Starbucks introduces low-fat 'Skinny Drinks'

[MrAngryFace]

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/AreStarbucksSkinnyDrinksOffensive.aspx

Shortly after Starbucks (SBUX, news, msgs) launched its new woman-centric "skinny latte" advertising campaign in January, the blogosphere erupted in criticism –- and some praise. Much of the controversy focuses on the use of the term skinny to describe the fat- and sugar-free drink. One blogger, "SassySexyShapely," questioned whether people should be offended by the word. As reported by Starbucks Gossip, one barista refused to use the term, calling it politically incorrect.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

After spending a week in Europe I feel like all "lite" US food should have the label dropped and our "regular" food be relabeled "fatty"

[AdmiralViscen]

Skinny is politically incorrect now?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

it's suggesting that women might be more attractive if they weren't obese cows

[Howard Alan Treesong]

fatties are people too

spoiler (click to show/hide)

or is that two people

[close]

[MrAngryFace]

Yeah, you can't really get a 'healthy' meal anywhere these days without ordering bizzare portions that get you 'looks'. Like at KFC if I order a snacker and a soda they give me a look at explain that the snackers are small.

The good places like DENNYS offer a lot of sides and lower fat options (ie egg beaters, grilled ham on toasted bread with applesauce or the broiled fish with rice, steamed vegetables, corn, apple sauce). I mean you still get hit with carbs but FAT is still a problem and has been over shadowed by anti-carb mania.

And before I get needled I will take care of this ahead of time.

The good places like DENNYS offer a lot of sides and lower fat options

The good places like DENNYS

DENNYS

 

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Yeah, I am on one of my super anti-American tirades right now.

Not about cars this time, surprisingly, but our food culture.

I weighed myself this morning and I'm up 10 lbs since December (when we moved to the new campus and got our on-site cafeteria). That got me really angry, cause it's not like I've been eating lots of desserts or ordering crazy deep-fried potatoes or something.

I just wish there were restaurants that had affordable, reasonably-sized, reasonably-healthy food options. Like, sandwiches with real bread or something.

God, I yelled at people for like 10 minutes about bread this morning. I think I said that American bread was an "orally ingested spongiform tumor."

Anyways. Point is that both quality AND quantity are totally fucked in the US, and as a single person it's hard to cook for myself all the time. Too much wasteage.

[MrAngryFace]

Its also about self control, we can scream at the world all we want, but we choose when and where we eat. All I have in my house right now is some lite beer, dried apricots, almonds, an a broken up candy bar for when I want something not great for me.

TV dinners are awful sodium rich nightmares and have done my best to avoid them recently. Eating out is just as bad unless you cut portions to 1/10th of their idea of a 'meal', and our society, which I love, likes to sit on its ass and watch tv and play WoW.

In short, eat to fit your lifestyle. Dont let eating dictate your lifestyle.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I cook all the time, but it isn't something that works when you're single.   :'(

Yeah, I love cooking, and am okay at it, too. But the time investment to reward is nutty. And I end up throwing away half of everything I make, plus half of my ingredients before every making something with them on top of it.

I want healthy eating options that don't require me to buy and cook (and consequently EAT) for four.

American food

[AdmiralViscen]

Snackers are way too small dude.

[MrAngryFace]

one is plenty if you consider the sauce on it.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Its also about self control, we can scream at the world all we want, but we choose when and where we eat. All I have in my house right now is some lite beer, dried apricots, almonds, an a broken up candy bar for when I want something not great for me.

TV dinners are awful sodium rich nightmares and have done my best to avoid them recently. Eating out is just as bad unless you cut portions to 1/10th of their idea of a 'meal', and our society, which I love, likes to sit on its ass and watch tv and play WoW.

In short, eat to fit your lifestyle. Dont let eating dictate your lifestyle.

what do you end up doing for meals as a single guy who's trying not to pork out of control?

I tried eating more frozen food "lite" meals for the portion control, but I just ended up feeling like shit--they're small, but they're full of nothing good and plenty artificial. and the sodium, oh god, the sodium.

right now I'm just trying to stick to a standard diet of:

Breakfast - lo-fat yogurt
Lunch - reasonable lunch
Dinner - sandwich from good meats and breads and piece of fruit

I'm worried I'll get bored of repetition too soon, though.

I'd like more fresh fruits and veggies but those last about 2 days before turning into mildewed monstrosities.

[MrAngryFace]

In the morning when I wake up I eat 4-5 plain almonds and 2-3 dried apricots and drink a bit of water to get the blood sugar up and get some energy. Then I grab a coffee on the way in to work. If I eat anything when I get to work this dictates that my lunch will be light. If I go on the nuts and fruit till lunch I will eat something reasonable but still try and steer clear of high fat/carb. Its almost impossible to steer clear of salt when you eat out for lunch every day, so I just assume im getting my daily allowance of sodium at lunch. Then if I get home late 6/7 I will sometimes just eat a few more apricots n nuts and have a few beers. If its early I will get a sandwich or hit taco bell for a few tacos.

The trouble I had with the lite tv dinners is that while some have lower sodium, lower fat, and lower carbs, they basically have taken out everything that in a natural environment makes edible things taste good. Id honestly RATHER eat dried fruits and nuts than eat a lean cuisine or whatever they call them.

What gets MOST people arent the meals so much as the snacking. I dont eat chips. Almost ever. Like once a month even. Sometimes I will pick up a box of Cheezits and those will last 1-2 weeks before I throw out anything I havent eaten. A cup at a time keeps cheezits from being the bane of a diet. Also its important to keep heavy eating away from beer intake. It also doesnt hurt to have a few sweets around the house in small quantities to curb cravings.

Its a lot of work to keep at this kind of diet and I wont lie, there are stumbles when yer out with friends and everyone is having a good time n shit. I just dont digest or use energy like I used to and while kids/teens/early 20s and hell some people my age can eat craploads of food and get away with it, I just cant. I have a desk job, my favorite hobby involves sitting, I pay the price for that.

[AdmiralViscen]

one is plenty if you consider the sauce on it.

If you're worried you shouldn't be eating it, how is one snacker going to get you through to dinner?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

New tag get.

I changed my tag first.

[MrAngryFace]

I dont eat much normally so my stomach isnt going to generate the usual hunger pangs. People who eat small bits through the day get a long fine without larger meals at the breakfast/lunch/dinner.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

it's just sucky. esp. when you work at a game company and everyone is like LET'S GO 2 FATBURGER

ugh no let's not

[brawndolicious]

well doing that doesn't put your metabolism in fat-developing mode so you don't get as hungry.

I of course bitch-slap my metabolism but I also walk a lot (~5 miles a week) so that gets some carbs burned.

[Phoenix Dark]

Dennys 

Who the hell goes there, or better yet, thinks Dennys is GOOD except old folk

[MrAngryFace]

it's just sucky. esp. when you work at a game company and everyone is like LET'S GO 2 FATBURGER

ugh no let's not

Friends are diet killers

[Eric P]

After spending a week in Europe I feel like all "lite" US food should have the label dropped and our "regular" food be relabeled "fatty"

LEAST WE AIN'T EATIN POO SAUSAGE

[Howard Alan Treesong]

poo sausage is good for you

the taste keeps portion size small