Americans eat too much!!!
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TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »Perhaps the problem isn't that we east too much, but that we don't work hard enough.
Doubtful. Yes, we're lazy as all git the more technology we acquire, but weight gain does come down to how much you're eating. It's hard to out-exercise a bad diet.
While true, people who are busy don't have as much time to sit around snacking.
I haven't noticed this. In fact, it often seems that it's the MORE busy people who have quick "grabbable" foods constantly at hand. In the car, in the desk, in the purse, backpack, school locker, munching "something quick" at the child's soccer practice, running from the car to the store (yes, I have seen this), everywhere.
All. Day. Long.
Then they're jetting in and out of McD's, Taco Bell, etc. for breakfast, lunch and often dinner as well. Because "I need to grab something quick, I'm so busy, busy busy busy, just look how busy I am."
"Busy" seems to be a national badge of honor and even if you aren't busy, you're darned well going to look it. And you're going to be "grabbing something quick" the whole way. Well, unless your job is as a neurosurgeon or something and you're standing in one place for 11 hours with both hands filled with surgical instruments or something.
Nobody "sits around and" snacks as you stated, how many people do you know who sit down to a plate and napkin every time they want to eat something? The cool thing to do is to run around and shove in the food, not sit down to it. Actually taking time and sitting down is more likely to produce the opposite result, actually, than "quick" snacking.
Busy is awfully subjective, too. When I'm in crunch time, I can be busy, as in too busy to cook a normal meal, for up to 36 hrs straight. That entire time is spent at my desk. A lot of people who are "too busy to (whatever)" manage to be busy without even leaving the house.0 -
Tuning in from New Zealand- trust me, it's not just American's who eat too much.0
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We have this restaurant chain here in Eng. It's called ''Frankie and Benny's'' and it serves Italian and American food. The portions are huge and take me forever to eat. I am used to smaller portions.0
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Of course.I don't think we can say it's just Americans which you can see by the fact that there are not only Americans on this and other sites like it
But in all honesty, I have noticed a difference in the portion sizes in the US. I live in Canada but very close to the US border and travel to the US frequently, at least once a week. I am always surprised at the serving sizes when I eat out in the US.
That's not to say that the US is the only country with an obesity epidemic, just an observation of mine.
I agree - I'm not saying that Canadian portions are what they should be either so don't think I'm saying we're perfect but I'm about 2 hours away from a major US border crossing so I go all the time and I have to say I definitely notice a difference between serving sizes and the amount of "All You Can Eat" places. Canada doesn't have a ton of those - we do have buffets and such but for example, last time I was there I went to Ruby Tuesdays where they had - at one point - all you can eat sides (fries, potatoes I think, etc). We've never had that in Canada, that I know of. There's definitely a big difference between Canadian restaurants and American ones.0 -
None of the restaurants I go to are all you can eat, so that's hardly universal at US restaurants. I didn't even know it was a thing outside of buffets.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »
I just got back from Mexico. While there are plenty of fattening foods to be had there is virtually no fast food. It was so refreshing. I want to go back so badly. Fresh fish everywhere, little taco stands....And yet Mexico is every bit as fat as the US.
I didn't notice any large people, just....chubby. Then again maybe I wasn't paying enough attention.
My perception is very skewed because I live in one of the fittest towns in America. It's seriously insane how fit people are around here.
I think a couple of years ago, Mexico actually surpassed the US as the most obese country in the world.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »None of the restaurants I go to are all you can eat, so that's hardly universal at US restaurants. I didn't even know it was a thing outside of buffets.
This is nothing I've ever seen in person either. I didn't know they existed either. I know one person said they're on the Canadian border (she didn't say exactly where)...is this perhaps a regional thing?
I HAVE seen buffets...and am not about to step anywhere near a bucket of food that 27 other people before me picked through having finished picking their noses and then dropped back down in the bucket to choose something else. Blargh. Never, never, never. It's bad enough thinking about what might be happening to just my one plate in kitchen. A buffet is a bridge too far, personally.
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Buffets and All-you-can-eat are very regional within the US.
I live in an area with neither of those, except for the occasional very high end posh Sunday brunch. We also have no drive through fast-food outlets in my town.
Not coincidentally, I live in one of the parts of the country with the lowest rates of obesity.
But, then, cause/effect? All-you-can-eat may not be a good profit plan in a health-conscious area.
Either way, I have more local veggie farms than I do fast food outlets.
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I feel like this is too much of a generalization. Plenty of countries in the world eat WAY TOO MUCH.
Mexico (aka the fattest nation in the world with 32.8% obese), the UK, Canada, heck even FINLAND!
I agree portion sizes are too big, but quite frankly it's up to each individual person to decide how much they want to eat. There's no reason to make giant ridiculous portion sizes unless it was lucrative to do so.0 -
Buffets and All-you-can-eat are very regional within the US.
I live in an area with neither of those, except for the occasional very high end posh Sunday brunch. We also have no drive through fast-food outlets in my town.
Not coincidentally, I live in one of the parts of the country with the lowest rates of obesity.
But, then, cause/effect? All-you-can-eat may not be a good profit plan in a health-conscious area.
Either way, I have more local veggie farms than I do fast food outlets.
When my husband and I were driving cross-country, we passed through one state...I wish I could remember now what it was. Maybe Iowa? (Beautiful state, BTW, it was a big surprise, so pretty.) I'll ask my husband to confirm, but anyway, we went into a McD's to grab a McMuffin for breakfast and there was a breakfast buffet. Yes, a McDONALD'S BUFFET. We were so ashamed to be Americans.
We just kind of grabbed our McMuffins and slunk out before anybody could bite our hands off.
p.s. I managed to get plenty of fat without buffets.
ETA: OK, my husband just emailed me back...it was Nebraska.
He reminded me that there was also a KFC buffet. Actually, that was a really fun trip, looking back on it.
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I'm from the UK and have been to Florida 5 times or so in the last ten years or so. Your restaurant portions are enormous. I have to say we are catching up so please don't take this the wrong way. Your child portions are adult portion sizes I think. Not sure if Florida is different as I guess many American people are also on holiday and let's face it on holiday we all pig out!
I watched a programme last night that said we in the UK eat as many processed meals as the rest of Europe combined which now I'm learning to eat healthier thanks to MFP is worrying as they nearly all contain more salts and sugars.
I think we all need to start to eat less for the sake of the next generation.0 -
My parents live near Portland, in an area that seems reasonably fit (lots of outdoor activities), but they've recently started going to all-you-can-eat buffets. I assumed it was a result of them turning 70, as in my mind it's mostly an age-related thing. Back in the 70s when I was a little kid (and the US was less fat), I remember being brought to all-you-can-eat places with my grandparents (and hating it then).
It is true that although there are plenty of fat people in my city, they seem pretty rare in my neighborhood and social circle (although not unheard of, and I was definitely fat). There are a lot of kids in my neighborhood and I'm right by an elementary school and none of the kids seem to be overweight. (They also have a nice outdoor play area, which can be a problem in some less well-off and safe areas of the city.)
The last buffet-like thing I've been to was last year (a definite "treat" meal) when a friend insisted upon having a birthday celebration at Shaw's Crab House's Sunday Brunch. That, admittedly, is an insane amount of high calorie food!0 -
lisafrancis888 wrote: »I'm from the UK and have been to Florida 5 times or so in the last ten years or so. Your restaurant portions are enormous. I have to say we are catching up so please don't take this the wrong way. Your child portions are adult portion sizes I think. Not sure if Florida is different as I guess many American people are also on holiday and let's face it on holiday we all pig out!
I watched a programme last night that said we in the UK eat as many processed meals as the rest of Europe combined which now I'm learning to eat healthier thanks to MFP is worrying as they nearly all contain more salts and sugars.
I think we all need to start to eat less for the sake of the next generation.
Although I fully agree that our portion sizes tend toward huge, please be aware that if you're in a tourist-y area, the sizes will be big even by our standards. I noted that when we had lunch at Downtown Disney last weekend with a friend. We were all in shock. (I actually only live about 30 miles from Disney.) Tourist traps want everyone want to have a blow-you-away experience, and gigantic food portions are part of that.
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lisafrancis888 wrote: »I'm from the UK and have been to Florida 5 times or so in the last ten years or so. Your restaurant portions are enormous. I have to say we are catching up so please don't take this the wrong way. Your child portions are adult portion sizes I think. Not sure if Florida is different as I guess many American people are also on holiday and let's face it on holiday we all pig out!
I watched a programme last night that said we in the UK eat as many processed meals as the rest of Europe combined which now I'm learning to eat healthier thanks to MFP is worrying as they nearly all contain more salts and sugars.
I think we all need to start to eat less for the sake of the next generation.
Although I fully agree that our portion sizes tend toward huge, please be aware that if you're in a tourist-y area, the sizes will be big even by our standards. I noted that when we had lunch at Downtown Disney last weekend with a friend. We were all in shock.
I thought that might be the case. Glad to know as I would love to travel to other parts of the USA in future. I was always a little embarrassed leaving so much on my plate. Funnily the large ice creams I could manage;)0 -
lisafrancis888 wrote: »lisafrancis888 wrote: »I'm from the UK and have been to Florida 5 times or so in the last ten years or so. Your restaurant portions are enormous. I have to say we are catching up so please don't take this the wrong way. Your child portions are adult portion sizes I think. Not sure if Florida is different as I guess many American people are also on holiday and let's face it on holiday we all pig out!
I watched a programme last night that said we in the UK eat as many processed meals as the rest of Europe combined which now I'm learning to eat healthier thanks to MFP is worrying as they nearly all contain more salts and sugars.
I think we all need to start to eat less for the sake of the next generation.
Although I fully agree that our portion sizes tend toward huge, please be aware that if you're in a tourist-y area, the sizes will be big even by our standards. I noted that when we had lunch at Downtown Disney last weekend with a friend. We were all in shock.
I thought that might be the case. Glad to know as I would love to travel to other parts of the USA in future. I was always a little embarrassed leaving so much on my plate. Funnily the large ice creams I could manage;)
Don't be embarrassed to ask to take home your uneaten portion, either. That's pretty routine and nobody will even blink.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »None of the restaurants I go to are all you can eat, so that's hardly universal at US restaurants. I didn't even know it was a thing outside of buffets.
This is nothing I've ever seen in person either. I didn't know they existed either. I know one person said they're on the Canadian border (she didn't say exactly where)...is this perhaps a regional thing?
I HAVE seen buffets...and am not about to step anywhere near a bucket of food that 27 other people before me picked through having finished picking their noses and then dropped back down in the bucket to choose something else. Blargh. Never, never, never. It's bad enough thinking about what might be happening to just my one plate in kitchen. A buffet is a bridge too far, personally.
I think it's more of a limited thing, instead of the whole menu. Just about every chain family restaurant has free refills on soft drinks. Red Lobster does AYCE shrimp promos, and Olive Garden does things like neverending pasta, plus their soup, salad and breadsticks is all unlimited, too.0 -
It's not only food portions, but also good choices. Fast food places and most restaurants serve lots of high calorie dense foods and beverages. Also the snacking is a big factor. Everywhere you look there are pre - packaged foods like chips, cookies, crackers, etc.,
She's right, and of the pre-packaged foods almost all of them have excitotoxins in them. Because of this, our brains are overstimulated and think that these foods are really good. If you've ever gone on a cleanse or ate whole foods for a while, then tried a piece of candy or even took a swig of fruit juice you'd know that it tastes almost repulsive.
Anyway, this over-stimulation is kinda like a drug in our brain that after enough consumption gives us cravings for this junk food and addictions can form. It's no wonder that America along with other nations are so large.
Problem is that yes, a lot of us are busy and don't have time to make homemade meals or snacks to take with us. That and organic food is soo expensive that it gets to be more of a hassle to eat the way we should than it's worth.
Good luck to us all, haha.0 -
Buffets and All-you-can-eat are very regional within the US.
I live in an area with neither of those, except for the occasional very high end posh Sunday brunch. We also have no drive through fast-food outlets in my town.
Not coincidentally, I live in one of the parts of the country with the lowest rates of obesity.
But, then, cause/effect? All-you-can-eat may not be a good profit plan in a health-conscious area.
Either way, I have more local veggie farms than I do fast food outlets.
When my husband and I were driving cross-country, we passed through one state...I wish I could remember now what it was. Maybe Iowa? (Beautiful state, BTW, it was a big surprise, so pretty.) I'll ask my husband to confirm, but anyway, we went into a McD's to grab a McMuffin for breakfast and there was a breakfast buffet. Yes, a McDONALD'S BUFFET. We were so ashamed to be Americans. We just kind of grabbed our McMuffins and slunk out before anybody could bite our hands off.
p.s. I managed to get plenty of fat without buffets.
ETA: OK, my husband just emailed me back...it was Nebraska. He reminded me that there was also a KFC buffet. Actually, that was a really fun trip, looking back on it.
That. Sounds. Awesome.0 -
She's right, and of the pre-packaged foods almost all of them have excitotoxins in them. Because of this, our brains are overstimulated and think that these foods are really good. If you've ever gone on a cleanse or ate whole foods for a while, then tried a piece of candy or even took a swig of fruit juice you'd know that it tastes almost repulsive.
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Buffets and All-you-can-eat are very regional within the US.
I live in an area with neither of those, except for the occasional very high end posh Sunday brunch. We also have no drive through fast-food outlets in my town.
Not coincidentally, I live in one of the parts of the country with the lowest rates of obesity.
But, then, cause/effect? All-you-can-eat may not be a good profit plan in a health-conscious area.
Either way, I have more local veggie farms than I do fast food outlets.
When my husband and I were driving cross-country, we passed through one state...I wish I could remember now what it was. Maybe Iowa? (Beautiful state, BTW, it was a big surprise, so pretty.) I'll ask my husband to confirm, but anyway, we went into a McD's to grab a McMuffin for breakfast and there was a breakfast buffet. Yes, a McDONALD'S BUFFET. We were so ashamed to be Americans. We just kind of grabbed our McMuffins and slunk out before anybody could bite our hands off.
p.s. I managed to get plenty of fat without buffets.
ETA: OK, my husband just emailed me back...it was Nebraska. He reminded me that there was also a KFC buffet. Actually, that was a really fun trip, looking back on it.
That. Sounds. Awesome.
Well then, here you go.
http://visitnebraska.com/
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lemurcat12 wrote: »None of the restaurants I go to are all you can eat, so that's hardly universal at US restaurants. I didn't even know it was a thing outside of buffets.
This is nothing I've ever seen in person either. I didn't know they existed either. I know one person said they're on the Canadian border (she didn't say exactly where)...is this perhaps a regional thing?
I HAVE seen buffets...and am not about to step anywhere near a bucket of food that 27 other people before me picked through having finished picking their noses and then dropped back down in the bucket to choose something else. Blargh. Never, never, never. It's bad enough thinking about what might be happening to just my one plate in kitchen. A buffet is a bridge too far, personally.
I think it's more of a limited thing, instead of the whole menu. Just about every chain family restaurant has free refills on soft drinks. Red Lobster does AYCE shrimp promos, and Olive Garden does things like neverending pasta, plus their soup, salad and breadsticks is all unlimited, too.
Oh hmmm, I never even thought of that. It's weird, because I don't ever do those things - refills and the like. I don't even need to refill my drink. And I can EAT. I mean I am a fat*zz. Seriously. So I'm always surprised that other people can do it, apparently, or they wouldn't be offering it at those places.
I just don't know how people can tuck that in all at one time, even if it's just once in a while. Actually, ESPECIALLY if it's only once in a while, as the person's body isn't used to it. I'd throw up. I don't even generally need an appetizer with my dinner, much less endless soup and endless breadsticks. And OMG, MORE than just the one dish of pasta which is already pretty big? The one entree plate is plenty and I usually take some home.
I just honestly can't imagine how people do it. Again, I can seriously eat, I can scary-eat so I'm not pretending to be dainty or anything here.
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Obviously your ability to seriously (over)eat is no longer as scary as you seem to think!The one entree plate is plenty and I usually take some home.
I just honestly can't imagine how people do it. Again, I can seriously eat, I can scary-eat
There was a time when I didn't want to go to Olive Garden because their portions were so much SMALLER than a local restaurant called Anton's
<thankfully I no longer think the same way>0
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