Obesity in America

[guydesavoy]

Indeed as many have said, one of the the first things that people notice when visiting the States is the proportion of obese people one sees almost everywhere.

I fear it is a lost cause, at least in the short term. Over eating is usually an attempt to fill a vacuum or some sense of emptiness or lack of meaning in life. Perhaps this is a reflection on the lack of direction in American society. Jack is gone and Camelot is dead. It's seemimgly the logical extension of the Consumer Utopia. More 'freedom' and more 'choice'.  

But to choose what exactly ? More more more,,,,stock up on bulk items....mmm pork...mmm gravy... all-you-can-eat   What a great deal democracy gave us  

Hey, I've been there...done the cookies and milk after midnight..but it's a phase, not a lifestyle. And eventually I snap out of it and return to a more normal diet and weight..give or take a few pounds    

Cultural phases just last a little longer

[Ivor Biggun]

Off for a burger- I'll comment constructively tomorrow

[Lefty]

(JaiDee @ Mar. 27 2010,22:21)  RE; PI kids;  agreed..... they wanna be just like americans over there so why not EAT like us??

They do IF they can afford it. I guess that is one way that modest income is healthy. Most Pinoys I know can't afford to overeat. What they do eat though, as a general rule, is not as healthy as a Thai diet.

[anthony70]

have a plan that i think could work.
they should stop making and selling clothes above a certain size.
simple.
if you cant buy clothes to fit, you have to go naked or diet.
or, make your own clothes, which also would be fun to see.

the whole fat thing gives me the right hump.
its became a safety in numbers issue.
all my friends are fat, so its ok if i am.?

when i was at school . the fat kid got the piss taken out of him. never got picked for soccer, always had rosy cheeks. never pulled.
not any more, he is the majority.
battling with your weight.? bollox, more like battling with the fridge door, greedy cunts.

for me, a fat body represents so much more than not looking atractive.
in one foul swoop, just by the body shape, it is safe to conclude they are lazy, unhappy, smelly, and mentally ill.

these fat birds can cost a fuckin fortune just to keep on the road.
i average around 50 quid a week on food. your average fat bird- 80- 100.
and it dos,nt just stop at food neither.
they use more towels, more laundry,(larger garments) .
more soap, body lotion and sun tan cream to cover the excess metre squarage.
you got more wear and tear on your carpets, damage to you sofa, and then more diesel usage if you take the fat cunt anywhere in the van.
and on top of all that, they are never happy.

[seamus]

That's one of the funniest things I have read on the forum for an age !

[blonde_havoc]

I miss the days of being in college and eating whatever I wanted and staying the same weight... I used to be 170 lbs, which is extremely skinny on my 6'3" frame. I'm about 225 now and damn I need to lose 20 lbs. I'd be fine at a 200 to 210 range. I'm not an unhealthy eater and I rarely snack... for me it's the genetics. Everyone in my family is the same, i.e. big frames (we're all tall, even my sister is very tall) and bigger sizes. I'm a 36" waist though, which isn't too bad considering this is America. But damn I'd love to be back down to my college weight!

[jadeite]

I can understand if there is a fat inclination based on evironment such as fat people tending to raise fat kids by bad habits. But I have not heard of an actual genetic link. I would also be surprised if diet and exercise is not an appropriate method for pretty much anyone in the world to maintain a healthy weight. Whether someone has appropriate knowledge and considers it high enough priority is a whole different story though.

[Ivor Biggun]

There was something on the box the other day that said 35% of Adult Americans were clinically obese. The Main groups being poor and black. If they're that poor how can they afford to eat so much Lack of exercise, portion control and self respect seem to be the big issues. I understand Australia isn't far behind in the obesity stakes but as the 'Yanks of the South Pacific' ( a term used by a Kiwi friend) I guess it's inevitable. In five years in Patong and a recent visit to the UK I have noticed a lot more fatter younger people around. The knock on effects to the healthcare system are horrendous. I know doctors refuse to carry out some operations until patients get their weight down. A lot of these people seem to want to blame the system when a bit of personal responsibility and self-discipline should kick in. I love to have a burger or a pizza once in a while- last night's Burger King Onion rings were lush, but it's not every day and I work it off. My worst thing is the late night munchies- I try to keep this down by keeping a minimum of food in the fridge but sometimes I wake up and the next day's lunch has 'mysteriously disappeared'

[Snick]

(jadeite @ Mar. 28 2010,14:42) I can understand if there is a fat inclination based on evironment such as fat people tending to raise fat kids by bad habits. But I have not heard of an actual genetic link.

There are probably many genetic links, from an evolutionary point of view there are advantages in having the ability to 'bulk up' during the good times, and then lose the weight in the 'lean times'.
Unfortunately in the modern world, there are no lean times.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst....09c8b63

Thats not to say that we shouldn't have better diets, both from the consumer (thats us), and from the producers (thats McDonalds,...).

PS. Snick is dieting right now, cutting out bread,cheese and processed sugar; and at least trying to exercise.

[Ivor Biggun]

I think a lot of what causes this has to be the contents of the food people eat. Years ago Mom made home cooked nutritious meals from fresh ingredients now people buy 'just like mom' processed foods full of chemicals from the supermarket for convenience. I like being able to go to the market and buy fresh fruit and veg. OK once in a while I make a Hollandaise sauce to go with the asparagus but I work it off the next day. We need some fat in our diet any way, it's the way we're engineered- the body needs fat, just not 300lbs of it. Apparently sweetened beverages now account for almost 25 percent of daily calories in young adults in America- that's not good

[Bumpa STIKKA]

We are the last generation to live in the western world where the life expectancy age rises.

It now starts to fall...

Humans are generally lazy and won't exercise unless they have to. Combine that with an excessive amount of food which is custom built around our capacity to eat rather than our necessity to refuel and you have a disaster that you cannot roll back.

Life expectancy is about 78 or 79 for a UK or US person. It is the highest it will ever be for humans in Western countries. It will go back down to the 60s over the next 100 years.

[Rocket J. Squirrel]

Over the last few years, stores here in America such as The Gap have changed the sizing on their clothes. My waist size hasn't changed but I now fit into a 32" pant when it used to be labeled as 34". My friend the tailor calls it "vanity sizing"

[Ivor Biggun]

I call it 'Hansum'

[blonde_havoc]

(Rocket J. Squirrel @ Mar. 29 2010,10:50) Over the last few years, stores here in America such as The Gap have changed the sizing on their clothes.  My waist size hasn't changed but I now fit into a 32" pant when it used to be labeled as 34".  My friend the tailor calls it "vanity sizing"

Now see, I have a theory that pant sizes are not created equal. I fit perfectly fine into Plugg or Unionbay, but I have never been comfortable in Levi's. I have a few pairs of Gap jeans that fit fine, but Old Navy (the same damn company) jeans don't fit me at all.

[manarak]

as always, the Asians got the solution for stopping the blobs: