You're just TOO BIG to ride!!!

[ACEfanatic02]

These food companies have been making food with WAAAAY too much fat and salt and carbs because it's cheaper to produce, transport and plus they don't get sued as much for it going bad and killing people.

Instead of their customers dropping dead from food poisoning, they die later from a stroke or heart attack or complications from diabetes. Sure everybody has a choice, sorta, but until they were publically squeezed, the food companies kept putting out the same old crap.

Have you seen how much sodium is in pretty much all processed food?

At least a lot of potato chips are made with 0% transfats....

I think if people have more healthy tasty choices, they'll choose better food.

I blame fast food companies for having crap choices. I blame good times (peaceful time between famines) for everyone eating too much.

 

I'm laughing. Really, I am.

 

Look, no blame goes to the fast food companies. Seriously, they make the food with lots of carbs, salt, and fat, because THAT'S WHAT TASTES GOOD. Sorry if you can't grasp the idea of a bottom line.

 

Regardless, what McDonalds sells isn't all that bad for you, WHEN EATEN IN MODERATION. Sure, if you shove a Big Mac down your throat three times a day, you're going to get fat. Big suprise, eh? But you can eat one every now and then and stay fit.

 

The problem is not people's eating habits. It's exercise. Really, when people refuse to WALK to places, do very little active exercise, that's when problems with weight become serious.

 

And you can't blame anyone else for your not exercising.

 

-ACE

[cfc]

My apologies to those who've already read "Chuck's Motorcycle Chase" story.

 

When I was in high school back in the 1970s, I weighed about 275 pounds, and Knott's had the Motorcycle Chase--a steeplechase-type of ride that used motorcycles as trains. Guests were held in place with a seatbelt. (This ride eventually became the Wacky Soapbox Racers, but is long gone.)

 

My older brother and I took a ride on the Chase, really liked it, and decided to ride it again. But as we entered the queue, a ride-op asked me to hop up on a sample motorcycle at the ride entrance (there was no ride-op there earlier). She struggled and struggled to fit the seatbelt around my rather ample gut and behind, couldn't do it, and declared that I couldn't ride because the restraints wouldn't fit me.

 

I guess I was lucky the first time around, eh? Well, so was Knott's.

 

I weigh around 225 now, by the way, and am looking forward to riding Blackpool's Steeplechase during TPR's UK trip this June.

 

So, in short, no I don't think it's the responsibility of the manufacturer to accomodate every body type; but it is the responsibility of the park to ensure that safety rules are applied consistently.

[robbalvey]

Well, even still, it looks like people's short attention span has won out since in the last quarter McDonald's stock has traded at a 5-year high:

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MCD&t=5y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=

 

Good for them. They deserve it because they didn't do anything wrong.

 

--Robb "Who is tempted to lock this thread before more people get dumber." Alvey

 

Different story over in the UK. MacDonalds are doing really badly at the mo, losing out to Subway I think. They've just had to close 25 branches. Go figure.

Yes, but those closures don't seem to be due to people with weight issues, it seems to be from competition from other fast food chains.

 

Subway is on a growth spurt right now in the UK, so it would make sense for McDonald's to be feeling a bit of pressure, as stated in this news article:

 

McDonalds, which has 1,250 restaurants in the UK, said last week that the closures will cost £23million and blamed too much competition from coffee shops and other fast-food chains for a slump in sales.

 

So it's not like people have stopped eating fast food, they are just eating other fast food. Remember, this thread wasn't about McDonald's in particular, it was about people trying to put blame on fast food in general.

 

--Robb "But still, I believe about 10% of what the news says anyway." Alvey

[robbalvey]

I would also like to point out a HUGE misconception about Subway. Just do a side-by-side comparison and you'll see for yourself that if you think Subway is any more "healthy" than the other fast food offerings, you are a sucker for some GREAT American marketing! "Please eat here because it won't make you fat."

 

See for yourself:

http://www.subway.com/applications/NutritionInfo/nutritionlist.aspx?id=sandwich

 

Versus:

 

http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html

 

Now keep in mind those Subway numbers are for 6" sandwiches WITHOUT any dressings!

 

So for example, a foot long cold cut combo with cheese and mayo is actually 46 grams of fat! Even a Subway Club which falls under the "6 grams of fat" menu ACTUALLY is 28 grams of fat if you get a footlong with cheese and some toppings.

 

Now, I'm not knocking Subway at all, because I *LOVE* Subway. But I'm not fooled by Jared and the marketing deparment thinking that by eating Subway I'm getting a "healthy deal".

 

You could just as easily do the same at McDonalds eating their healthy choice options.

 

--Robb

[PortugePunk]

I'm not that big at all, but I don't think that seats have always been a bit tight - particularly on B&Ms. I can get into them no problem, but they're still REALLY tight. Not because of my weight, but because of my chest. I have a really broad chest and the OTS harnesses seem to always want to crush me. Batman/Riddler at Magic Mountain always seem to give me the most problems. I did notice, however, that Silver Bullet @ Knott's yesterday seemed to have a bit more slack in the belt. It was perfectly comfortable.

[PortugePunk]

Now, I'm not knocking Subway at all, because I *LOVE* Subway. But I'm not fooled by Jared and the marketing deparment thinking that by eating Subway I'm getting a "healthy deal".

 

You could just as easily do the same at McDonalds eating their healthy choice options.

 

Good point, Robb. It's not so much what you eat, but how much and how often. Don't go blaming fast food companies for making overly-fattening foods just because YOU can't stop eating them. They've always been fattening - the difference is that Americans have grown a dependence for them in many situations - as well as a "need" for bigger portions. Remember when the "Big Mac" was the biggest thing at McDonald's?

 

Ok I'm done venting now.

[Superdasher]

^I think you're absolutely right, PortugePunk.

 

Take Elissa, for example. We all know how she eats McDonalds and almost nothing else, but I'd be surprised if she weighs more than about 140 lbs!

 

Personally, I think it's more a question of metabolism and fitness, hence why I voted for the middle option - those who eat fatty foods but excersise a lot are obviously going to have more problems fitting on a ride than those who snack all day while watching TV and not getting any excercise!

 

I have to admit that I'm a "full fledged sugar enthusiast". But...

 

For me, the main concern when I ride a coaster is maximum height restrictions (if there are any). I weigh about 165 myself, but almost all of it is bone and muscle. I'm also VERY tall for my age (over 6 feet), and my main concern on a few rides is whether I'll be too TALL to ride, not too fat.

 

Super "It's amazing how I eat all these sweet foods and burgers and not manage to put on any weight" Dasher