Never dawned on me that people are more likely to GAIN weight during a recession
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
United States
January 16, 2009 9:03am CST
i always figured recession = no money for food but according to studies adn this article people just eat crappier when they are poor with more fast food etc..
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE50805W20090109?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth600
was i the only one that thought recession would make people become skinnier??
3 people like this
21 responses
@palonghorn (5479)
• United States
17 Jan 09
I don't think it's the recession as much as people's mindset. If they did the math they would figure it out, they could eat better and cheaper by buying groceries. Even if they buy off the dollar menu, those are usually the smallest burgers, so figure 2 burger, small fry, and a drink......that's $4. By watching sales and buying generic brands, that could be stretched to several meals. And I don't think a recession pushes more people to fast food.
3 people like this
@Annie2 (594)
• United States
18 Jan 09
I'm not sure I understand your post exactly. But, when I go to McDonalds and order off the dollar menu, I only order one sandwich for me and one sandwich for MK. That's $2. I don't get the fries or drinks. We bring the sandwich home and eat it and have water or a little milk from home.
I KNOW the recession does not push me to fast food. It actually has me going to fast food places hardly ever now. We did try to go to Burger King with a coupon. They did not give the prices on the coupon, but there was one that was a meal and I thought MK and I could split it. It was over $6. So, I said, no, we'll use this coupon that was a sandwich (nothing else with it) and then the same sandwich for free! Well, it was over $6 as well! We left without anything. How could a sandwich be more than an entire meal. Anyway, I only had a $5 bill on me, so we went across the street to McDonalds and got our two sandwiches for a total of $2 and went home.
We are eating at home much more and trying to eat as cheaply as possible. You can get a package of hot dogs for 79 cents -- thats 4 meals for us out of that 79 cents. Throw in a couple more meals from one 39 cent box of macaroni.
@tentwo67 (3382)
• United States
17 Jan 09
It definitely takes more effort to eat well on a budget when cheap, horrible for you, convenience foods are everywhere. We do our best to keep lots of vegetables and not so much processed food in our diets. Reading the ingredients list on some of this stuff is scary. But I can definitely see why people can gain weight while still spending less money on food.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
i know i feel like i need a mad scientist to tell me what the heck is in a lot of foods now a days
1 person likes this
@TrinityRose (462)
• United States
18 Jan 09
As you know people respond to stress differently. One person may eat while another person might stop eating. Personally I stress out and stop eating. I have been hospitalized numerous times for it! What about everyone else?
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
i go both ways.. i will stop eating some times then i will eat everything other times
1 person likes this
@alindahaw (1219)
• Philippines
17 Jan 09
I guess people tend to over-eat when they are stressed out. Food brings a lot of comfort to most people and when they feel that they are threatened they turn to food for comfort. With all the stress that the recession is bringing on most people, it is little wonder that many of us are gaining weight! Before the recession ends, millions of people will probably be tipping the scale more than they should.
2 people like this
@alindahaw (1219)
• Philippines
18 Jan 09
Yep, I think that we are tipping the scale way too much these days. We should really eat more healthy food and exercise more. I was kind of hoping that people would start walking when the prices of gas went up but since gas prices have gone down again, I guess I never got my wish granted. :(
1 person likes this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
they say that there are more obese people now than overweight people in america so not only is our country gaining weight we are gaining a ton!!
1 person likes this
@sudalunts (5523)
• United States
16 Jan 09
I believe this to be true. Before, when I had a job and was doing fine, and able to go grocery shopping every week, I used to say, when I saw people on low budgets that they couldn't be doing too bad because maybe they were a little obese. I realize now, that the food which can be afforded when you do not have much money is food with will make you gain weight. Pastas and carbohydrates will eventually turn into sugar, which will make you gain weight. I find now, that I am eating a lot more pastas, because they are cheaper and go farther. A box of pasta can be three or four meals, so you tend to buy more of them in order to keep you eating every day. Potatoes, bread are another food people tend to eat a lot of when they do not have much money.
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
16 Jan 09
yeah we eat a LOT of pasta and canned veggies.. my mom is always getting on to me for not buying fresh or frozen veggies but um hello HUGE price difference!!
1 person likes this
@sudalunts (5523)
• United States
16 Jan 09
I do not buy fast food, I can not afford it. The foods I can afford a the grocery store are pastas, and they are the ones that are fattening, white bread because the wheat is too expensive.
2 people like this
@UtopianIdealist (1604)
• United States
17 Jan 09
Depression as well. People turn to food to calm themselves. If they are only able to afford less healthy food, then that is what they will consume. They also have less money for weightloss medicines, gym memberships, and the task of streesing over finding more money may take away from time they might of otherwise used to excercize and be active.
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
yeah true they cant afford to go to the gym and buy diet pills or diet food
1 person likes this
@xbrendax (2662)
• United States
17 Jan 09
Well it makes sense in a way because people will be staying home more and just sitting in front of the TV eating cheep, yet filling foods like mac & cheese and peanut butter and butter sandwiches or jelly on toast etc.. For a dollar you can get 4 boxes of mac & cheese and that stuff really puts on weight especially when you just sit around.
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
haha mac and cheese is getting a bad rep in this discussion!!
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
16 Jan 09
ANd probably more carbs.....mac and cheese, bread etc is less expensive and stretches farther to feel a family. So I can see how this would happen. I am not sure..but eating crappier? More fast foods? Maybe trying to make themselves feel better!
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
yeah probably trying to make themselves feel better.. and carbs
1 person likes this
@Uroborus (908)
• Canada
16 Jan 09
Yeah its an interesting thing isn't? I think it has to do with people tending to eat more when they're depressed, especially if they also have more time on their hands. Loosing your job makes you drepressed and I always go fo comfort foods at such times. Most comfort foods tend to be junky.
Depression and having extra time usually mean spending more of it doing low energy things , such as watching more TV, and snaking as you do.
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@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
i didnt think about that.. that makes sense
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@Rosekitty (19368)
• San Marcos, Texas
16 Jan 09
When people have nothing to do and get bored they tend to eat out of boredom, so on the pounds go..and now with winter here they are less active..wait till the Spring..then we will see the skinnies..
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@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
well people are screwed right now between winter time and the economy lol
1 person likes this
@Barbietre (1438)
• United States
17 Jan 09
They trend to eat high carb items like Pasta which fill you upcheaply, but fatten you up. The actor who had to gain weight for this new BIG movie ( about the rapper) pigged out on lasagna and pasta to fatten up.
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@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
i wonder how i stay so thin compared i live off that stuff lol
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@michiganrawfood (90)
• United States
16 Jan 09
Makes perfect sense to me because I have been experiencing it since 2001. Michigan suffered long before the rest of the country, and it's been hard to have a stable job here. When I don't have a lot of money I eat poor quality food and gain a lot of weight. You can still eat healthy on a budget, but it's harder because processed, cheap foods are just so much easier.
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
yeah we can never afford healthy food where we are at.. if we want to actually get a lot of food that is.. doesnt help my food budget got cut back and then prices of food soared
1 person likes this
@prinzess1515 (1341)
• United States
17 Jan 09
It is way cheaper to eat unhealthy than it is to eat healthy. For example, Ramen noodles are like 15 cents each and not good for you at all. If you were really poor, you could live off of ramen noodles.
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@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
ugh i cringe when i even think of ramen!! when we first got married we ate it all the time and now i cant even choke it down
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@kprofgames (3091)
• United States
16 Jan 09
I dont know. I can see where that would happen because your healthier foods are more expensive. I don't hold it all to fast food, but your low cal stuff gets pricy. As the economey gets worse, people tend to buy in bulk or the generic food brands, which aren't always low in calories.
If it't people gaining weight, there is a whole nother factor there as to depression and eating too. Plus, we don't do physical labor like we used too. We have modern appliances and things that take a lot of the work, out of work.
In all honesty, I've talked to more people about gardening in the last 2 months because the cost of food has gone up. I see poeple creating more trade over eatables now then ever before because the cost of food. Growing your own is great if you have the space. I feel for those that don't have it because now that lay offs are going crazy here, all they're going to have is extra time on their hands.
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@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
16 Jan 09
yeah your right there is a lot of buzz about gardening now a days
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@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
16 Jan 09
I saw something on the news a few days ago about this. People just eat the wrong stuff. I don't get it. The to to junk but junk doesn't keep them filled!
2 people like this
@cool_studd_buddy (172)
• United States
18 Jan 09
yes its ture fast food adds fats to the body.
and during recession people prefer fast food becoz they are cheap and satisfies the apetite.
It is true in India. We get "Vada-Pav" here and people prefer eating it more and more.
Vada-Pav like Burger of US.
1 person likes this
@Annie2 (594)
• United States
17 Jan 09
I've been eating hot dogs, pastas, the least expensive of those and any breads, etc. for years and I'm still growing -- outwards. I have recently found out I have a thyroid issue which may be part of the problem, but I'm sure it is mostly due to the types of foods I eat.
The healthy fresh fruits and vegetables, the salt-free, sugar-free, fat-free are too expensive. They take out that extra stuff, and charge more for less.
The dollar menu at McDonald's is what I use if I go. That is not healthy.
Even the food pantries donate canned, salted, sugared fruits and vegetables, huge bags of biscuit and pancake mixes,rice, flour, sugar, big bags of pasta, and bread. No fresh fruits or vegetables. As I work there I often wonder about the poor who are diabetic or who have high blood pressure. The food that is given out is not good for them. Many of the people who come to the pantry are very obese and I hear comments about how they must not be hungry . . . but I know that they are a product of the types of food that the poor eat.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
18 Jan 09
yeah i wonder what they do?? i often say im too poor to be healthy.. because my money goes straight to medication and by the time the food budget comes around its either crap food or no food
1 person likes this
@tessah (6617)
• United States
16 Jan 09
nahh you werent the only one to think that. with the economy as it has been.. ive been put into the position of less take-out, more home cookin. which by all intents and purposes, is "healthier" its been certainly helping my diet out quite a bit LOL
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
16 Jan 09
yeah the lack of money for junk food helps out too..
1 person likes this
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
16 Jan 09
It was the first thought in my mind what with a Happy Meal or a sandwich at Sonic costing $1 or more, but the more I thought about it I realized that people have mostly forgotten how to cook. They also don't know the nutrient value of a good ol' pot of beans with a side of cornbread, or a veggie/pasta casserole with only enough meat for flavor, so I guess the fast food is the only cheap way to eat that a lot of Americans know.
2 people like this
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
16 Jan 09
yeah i dont know how to cook so if it wasnt for hubby i would be eating really crappy or a lot of microwave meals!!
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@uicbear (1900)
• United States
16 Jan 09
I have to say, I've never been so aware of prices a t the grocery store. I was going to buy a chicken to throw in the oven and it was $13-18. I was like, for a chicken? Meat is just so expensive, even ground beef and lunch meat. You really have to catch stuff on sale.
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@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
16 Jan 09
we never buy meat really.. neither of us like to cook it but even if we did or want to its too expensive!!
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