Just yesterday I was listening to the local Philadelphia sports talk radio station and heard one of the countless adds for a local powerhouse roll bakery, which is often followed by an ad for one of their customers, a hoagie chain. It got me to thinking – Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, where I grew up and frequent from time to time for its wonderful downtown bar and restaurant scene (if you want to be hip, you gotta go where the hip are!), must be full of fat people considering the foods it is known for: all high carbohydrate foods. Consider the ‘traditions’:
- Soft Pretzels (<sarcasm>but they’re low-fat so they must be okay! </sarcasm>)
- Cheesesteaks, on a big ass roll
- Pasta, courtesy of the wonderful Italian-American community in the city
- Hoagies, again on a big ass roll
What do all of the above ‘foods’ contain? A lot of carbohydrate, of course!
And so, like fate, today appearing on Philly.com is an article about what the various take-out orders are, by city. While I think the accuracy of this list overall is a bit dubious (Bostonians order more Thai than any other take-out food? No way.), I am not surprised that Philadelphians order more pizza than anyone else. I grew up in Philadelphia and ate pizza at least twice a week it seemed. No wonder.
3 replies on “Surprised Philadelphians Aren’t Even More Fat (or Phat)”
Just found you, thanks to Dr. Davis’ site, and I intend to continue visiting here on a regular basis. Keep it going!
I sat with my mouth open as I read your treatise on exercise and weight loss. I’m a pretty smart guy, but just as I recently dumped all grains (and starches) after reading “Wheat Belly”, I just stopped exercising for weight loss after reading your blog. I ride five miles on a bicycle every day without fail. It’s a great mood stabilizer, but so has kicking carbs and starches been a great mood stabilizer. I intend to keep riding, now specifically for the cardio, but not to lose weight. Thanks. I’ll be following you on RSS.
James,
Thanks for the comment. There is tons of research that proces what you already know – that working out has benefits. Especially biking for 5 miles a day (man – that’s a lot!). So don’t get me wrong – I think working out is great and I do it myself (though I no longer do typical cardio). I just don’t equate working out to being a weight-loss method. Or even maintenance. As in your case – I enjoy the mood/feeling I get from working out. So that alone is worth it.
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