyWood blockbusters, certain types of Soda are clearly advertised *guy/girl brings cup up to mouth in full view of the camera with brand name clearly visible*
What is worst is that in Fast food restaurants over here in France (not sure about the rest of Europe), when asking for a menu, serving staff are instructed to suggest the Extra large menu (including the maxi sized soda) for only 50 centimes more… must admit at the very beginning I got hooked in but quickly abandoned the extra large menus for my own personal reasons.

So, to answer your question, I was just asking a question to fulfill my curiosity and tried to find extra info to add to this thread.

I am not looking for a conflict here and this is the last time I will justify my original post to personal attacks such as yours, although however, i will when i managed to find time inbetween my work schedule and different timezones answer as best as i can to pertinent comments.

I am afraid that you are completely wrong when you suggest that I am a bully or a troll and that I am a paid lobbyist! May i suggest that you check out my profile and other threads i have posted or answered to, i am sure that you will find no evidence of trolling or bullying in those?

But never mind, what would this forum be if we couldn’t have freedom of speech huh?

The rest of your constructive comments were really appreciated and overall everyone who has contributed to answering my question has helped me understand more how you guys feel over in the States.

Once again, deepest apologies for any non intended hurt or offense.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

When are we going to discuss a bacon ban?

Soda, salt, smoking, is the state going to dictate jogging next?

No matter the intent, a benign police-state is still a bloody police-state!

reply to post by beezzer


When i was a kid i always remember my parents saying that too much of a good thing is bad for you...

Personally myself there are certain food products plus beverages that i really appreciate and would be really narked about if the Gvt tries to ban (i smoke too) and no doubt i would kick up a fuss!

Living in France i could just imagine the outrage if the Gvt tried to ban wine!

Hmmm a good old bacon sandwich with lashings of brown sauce.... they had better not ban that!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


Rodinus,

I cant speak for every american but those of us who post on ATS are very well aware of whats going on overseas.

There is a propaganda campaign to paint us all as a bunch of overweight gluttonous and greedy gun toting pigs.

The reason they are doing it is because soon the UN is going to amass troops against us and try to disarm us. It sounds crazy I know.

But see heres the rub..... you would have to be a complete idiot to come over to the united states and try to disarm us....if you do try... you will die trying.....

Most people in the world know this....but some (useful idiots) in the world are still stupid enough to try. (some of those people are american)

...and if you do try or your brothers or whoever is stupid enough to take the bate..... they will die trying.

But see the thing is.... they can't win us over intellectually. Because their intellect fails them. So if you help them you can count yourself as one of the casualties.

What they want to do is wear us down by a massive amount of numbers, you see but its not going to work out well for them. Thats why they are in full propaganda mode because they know this. So they have been feeding you the propaganda and you are taking the bait, hook line and sinker.

You dont really need to worry about us here in America, most of us can take care of ourselves.

What you do have to worry about is that if you stand up against us.... you may very well be taking a stand against the last chance of freedom you or any other generation after you will ever have.

reply to post by txinfidel


Hi Txinfidel,

I would like to thank you for your comments although i must say that i totally disagree with you on most of your points and don't want to get into an argument over something which is totally irrelavent to my original post.

Please be informed that i will not reply to you if you continue to post argumentative comments

All that i can suggest to you is not to feel threatened because i asked such a simple question!?

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by DarKPenguiN


exactly why didn't we think of this sooner

on a serious note, high levels of sugar constrict the blood vessels which are the real cause of heart attacks, strokes, not due to high levels of cholesterol, the effect of sugar on our blood vessel is a far greater contributor to such sad events when we see a love one in pain or die. And is not just sodas, just about everything in the market has tones of that stuff to make it taste better, rest assure if you ever see something that contains little fat(fat makes stuff taste better) then it means it has a lot of sugar if you like when you shove it in your mouth. The other problem is a lot of people are fooled by the labels, when it says "Sugar: 5g" its just referring to one type of sugar, corn syrup i think, sucrose or something, but it doesn't mention all the others it has, or at least their amounts, and that should be against the law.

This issues is just like the hi-cap mag thing. Dont need to get a big swig just get a small cup and get several refills. Now folks have been doing this to get the same amout for less money. The only ones that get the big 42oz cups are those that just dont want to get up for refills.

I personaly see this as a conspiracy by the greedy cup makers to sell more small cups and giving NYC a kickback! Wake up people!

Hay, I wounder if Boomingburger would settle for a 25cent tax on anything over 16oz?

Drinking that much soda is completely stupid, drinking it all is completely stupid and I can tell you 1st hand that soda and junk food are addictive and detrimental to your health. Processed sugar is hell on your body, high fructose corn syrup should be labeled a toxin.

All that said we are supposed to be free to be as stupid as we want to be. Bloomberg should focus on nutritional education as opposed to being an authoritarian... a parent placing limits on their children. That isn't his job.

I eat at a table or booth like a human being, not through a car window like a pig. In some restaurants there are free refills, so I don't mind what size cup they give me, and I actually shun the super big sizes because at the table, it makes me look more decent.

Come to the midwest, where there are extra large buckets of sugary soda, in styrofoam cups, which the locals burn in their backyards when they are done with them. Birth defects, cancer, and global warming? What's that?

If I could ban something about what is wrong with eating, it would be drive through windows. It makes me sick to see people in line to eat through their car windows. Like their lazy behinds are anchored in a gigantic wheelchair big enough for five people, and they can't get through the door? Ban the sanitary white secret bag that the food goes into, and force them to eat real unwrapped food off a tray in front of other human beings, and they will think more about what they eat. Saves money and plastic too when everybody drinks from cups instead of car-bottles.

But to answer the question, buy two of them if one isn't enough. Maybe find a water fountain somewhere in town? Ahahaha, right.

You just cant ignore an impending problem with what food is actually made from by blaming it on the serving sizes.

First time i went to wall mart, i saw the electric scooters i assumed they were for the elderly, i only saw fat people on them, rude ones at that. I asked the person i was with if this was just this store, you know, extra access or something, she replied "no, thats pretty standard for most large stores."

How come cigarettes arnt restricted to 5 packs and inch long? Theres actually no purpose for smoking, unlike food, which you have to eat, yet focus on the food issue with serving sizes not the actual problem of terrible addictive food - and those cigarettes well they are nicely taxed, and regulated by big corps and their lobbys, so no problem there

It really is so silly.

To directly answer the OP title of "What would you do without your large Sodas in the USA?"
Simple: Buy two mediums.

The famous 7 Eleven Big Gulp has been around since 1980. I remember it when I was a kid. Once in a while back then we'd buy one and share it amongst 2 to 4 people and move on. Big Gulps were not causing problems during the 80's or the 90's and even the first few years of the new millennium. When I was in High school in the 80's Jolt soda was the controversial product on the shelf. Tame stuff compared to what is out there now.

I mentioned it earlier in this thread that other factors are contributing to the health problems facing our nation. Big sodas are not the root cause. Period. Lifestyles have changed drastically in the past 10 years and will probably only get worse.

Kind of reminds me of this... throughout the movie they are also sipping giant sized beverages while continually sitting on their asses.

i think we should ban complaining, and people that meddle in other peoples matters...

you know who you are






cry me a river

Order an iced tea? Have a beer?

Anybody that wants a large soda would just order two smalls, if they are such a hoss.

Contrary to popular belief not all Americans are soda swilling shut-ins.

Coca-Cola is an international corporation. It is no longer solely an American entity. They push their junk on the entire planet. "I'd like to buy the world a coke..." yeah... they did that.

Fast food combo meals? It's more about giving away the soda than saving the consumer a buck or two on the meal. There is ad space on the soda cup. That's the bottom line.

The problem in banning anything is telling people what they can or can't consume. We have enough, too much of that already.

The FDA is turning us Americans into morbidly obese fat-a$$es, so that when the Nephilim return, they'll have some nice, plump, sweet, corn-fed humans to feast upon!

"They" know what makes the Pleasure Centers of our brains react like a dog hearing the opening of a bag of Pup-Peroni... which in turn, makes our brain want to start humping someone's leg... which is the equivalent of us hearing the phrase Thirsty-Two Ouncer or Super Big Gulp!

They know what they're doing... and we don't care... because it's oh so good!

reply to post by Rodinus


Interesting, because when you started this thread you implied that America has an obesity crisis that must be addressed.

But it seems the more people call you out you claim they are being argumentative.

So I cant participate in your thread because you don't agree with me?

Thats fine. This thread is a ridiculous attempt at disinformation, divide and conquer anyways.

Now go back to your happy little life where your not allowed to have anything you want because someone convinced you it was bad for you so your not allowed to have it now.

Originally posted by SlackOps
Order an iced tea?

perhaps pass on the iced tea too, according to the below list, its actually fairly sugar packed too.

www.energyfiend.com...

reply to post by winofiend


I never said whether or not I condone banning soda. I don't condone banning anything, we should all have the choice to do as we please. All I said was I'd be fine regardless as I don't drink it anymore, and don't miss it one bit.

I'm trying to figure out if you even thought my response through or simply had the urge to voice an opinion that we all know 99% of the ATS community agrees on, all for a few extra stars.