Obesity has become a global issue

[Everskyward]

Are you of the opinion that this phenomenon is limited to the last 30 or so years?

No. Tasty food is more accessible and easy to acquire now, both here and in other parts of the world, even in what we consider poorer countries. The study in the OP wasn't only about this country.

What I object to is the moral aspect which some people push since, in many cases, that has nothing to do with it.

 

[nddons]

While I tend not to cut obese people any slack, there are legitimate hurdles to eating healthy for some, especially those in inner-cities. One major hurdle is a lack of grocery stores. The city I'm most familiar with, St. Louis, has no grocery stores on the north side...the poor side of course. But, hey, there's a McDs on nearly every corner.



I read a few years ago the Detroit doesn't have a grocery store inside the city limits...anywhere.



It's hard to eat healthy when you have zero options.

It's hard to operate a grocery store when your employees need to be behind bullet proof glass. Convenience stores allow the cashier to be fortified. Sucks for those living in the hood, but that's what you get.

 

[Matthew]

Here's an interesting chart.

It compares average size of MLB players compared to average size of US males.

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2011/4/19/2114631/the-changing-size-of-mlb-players-1870-2010

In the 1980s the weight gap really widened - the steroid era probably had something to do with that. Since then, that gap has shrunk, as players got off the juice and the rest of us got fatter.

 

[nddons]

Doesn't matter. More calories out than in and you loose weight. Run the equation the other way and you gain.

Yep. That's what happened when I needed to lose 25-30 lbs before PC surgery. Doc said calories in v calories out. My wife and I had a meeting with a nutritionist, set a limit of 1,800 calories/day, and off I went. Exercised 1 hour a day, ate a lot of salads, and went from 270 to 234 in 4 months. Doc said it made a huge difference in the success of the surgery.

 

[CharlieTango]

I disagree.

Hypothetical conversation:

"I really need to lose some weight!"

"Simple - eat less calories and/or burn off more and you will lose weight".

"But I hear there are different kinds of calories."

"Maybe. But just eat less calories and/or burn off more and you will lose weight".

"But what's all this I hear about Atkins and Paleo and low carb?"

"Don't worry about those, just eat less calories and/or burn off more and you will lose weight".

"But what about glycemic index? Satiation quotient? Exercising in my fat burning zone?"

"Disregard all that, just eat less calories and/or burn off more and you will lose weight".

"No, its all too complicated. I've tried everything and nothing works."

"Well, have you tried just eating less calories and/or burning off more?"

"No. If only it were that simple!"

Unfortunately, making is seem more complicated than it is is a good way to sell books.

^
This

The only thing that works for me is restricting calories in.

 

[ChrisK]

Cereal is almost as guilty as soda in regards to the obesity epidemic. Even the whole grain variety is made from genetically modified ingredients that the human body is not designed to digest. Of course, some humans digest it better than others. They are the ones that say obesity is purely a lack of will power.

Agreed. I was replying to Geico's post about moms being too lazy to pour cereal.

 

[JOhnH]

Agreed. I was replying to Geico's post about moms being too lazy to pour cereal.

That is probably because the fat slob mother ate all the kids cereal.

Is it just me and the fact that I spend more time looking at women than men, or has the obesity epidemic seemingly affected women more than men. I think historically, men have probably had more weight issues than women but for the past few decades, it seems to me that most (certainly not all) of the morbidly obese people are women. Could it be that the big push to get young girls to not obsess about their weight and try not to look like the super models has worked too well? I see so many young fat girls that don't seem bothered by it. When I was in high school there was ONE really fat girl. She joked about it, but she also cried about it. Now it seems a huge percentage of girls are fat. I don't see that in the boys so much.

I'm ok if you all tell me I am flat wrong but that's my observation. I'd like to hear yours.

 

[ClimbnSink]

That is probably because the fat slob mother ate all the kids cereal.

Is it just me and the fact that I spend more time looking at women than men, or has the obesity epidemic seemingly affected women more than men. I think historically, men have probably had more weight issues than women but for the past few decades, it seems to me that most (certainly not all) of the morbidly obese people are women. Could it be that the big push to get young girls to not obsess about their weight and try not to look like the super models has worked too well? I see so many young fat girls that don't seem bothered by it. When I was in high school there was ONE really fat girl. She joked about it, but she also cried about it. Now it seems a huge percentage of girls are fat. I don't see that in the boys so much.

I'm ok if you all tell me I am flat wrong but that's my observation. I'd like to hear yours.

That is what I see as well. Men are the same semi fatties they have been for a long time and women are going ballistic> sideways. There was internet hooliganism about bringing back fat shaming and the crying was deafening. Lack of shame, lack of pride, blendered up bags of cookies sold as coffee.

 

[Jay Honeck]

If you look back through time, ideas of "beauty" were quite different. Fat women were once seen as "hot".

So, maybe we are headed back that way?

 

[ClimbnSink]

If you look back through time, ideas of "beauty" were quite different. Fat women were once seen as "hot".

So, maybe we are headed back that way?

I don't believe that. I think it a bit of feminist revisionism. What men think is hot, is universal and unchanging.

 

[Tristar]

I do agree with cheap food is usually not the greatest but it's cheap considering you can make a whole pot of spaghetti (no meat) or Mac n cheese and hot dogs for $2.

 

[Geico266]

I do agree with cheap food is usually not the greatest but it's cheap considering you can make a whole pot of spaghetti (no meat) or Mac n cheese and hot dogs for $2.

Spoken like a true college student or CFI!

 

[Tristar]

I think a lot of college graduates can attest to that too.

 

[timwinters]

Especially English majors!

 

[OkieFlyer]

I didn't read the whole thread, so someone may have brought this up already. According to the BMI, many of you larger frame guys, and football playing types can be in the obese category. My high school and college running backs would both have been obese according to the BMI. These are the small guys on the field. The lineman types don't have a chance at getting into the healthy column.
The point is, over weight or obese doesn't necessarily mean someone is fat. It might sound like a fat guy making excuses, but the fact is, I'd have to get down to my 6th grade weight to be in the normal/healthy category an I was never a fat. I always wondered how many other people were like me, until my company did an assessment on all 500+ employees. It found that nearly 80% of us were overweight, and about 40% were obese. When I look around at my colleagues, the largest part just look like normal, healthy people. Even some of th thin guys were considered overweight. I question the whole thing.

 

[ClimbnSink]

Fat people always argue the bodybuilder/athlete exception. But you never hear real bodybuilders complaining about their BMI. BMI may not be perfect but it is a valid measure.

 

[txflyer]

I can make a pot of beef stew for about $15 that will feed flygirl and me for almost a week if we eat it every night....

There's no way eating out is cheaper than cooking.

 

[flyingriki]

Fat people always argue the bodybuilder/athlete exception. But you never hear real bodybuilders complaining about their BMI. BMI may not be perfect but it is a valid measure.

No its not. It's horse crap dreamed up by insurance companies and anyone else that can profit from those who buy into it.

 

[RJM62]

That is probably because the fat slob mother ate all the kids cereal.

Is it just me and the fact that I spend more time looking at women than men, or has the obesity epidemic seemingly affected women more than men. I think historically, men have probably had more weight issues than women but for the past few decades, it seems to me that most (certainly not all) of the morbidly obese people are women. Could it be that the big push to get young girls to not obsess about their weight and try not to look like the super models has worked too well? I see so many young fat girls that don't seem bothered by it. When I was in high school there was ONE really fat girl. She joked about it, but she also cried about it. Now it seems a huge percentage of girls are fat. I don't see that in the boys so much.

I'm ok if you all tell me I am flat wrong but that's my observation. I'd like to hear yours.

I'm glad someone else has noticed that. I think it's another unintended consequence of well-meant social engineering. Rather than obsessing about their weight, girls and young women can now ride their improved self-esteem into obesity-related diseases and early deaths.

Of course, that's only one factor behind their plumpness. The fact that so many young people no longer know how to cook a meal (as opposing to heating one) is another, as is the relative physical inactivity of kids nowadays. We need to bring back the old "home economics" courses for both boys and girls, with an emphasis on learning how to actually cook from ingredients, rather than just nuking junk food and calling it a meal.

As an aside, I'm down to 205 from 227, with few changes in my diet other than avoiding processed foods. That **** will kill you. My target weight is 180. I was 150 when I graduated high school and 165 when I got out of the service. My doctor and I agree that 180 is a reasonable goal for this stage of my life.

-Rich

 

[ClimbnSink]

No its not. It's horse crap dreamed up by insurance companies and anyone else that can profit from those who buy into it.

Ha! Fat people should be paying more, they cost more. And crash more.

 

[flyingriki]

Ha! Fat people should be paying more, they cost more. And crash more.

Yeah right. Prove it, unless you're just being silly....!

 

[JOhnH]

Ha! Fat people should be paying more, they cost more. And crash more.

That is probably true. But the BMI is still crap IMNSHO.

In veterinary medicine we score each patient on a body score index (from 1 to 10). A skinny emaciated animal with ribs and organs showing is a 1. An obese animal with a belly dragging the ground and unpalpatable ribs is a 10. A healthy animal with good proportions is a 5. It is a very standardized method and is based on the individual size and characteristic of the animal. A similar method should be used for people. A 5'10" 200 pound person that is all muscle might be a 5 but a person the same size and weight that might be mistaken for 9 months pregnant with 3 chins might be a 9 or 10.

 

[ClimbnSink]

You know what would be perfect? Ask a pre-social graces child 'is this person fat?' If a kid says you are fat, you are fat.

That is probably true. But the BMI is still crap IMNSHO.

In veterinary medicine we score each patient on a body score index (from 1 to 10). A skinny emaciated animal with ribs and organs showing is a 1. An obese animal with a belly dragging the ground and unpalpatable ribs is a 10. A healthy animal with good proportions is a 5. It is a very standardized method and is based on the individual size and characteristic of the animal. A similar method should be used for people. A 5'10" 200 pound person that is all muscle might be a 5 but a person the same size and weight that might be mistaken for 9 months pregnant with 3 chins might be a 9 or 10.

 

[Jim Logajan]

As an aside, I'm down to 205 from 227, with few changes in my diet other than avoiding processed foods. That **** will kill you. My target weight is 180. I was 150 when I graduated high school and 165 when I got out of the service. My doctor and I agree that 180 is a reasonable goal for this stage of my life.

I was 145 to 150 out of high school. Over the next 38 years I topped out at around 182. In the last few months I've moved back to 147 to 150. I was 69 inches tall but am now closer to 68. My BMI and my perception tells me my current weight is good. I don't know your height but I suggest you target 165, not 180. I've been using an app to track my weight (and BP) and the last year's results are in the attachment.
My weight had settled in between 156 to 159, which was OK but not at my target of 155. Then I started eating a half sandwich at lunch instead of a whole sandwich. I would not have expected such a small change to make much difference, but it is the only significant change I made in September of last year.

 

[LDJones]

I was 145 to 150 out of high school. Over the next 38 years I topped out at around 182. In the last few months I've moved back to 147 to 150. I was 69 inches tall but am now closer to 68. My BMI and my perception tells me my current weight is good. I don't know your height but I suggest you target 165, not 180. I've been using an app to track my weight (and BP) and the last year's results are in the attachment.
My weight had settled in between 156 to 159, which was OK but not at my target of 155. Then I started eating a half sandwich at lunch instead of a whole sandwich. I would not have expected such a small change to make much difference, but it is the only significant change I made in September of last year.

What app is that?

 

[RJM62]

I was 145 to 150 out of high school. Over the next 38 years I topped out at around 182. In the last few months I've moved back to 147 to 150. I was 69 inches tall but am now closer to 68. My BMI and my perception tells me my current weight is good. I don't know your height but I suggest you target 165, not 180. I've been using an app to track my weight (and BP) and the last year's results are in the attachment.
My weight had settled in between 156 to 159, which was OK but not at my target of 155. Then I started eating a half sandwich at lunch instead of a whole sandwich. I would not have expected such a small change to make much difference, but it is the only significant change I made in September of last year.

My high-school weight of 150 was unnaturally light because I was a wrestler, and what's a "good" condition for competitive wrestling isn't necessarily a healthy condition for living. 165 was probably my healthiest weight, and I stayed there until I was in my mid 30's. By the time I was diagnosed with diabetes when I was in my late 40's, I'd ballooned to 235. It does kind of sneak up on you.

Whether 165 is a realistic goal at this point in my life, I can't say. But goals can always be revised. One thing I need to do is come up with some sort of exercise for the winter, which is a challenge because I hate exercise that's not wrapped in something else like swimming, climbing a mountain, rowing a boat, chopping firewood... basically anything outdoors. Gyms are boring.

-Rich

 

[ClimbnSink]

Better then a gym https://www.marklauren.com/apps.html

 

[Matthew]

I saw a picture of myself back when I ran 40mi/week. I couldn't even recognize myself. I just looked at my ht/wt bmi from that chart. I was right in the middle of "normal". I doubt I'll ever be that thin again.

 

[Lawreston]

[Snip]

Of course, some humans digest it better than others.

I like that statement and can bear witness to its logic. You name it; I'll eat it(as a product of an Army man). Since a junior in high school(1960-1961) I've weighed between 138 to 142(pending the previous night's "pig-out.") To those who ask, "Where do you put it all?" my response is, "I have a hollow leg down there." Yes, I'm one of the fortunate ones; it must be genetic because Sgt. Crute was the same . Dad used to say that the Army cooks(he believed) "gave me more because I never complained about the chow."

HR

 

[Jim Logajan]

What app is that?

Healthsome by Taconic System LLC.

It has worked fine for tracking the three variables that appear in that chart; I haven't used it for anything else. I only wanted something simple to record my weight - so I started with a sheet of paper. But later when I started checking my blood pressure before work each morning I searched for an app to record all three that would generate a chart. It is OK but there may be better apps out there - I haven't looked in a while.

 

[jesse]

Eat only meals you cook, when you go to the grocery store ensure your cart only contains fresh produce and meats. Don't touch bread, ever. Don't drink regular soda. Weight management becomes quite easy.

 

[txflyer]

Eat only meals you cook, when you go to the grocery store ensure your cart only contains fresh produce and meats. Don't touch bread, ever. Don't drink regular soda. Weight management becomes quite easy.

Truth.

If I drink even just one soda per day, I'll carry around five/ten more pounds no matter what I do.

Some book I read years ago said don't eat meats and starches together. I don't do steak and potatoes/bread anymore. Not together.

 

[LDJones]

Eat only meals you cook, when you go to the grocery store ensure your cart only contains fresh produce and meats. Don't touch bread, ever. Don't drink regular soda. Weight management becomes quite easy.

But, but, but the Food Pyramid says...

Seriously, I couldn't agree more...but a challenge in modern America.

 

[timwinters]

Don't touch white bread, ever.

FTFY...

 

[ron22]

Don't drink regular soda.

Nothing like drinking empty calories or carbs if you like.

I agree pop (sorry from MN) is a big part of the problem.

 

[LDJones]

Nothing like drinking empty calories or carbs if you like.

I agree pop (sorry from MN) is a big part of the problem.

Diet pop (also from MN) doesn't help much. No calories, but triggers same insulin response. Not to mention the horrible things in the artificial sweeteners that are doing who knows what to your body. I've just sworn off ALL pop.

 

[stratobee]

But sometimes I just need a Diet Coke. Don't know if they still put cocaine in that stuff, but it sure triggers a Pavlovian response. I can go about 3-4 days without one, then I just need that small fix like a druggie.

 

[ron22]

Diet pop (also from MN) doesn't help much. No calories, but triggers same insulin response. Not to mention the horrible things in the artificial sweeteners that are doing who knows what to your body. I've just sworn off ALL pop.

I agree diet is no better.

 

[wsuffa]

Eat only meals you cook, when you go to the grocery store ensure your cart only contains fresh produce and meats. Don't touch bread, ever. Don't drink regular soda. Weight management becomes quite easy.

Diet pop (also from MN) doesn't help much. No calories, but triggers same insulin response. Not to mention the horrible things in the artificial sweeteners that are doing who knows what to your body. I've just sworn off ALL pop.

I agree diet is no better.

^^^^ This. Occasional whole-grain bread is usually OK, white bread is not. By occasional, I mean "no more than a couple of times a week".

I can't lose weight when I drink diet soda. Aside from the chemicals, the sweetness triggers some kind of weight-gain response.

 

[nddons]

Diet pop (also from MN) doesn't help much. No calories, but triggers same insulin response. Not to mention the horrible things in the artificial sweeteners that are doing who knows what to your body. I've just sworn off ALL pop.

Man, what else do you drink? I've already gone from diet Pepsi to caffeine-free diet Pepsi. Then I've limited DP to one or two per day, and gone to diet Snapple lemon tea.

I bring a quart Nalgene bottle of water to work every day, but that's all I can bear to drink of that stuff.

Unless that "stuff" is frozen and surrounded by gin. Then I like that stuff.