Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13252842 times)

gimp

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10050 on: August 20, 2015, 08:44:24 PM »
1. Did you lose all your teeth drinking 4 - 8L of soda a day?

2. For every tooth you lost, did you gain 20 pounds?

That's an absolutely incredibly insane daily consumption. I thought people who drank like two cans a day were pushing it.

Suncoast

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10051 on: August 21, 2015, 06:32:53 AM »
was talking to someone at work and came up in conversation that they drink an average of 8, 12oz sodas per day. Now I know who averages out the ridiculous averages of soft drink consumption in the US.

Back when I was a Spendypants McConsumersukka, I used to drink 4-8L of cola a day. The thought now turns my stomach, not to mention how much I was spending on something that is completely useless... it was the first habit to go when I had my mustachian awakening.

This doesn't even seem possible to me... If someone told me I had to drink 4 2L of soda I don't think I would be able to

It is....I used to be that bad as well.  Now I've cut it back to a few sodas/week.

FunkyStickman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10052 on: August 21, 2015, 06:41:38 AM »
It is....I used to be that bad as well.  Now I've cut it back to a few sodas/week.

On a whim, I drank a small glass of Coke last night... I nearly spit it out. Geez, it tasted nasty. And I used to drink 2-3 cans of Mt. Dew a day. Now it's just hot tea, coffee, or water. Or almond milk.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10053 on: August 21, 2015, 06:51:12 AM »
I didn't lose an ounce when I stopped drinking soda. 

Grr.



Pooperman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10054 on: August 21, 2015, 07:01:46 AM »
So glad I absolutely hate fizzy anything. I think I've had one soda ever in my life (that much worth of combined sips that I spit out of disgust).

mlejw6

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10055 on: August 21, 2015, 07:21:51 AM »
I didn't lose an ounce when I stopped drinking soda. 

Grr.

Me neither. = (

But, I was 16 at the time. And only drank 1, max 2, cans a day. I hate it when advice for losing weight starts with "stop drinking soda." I don't drink it. What else ya got?


wenchsenior

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10056 on: August 21, 2015, 07:22:55 AM »
I was talking to someone at work and came up in conversation that they drink an average of 8, 12oz sodas per day. Now I know who averages out the ridiculous averages of soft drink consumption in the US.

GAH!!!


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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10057 on: August 21, 2015, 07:25:57 AM »
On a related note, although we consume less sugar than the American median (mainly because we don't eat processed food much), DH and I were trying to cut down a bit more and reading labels, and we realized that ONE tiny Yoplait yogurt container has nearly an ENTIRE recommended daily added sugar amount. Seriously crazy.

boyerbt

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10058 on: August 21, 2015, 08:12:50 AM »
was talking to someone at work and came up in conversation that they drink an average of 8, 12oz sodas per day. Now I know who averages out the ridiculous averages of soft drink consumption in the US.

Back when I was a Spendypants McConsumersukka, I used to drink 4-8L of cola a day. The thought now turns my stomach, not to mention how much I was spending on something that is completely useless... it was the first habit to go when I had my mustachian awakening.

A few years ago I got a SodaStream as a gift and was going through 2-4L of soda per day easy. All of it was the fruity diet drinks but still, not a great drink choice in those quantities.

Jouer

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10059 on: August 21, 2015, 08:43:42 AM »
Quote
Me neither. = (

But, I was 16 at the time. And only drank 1, max 2, cans a day. I hate it when advice for losing weight starts with "stop drinking soda." I don't drink it. What else ya got?

Weight loss advice starts with soda because it is the low hanging fruit.

It's not just soda. Stop getting calories from any drinks - that will help with weight loss. That means no juice with sugar in it. No sports drinks. No energy drinks (which, just no anyways). No milk/sugar in coffee/tea. Yes, that leaves water. Drink tons of that.

Of course, eating well (lots of fruits/veggies, nothing in a box or a can or a drive-thru) and exercising is needed as well.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10060 on: August 21, 2015, 08:46:39 AM »
Quote
Me neither. = (

But, I was 16 at the time. And only drank 1, max 2, cans a day. I hate it when advice for losing weight starts with "stop drinking soda." I don't drink it. What else ya got?

Weight loss advice starts with soda because it is the low hanging fruit.

It's not just soda. Stop getting calories from any drinks - that will help with weight loss. That means no juice with sugar in it. No sports drinks. No energy drinks (which, just no anyways). No milk/sugar in coffee/tea. Yes, that leaves water. Drink tons of that.

Of course, eating well (lots of fruits/veggies, nothing in a box or a can or a drive-thru) and exercising is needed as well.

Which is why weight loss is near impossible when you basically only drink water and haven't gone through a drive through in a decade.

Someone should have told me to be extremely unhealthy in my 20s; that way when my metabolism bottomed out I could just drop all the bad habits.

Also, I should have had cable, smoked, and gone to Starbucks daily. Because I could have saved so much money by quitting those things.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10061 on: August 21, 2015, 08:54:53 AM »
Quote
Me neither. = (

But, I was 16 at the time. And only drank 1, max 2, cans a day. I hate it when advice for losing weight starts with "stop drinking soda." I don't drink it. What else ya got?

Weight loss advice starts with soda because it is the low hanging fruit.

It's not just soda. Stop getting calories from any drinks - that will help with weight loss. That means no juice with sugar in it. No sports drinks. No energy drinks (which, just no anyways). No milk/sugar in coffee/tea. Yes, that leaves water. Drink tons of that.

Of course, eating well (lots of fruits/veggies, nothing in a box or a can or a drive-thru) and exercising is needed as well.

Which is why weight loss is near impossible when you basically only drink water and haven't gone through a drive through in a decade.

Someone should have told me to be extremely unhealthy in my 20s; that way when my metabolism bottomed out I could just drop all the bad habits.

Also, I should have had cable, smoked, and gone to Starbucks daily. Because I could have saved so much money by quitting those things.

From the Simpsons

Bart: And I'll take up smoking, and give THAT up."
Homer: Good for you, son. Giving up smoking is one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do. Have a dollar.
Lisa: But he didn't do anything!
Homer: Didn't he, Lisa? Didn't he? ..Hey, wait a minute. HE DIDN'T!

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10062 on: August 21, 2015, 09:42:40 AM »
Quote
Me neither. = (

But, I was 16 at the time. And only drank 1, max 2, cans a day. I hate it when advice for losing weight starts with "stop drinking soda." I don't drink it. What else ya got?

Weight loss advice starts with soda because it is the low hanging fruit.

It's not just soda. Stop getting calories from any drinks - that will help with weight loss. That means no juice with sugar in it. No sports drinks. No energy drinks (which, just no anyways). No milk/sugar in coffee/tea. Yes, that leaves water and black coffee/tea. Drink tons of that (but not tons of the tea and even less of the coffee).

Of course, eating well (lots of fruits/veggies, nothing in a box or a can or a drive-thru) and exercising is needed as well.

Added some little bits there to improve your post :P

onehair

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10063 on: August 21, 2015, 09:55:51 AM »
I had a coworker who played the lottery and happened to win $2700! I asked her was she going to put food in her house or pay up her rent since she seems to have ongoing issues with her rent and learning to stock up on groceries.  Yes I have advised her to move to a cheaper apartment.... She uses the money to pay her daughter's rent(facepalm)who ended up getting evicted anyway and help her grandmother.  Her grandmother is a good person and all but still...

runningthroughFIRE

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10064 on: August 21, 2015, 11:20:58 AM »
was talking to someone at work and came up in conversation that they drink an average of 8, 12oz sodas per day. Now I know who averages out the ridiculous averages of soft drink consumption in the US.

Back when I was a Spendypants McConsumersukka, I used to drink 4-8L of cola a day. The thought now turns my stomach, not to mention how much I was spending on something that is completely useless... it was the first habit to go when I had my mustachian awakening.

This doesn't even seem possible to me... If someone told me I had to drink 4 2L of soda I don't think I would be able to

My SIL used to drink nearly a six pack a day of Coca Cola until it almost destroyed her teeth.  Most of my friends who want to diet cut out the sodas first and drop 5-10 pounds in the first couple months just from that.  I sat in a nutrition class recently where the doctor passed around sandwich bags full of sugar representing the amount in particular snack items.  It's really disgusting how much extra sugar we consume when you view it from that angle.

I have a coworker who routinely drinks 6 cans of Mt Dew per day when we get busy at the office.  Probably 3 when we aren't busy.  He realizes how unhealthy it is, though, and is trying to cut back (poor guy tried going cold turkey a few weeks ago, and got a migrane so bad our boss sent him home).

When I was in college, I knew a guy who gave himself diabetes by drinking nothing but pop and eating nothing but candy and sweets for a month. 

MayDay

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10065 on: August 21, 2015, 12:36:21 PM »
I am a SAHM so this story is about H's job.

His boss is sexist and rude.  The way he talks about his wife just skeeves me out.  He is exactly the kind of person you would expect to be having affairs on business trips.  Incidentally he loves to travel for work and tries to do it as much as possible. 

He was talking to H about these heli-skiing trips he goes on, and trying to convince H to do it too.  H is all "dude I haven't skied in a decade, I don't own skiis, and MayDay would FLIP if I wanted to go on an expensive heli-ski trip".  Note:  the last thing H would want to do is go on a trip with his boss anyway, lol, he is welcome to throw me under the bus.

So his boss proceeds to try to convince H to divert some of his pay into a separate account that he hides from me, so that he can go on expensive trips without me knowing. 

This man is VERY well paid, so there is no reason for him to do that nonsense except to be dishonest with his spouse.  Which, yup, is exactly the kind of person he is.  But despite reading similar stories on here about coworkers diverting their pay to hide it from a spouse, I still kind of couldn't believe people really did that shit. 

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10066 on: August 21, 2015, 12:44:24 PM »

This man is VERY well paid, so there is no reason for him to do that nonsense except to be dishonest with his spouse.  Which, yup, is exactly the kind of person he is.  But despite reading similar stories on here about coworkers diverting their pay to hide it from a spouse, I still kind of couldn't believe people really did that shit.

I suspect that part of this might be so that way if his wife ever divorces him, he can try to hide some of the money. Don't know if it would work, but maybe? Or it could be so that his wife doesn't think he earns as much, or has as much, as he truly does?

shelivesthedream

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10067 on: August 21, 2015, 12:44:41 PM »
was talking to someone at work and came up in conversation that they drink an average of 8, 12oz sodas per day. Now I know who averages out the ridiculous averages of soft drink consumption in the US.

Back when I was a Spendypants McConsumersukka, I used to drink 4-8L of cola a day. The thought now turns my stomach, not to mention how much I was spending on something that is completely useless... it was the first habit to go when I had my mustachian awakening.

Literally how do you fit that much cola inside you? If I drank 4l of cola (let alone 8!) I would have no room left for food! Which I guess would be good seeing as how I'd have reached my RDA of calories already...

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10068 on: August 21, 2015, 01:23:06 PM »
was talking to someone at work and came up in conversation that they drink an average of 8, 12oz sodas per day. Now I know who averages out the ridiculous averages of soft drink consumption in the US.

Back when I was a Spendypants McConsumersukka, I used to drink 4-8L of cola a day. The thought now turns my stomach, not to mention how much I was spending on something that is completely useless... it was the first habit to go when I had my mustachian awakening.

Literally how do you fit that much cola inside you? If I drank 4l of cola (let alone 8!) I would have no room left for food! Which I guess would be good seeing as how I'd have reached my RDA of calories already...

You pee it out

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10069 on: August 21, 2015, 01:51:18 PM »
Quote
Me neither. = (

But, I was 16 at the time. And only drank 1, max 2, cans a day. I hate it when advice for losing weight starts with "stop drinking soda." I don't drink it. What else ya got?

Weight loss advice starts with soda because it is the low hanging fruit.

It's not just soda. Stop getting calories from any drinks - that will help with weight loss. That means no juice with sugar in it. No sports drinks. No energy drinks (which, just no anyways). No milk/sugar in coffee/tea. Yes, that leaves water. Drink tons of that.

Of course, eating well (lots of fruits/veggies, nothing in a box or a can or a drive-thru) and exercising is needed as well.

Which is why weight loss is near impossible when you basically only drink water and haven't gone through a drive through in a decade.

Someone should have told me to be extremely unhealthy in my 20s; that way when my metabolism bottomed out I could just drop all the bad habits.

Also, I should have had cable, smoked, and gone to Starbucks daily. Because I could have saved so much money by quitting those things.

word

ohyonghao

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10070 on: August 21, 2015, 02:08:31 PM »
I've cut out the energy drinks now, what's helped me:
1) saving all the cans (Oregon has $0.05 deposit) and returning them once a month and
2) deducting it from my personal spending

Seeing $50-$80 dollars go away like that really helped it hit home.  I'm low on personal spending money and only have myself to blame.  I can feel for the migraine headache, my energy drink habit would be cyclical.  It would start by having a bad nights sleep, but then it makes me stay up late and have another bad night sleep.  Soon I'm up to 2 a day then the weekend hits.  BAM, hell on Earth having a speed metal concert between my ears.

I've switched to a cup of Coke once a day to get the fizzy addiction satisfied, and have went from 0 ice to half a cup, to a full cup of ice.  I used to be against ice in soda because I figured it was a scam to give me less soda, but now I like it as it means I have the same mental amount of soda, but really half the calories.  Still working on breaking that last habit.

But as for caffeine itself, I have my coffee too, and I have it black, but generally only 500ml a day.  If I go for an afternoon coffee I'm up half the night.  Like alcohol I don't have any interest in gaining tolerance to it, that's just an expensive habit.

*At work coffee and fountain drinks are free, but Red Bull cost me $2.85/12oz can, stupid on so many levels and it was only my frugality that was able to draw me out (the realization of spending money hurt more than the migraine!).

Threshkin

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10071 on: August 21, 2015, 06:12:23 PM »
I've cut out the energy drinks now, what's helped me:
1) saving all the cans (Oregon has $0.05 deposit) and returning them once a month and
2) deducting it from my personal spending

When I lived in Oregon many years ago we could make quite a bit of side money by going to outdoor events and offering to collect cans from the participants.

Mr Dumpster Stache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10072 on: August 22, 2015, 07:01:14 AM »
My office is being remodeled, so this weekend I am moved into the neighboring cubicle, shared with a slightly manic chatterbox. She has been talking for most of this year about the house she bought, and the various stages of fixing up and remodeling. Many cringe-worthy moments for a tender young mustachian like myself.

Yesterday she was telling the story of how she had to take both of her "fur children" to the vet over the week, and how expensive it was. She mentioned looking for affordable pet insurance, because of how ridiculous it was that the vet wanted her to pay the ENTIRE $150 at once - like, who can afford that?

Well, her financial ninja skills were apparently up to the task. She was able to juggle credit card balances around to cover the extortionate vet visit, but now she is concerned that her interest rates might go up.

"I can't have my minimum payment going to, like, 570 or something. Not with winter coming on top of everything else!"

Other highlights from her week included buying paint for her kids' rooms, "Of course I got the good stuff! I'm not gonna buy it if it isn't!" and eating Chipotle for the first time. "It was really good!"

WerKater

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10073 on: August 22, 2015, 08:05:06 AM »
"I can't have my minimum payment going to, like, 570 or something. Not with winter coming on top of everything else!"
Well, how could she have possibly known that winter would be coming this year yet again?

To save her from this problem in the future, give her this as a reminder, please:
Winter is coming
« Last Edit: August 22, 2015, 08:13:12 AM by WerKater »

theadvicist

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10074 on: August 24, 2015, 03:27:19 AM »
Oh boy, here's one. 

Co-worker and wife are extremely environmentally friendly liberal people.  To prove it, he tells us they both have new electric cars, but also a sprinter van for groceries (because duh), and a "fun only, for driving point A to point A" sports car, that they park . . . wait for it . . . in their airplane hanger at the local airport with their plane. 

Yup
Yeah, that's environmentally friendly all right. *facepalm*
Where are these people that I may backhand them for their bullshit?
I frequently do landscaping and small construction jobs out of my Volt....

OMG. This is why I try not to make pronouncements about my own beliefs / qualities. If you really LIVE your convictions, you don't need to tell people about it, they can see it.

I realised it was a bad idea to make such declarations when a neighbour similarly told me, "Our overarching principle in life is to make as small a footprint as we can you know? The environment is so important to us".

She explained this whilst builders were hauling a perfectly good heating and hot water system to landfill, so she could replace it with an eco-friendly solar panel system. Except three months later, when they realised couldn't get a hot shower, the same builder came back and installed an entire second bathroom downstairs, with an electric shower.

I would have thought she was an idiot anyway, but I wouldn't have thought her such a hypocritical, un-self-aware idiot, had it not been for all the environmental proclamations. So I make a point not to declare myself anything. If I am the thing I want to be, people will see it.

Phenix

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10075 on: August 24, 2015, 07:15:56 AM »
[...]eating Chipotle for the first time. "It was really good!"

Chipotle is one habit I haven't been able to kick.  Although I only eat it maybe 5 times a year, I find it to be a treat (and leaps above other fast food choices) when going out to lunch with colleagues.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10076 on: August 24, 2015, 07:38:54 AM »
The recycling rate in Oregon has dropped, and apparently if it stays down for another year or two, the deposit is goin up to 10 cents per can.

I had a friend in Michigan tell me all about how I was getting screwed in Iowa because I only got 5 cents a can and she got 10.

The woman was 35 years old.  She had NO IDEA it was a deposit.  I literally had to find a grocery receipt and show her how they had been charging her 10 cents a can, and just  giving it back to her.

She thought it was free money, so she'd mostly throw cans away unless she really needed a bit of extra money. After that she was outraged they were stealing her money.

I hate the stupid bottle bill, it's a pain in the ass compared to just using single stream (which we can do with cans, but we don't get the deposit back), but I'm a life long recycler.  It amazes me that it still does very little to encourage recycling. I see coworkers throw cans away on a daily basis, and we have a bin in the breakroom.  I dig the cans out of trash and move them to the bin.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10077 on: August 24, 2015, 07:50:57 AM »
The recycling rate in Oregon has dropped, and apparently if it stays down for another year or two, the deposit is goin up to 10 cents per can.

I had a friend in Michigan tell me all about how I was getting screwed in Iowa because I only got 5 cents a can and she got 10.

The woman was 35 years old.  She had NO IDEA it was a deposit.  I literally had to find a grocery receipt and show her how they had been charging her 10 cents a can, and just  giving it back to her.

She thought it was free money, so she'd mostly throw cans away unless she really needed a bit of extra money. After that she was outraged they were stealing her money.

I hate the stupid bottle bill, it's a pain in the ass compared to just using single stream (which we can do with cans, but we don't get the deposit back), but I'm a life long recycler.  It amazes me that it still does very little to encourage recycling. I see coworkers throw cans away on a daily basis, and we have a bin in the breakroom.  I dig the cans out of trash and move them to the bin.

I wish they would make the deposit something obviously high like $0.50 so it would be difficult to ignore.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10078 on: August 24, 2015, 08:08:59 AM »


I wish they would make the deposit something obviously high like $0.50 so it would be difficult to ignore.

I'm guessing the soda/alcohol lobby is strong enough there is no way that will happen.
Adding $6 to the cost of a 12-pack of cans. Holy crap.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10079 on: August 24, 2015, 08:21:04 AM »
The recycling rate in Oregon has dropped, and apparently if it stays down for another year or two, the deposit is goin up to 10 cents per can.

I had a friend in Michigan tell me all about how I was getting screwed in Iowa because I only got 5 cents a can and she got 10.

The woman was 35 years old.  She had NO IDEA it was a deposit.  I literally had to find a grocery receipt and show her how they had been charging her 10 cents a can, and just  giving it back to her.

She thought it was free money, so she'd mostly throw cans away unless she really needed a bit of extra money. After that she was outraged they were stealing her money.

I hate the stupid bottle bill, it's a pain in the ass compared to just using single stream (which we can do with cans, but we don't get the deposit back), but I'm a life long recycler.  It amazes me that it still does very little to encourage recycling. I see coworkers throw cans away on a daily basis, and we have a bin in the breakroom.  I dig the cans out of trash and move them to the bin.

In Michigan, at least on campus in Ann Arbor, the homeless are more than willing to dig through garbages to find cans. They would break into fraternities to try to collect their cans early Saturday and Sunday morning.

I remember two guys in our house collecting all the cans and then forgetting to turn them in before they moved out. Me and two others guys were told to "toss them," and instead we brought them to Krogers to get cash. Upon return, our president demanded that the money be "house money," instead of ours...even though he was the one that originally wanted them tossed. It proved a good life lesson that once you show that something is valuable, everyone demands their share even if they had nothing to do with it.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10080 on: August 24, 2015, 08:35:25 AM »
I hate the stupid bottle bill, it's a pain in the ass compared to just using single stream (which we can do with cans, but we don't get the deposit back), but I'm a life long recycler.  It amazes me that it still does very little to encourage recycling.
Being in Michigan, I disagree with that. When I'm out biking, I see occasional beer and pop cans at the side of the road, maybe one every 5 miles on average. But I probably see ten water bottles per mile or more - because those don't have a deposit.  It's really clear to me that the bottles without a deposit are 20-50 times more likely to end up in as trash in our neighborhoods. They don't even make it to a landfill, let alone a recycle center.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10081 on: August 24, 2015, 08:37:30 AM »

In Michigan, at least on campus in Ann Arbor, the homeless are more than willing to dig through garbages to find cans. They would break into fraternities to try to collect their cans early Saturday and Sunday morning.

The streets of Iowa City are always covered in cans on game day, because people throw them on the ground for the homeless.

But overall, I think A LOT more cans go into the trash than the homeless are able to grab.  Our homeless population really doesn't extend into the suburbs well.

seanc0x0

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10082 on: August 24, 2015, 08:42:37 AM »
1. Did you lose all your teeth drinking 4 - 8L of soda a day?

2. For every tooth you lost, did you gain 20 pounds?

That's an absolutely incredibly insane daily consumption. I thought people who drank like two cans a day were pushing it.

Lost no teeth (just had my first filling at 37), and I was very young and active back then. I did lose about 15 lbs when I switched to diet cola, so it did have an effect. I kept on with diet for another 10 years at similar levels.

I can hardly believe I did that, for so many reasons. Nowadays I just have fizzy drinks when I'm out and about or enjoying a rum and coke or two.


Literally how do you fit that much cola inside you? If I drank 4l of cola (let alone 8!) I would have no room left for food! Which I guess would be good seeing as how I'd have reached my RDA of calories already...

Easy. Start drinking in the morning, keep drinking all day into late night. Pee a lot. Really don't recommend it though. :)

GuitarStv

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10083 on: August 24, 2015, 10:13:39 AM »
Quote
Me neither. = (

But, I was 16 at the time. And only drank 1, max 2, cans a day. I hate it when advice for losing weight starts with "stop drinking soda." I don't drink it. What else ya got?

Weight loss advice starts with soda because it is the low hanging fruit.

It's not just soda. Stop getting calories from any drinks - that will help with weight loss. That means no juice with sugar in it. No sports drinks. No energy drinks (which, just no anyways). No milk/sugar in coffee/tea. Yes, that leaves water. Drink tons of that.

Of course, eating well (lots of fruits/veggies, nothing in a box or a can or a drive-thru) and exercising is needed as well.

Which is why weight loss is near impossible when you basically only drink water and haven't gone through a drive through in a decade.

Someone should have told me to be extremely unhealthy in my 20s; that way when my metabolism bottomed out I could just drop all the bad habits.

Also, I should have had cable, smoked, and gone to Starbucks daily. Because I could have saved so much money by quitting those things.

Your metabolism is a function of your caloric needs.  Basically the amount you burn depends on the amount of physical exertion that you do added to the resting caloric consumption needed to maintain/rebuild your muscles.  If your metabolism 'bottomed out' that means that you weren't burning many calories.

If you're unwilling to become very active, then it will be very tough to lose weight without drastically altering your eating habits.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10084 on: August 24, 2015, 10:28:00 AM »

Your metabolism is a function of your caloric needs.  Basically the amount you burn depends on the amount of physical exertion that you do added to the resting caloric consumption needed to maintain/rebuild your muscles.  If your metabolism 'bottomed out' that means that you weren't burning many calories.

If you're unwilling to become very active, then it will be very tough to lose weight without drastically altering your eating habits.

These things change as you age.  Without changing my diet or exercise at all it became more difficult to maintain weight in my mid-30s than it was in my mid-20s.

Unfortunately, since I already had a healthy diet and was active, the only way to do something was to become extremely active; something my body actually couldn't support due to various injuries through life.  Meaning I gained weight.

The most reliable weight loss I've found so far is my pregnancy (down 20 pounds in 17 weeks). I suspect that won't be sustainable.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10085 on: August 24, 2015, 10:58:03 AM »

Your metabolism is a function of your caloric needs.  Basically the amount you burn depends on the amount of physical exertion that you do added to the resting caloric consumption needed to maintain/rebuild your muscles.  If your metabolism 'bottomed out' that means that you weren't burning many calories.

If you're unwilling to become very active, then it will be very tough to lose weight without drastically altering your eating habits.

These things change as you age.  Without changing my diet or exercise at all it became more difficult to maintain weight in my mid-30s than it was in my mid-20s.

Unfortunately, since I already had a healthy diet and was active, the only way to do something was to become extremely active; something my body actually couldn't support due to various injuries through life.  Meaning I gained weight.

The most reliable weight loss I've found so far is my pregnancy (down 20 pounds in 17 weeks). I suspect that won't be sustainable.
Yes, I have found that the people *most* likely to espouse this metabolism and calories in/ calories out have never been a female in their 30's or 40's or 50's.

The effects of hormones and insulin cannot be discounted.  But unless you have experienced it, you won't understand it.  (Especially the effects of stress.)  And don't get me even started on menopause, which I haven't quite hit yet.  No changes in lifestyle, BOOM 10 to 15 pounds.  Hello hormones!  I've also read some interesting books that discuss the difference between being "formerly overweight" and "never overweight" and how your body processes food differently.  (For one thing, you have more fat cells.  But also, you've permanently damaged your body.  For this reason, many people who have been overweight cannot eat as many carbohydrates as people who were never overweight.  But I digress.)

And the honest truth about time and exercise are often ignored.

I have a friend in her 70's who exercises 2 hours a day and eats 1200-1300 calories a day.  She gained about 15 pounds after 70 that she could not take off.  Her doctor says "you are 70!"  (This is a woman who gained 10 lbs during her one pregnancy and had an 8.5 pound baby.  Always trim and fit, but had to give up tap dancing and tennis in her 60's due to injury.)

She has taken off 7 pounds by adding a "high intensity" 45 minute aerobic interval workout 3x a week, on top of her 2 hours a day.  She said "I've pretty much accepted that I will have to do this forever to keep the weight off".

Imagine, 2 hours a day PLUS 3x of 45 minutes of interval workout.  Don't know about you, but *I* don't have that much time.
My old boss is 58 and was a distance runner and cyclist.  With injury and major illness, he cannot run because he cannot feel his feet anymore.  So he has gained some weight (well, the not running and the medication).  He still bikes 100 miles at a time, but his body is used to that.

(On the flip side, a different old boss, same age, is 6' tall and 138 pounds and cannot gain weight.  He's also a cyclist.  On a bad note, his bones easily break.)

I found that I was able to maintain a decent weight in my late 30's when I was running, but then I got injured.  First the hip, then the ankle, then the knee.  I cannot run distance anymore.  In fact, I can't run at all.  Well, what's wrong with that really?  Lots.  For one thing, I was running 6 miles in an hour, but can only walk 3 miles in an hour.  That burns approximately half the calories.  I don't exactly have 2 hours a day to work out.  I do have time to do some - walking, swimming, weight training, yoga.  But there simply aren't enough hours in the day to increase my workout time.

My caloric intake is around 1200 to 1400 calories a day.  It's very hard to get the kind of nutrients your body needs on less than that.  In fact, 1200 calories is the *minimum* recommended.

The "it's just math" people tend to be overwhelmingly male and young, in my experience.  And are the folks who can drop 10 pounds by going on the "six pack diet"  (you know, cutting back from a six pack a day to one beer).

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10086 on: August 24, 2015, 11:09:39 AM »

The "it's just math" people tend to be overwhelmingly male and young, in my experience. 

I am young and male, and a math major. In a month I will be married to a dietitian. My mom is a nurse, I have a lot of uncles who are doctors and the like, some physical trainers and some more dietitians in the family.

It is still just math, even as you age. The difference is that as you get older you need less calories. It is the reason that old people have soup and that is all they need. Yes, there are hormones that play into it, but it really is still just math--you just have to change the equation as you age. The hard part is finding the right equation.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10087 on: August 24, 2015, 11:42:57 AM »

The "it's just math" people tend to be overwhelmingly male and young, in my experience. 

I am young and male, and a math major. In a month I will be married to a dietitian. My mom is a nurse, I have a lot of uncles who are doctors and the like, some physical trainers and some more dietitians in the family.

It is still just math, even as you age. The difference is that as you get older you need less calories. It is the reason that old people have soup and that is all they need. Yes, there are hormones that play into it, but it really is still just math--you just have to change the equation as you age. The hard part is finding the right equation.

It's not exactly math though:
Why do certain medications cause weight gain, with no changes?
Why do certain foods cause weight gain/ loss, with the same calories?  (think insulin)
Why do hormones change weight gain/ loss?
Why does stress change weight gain/ loss?
Did you know that 3500 calories is not a pound?  As in, if you eat 3500 calories too much, you won't gain a pound, and if you cut 3500 calories,  you won't lose a pound.  The body is amazingly capable of maintaining a "set point" in both directions. 

It's not calories in vs. calories out for many people.
It's just not.

That doesn't mean you don't eat a healthy diet and get exercise, because both are awesome for you!!

It does mean that if you do both, and you are fit and healthy, who the fuck cares if you are 130 pounds or 150 pounds, or have a BMI of 24 or 26.

It also means: be kind, always.  That 50 year old woman on the beach in her bikini with the spare tire - you don't know the path she walked to get there.
That 30 year old man who is 50 pounds overweight - you don't know that he just lost 70 pounds.

Don't be an armchair quarterback!!

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10088 on: August 24, 2015, 11:58:36 AM »

The "it's just math" people tend to be overwhelmingly male and young, in my experience. 

I am young and male, and a math major. In a month I will be married to a dietitian. My mom is a nurse, I have a lot of uncles who are doctors and the like, some physical trainers and some more dietitians in the family.

It is still just math, even as you age. The difference is that as you get older you need less calories. It is the reason that old people have soup and that is all they need. Yes, there are hormones that play into it, but it really is still just math--you just have to change the equation as you age. The hard part is finding the right equation.

I'd love to hear what this magical soup is that also meets all the required nutritional needs. Organ health, brain health, bone health, energy, attention. I'd like to make sure my hair is not falling out, my teeth/gums aren't rotting, I'm not anemic, etc.

Yeah, I could cut calories to lose weight; but the level I'd need to cut to I'd sacrifice a lot of nutritional needs.
From what I can tell, the "old people" who eat just soup generally have lost function in other areas due to failing nutrition.

vivophoenix

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10089 on: August 24, 2015, 12:09:17 PM »

The "it's just math" people tend to be overwhelmingly male and young, in my experience. 

I am young and male, and a math major. In a month I will be married to a dietitian. My mom is a nurse, I have a lot of uncles who are doctors and the like, some physical trainers and some more dietitians in the family.

It is still just math, even as you age. The difference is that as you get older you need less calories. It is the reason that old people have soup and that is all they need. Yes, there are hormones that play into it, but it really is still just math--you just have to change the equation as you age. The hard part is finding the right equation.

I'd love to hear what this magical soup is that also meets all the required nutritional needs. Organ health, brain health, bone health, energy, attention. I'd like to make sure my hair is not falling out, my teeth/gums aren't rotting, I'm not anemic, etc.

Yeah, I could cut calories to lose weight; but the level I'd need to cut to I'd sacrifice a lot of nutritional needs.
From what I can tell, the "old people" who eat just soup generally have lost function in other areas due to failing nutrition.

bone broth?

GuitarStv

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10090 on: August 24, 2015, 12:11:27 PM »
Why do certain medications cause weight gain, with no changes?

I was referring to bad weight (body fat), as most people would be happy to have 10 lbs more muscle (your body looks better).

Medications can stimulate muscle growth, which can increase your weight without increasing body fat . . . with the side effect of requiring more calories for resting maintenance.  Water retention is another common way to gain weight without actually getting fatter.

Why do certain foods cause weight gain/ loss, with the same calories?  (think insulin)

What foods cause greater fat gain for the same calories?  This magical food can cure world hunger, it's the perpetual motion machine of foods.

Why do hormones change weight gain/ loss?

Some hormones promote muscle growth.  Higher percentage muscle mass on your body means that you need to eat more food to maintain weight.  Some hormones promote water retention.  Again, more weight (not necessarily bad weight - fat).

Some hormones trigger appetite changes which make you feel more hungry, so you eat more and are more likely to gain more fat.

Why does stress change weight gain/ loss?

Typically stress comes along with appetite changes.  When you eat more or less you gain or lose weight.

Did you know that 3500 calories is not a pound?  As in, if you eat 3500 calories too much, you won't gain a pound, and if you cut 3500 calories,  you won't lose a pound.  The body is amazingly capable of maintaining a "set point" in both directions.

If the body is so amazing at maintaining a set point in either direction, how does anyone's body weight ever change?

I can tell you for sure that this concept is bullshit.  I used to regularly cut weight to get in a lower weight bracket for boxing tournaments.  My regular body weight at the time was about 180, and I used to cut down to around 170 lbs . . . it would take about a month of an altered diet, and gave me a reach advantage over most people in my bracket.

At one point I tried gaining weight for a wrestling tournament.  Several months of weight lifting and a lot of healthy foods, and I added about 20 lbs of muscle over six months.

It's not calories in vs. calories out for many people.
It's just not.

?

That doesn't mean you don't eat a healthy diet and get exercise, because both are awesome for you!!

Agreed.

It does mean that if you do both, and you are fit and healthy, who the fuck cares if you are 130 pounds or 150 pounds, or have a BMI of 24 or 26.

It also means: be kind, always.  That 50 year old woman on the beach in her bikini with the spare tire - you don't know the path she walked to get there.
That 30 year old man who is 50 pounds overweight - you don't know that he just lost 70 pounds.

Don't be an armchair quarterback!!

First of all, BMI is bullshit.  It doesn't take into account your muscle mass which makes it a stupid metric to pay attention to:


I don't judge people based on how they look.  I grew up as a grossly obese little boy.  I liked video games and reading in my room.  My weight in grade four was the same as my weight when I was thirty . . . but I was a foot and a half shorter then.  If I'd listened to the people pretending that the food you eat and the exercise you get don't directly control your body weight, I'd still be fat.
« Last Edit: August 24, 2015, 12:17:58 PM by GuitarStv »

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10091 on: August 24, 2015, 12:15:58 PM »
I just spoke to the attorney recruiter - she was lamenting about her Treasure Island beach house got flooded in the recent rains. Her permanent residence is in Dunedin, the same county and a 30 minutes drive north -.-

I attached a map for further face palming.

Wait until the tropical storms and hurricanes come knockin' if she's having problems with recent rains.

But I get your point in that the two are so close to each other.  Heck, it's a lot cheaper to drive from Dunedin and hang out at the beach now and then - even if you had to pay for parking (which you don't in most places in TI).

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10092 on: August 24, 2015, 12:47:53 PM »
Quote
First of all, BMI is bullshit.  It doesn't take into account your muscle mass which makes it a stupid metric to pay attention to:


Most people don't have the muscle mass issue.

At least not the majority of people who play the "BMI isn't accurate" game.  (Yes, I do know a few people who have almost no fat on their body who are "obese"- but most people who are obese, well, they are obese.)

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10093 on: August 24, 2015, 01:08:29 PM »
Quote
First of all, BMI is bullshit.  It doesn't take into account your muscle mass which makes it a stupid metric to pay attention to:


Most people don't have the muscle mass issue.

At least not the majority of people who play the "BMI isn't accurate" game.  (Yes, I do know a few people who have almost no fat on their body who are "obese"- but most people who are obese, well, they are obese.)
I have quite a bit of muscle, to be honest.  Always have.  I'm probably still a little overweight though.  Although as I was getting dressed this weekend, I thought to myself "you should just buy a bikini, you look fine!"  So there is that.

More than muscle is also just build.  I've got wide hips.  They got wider after the first baby.  And even wider after the second.  But the surprising thing?  My ribcage and shoulders got broader after the second baby too.  Not sure if it's age (I have other women friends who have experienced the same thing in their 40's and 50's), the pregnancy, or the swimming (since I can't run anymore, I swim).  But sometime last year I got back into my pre-2nd-baby jeans, but the shirts are still WAY too small on the shoulders.  Don't think they'll ever fit.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10094 on: August 24, 2015, 01:24:05 PM »
Just heard this gem: coworker and wife are lazy. They don't want to walk like 5 blocks a couple times a week to some destination in NYC. What do they do? They take Uber of course! According to him, they take about 6 x 2 rides a week, each costing about $8, so like $100/wk ($5,200/yr). To save, his wife is now going to get a membership to CitiBike ($100/month), which will cut their use down to 1-2 times a week ($25/wk), or a total of $2,500/yr ALL BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO WALK 5 BLOCKS!

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10095 on: August 24, 2015, 03:14:07 PM »
Quote
If the body is so amazing at maintaining a set point in either direction, how does anyone's body weight ever change?

I can tell you for sure that this concept is bullshit.  I used to regularly cut weight to get in a lower weight bracket for boxing tournaments.  My regular body weight at the time was about 180, and I used to cut down to around 170 lbs . . . it would take about a month of an altered diet, and gave me a reach advantage over most people in my bracket.

At one point I tried gaining weight for a wrestling tournament.  Several months of weight lifting and a lot of healthy foods, and I added about 20 lbs of muscle over six months.

It requires more work (back to "3500 calories is not a pound").

It's not that you cannot gain/ lose.

It's just that it's more work.

At a setpoint, if you eat 100 cal extra a day, that's rounding error, you aren't going to gain 10 pounds in a year.

If you gain 10 pounds in a year (or whatever time), it takes a LOT more than 3500 extra calories.

The reverse is also true.

If you want to lose 10 pounds, you cannot simply cut a total of 3500 calories from your normal eating, and keep the same exercise routine.  You won't lose 10 pounds.  Heck, if you even recalculate your caloric needs as you decrease weight, you still won't lose 10 pounds.

http://www.foodpolitics.com/2010/01/how-many-extra-calories-cause-weight-gain/

Also, just because something worked for you does not make it bullshit.  Applying something that you did to someone else, or declaring it universally true?  That's bullshit.


Stress and hormones - ABSENT OF ANY CHANGE IN EATING HABITS - cause weight gain.  Yes, stress can cause you to eat more.  But for me, stress and lack of sleep, during a time where my food intake is unchanged, (because I plan it out a day or two ahead of time and write it down every day) will cause weight gain.  Or lack of weight loss, depending on the mode that I'm in.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10096 on: August 24, 2015, 03:28:30 PM »
Quote
If the body is so amazing at maintaining a set point in either direction, how does anyone's body weight ever change?

I can tell you for sure that this concept is bullshit.  I used to regularly cut weight to get in a lower weight bracket for boxing tournaments.  My regular body weight at the time was about 180, and I used to cut down to around 170 lbs . . . it would take about a month of an altered diet, and gave me a reach advantage over most people in my bracket.

At one point I tried gaining weight for a wrestling tournament.  Several months of weight lifting and a lot of healthy foods, and I added about 20 lbs of muscle over six months.

It requires more work (back to "3500 calories is not a pound").

It's not that you cannot gain/ lose.

It's just that it's more work.

At a setpoint, if you eat 100 cal extra a day, that's rounding error, you aren't going to gain 10 pounds in a year.

If you gain 10 pounds in a year (or whatever time), it takes a LOT more than 3500 extra calories.

The reverse is also true.

If you want to lose 10 pounds, you cannot simply cut a total of 3500 calories from your normal eating, and keep the same exercise routine.  You won't lose 10 pounds.  Heck, if you even recalculate your caloric needs as you decrease weight, you still won't lose 10 pounds.

http://www.foodpolitics.com/2010/01/how-many-extra-calories-cause-weight-gain/

Also, just because something worked for you does not make it bullshit.  Applying something that you did to someone else, or declaring it universally true?  That's bullshit.


Stress and hormones - ABSENT OF ANY CHANGE IN EATING HABITS - cause weight gain.  Yes, stress can cause you to eat more.  But for me, stress and lack of sleep, during a time where my food intake is unchanged, (because I plan it out a day or two ahead of time and write it down every day) will cause weight gain.  Or lack of weight loss, depending on the mode that I'm in.

i am not an expert, but if you are eating exactly the same, and stress and hormones alone, cause you to gain weight, there is a lot more at work. stress will only do so much. i would be more concerned about a metabolism issue.

people may hate to hear it, and be sensitive, but calories in vs calories out is pretty much it. your body cant invent fat or muscle or water out of thin air. its a balance equation. certain hormones may make you store fat a little bit more, but not enough to actively gain weight from no where.

yes as you get smaller it gets more difficult to lose weight, cause you arent carrying all that weight around anymore. that makes sense. but doing everything the same and then getting stressed isnt going to pack on weight.

when stressed do you move around less? sleep more? sleep less? drink more liquids? exercise in a different manner?

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10097 on: August 24, 2015, 05:19:28 PM »
mm1970, I suggest that it isn't worth while continuing this argument. Those of us who have experienced it know what you're talking about. There is no changing the minds of the others. Just let their comments roll off your back.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10098 on: August 24, 2015, 06:53:13 PM »
Oh lel, defensiveness over eating too much, again, while making fun of people for spending too much. Will we see another page of it fifty posts from now?

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #10099 on: August 24, 2015, 07:26:53 PM »
mm1970, I suggest that it isn't worth while continuing this argument. Those of us who have experienced it know what you're talking about. There is no changing the minds of the others. Just let their comments roll off your back.

I see the problem as a fundemental lack of simple math understanding.

In - Out = Change

What a couple posters keep missing is that both terms on the left can change, which obviously impact the right. Gtrsteve tried to explain, but follow on quoters clearly missed it.

In is easy, it's what goes past your lips. The out is much more complex, and depends on activity, stress, hormones, meds, etc.

But in the end, the math holds.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!