So I was reading the paper a couple of days ago and I read an article that said you were much more likely to be overweight if your neighbours were. They said it was like "keeping up with the Joneses".Now, I don't know about anyone else but I would be a bit worried if I started putting on weight to keep up with the way that my neighbours looked. Apart from the fact that it's just a little bit weird and sad*, surely it's not good for your health at all?! With all of the warnings that we have about being over a certain weight I find it odd that people would be putting on weight in this way: can't we just leave the whole keeping up with your neighbours thing to TVs and sofas?
Perhaps I'm not the best example though. I'm a healthy weight and living in a fairly slim neighbourhood - would I really be fatter if I lived in a neighbourhood with more overweight people? Can I extend this "area" to mean my whole town? If this was the case I can say this research is terrible since there's a lot of large people walking down my high street eating a Greggs** pastie*** and McDonalds. At the same time.
I wonder what kind of sample they had? If we think about this deep enough it could have been done in particularly hefty streets in generally hefty towns. At least this research doesn't state the obvious though: most of them say things that are blatant even to people who've been on another planet for all their lives (we're talking smoking here, which is such a stupid subject if looked at in more depth).
Somebody please tell me if this is applicable to anybody/anywhere near them. I'm very interested....
*Sad = just something a bit weird and pitiful really. Like people who constantly go "ahhh, isn't that cute" whenever they see a baby or any kind of animal
**Greggs = I wished I'd never have to explain since it's disgusting. They're a bakers who make nice doughnuts and little else - I think that they serve food disgracefully high in fat, salt and sugar, mostly at the same time. Catch the smell wafting around on the mornings and be sickened for the rest of the day. Don't be fooled by the apparent "healthy" options like the piled high cajun sandwiches or whatever they are. No comparison to rival bakers Milligans in my own humble opinion
***Pastie = I deliberately spelt it this way so that people who didn't know what one was wouldn't say "pasty" as in looking a bit white and ill. Pasties (pass-teees) are like a savoury pastry with various fillings. Quite filling, quite fattening in some cases but if you ever have a chicken tikka flavoured one you'll understand that one every now and then is pretty good for you really. Available in corned beef, chicken bake, tikka, cheese and onion, and the most famous Cornish to name a few
9 comments:
I haven't heard this argument ... but I have heard the one that if your friends are overweight, you're more likely to be so. I can understand that, since much socializing is centered around a meal or eating. If you have friends who are overweight, its probably because they eat a lot of unhealthy foods ... overindulging. When you see others eating a lot of food, you tend to do the same (and if you order a salad, but your buddy orders french fries ... you always regret it as the intoxicating smell comes wafting your way).
- Cesia.
http://ceceatitagain.blogspot.com
I heard this on the radio today. Poppycock. How the hell they worked this one out I shudder to think. If I discover my neighbour is a murderer to I have to become a serial killer. Truly bonkers theory.
I love pasties from the Cornish pastie shop in Keswick they have around 15 diffrent ones, chicken curry for me!
I wonder if they just focused on different types of neighbourhoods, rather than random sets of neighbours from similar types of areas.
People who live in poorer areas are likely to be larger (and hence have larger neighbours). Whereas in middle class areas people are more likely to be slimmer.
It could also be an age thing? Different types of housing attract different age groups?
But I thought people had so little contact with their neighbours these days that they were unlikely to notice whether they were fat or thin.
I am pretty thin - my neighbours on one side are what I would call "dumpy" (although I don't say that out loud!!!) and on the other side it is an older lady who is sort of average I suppose.
I suppose if my dumpy neighbours were really sociable and organised lots of bbqs/parties to which they invited me and fed me burgers and stuff, I might get dumpier.
How amusing!
You're probably right RB - poorer people eat more junk food but then again I wouldn't say I live in a particularly wealthy area. Maybe the sample really was too small?
hey my neighbour is quite thin, so where is my damn weight loss a lol!
Jeez what will the come up with next. I must be the other exception to the rule, my neighbours are slim but I'm not, oh god are they going to copy me. lol. I just wish people who did these surveys etc would spend their time and money on more important things than rubbish like this.
And hey Gregs aren't too bad, my son loves their gingerbread men, although they are a once in a blue moon treat.
Scarlet, dear Scarlet, where have you been???
New York city is a very thin city ... yet I'm "the diva on a diet" ... go figure! Eh, I always have bucked the trends! ;)
xoxoxo
that doesn't makes sense to me. i read that you were like to be overweight if your FRIENDS were overweight. and that makes sense, cause those are the people you hang out w/ most often (unless your neighbors ARE your friends, then i think we both got it right lol).
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