I have a few pet peeves, don’t we all? Like when you’re trying to get off the bus or train and people getting on crowd the door so you can’t get off? Or how about people who clip their finger nails in public (oh my god I might vomit, do it in the bathroom!)? When it comes to dieting and fitness, I have a few pet peeves I want to share here. I’m pretty sure you can relate, or at least contribute a few of your own pet peeves!
The first annoyance is with cereal. I stopped eating cereal years ago and only eat it once in awhile. I quit because the ones I like are usually the sugary cereals (and not healthy) and more importantly–I wasn’t satisfied after eating cereal for breakfast. I’d be famished within the hour. So I switched my breakfast to a healthier, high protein meal and that has worked well for years.
Recently I had a craving for cereal so I bought some at the store and have been having it with a piece of gluten free toast with breakfast. What’s my pet peeve? Cereal servings. Have you ever really looked at the label on a box of cereal? It’s very discouraging. For a week I was measuring out a serving –which was 3/4 cup– and I used a measuring cup. I thought it was okay.
Then I noticed on the side of the box that there were 17 SERVINGS in the box. 17?!?! I thought, that can’t be right…
I felt so mad! I hate that they do that. It’s deceptive. A serving size according to them is ACTUALLY measured by weight, so why do they put the 3/4 cup on there at all? It’s trickery. So I got out the food scale and weighed it. What I’d been measuring out with a cup (3/4 cup) all week was REALLY TWO SERVINGS.
60 grams was a little over 3/4 of a cup. So if I was measuring out 1 cup of cereal, I was really eating two servings. What a scam. I started taking out some of the cereal to get it down to the 30 grams and then it was just ridiculous. It was like 3 bites of cereal in 30 grams!
I added a little bit more because seriously, 30 grams wasn’t enough food. I ended up eating 41 grams of the cereal and I adjusted my calories on my app. I was so annoyed and felt cheated and vowed to stop buying cereal!
Another pet peeve is when frozen meals have two servings in them. That is just plain ridiculous. Recently I was buying some frozen Indian food at Trader Joe’s and did a double-take when I saw the label. It was one frozen meal but it had two servings in it–each 400 calories. So in reality, that one meal was 800 calories! I mean really, who eats HALF of a frozen meal?
Here are a few other posts discussing this:
It’s deceptive advertising and if you’re not paying close enough attention it’s easy to miss this and that can totally derail your efforts. If the scale isn’t moving and you’re doing everything “right” double check those labels! I’m going to be more mindful. Sure, this was information I knew before, but I wasn’t being diligent.
As for fitness pet peeves, I have a few. Mostly they are pet peeves about gym etiquette–talking loudly on their cellphones, sitting on machines playing with their phones instead of working out,
There Are No Place-Backs At The Gym
One of the biggest annoyances for me is the people who never wipe down the machines or mats after they use them. It’s just gross. Long ago I started keeping antibacterial handi-wipes in my gym bag and got into the habit of just wiping things down before I use them.
The other pet peeve is the people that go to my yoga class. There is this one woman that is ALWAYS late. At least 10 minutes or sometimes more. Every time she makes a big production, thumping around, putting her mat down, etc. Then she spends the entire class futzing with her phone. Serious. Why are you even here? There have been a few times where other people in the class actually told her to get off the phone because it was distracting. Every time I see her in my class I just groan to myself.
So what about you? I know you’ve got some annoyances to share!
Carrie @ Season It Already!
I am with you on the cereal. I grew up eating cereal every morning for breakfast and I was always “starving” by 10am, even in I had multiple bowls. I, too, ate the sugary stuff. But even after I started eating more healthfully in my adulthood, I didn’t find the healthier cereals any more filling. So, like you, it’s a rare occasion to buy a box.
But I didn’t know about the serving sizes! How evil and dishonest!
And that lady seriously does that in your yoga class? I’m surprised the yoga instructor doesn’t talk to her or kick her out. It’s not only rude but against everything that yoga is supposed to be!
Lisa Eirene
YES!!! She’s missing the entire point of yoga. 😛
Jenny
Preach! I completely agree with cereal. I lost 100 pounds and in order to keep the number down I do not buy certain foods because I have no self control. I cannot eat just one serving of cereal then my blood sugar is out of whack and I am hungry in a hour. Now I eat leftovers or eggs.
And I agree with the yoga lady. I have the same thing except she is late and leaves early. It messes me up. I pray she does not put her mat down by me. The only worse thing I have experienced at this gym is the Pilates instructor who does not illustrate the exercises by doing them with us. Instead she walks around and barks orders.
I love your blog! Thanks for the honesty.
Lisa Eirene
I do the same thing. “Please don’t sit by me, please don’t…” haha
Deb
I have people who sit on equipment and text or talk on their phones. I also hate the woman (its always a woman) who bring a book and read while they are on the bikes. That’s not the problem. I read on the bike a lot. But I remember to keep pedaling and maintain my pace. These ladies stop pedaling and read for an hour or so just taking up space.
I also really dislike the guys who bring someone in to photograph them which they “work out” when they are really just posing with equipment. They are always in someone’s way and they don’t sem to care about inconveniencing anyone.
Lisa Eirene
Yep! It’s so frustrating, especially at peak times when machines are hard to come by.
CARLA
ok I feel badly saying this BUT BUT BUT when I used to go to the GYM the MEN WHO GRUNTED when LIFTING ((loudly)) made me nuts.
Lisa Eirene
DITTO!
Sara
Cereal is the biggest rip off nutrition wise! If I eat cereal I EAT CEREAL, ya know? like 3 servings. And I still feel unsatisfied so most of the time I just pass on the cereal and eat the eggs. I think I mostly eat 1 serving of cereal as a treat/snack plain or if we are traveling and staying at a hotel and I feel like treating myself or not tracking *lol*
Lisa Eirene
Yes it’s such a bummer! I always feel ripped off when I eat it.
Beth
The only cereal I buy/eat now is Grape nuts or low fat granola — 2 tablespoons is 1 point on Weight Watchers and I like to have some crunch on my yogurt and fruit for breakfast so it’s worth the point. I feel like I haven’t had an actual bowl of cereal in years!
I’m with you on the grunting. A few years ago during some of the times that I was at the gym there was an older man there on the eliptical and he would always be in pants and a jacket and while he was working out he would keep chanting “you can do it Phil” to himself. It was funny but annoying.
It grosses me out when people are dripping sweat all over a machine – I agree with you I clean them before I get on!
Lisa Eirene
Oh the machines are gross. I totally wipe everything down before and after I use it.
Biz
That’s one of the reasons I have a food scale and measuring cups at work – it’s so easy to “eye ball” 1/2 a cup of rice, when in actuality it is a cup!
Gym pet peeve: an older woman SCRAPES the dead skin off of her feet and all the dead skin just stays on the floor – gross!
Lisa Eirene
Ok that is just vile!! Who does that?!
Joy @ WhatIWeighToday
You are right on about cereal. I can clearly remember the moment I realized that cereal was some kind of corporate conspiracy to make people fat. I was working an office job that started at 8 am and I had a long commute. So I was eating breakfast at my desk when I got to work. I was on this supposedly high protein cereal kick at the time. I drank it with soy milk. And even though I was eating breakfast at 8 am I was famished again by 10. I just realized suddenly it was not right, it was the wrong thing to eat for breakfast, and I haven’t bought one box of cereal every since. Me and eggs are BFFs.
Lisa Eirene
Protein works so much better!
Coco (@Got2Run4Me)
Oh, wow, I’ve never weighed a measured portion of cereal. I’m afraid to find out!
Lisa Eirene
It will totally ruin cereal for you…
Sayid Mansour
Ugh. We’ve been deceived. Unbelievable!