Sunday, February 25, 2007

cast out your mints!

This is not going to turn into a diet blog, but, in addition to those announced in the comments of my original post, I've convinced someone else to sign onto the caloric-restriction cause, with a dialogue that included:
"I've gained [#] pounds and Girl Scout Cookies just arrived. My pants don't fit comfortably anymore."
"Throw out the cookies."
"But... Thin Mint!"
"You know what I say is right. Thin Mints are ephemeral joys, comfortable fitting pants a lasting pleasure."
She later sent me an e-mail titled "Fat Mints" that included:
I am on my way now to give all of the girl scout cookies away. I am embarrassed to admit how many boxes there are, but it will suffice to say that I have more than I can reasonably give to one person.

The spouse and I discussed my weakness for these particular types of cookies this morning on the way to the gym, and I think that perhaps there is a reason beyond my sweet tooth. When I was 9, I sold 750 boxes of them and I got to go to horse camp for free that summer. It was awesome - not just horse camp, but the little girl scout cookie business that my dad and I had going on. Happy memories.

Thus, when I see one of those order forms, I see my dad sitting in his blue mini-truck at the curb waiting for me to come back from knocking on the door and peddling the cookies. I see the living room packed from floor to ceiling with cookies. What I forget about that is that we were selling the cookies to others, not eating all 750 boxes ourselves.
It's interesting to think about how the Girl Scouts profit so much from the unhealthy eating habits of our nation. I wonder if they had started out selling Girl Scout Cigarettes and that had become the organization's dominant revenue source, how long the program would have kept going and what kind of rationalizations would have been used to defend it.

Anyway, now I need to get some people to enter into a writing pact with me as well. The last month of traveling and other distractions has been bad for all kinds of habits.

15 comments:

sal said...

writing pact? i'm in!

jennifer said...

Embarrassed to say that I have three boxes of thin mints on the way...

Anonymous said...

Can you imagine if the cigarette companies could somehow figure out how to get 8-year-old girls on their sales force? I would be sunk.
-Nan the Fan

Anonymous said...

I'd join in a writing pact, as well...

Anonymous said...

I can't believe you told someone to THROW OUT cookies!!! If anyone wants to unload their cookies on me, I'm more than happy to help out. You know, to do you a favor.
--andrea

tina said...

I was just thinking how I can't do your diet pact, because I have a big writing deadline. Sign me up for the writing pact, and after a week or so, the diet.

Eszter said...

It seems problematic to encourage people to simply throw out food, but the idea of giving the cookies away, that sounds interesting.

As for equating cigarettes with thin mint cookies, seems a bit harsh.

I ordered about six boxes, four thin mints and two peanut butter. I told my Project Coordinator to put one of each in my office (to wait for me) and open the rest for the research group to enjoy.

jeremy said...

Sure, the equation seems harsh now. I'm just saying there was a point when cigarettes weren't view negatively the way they are now, and I'm imagining what if the girl scouts had gotten into that business without anticipating the public health evil cigarettes would later be seen as being.

L. said...

I'm in the writing pact too. How much writing do we need to commit to? How do we enforce it?

Anonymous said...

I am drinking the Slimfast shakes and if I follow the rules it works. I am pretty starving by dinner, but throughout the day coffee and water and occasional piece of fruit keep me in check.

You are still in Boston right? All the walking you can do in that city is always helpful whenever I visit there. Just some ideas.

jeremy said...

I live in Cambridge, which is quite a bit different from Boston proper. Walking is hindered by the winter and especially the bad sidewalk clearing practices around here.

If I stick to the WWOL points system, it will work.

Eszter said...

I live in Cambridge, which is quite a bit different from Boston proper. Walking is hindered by the winter

Are you saying that winter in Cambridge is much worse than in Boston?

Regarding WWOL, does this point system work with eating out? And how much exercise does one commit to?

Also, can you post a separate entry on the whole writing pact issue? I'd be curious to hear some details. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?ex=1172466000&en=d39e41be8a4feeb3&ei=5070

Anonymous said...

1. Girl Scout Cookies are trans fat free!
2. Many (all?) Girl Scout councils have a cookie share program that allows you to buy boxes from girls, but have the cookies sent to a charity. The troop chooses the food pantry, shelter, or wherever they want to send the cookies. The girls can still go to horse camp.
3. There are two bakers for Girl Scout Cookies. One offers a reduced fat oatmeal cookie. They look a little lumpy and like they would best be served as cereal in a bowl of milk. If your council uses ABC bakers, this is available to you. I'm not sure that Little Brownie Baker has a reduced fat cookie.
4. I don't like Thin Mints.

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