Why don't men look as good as they did decades ago?

[Scotland]

Diet soft drink is amazing for you. Get it down by the gallon.

 

[Andre]

Does anyone really order a Diet Coke with their burger and fries? Seems like one of those internet anecdotes from a bygone area, but isn’t really accurate.

It WOULD be better calorie-wise to get a Diet Coke with a McDonalds meal, but if you’ve already committed to a greasy meal you’re not trying to limit the damage.

I drink Diet soft drinks every day. Sweet fix without the useless calories. If I'm getting fast food I'm still ordering Coke No Sugar or Pepsi Max. Why add an extra 250 calories on top of what you're already taking in, that is no better taste?

 

[JackOutback]

Anyone that thinks Coke no sugar or Pepsi Max taste better or are no worse than the original product is simply deluding themselves.

 

[craigos]

30+ years ago a woman unmarried at 35 was a failure to large parts of society. Most didn't want to go against (/knew they could go against) these expectations. So sure guys knew those who were most impressive would get the best women, but those at the bottom were still going to get A woman.

Fast forward to today and this is obviously not the case. Women don't have to settle for second rate. And women are (generalisations here, obviously exceptions for both genders) much more willing (and content) to be single then men. So you've got plenty of single women, but they aren't an unhappy mass. And those that are single women are more likely to be successful, where as for men those not successful with women are one's that didn't catch the eye of women in large part because they aren't 'successful' in general. Success defined by those women (generalisation again), that they aren't of an approximately equal education / intelligence / income earning potential level.

Rom-com's and TV in general aimed at ladies don't help. How many stories pitched as Jane Average gets the guy whose tall, handsome, charming AND well off? A typical 'must have list' would include the guy needs a degree (about 25% of the population), 6 foot plus (take that and half it), not fat (knock off another 20 - 30% as less fat guys amongst those with degrees), earns above average income (knock more out). So before you even get to looks or personality that's down to less than 10% of the population wanted by a **** load more than that. This common list it should be noted stays remarkably fixed even if the person having it doesn't meet the equivalent points for women. I'm not being bitter here as I tick all those items and are happily married, but it's not a realistic state to be applying across the board to anywhere near the degree it is (and of course the guy has to be good looking AND funny on top of all of those. Average looks and not a comedian so would fail at the later hurdles if was 20-25 years younger and 'out there').

Men, successful or not are more willing to marry someone 'lower' (as defined by that education / intelligence / income earning potential level) because they just find that woman someone they want to spend time with. Once past the 'play the field / date the bad boy' stage women are much less inclined to do this. Now take that these days women outnumber men going into higher education and you can see the divergence occurring here.

There's faults on both sides of this divide in my eyes. From the women's side, I think there's a lot of guys out there (tradies or just working jobs that didn't require higher education in general) who if they gave a chance they'd see would make them very happy and be good long term matches, but they won't date (/marry) down. On the men's side they aren't helping their cause when men's obesity rate is 42% versus women's 29%. And men smoke more, drink excessively more and overdo drugs more. Leave aside employment and if men just got themselves up to just women's levels of addressing these flaws and there'd be many thousands more 'getting lucky'. Not many women (and nor should they) are going to take someone whose all of fatter, smokes more, gets pissed more AND also isn't at their earning level.

tl;dr - Women are missing out by having too high standards, men let themselves go too much.

Interesting, I would say the opposite that men would be happy to be alone a lot more than women. Maybe it's a heavily biased view from myself though.

You live in a town of about 20,000 or so right? I guess lack ok immediate options may do that. Because in all seriousness, this scenario would absolutely never, ever happen in Perth. The women here are so picky, cliquey and stand-offish. I don't know how any single average guy here pulls.

For the few years I lived in Perth, in my physical prime, I found it god damn a chore to interact with an alarmingly high percentage of local ladies.

 

[craigos]

Also, who on earth has the time to prepare 8 meals a day? That's one of the benefits of only eating lunch and dinner and fasting the rest of the time.

 

[Scotland]

For the few years I lived in Perth, in my physical prime, I found it god damn a chore to interact with an alarmingly high percentage of local ladies.

Me @ 34 years old: 'Hi, I'm Scotland. What's your name?'
Perth Girl: 'Ummm what school did you go to?'

Their poo is indeed pure white and has no smell whatsoever.

 

[craigos]

Me @ 34 years old: 'Hi, I'm Scotland. What's your name?'
Perth Girl: 'Ummm what school did you go to?'

Their poo is indeed pure white and has no smell whatsoever.

Perth gal , I thought you were better than that

 

[Engimal v3]

Anyone that thinks Coke no sugar or Pepsi Max taste better or are no worse than the original product is simply deluding themselves.

Coke No Sugar and Pepsi Max taste better than their full-sugar counterparts.

They are better for you because they do not contain so much sugar. There is no real science behind the claims that the artificial sweeteners used in their place are harmful, and are 'GRAS' (Generally Regarded as Safe) under the FDA.

Artificial sweeteners have come to the same fate as MSG, unfortunately. They're fine.

EDIT: Wait, was this whole post about the taste? I disagree, either way.

 

[Billy ray]

Coke No Sugar and Pepsi Max taste better than their full-sugar counterparts.

They are better for you because they do not contain so much sugar. There is no real science behind the claims that the artificial sweeteners used in their place are harmful, and are 'GRAS' (Generally Regarded as Safe) under the FDA.

Artificial sweeteners have come to the same fate as MSG, unfortunately. They're fine.

EDIT: Wait, was this whole post about the taste? I disagree, either way.

But why do you have an artificial sweetener when there is a natural one?

 

[JackOutback]

They taste like s**t, certainly not ‘better’ than the full sugar versions. Most of these sugar free drinks are packed with chemicals to replicate the sweetness, so you’re just trading sugar for something out of a lab. I prefer to just accept I’m drinking something unhealthy, drink it in moderation and exercise it off.

 

[t_94]

Anyone who drinks diet soft drink and thinks its substantially healthier is kidding themselves.

 

[Engimal v3]

But why do you have an artificial sweetener when there is a natural one?

Because the artificial one doesn't make me big and fat. Ever seen how much sugar is in Coke?

 

[ioppolo]

I predominantly drink Pepsi Max, and I say that it'll give me a brain tumour but at least my body will look good in the mean time.

 

[La Dispute]

Is there any definitive proof diet drinks cause health problems?

Kind of feels like we’ve been waiting for an epidemic for a while, but nothing’s transpired.

 

[perthblue]

I just think the diet/sugarless varieties taste somewhat off. Gimme the fullstrength.

 

[FRUMPY]

I presumed this was a thread where we could hide pictures of women we find attractive that others don't etc. Put the words 'men' and 'not as good looking' and no-one would look to see if any offensive material is in this thread.

I mean, imagine a thread with the heading 'why don't women look as good as they did decades ago' - would be deleted within a minute.

 

[Perth gal]

Perth gal , I thought you were better than that

.?

 

[edgie]

Anyone who drinks diet soft drink and thinks its substantially healthier is kidding themselves.

It is. A mate's dad was 130 odd kilos, he woulda drank 4 or 5 cans a day.

All he did was switch to the sugar free variety and within a month had lost 15 kilos. That's it, literally nothing else.

I would consider that a substantial effect.

 

[edgie]

I don't understand why mass produced drinks need so much sugar. I can make an iced coffee at home and use 4 teaspons of sugar and it will taste sweeter than one bought at the shop which has three times that amount.

 

[Andre]

But why do you have an artificial sweetener when there is a natural one?

Because I drink diet drinks (and prefer the taste anyway), I have visible abs during summer at 45. If I drank sugary one's I'd be Joe average 45 year old and have a keg.

 

[Scotland]

I don't understand why mass produced drinks need so much sugar. I can make an iced coffee at home and use 4 teaspons of sugar and it will taste sweet than one bought at the shop which has three times that amount.

Iced tea is the worst.

I have a cup of tea at work and put maybe half a teaspoon of raw sugar in it. That's enough for me. I've made iced tea before at home and made up about a litre or so in a jug and added a dessert spoon of honey. If you add 10 teaspoons of sugar into 2-300 mL of water then it just becomes sugar water whether it's a glass of water or a coffee, tea etc. With something like Coke I think you need more sugar to overcome the flavour of all the other crap in it before you start to make it taste sweet.

 

[raskolnikov]

Low carb is the answer. I have no appetite on low carb and have to remind myself to eat. And get full very quickly.

 

[edgie]

Iced tea is the worst.

I have a cup of tea at work and put maybe half a teaspoon of raw sugar in it. That's enough for me. I've made iced tea before at home and made up about a litre or so in a jug and added a dessert spoon of honey. If you add 10 teaspoons of sugar into 2-300 mL of water then it just becomes sugar water whether it's a glass of water or a coffee, tea etc. With something like Coke I think you need more sugar to overcome the flavour of all the other crap in it before you start to make it taste sweet.

I've got nothing against sugar, I have a sweet tooth and enjoy it, but the amount of sugar that goes in to mass produced products compared to making at home is phenomenal. I would make myself sick putting 12 teaspoons of sugar in to a drink at home.

My body doesn't change much though so it's hard to get a reading on any effects of cutting bottled iced coffee for instance out of my diet... the ones I make myself are sweeter anyway.

 

[Billy ray]

I dont consume anything with artificial sweeteners added. I dont have much sugar either, half a teaspoon of coconut sugar in coffee, quarter teaspoon in black tea, cant remember the last time i had a softdrink like coke, maybe ten years or so.

I used to have a sweet tooth and buy desserts and cakes but just cut it all out one day and now will treat myself to a cafe purchased cake or slice once a month or so.
But I will buy raw vegan style desserts maybe once a week at a cafe and find them sweet enough.

Since my early twenties I have been 60-65kgs and still am 20 years later. When i dropped the sugar i lost the little pot belly and slight fat around my face and have stabilised around 60-62kgs.

 

[M Malice]

Agreed.

Have you tried / heard of intermittent fasting? Sounds similar to what you're doing anyway. I first heard about it about a year ago and have been doing it ever since. What it amounts to for me is skipping breakfast and having my first meal at lunch. Now I don't feel hungry until lunch time and I don't have any issue with alertness or anything like that in the mornings. I've never really been a big fan breakfast, except on weekends, so it's been pretty easy for me.

I would recommend intermittent fasting to anyone, but during your eating window you have to EAT! On the fasting subreddit, so many people drop weight very quickly because they fast for 18 hours (which is good) but then during their eating window they're only eating like 500-600 calories. It's incredibly bad for you but people keep it up because they're dropping weight easily. no ****! you're starving yourself! Fasting is about training your body to do more with less. I fully agree that 3 square meals is ********, that 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day' is complete ********, and that most of our attitudes towards food are a product of capitalistic ********* rather than what is actually good for us.

I've been doing the skipping breakfast 18-6 intermittent fasting thing for a while now purely for the health benefits as I've never been overweight in the slightest. Most people eat to excess out of habit and social pressures, it always astounds me that people complain about the atrocious food available at most AFL venues, FFS you don't have to eat there, if you can't go 3 hours or so without eating something is wrong.

Intermittent fasting is as much a fad as lots of small meals, no carbs, keto etc. That’s not to say it won’t work for some but we need to stop reinventing the wheel. Regular eating, healthy eating, in moderation with exercise and you’ll be fine, even if you cut loose on occasion.

There is a lot of scientific research out there re the benefits of intermittent fasting. As far as what you eat I do a moderate LCHF lifestyle which is basically eat as little processed s**t as possible.