People always say I'm not from the south, and I believe it. I actually don't like fried foods. They're just too...bleh. Heavy, oily, gut-busting, nap-inducing, and--AND it all looks the same. It's this golden brown mess.
There's a guy I work with who grew up in the south. He's probably 5'9", 250#. He's one of those guys with a ginormous gut and tiny legs. Let's not forget about his triple chin... The guy's typical lunch: two peanut butter and butter sandwiches (or cheese and mayonnaise or pimento cheese and mayonnaise), big John Madden-sized handful of chips, two pickles and 2 cookies. He once made the comment, "it's not good if it isn't fried." His daughter had to take cholesterol medications because it was running a little high. This was two years ago; she's currently 8 years old.
And I'm the one getting weird looks at lunch for eating "pink yogurt" with fruit and a turkey sandwich on whole wheat. Sometimes I also have carrots.
I'm damn proud of my weight loss. I've kept off 60 pounds for over four years now. I still don't have the body of a Roman god, but I'm healthy and that's all that matters. I'm glad I took these steps when I did; I probably added at least 5-10 years to my life. That's another 5-10 years to let my savings and investments grow ;-)
