Karena I drink plain water in cafés and pubs. I don't drink alcohol and I hate fizzy water and iced water, so I ask for a glass of plain tap water. I always offer to pay for it but payment is hardly ever required, and I have never been made to feel embarrassed. Give it a try.

Likewise I just ask for soda water, and have never been charged....although obviously they do charge me for a vodka in it if that is what I have (and I often do!).

I either drink water (fizzy or tap), lime and soda, coffee or alcoholic drinks!! There are Diet Drinks too - I avoid them 98% of the time but occasionally I will have one.

I think we eat out more than we used to, so the opportunities to over-indulge are just too often. I think of my parents who would dine out once every three months so having a glass of fizzy drink was not a big deal. But when there are opportunities to indulge three times a week it does become too much.

I noticed the sugar content in the food when I was in the USA. At one place we stayed, the breakfast consisted of muffins and cereals. My children tried them, but didn't finished them, "they were too sweet". It was just like eating pure sugar. Horrible.
Portion sizes were over the top, we just ordered children's sizes (even my US friend decided to as well) as there was alway so much left over.
Despite my best efforts, I put 2 kg on in 2 weeks. Normally I loose weight while travelling, because of all the walking and sightseeing. I think Putting the weight on was a result of all the extra sugar in everything, and we drank a lot of water. No fizzy.

I drink tap water and although I am in my 60's we didn't have dessert when I was growing up- it was a treat reserved for birthdays etc. I think most people have a savoury or sweet preference. I am a savoury person, however there is very little in cafes except the odd scone, we are encouraged to be sweet eaters. It is the way of business to make money so everywhere we go, food is on offer, we just have to learn to self moderate. I eat anything , I am not a food snob, but I self moderate(mostly). Having "food police" doesn't work either- I am a teacher and I don't believe I have any right to examine what children are eating for their lunch, I do however think that I have an obligation to provide food for children who don't have lunch. Personally I think education is the way to go but it takes a number of years before the message gets established. Many years ago the "push play" programme was established to get more people active and looking at the increase in sports and activities with both adults and children I would say it was very successful. Enough pontificating for Monday!

Also, I think excessively high protein diets should not be recommended, especially those omitting other food groups, such as breads and cereals or dairy products.
Fat
http://www.nutritionfoundation.org.nz/nutrition-facts/healthy-eating-for-all-ages

[allrecipes.com]

I'm a 60s child and I was brought up believing my diet was balanced and healthy. Home cooking, sweet foods only at the end of a meal, homemade baking but not a lot of snacking, no fizzy drinks, mostly water, occasionally fruit cordials.
Porridge or cereal for breakfast
Sandwiches, yoghurt and fruit for lunch
Meat, potato, veggies for dinner, and when we were growing a pudding (made of fruit, dairy, sugar and starchy carbs)
I never got the soft drink thing, and I never took to fast foods. But I struggled to keep the weight down after 30, and my BMI crept up to 25. I took pride in making my own bread, but avoided baking and making desserts. And then this year my GP told me I was prediabetic. So I read up about the Blood Sugar Diet and then read The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung (I highly recommend that book). As a result I chose to go "lower carb - moderate protein - higher fat" about 3 months ago with Intermittent Fasting. Since then I've lost 7 kgs without restricting my intake (except on 2 fast days a week of course).
As well as sugar, I cut out all starchy carbs - wheat products (bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, etc) potatoes, rice, and other grains (rye, barley, oats, spelt, etc). I also cut the amount of fruit I ate right back because of its sugar content. Starchy carbohydrates are just chains of sugars joined together and you body snips them into sugars really easily. It's been so effective that I doubt I will stop eating the low-carb way. It's also had some unexpected benefits: freedom from hunger, much more energy and a clearer head, aches and pains in my muscles and joints have gone, no reflux issues any more.
My diet is much more focused on above-ground vegetables with meats, seafood, eggs, dairy products, plus some nuts and seeds. It was hard not to be tempted by starchy carbs and sweet things in first week or two, but it got easier. Initially the weight fell off rapidly (and I lost a lot of water in the first 2 weeks), but now it's slowing. I'll probably have to restrict sugars, starches and total energy intake to continue losing weight. Now I am fine tuning how I'm going to do that.
I guess my point is that it's not just the sugar that causes the obesity epidemic. It's all the other forms of starchy carbohydrates that are converted into sugar by the body. Unless you prepare all your food at home or are rich enough to eat at expensive restaurants you are unlikely to be able eat low-carb. Our petrol stations, dairies/convenience stores and cheaper restaurants are filled with high-carb foods. A person on a low-carb diet is unlikely to find anything edible there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2016 12:17PM by AliciaWarrenNZ.

When we lived in Nigeria I contracted cerebral malaria. I was a fit Jessica Rabbit without any spare meat on my bones. I was unable to eat for a month as mostly slept. I was given honey water and salt to drink and when I came to after the month and able to take an interest in myself I was happy to see that I hadn't turned into a scarecrow and nor had I turned into a blob. The next time I succumbed again to the cerebral malaria I was anxious to get well asap for a very important New Year function in about six weeks time. Once again I mostly slept, ate nothing but this time was given a sports drink called Isostar to help me on the road to recovery that I diligently sipped when thirsty which was often as my fevers were relentless. I did recover faster this time but it still took a month. This time I was more or less able to spring out of bed with more energy. I stood in front of the mirror for the first time in about five weeks and found myself looking at a blob. A total shapeless fat blob. My lean mass had been inflated with a super pump and truly, I was worried I might float off and miss the party all together. I used to drink Isostar as an electrolyte replacement, but was always engaged in a multitude of sports so used it up readily. No activity and only Isostar for nourishment and it wasn't a good look.