Friday Blog Round-Up: Weight Loss Edition

THE NEWEST FAD DIET: LIVING NEAR A WAL-MART
Exciting news from the Wal-Mart Watch blog room: since we found out about this study earlier in the week, we’ve all started spending lots of time at our nearest Wal-Mart, and we’re loosing weight like crazy! As Richard Simmons says, “We’re fabulous!” Diets in Review points out the real reason Wal-Mart shoppers might be losing weight: they’re too poor to eat!

Wal-Mart Good for Your Health? [Diets in Review]

I’m still skeptical. For one, there seem to be too many variables to prove their theory. Plus, the study also found that an additional Wal-Mart also led to decreased exercise. Either way, it seems there are other factors to include, like a a down economy that may lead people to eat out less, which should have a positive effect on waistlines.

The Wal-Mart Diet [Seeking Alpha]

Courtemanche and Carden also found evidence that purchases of fruits and vegetables increased after the introduction of a big box retailer. But the news isn’t all good: An additional Wal-Mart also led to decreased exercise, though the reasons for this are somewhat mysterious. The researchers suggest a couple of reasons...Neither of these is very convincing though.

NeoNeocon and the Healthy Food Review offer a different explanation:

My theory on the Walmart Diet [NeoNeocon]

I beg to differ. Even though the study reports that a Walmart leads to decreased exercise, I still think exercise might be the key. My theory is that whatever the decrease in other exercise reported in the study (and I assume activity level was not measured, but was based on self-report), it left out one extremely important factor: the exercise involved in shopping in a Walmart itself. Think about it—have you been in one lately? I have. Those babies are huge.

Wal-Mart Diet Exists According To New Study [Healthy Food Review]

My theory?  Shopping at a Wal-Mart Super Center especially gets you walking a lot more than it does at a smaller store.  In fact, when I lived in Colorado, my local Wal-Mart Super Center was in quick walking distance in cold snowy, weather, and my husband and I would purposely go to get out and do a bit of a walking workout.  In Las Vegas, I’ve been doing it all Summer in the triple digit temperatures.

Shopping At Wal-Mart Makes You Thinner [Health Care BS]

And just think: while you’re in there buying your cheap fruits and veggies, you can go to the retail health clinic and have that sinus infection looked at. I love the free market!

After the jump, Wal-Mart moms and unions in China.

WHAT IMPACT WILL UNIONS HAVE ON WAL-MART’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA?

First Wal-Mart union begins in China thanks to gov’t [The Raw Story]

Wal-Mart’s reluctance to allow unions, particularly in the United States where they remain banned from stores, has been a point of controversy for many years. But the government-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions fought for the right to create branches in the company’s 60 outlets.

Pity U.S. companies in China, the union is moving in [BloggingStocks]

Doing business in China was supposed to be cheap. As the old saying goes “cheap gets expensive.” The central government wants all of the foreign companies with local operations to have unions. All of those workers will be able to stage stop strikes if they like. They can ask for more cash. They can demand more benefits.

WOMEN BEWARE: YOU COULD BE A ‘WAL-MART MOM’

Wal-Mart moms and grandmas: Politicians are looking for you [Wallet Pop]

“Soccer moms,” “security moms,” “hockey moms,” and now “Wal-Mart moms (and grandmas).” Every election cycle, we get a new must-reach group of moms and this year is no different. But for the first time you are defined by where you shop.

Are you a Wal-Mart Mom? [Momformation]

Seems the term is being used to describe an important swing-group of voters in this upcoming election. In general, these are women juggling care of both their children and their elderly parents, and they are feeling a hard pinch from rising costs of everything from food to health care. Wal-Mart moms tend not to have gone to college and are less upscale and a little older (in their 40s and 50s) than Soccer Moms. Some political strategists claim these women would like to vote for a Democratic president but aren’t yet sold on Obama.

Wal-Mart Moms Know Better [Daily Kos]

I am a working Wal-Mart, Sam’s and Target Mom, a former PTA board Mom, PTA fundraiser Chair Mom, soccer Mom, little league Mom and basketball Mom.  I am merely one of millions like me.  And we are sick of listening to lying and insulting garbage.

Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Friday, September 12, 2008

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