I should clarify a few things from my last (totally mental) post. First of all, I am clearly insane at 2:45 pm. Reading it back reminds me why I usually post in the MORNING. Cripes.
Second of all, I want to be clear that I completely support our company's wellness program, including the wellness assessments and screenings. It's a great benefit to working here, and I gratefully take advantage of it. And I also acknowledge that the programs are not really directed at me. I would still do the things I do even if I didn't get to do it on work time or receive an incentive for it. The program's value is really in encouraging the people who WOULDN'T. And I am all for that. This isn't even CYA bullshit! I mean it! I'm even on the damned committee, if you must know!
To answer a couple of questions from the comments, no, it's not mandatory. It's completely voluntary, although there is a financial incentive for participating. Also, our individual data isn't seen by the company (just the aggregate). So, The Man doesn't know that *I* drink 5-10 drinks per week, only that x number of people picked that answer. Of course, I was probably the only loser who forgot to LIE LIKE A DAMNED RUG, so maybe they DO know it was me. Anyway, it's not like my boss is taking me aside to counsel me on my health habits, or writing it on my review, or anything. The ratings and recommendations come from an outside agency to each of us individually.
My main beef with the process is that I don't agree with a lot of the health recommendations that The Man is giving out these days. This is not the fault of my company. I've written a little about this before, but the gist is that I think my "needs improvement" ratings on the Alcohol Use and the Dietary Fat are bullshit. The Dietary Fat/Meat thing is particularly troubling. I know there are a lot of meat-avoiders in the crowd, and I support that decision whole-heartedly when it's made for ethical reasons, or for reasons relating to the source of the meat. But I DON'T believe we should avoid meat because of fat, saturated or otherwise. I don't believe we should be avoiding fat PERIOD, other than trans fat or other processed fats.
Bah. I shouldn't be getting into this until I'm ready to write intelligently about it, with references. Which, of course, I'm not, since that's a lot of work.
Well! That raged totally out of control as usual. Good times. Have a good weekend! Enjoy your alcohol and saturated fat and try to forget this series of posts ever happened!
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21 comments:
I love, love, love it when you post about this. You are so helpful to me in the work that I do. I wish I could use your blog as an official resource in my work.
i hear you (i think). i feel like fat, as long as it's.. natural fat? i guess? is FINE. like, we're designed to eat meat. we've been eating meat forever. i refuse to believe that a major component of our diet for the past several thousand years is JUST NOW bad for us. i mean, there's something to be said for all the hormones and bad stuff they're putting into the animals before it gets to us these days, but that's a different argument. in general, i feel that naturally occurring fat = fine for you (IN MODERATION BLAH BLAH BLAH). someone make me stop typing.
FAT AND DRINKS FOR EVERYONE! WOOT!
Well, I just want to say that all this meat talk is KILLING me, since I am snowed in and cannot get to the store for my Friday Lenten seafood orgy. The steaks in the freezer are looking damn good as compared to scrambled eggs and pancakes for dinner.
Is it okay to have the words "Lenten" and "orgy" in the same sentence?
I feel like I should walk around with a picket shouting "EAT MORE MEAT!" "DRINK MORE BOOZE!" - I'm with ya sista!
If it makes you feel any better, I was following where you were going with the last post.
And now I'm off to chew on a cow leg, b/c Tessie said it was ok! =)
Well, I may not eat meat and cannot drink right now but omg I mean ice cream, cookies and brownies OH MY!!
Of little importance other then to make the point that you just keep eating meat because my ice cream is far more deadly: Did you know that one or both brother in laws who started Baskin Robbins died of heart attacks and they were regular ice cream eaters? How's that for fat clogging facts!?
I'm completely with you on the fat thing. The saturated fat as obesity indicator is based on a faulty hypothesis and is BS.
I wish my company had a MONETARY incentive for losing weight. That is awesome motivation!
WTOW-Heh. I DID know that! Can't remember where I saw it. They even had an ice-cream shaped POOL.
I never judge anyone based on what they do or don't eat. I eat all kinds of shit that I fully acknowledge is not healthy. The only time I get all het up is when someone (LIKE THE GOVERNMENT) insists that a food is healthy, or not healthy, despite MOUNDS of evidence to the contrary.
Girl. I go away for like two whole days for work and come back and you have posted about fifty bajillion times.
So, you are a slacker? Are you SURE?
So we should expect "Tessie's Guide to Diet and Exercise" at our local book stores this fall?
But seriously, what is the internet for if not ranting about whatever is on your mind at any given time.
I ate a huge cheeseburger, with bacon! last night, because I was craving it. If I was craving it, the baby must have wanted it. And if the baby wanted it, it must be healthy! Right?
I think I failed to respond to that post yesterday because I was shocked that a) there's that level of scrutiny (voluntarily or otherwise) in your company, b) I started obsessing about whether I would qualify as fat based on my waist to hip ratio, which has gone kersplat since pregnancy, and c) I finally "know" someone who admits having more than 1-2 drinks per week. Sista!
Good post though, even if it kind of reveals the crazy.
I'm hearing your point on the whole non-processed saturated fat thing. But, I do think that the consumption of fat needs to be balanced out with a healthy consumption of fiber, and that's where a lot of people go wrong. Think of your poor intestines trying to push through all that gloppy fat with nothing to help it along. You can be fat on the inside (like in your liver) without being fat on the outside.
As always, I SO enjoy these discussions!
Lori, I totally agree. Most of us get a pathetic amount of fiber compared to what we need, and I'm including myself in that group.
Jim and some friends of ours had an exhaustive conversation yesterday about food, and how basically everything we eat is total shit and we're all going to die of preservatives. It got me really depressed. I think I'm at least going to start buying organic milk and beef. It's a drop in the bucket, but it's something.
My motto = everything is good in moderation. Except meat during Lent because I gave it up.
Ain't nobody never going to accuse me of having too little fiber. But I also endorse insane liquid diets, so you know, I'm no role model.
I'm so with you on this stuff. YOU GO!!!
The part about being the only one who didn’t lie about the alcohol assumption cracks me up. We have a very similar program where I work and each year we have to fill out a questionnaire. One of my friends once answered Yes to the question Have you ever driven after drinking? There was nothing else to the question, not after drinking too much or drinking while drunk, just after drinking. So she answered yes. The nurse that was doing her review gave her a sit-down about drinking and driving. She walked out of there swearing, why the hell did I feel the need to be brutally honest??
I used to work for a company (not the same type of survey stuff you mention here) but we did give all the employees surveys, etc.., on different subjects under the guise of "anonymous" only each survey had a secret number and we knew which employees we gave which "number" to. Just so's ya know...
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