Aren't you a little tired of the "Obesity Epidemic"?

BoboGritt

For me the most important part of making the change that I continue to work on is deciding to do it for myself and placing the responsibility for my obesity on me. (where it belongs)

It is hard to look around and not acknowledge that The U.S. has a huge obesity issue. There are many reasons I suppose but for me it is habit and convenience and lack of nutritional education.

As I have had some success with my change I have had many friends and family reach out for help and tips. I am glad to give up the things I have learned that are working for me. The thing is it still comes down to that particular person deciding that they want to severely alter the lifestyle they are used to. For me it has been that simple.

When you start to learn that healthy things can be equally enjoyable to eat and that it is possible to actually enjoy exercise, that is when anyone will probably truly begin to have success in the getting healthy thing. To me that is where the lifestyle change that we all talk about begins.

Good luck to you.

candylilacs

I am guessing that the acceptance in question is not meant as "accepting unhealthy lifestyles." My guess is that it is a subtle critique of the fact that "healthy" is frequently used as a proxy for "skinny."

I am going out on a limb, because I can't read the person's mind who wrote it, but here's what I *think* they meant: healthy does not automatically mean thin, nor does thin automatically mean healthy. The two can certainly overlap, but it's not as black and white as we are generally taught to think. There exists a range of sizes and shapes in which people -- people who eat healthy foods and who are active -- are actually healthy.

I do think that some of the "obesity epidemic" and "healthy lifestyle" rhetoric is basically a way for people to legitimize their disgust and hatred of fat/fat people. It's true that I think if you're 10-25 pounds "overweight" it's not a big deal, likely because general weight charts are goofy and inaccurate. I had a friend in college that was 5'8" and 165 and was forever fretting she wasn't 130. She was active and guys flocked around her, but she was always told by her father that she was too big.

There's a lot of pressure out there to be a certain way and it takes strength to say, I'm doing what's right for me and that's great. I don't have to be 120 pounds. I don't have to have 17 percent body fat. For many it may be as simple as, "I want to walk up the stairs without huffing and puffing," or "I want to be able to walk a mile" (although I try not make judgments, I do think everyone should aspire to the mile walk.) I used to do a 12-mile backpacking trip every year into the Sierras, so I couldn't get out of shape that much -- except the last two years I haven't gone -- and you guessed it, I got really, really out of shape.

I think this is about being healthy and, at least for me, it's probably not going to be about getting thin. I understand that people struggle with 10-25 pounds but sometimes you have to decide if it's really worth the anxiety. Like you said, I think it would cut your running time but that's only a small part of your life. Would it be good for the rest of it? Can you maintain it or will it be a constant struggle? Would your health improve or not?

Anyway, thanks for sharing. There seems to be a lot of either/or thinking on this board and it was nice to see your post!

candylilacs

First, that doctor you went to see is a real jerk-off. Second, I agree completely to an extent. Almost every over-weight person I have met (including myself at one point) was/is a emotional eater. The two common emotions are when people are stressed/depressed and (for me) when people are bored. Healthy eating should really be a focus in our society, but appropriate coping skills should be as well.
With this I'd like to bring up a few other things I have noticed that society and the world loves to do.
1.) Has anyone else noticed that clothing stores are making their clothes smaller???
2.) If obesity is such a epidemic right now, why is organic food, fruits and veggies are expensive but I can buy a box of little debbies for 1.50???

Yes, I agree with the first sentiment. I basically yelled at him and we argued and he wrote a very negative case study of me that is now in my medical records ("in denial" "hypertension" "likely diabetic" "pregnancy would likely exacerbate these problems") that has made every doctor since assume I'm all these things. Luckily one (female) fertility specialist said when I tried to explain, "Don't worry, I know all about Dr. ---. I'm very familiar with his personality already."

I think clothes are tiny. I see a size Medium in juniors and think it's for meant for a slender fifth-grader.

And because organic food, fruits and vegetables don't get huge farm subsidies from the government. However, if you're lucky sometimes the dollar stores and canned food outlets have fruit and vegetables. We also have been getting produce stores popping up in the Bay Area that just sell cheap produce, I think they buy "seconds" or not quite pretty fruits and vegetables -- but most often not organic.

FakingFitness

Actually people in America were smaller in size back when I was growing up in the last 1970s and early 1980s. Now when I go to the doctor, the chairs in the labs for the blood draw and in the waiting room are much bigger. I once asked why the chairs were so big. They have to accommodate people who weigh 300+ pounds. Today, there are more people who weigh in that range compared to 30 years ago. In my daughter's kindergarten class today there are kindergarteners who weigh 80 pounds. I can't remember an 80 pound child in my kindy class.

I used to live in Asia because my dad's career took us there. It's an eye opener to get off the plane from say Hong Kong to the US. Or even Europe to America. What's considered average in size here is considered large to extra large over there.

It's amazing to me how many Americans completely miss this point.
I recently had this conversation with my daughter. when I was a kid, there was 1 fat person in our school.
People in our society today eat more and move less. That's why there are such weight problems.
It's funny, when I was a kid, I was able to sit in a booth and reach the table. Now that I'm an adult, I have to sit on the edge of the booth seat to be able to reach the table.
Thank you fast food, super sizes, mass transit and electronics.

Obesity is only a 'disease' in America. You don't find people with this 'medical' or problem in other places.

100 years ago people used to pay, at circuses, to see obese people. Now, That's Crazy!
(and those "fat ladies" were no place near the weight of many people we associate with every day.

TonicSapphire

I never liked the term, "Obesity epidemic". To me, an epidemic is spread by germs or other infectious agents.

I gained weight by eating too much and not exercising, period.
Not because the weight charts changed, or BMI is different, or I have hypothyroidism and am postmenopausal, I caught the obesity germ and have the fat gene.

I did it to myself. Truth, no excuses.

Maybe I'll catch the fitness epidemic! That's not caused by germs, either. Only by hard work and dedication and choice.
I chose to gain weight and I choose now to get fit.

Booksandbeaches

I never liked the term, "Obesity epidemic". To me, an epidemic is spread by germs or other infectious agents.

I gained weight by eating too much and not exercising, period.
Not because the weight charts changed, or BMI is different, or I have hypothyroidism and am postmenopausal, I caught the obesity germ and have the fat gene.

I did it to myself. Truth, no excuses.

Maybe I'll catch the fitness epidemic! That's not caused by germs, either. Only by hard work and dedication and choice.
I chose to gain weight and I choose now to get fit.

So much truth in this post.

I alone made a choice to put food in my mouth. Are we surrounded by sugary, high fattening foods? Yes. But who made the choice to buy those and eat it? I did. I alone did it. No one held a gun to my head or made me eat it. I take personal accountability for my weight gain. It's not because society changed or the BMI changed or because charts changed. I gained weight because I ate more than I should have and burned less than I could have.

algebravoodoo

I used to live in Asia because my dad's career took us there. It's an eye opener to get off the plane from say Hong Kong to the US. Or even Europe to America. What's considered average in size here is considered large to extra large over there.

I know what you mean! I wear a medium or large here in the US but if I try to buy clothes while in Germany, I go searching for an XL and pray it fits. I actually had one shop keeper tell me to my face that they didn't carry dresses large enough to fit me.

I wore a US size 10 at the time!

algebravoodoo

I never liked the term, "Obesity epidemic". To me, an epidemic is spread by germs or other infectious agents.

I gained weight by eating too much and not exercising, period.
Not because the weight charts changed, or BMI is different, or I have hypothyroidism and am postmenopausal, I caught the obesity germ and have the fat gene.

I did it to myself. Truth, no excuses.

Maybe I'll catch the fitness epidemic! That's not caused by germs, either. Only by hard work and dedication and choice.
I chose to gain weight and I choose now to get fit.

So much truth in this post.

I alone made a choice to put food in my mouth. Are we surrounded by sugary, high fattening foods? Yes. But who made the choice to buy those and eat it? I did. I alone did it. No one held a gun to my head or made me eat it. I take personal accountability for my weight gain. It's not because society changed or the BMI changed or because charts changed. I gained weight because I ate more than I should have and burned less than I could have.

THIS!

43932452

Most definitely!!

laurelobrien

Obesity is a problem, though. A huge problem. Some people are happy with their bodies, fine, but millions of people are hopelessly overweight with no idea how to fix with their problem. Capitalism = selling these people garbage that never works, leading them to believe they will always be fat with no tools to help themselves.

Obesity may not clinically be an 'epidemic', but it is a problem that needs to be solved by recognizing what causes overeating (stress, advertising, etc) and making it a priority to educate the public about how they can prevent and reverse weight gain if that is something they care about.

You ask any fat person who wishes they were skinny what they've tried to lose weight, and most of them will not know how macros or thermodynamics work. They buy an ab circle pro or try the cabbage soup diet or whatever. It's not their fault they did it wrong, but it is causing a problem.

awie11

The "Obesity Epedemic" is a real thing actually. It is rude for people to say things about your weight right in front of your face but people really are fatter now then they were say 30 years ago.

coreyreichle

I do enjoy hearing people make excuses, and try to justify being obese... It's the exact reason why most Americans are obese.

coreyreichle

First, that doctor you went to see is a real jerk-off. Second, I agree completely to an extent. Almost every over-weight person I have met (including myself at one point) was/is a emotional eater. The two common emotions are when people are stressed/depressed and (for me) when people are bored. Healthy eating should really be a focus in our society, but appropriate coping skills should be as well.
With this I'd like to bring up a few other things I have noticed that society and the world loves to do.
1.) Has anyone else noticed that clothing stores are making their clothes smaller???
2.) If obesity is such a epidemic right now, why is organic food, fruits and veggies are expensive but I can buy a box of little debbies for 1.50???

1) No, I've noticed clothing sizes in the US are much larger than their foreign counterparts. A size 10 US, is a size 15 EU.
2) Cost of food has nothing to do with if something is an epidemic. Obesity, for all intents and purposes, fits the criteria of an epidemic. It's largely limited to one country, and a large proportion of the population suffer from it.

Onto the price for food: While garbage food is cheaper, it's cheaper for a reason. It costs less to make. However, one can in fact find inexpensive produce all over, one just needs to look. Example: I buy about 90% of my produce from farmer's markets. And, I buy in season.

Do you have to eat organic to be healthy? Hardly. Do you need to "eat clean" to be healthy? Hardly. Stop looking for magic missles, and just use common sense. People don't fall all over themselves eating organic in Europe, do they? No. Do they fall over themselves "Eating Clean?" Nope.

The difference between other nations and the US largely boils down to one thing: Here, we drive 1/4 of a mile to go to the store and buy a 1/2 gallon of milk. Basically, they move more than we do, and they eat less than we do.

bcattoes

The BMI standards were not changed because people don't want to look at fat people. Don't be ridiculous! The standards were changed based on medical evidence. While BMI is far from the gold standard for obesity measurement on an individual level, it is a good population based tool.

I'm sorry your co-workers were rude to you, but the standards are based on health statistics, not aesthetics.

Matt_Wild

The friend was rude. No need for that.

But there is an "Obesity Epidemic" and people are getting bigger and have more health related issues as a result (heart disease and reported cases of diabetes are up many times what they once were).

You cannot stick your head in the sand and ignore it.

HOWEVER the governments may not be so fast to respond - a population that starts to die younger means the current pensions issues seen in the UK for example (not enough young to support the older generation, in years to come low or zero pensions) may cure itsself as mortality rates increase at a lower age.

algebravoodoo

And because organic food, fruits and vegetables don't get huge farm subsidies from the government. However, if you're lucky sometimes the dollar stores and canned food outlets have fruit and vegetables. We also have been getting produce stores popping up in the Bay Area that just sell cheap produce, I think they buy "seconds" or not quite pretty fruits and vegetables -- but most often not organic.

I can deal with seconds as long as they are not being sold the premium prices, which is what we often find here in my hometown. I can deal with non-organic, as long as I know that is what I am buying.

bcattoes

I never liked the term, "Obesity epidemic". To me, an epidemic is spread by germs or other infectious agents.

I gained weight by eating too much and not exercising, period.
Not because the weight charts changed, or BMI is different, or I have hypothyroidism and am postmenopausal, I caught the obesity germ and have the fat gene.

I did it to myself. Truth, no excuses.

Maybe I'll catch the fitness epidemic! That's not caused by germs, either. Only by hard work and dedication and choice.
I chose to gain weight and I choose now to get fit.

So much truth in this post.

I alone made a choice to put food in my mouth. Are we surrounded by sugary, high fattening foods? Yes. But who made the choice to buy those and eat it? I did. I alone did it. No one held a gun to my head or made me eat it. I take personal accountability for my weight gain. It's not because society changed or the BMI changed or because charts changed. I gained weight because I ate more than I should have and burned less than I could have.

But not everyone that is overweight made the choice to overeat. Many have been overweight or obese since childhood. Trusted parents and caretakers made that choice for them.

algebravoodoo

Onto the price for food: While garbage food is cheaper, it's cheaper for a reason. It costs less to make. However, one can in fact find inexpensive produce all over, one just needs to look. Example: I buy about 90% of my produce from farmer's markets. And, I buy in season.

Do you have to eat organic to be healthy? Hardly. Do you need to "eat clean" to be healthy? Hardly. Stop looking for magic missles, and just use common sense. People don't fall all over themselves eating organic in Europe, do they? No. Do they fall over themselves "Eating Clean?" Nope.

The difference between other nations and the US largely boils down to one thing: Here, we drive 1/4 of a mile to go to the store and buy a 1/2 gallon of milk. Basically, they move more than we do, and they eat less than we do.

For the most part, I agree with you. From experience, I know I can get away with more nutritional sins when living in Germany than I can here in the rural setting of the Mississippi Delta. The lifestyles are so completely different, but then, so are the community layouts.

Germany: I don't even bother with a car. Even when I lived in a tiny out-of-the-way village, there was a small market with fresh foods (a Bioladen even!) and bakery that I could get to while my coffee brewed! Everything at my fingertips!! I walked everywhere. Fitness was built in. I loved it

Mississippi Delta: Without a car, I am dead in the water. I live in the center of town but the nearest grocery store is almost 4 miles away. I would gladly bike except there is nowhere to lock a bike (and I can promise it would not be there when I came out) AND the milk would begin spoil before I could get it home. Organics are twice as costly as their non-organic counterparts, and "fresh" is a concept I'm not sure folks really get around here. (I refuse to fight fruit flies for food for which I must pay top dollar.) So I arrange my life here to include the activities I need to stay fit. I enjoy the workouts but I resent having to fight for what I see as a basic human right.

ETA: The nearest farmer's market is 54 miles roundtrip from my house... in the next town. We advertise one here just a mile from my house, but every time I've gone, it has been a flea market with no PRODUCE in sight.

I now realize how spoiled I am. :sad:

shannashannabobana

A BMI of 30 or above is linked to numerous health issues and a shorter lifespan, while a BMI of 25 or less leads to much better outcomes.

You skipped the part where people in the 'overweight' category actually had better outcomes than the 'normal' category.

And the part where 'normal' and 'class 1 obesity' were about the same.

http://podblog.blogs.hopkinsmedicine.org/2013/01/07/obesity-and-mortality/

Thanks for posting! I hadn't seen this one.

I don't think anyone argues that there are a lot of overweight people in the US (and many other countries). Something is wrong, and I don't think it's that people just all of a sudden got lazy/gluttonous. But we should still look at all the facts openly and with clear eyes. People should know that just because they are thin, does not mean they are safe from all these diseases which people are currently associating with obesity (ie, diabetes, heart disease, etc). I believe the studies above were about all cause mortality. There may be things about some weight that are protective. I think this is particularly true in older populations, as extra weight helps you in certain situations. There may be other factors than weight. We should look at what is good for health, not just aesthetics.

Matt_Wild

Interesting that the fat gene et al all suddenly appeared in the last 50 years.

The main issue is we are eating more, moving less. Its simply an energy in, energy out equation.

Even if you ate the same as 5 years ago, but moved around less now, that may be the reason you gain weight. I know previous ex's from the distance past went from slim to obese when they quit working and running supermarket tills or bar work and began office jobs - moving from on ones feet all day to sitting on one's derriere - different energy requirements needed and if diet is not culled somewhat, a weight gain is inevitable.