This gallery explains why millions of Americans are obese…

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  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    People don't get fat because food gets bigger. Food gets bigger because people demand it.

    Has anyone seen the new 1-lb Snickers bars? 2,070 calories! Sure, the wrappers say "Slice and Share", but you know the manufacturers are just making them bigger because "King size" isn't enough anymore.
  • Rage_Phish
    Rage_Phish Posts: 1,507 Member
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    I think it would be just as simple minded to say larger sizes have NOTHING to do with increased obesity as saying larger sizes have EVERYTHING to do with increased obesity.
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
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    How exactly did so many read this as propaganda? It's nothing of the sort-- the picture on its own doesn't make ANY mention of clean eating nor is it blaming corporations for bloated portion sizes. It is simply pointing out that portions have gotten larger (they have) and one result of this change is that many people now find the larger portions to be a "normal" size which has contributed to higher body weights nationally. That's it.
  • MissSaturday
    MissSaturday Posts: 784 Member
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    I think we are blaming ourself but if I buy a piece of pizza for snack (and pieces of pizza sold around in london are about £2 each) they don't care what you will do with it, they just want the money. And you think if i bought it for £2 i better eat it than trow it away. They have incresed the sizes so can make more money out of 1 person. Obviously if they sell a small piece of pizza they can charge only £1 and less will be the earning out of that piece. Yes I do also blame the market and governament. But it up to them because more fat people more people will use health system and it is the governament paying for it. I stopped eating outside sometimes I just order some chinese and that's it. Anyway it is up to us deciding to still buying food outside or cook our meals at home. However I do shop in tesco and the ready meal portion are normal. I can see small containers with pasta (1 portion) or sandwiches cut in half .. just normal portion and around (350 cal)..
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
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    See, I don't think it's the size of the food stuffs, it's the access and marketing thereof. Families used to cook dinners, now they see how 'easy and convenient' a hamburger helper dinner or a quick drive thru at McDonald's would be. I don't think it's just the size, it's the marketing as well.

    right, so we are all robots that automatically go to McDonalds when the fast food overlords say "jump"

    what ever happened to personal responsibility...

    No, but there have been numerous studies proving that frequent exposure to advertisements for food, especially through commercials, signals our brains to feel hunger and crave that particular food. While, sure, people have the choice to say no, the problem is people aren't used to needing to tell themselves no when they feel "hunger." Evolution has prepared us to crave foods when they're readily available, and now that they are, people are consuming to their heart's desires and their brains are rewarding them for it. Food manufacturarers are fully aware of this, and do everything to make it even more appealing and irresistible. People may have the option of saying no (I fully believe in taking accountability for what you consume), but it's hard to compete with your own personal predispositions.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    People don't get fat because food gets bigger. Food gets bigger because people demand it.

    Has anyone seen the new 1-lb Snickers bars? 2,070 calories! Sure, the wrappers say "Slice and Share", but you know the manufacturers are just making them bigger because "King size" isn't enough anymore.

    Is this really a thing?! I'm thinking it's a great stocking stuffer. :happy:
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    I think it would be just as simple minded to say larger sizes have NOTHING to do with increased obesity as saying larger sizes have EVERYTHING to do with increased obesity.

    If the picture labeling weren't so absurdly wrong in most cases, it would be more compelling of an argument. The general concept probably has some merit when better presented.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    No real food pics in this thread... Highly disappointed and leaving this here:

    20120514-burger-roundup-24_large.jpeg

    thumb_large.php
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    See, I don't think it's the size of the food stuffs, it's the access and marketing thereof. Families used to cook dinners, now they see how 'easy and convenient' a hamburger helper dinner or a quick drive thru at McDonald's would be. I don't think it's just the size, it's the marketing as well.

    right, so we are all robots that automatically go to McDonalds when the fast food overlords say "jump"

    what ever happened to personal responsibility...

    No, but there have been numerous studies proving that frequent exposure to advertisements for food, especially through commercials, signals our brains to feel hunger and crave that particular food. While, sure, people have the choice to say no, the problem is people aren't used to needing to tell themselves no when they feel "hunger." Evolution has prepared us to crave foods when they're readily available, and now that they are, people are consuming to their heart's desires and their brains are rewarding them for it. Food manufacturarers are fully aware of this, and do everything to make it even more appealing and irresistible. People may have the option of saying no (I fully believe in taking accountability for what you consume), but it's hard to compete with your own personal predispositions.

    right, so the overlords have programmed us to eat when they tell us to eat; therefore we have no say in the matter...when the Wendy's pretzel burger commercial comes on, I automatically get up, find my keys, drive to the nearest wendys, order the burger, satisfy myself by eating said burger, and then go home to wait for the next "feeding window" as determined by my fast food masters...

    OR

    the commercial comes on and I say ..hmm looks good I guess, and do nothing...

    which sounds more realistic...
  • Hikr56
    Hikr56 Posts: 128 Member
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    HaHa! What you said! :D
  • Rage_Phish
    Rage_Phish Posts: 1,507 Member
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    See, I don't think it's the size of the food stuffs, it's the access and marketing thereof. Families used to cook dinners, now they see how 'easy and convenient' a hamburger helper dinner or a quick drive thru at McDonald's would be. I don't think it's just the size, it's the marketing as well.

    right, so we are all robots that automatically go to McDonalds when the fast food overlords say "jump"

    what ever happened to personal responsibility...

    No, but there have been numerous studies proving that frequent exposure to advertisements for food, especially through commercials, signals our brains to feel hunger and crave that particular food. While, sure, people have the choice to say no, the problem is people aren't used to needing to tell themselves no when they feel "hunger." Evolution has prepared us to crave foods when they're readily available, and now that they are, people are consuming to their heart's desires and their brains are rewarding them for it. Food manufacturarers are fully aware of this, and do everything to make it even more appealing and irresistible. People may have the option of saying no (I fully believe in taking accountability for what you consume), but it's hard to compete with your own personal predispositions.

    right, so the overlords have programmed us to eat when they tell us to eat; therefore we have no say in the matter...when the Wendy's pretzel burger commercial comes on, I automatically get up, find my keys, drive to the nearest wendys, order the burger, satisfy myself by eating said burger, and then go home to wait for the next "feeding window" as determined by my fast food masters...

    OR

    the commercial comes on and I say ..hmm looks good I guess, and do nothing...

    which sounds more realistic...

    What sounds more realistic is probably not an incredibly over simplified version of how the brain works. Black and white doesnt often reflect human nature very well
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    PortionDistortion-Consol12_zpsc7898261.jpg
    This is what we call "cherry picking." For starters, EVERY single "20 years ago" item is something you can still purchase today. Plus the "today" pictures are all extreme examples, and nowhere near accurate with either the stats or the commonality.

    You can still buy small french fries, you can still buy 7 oz sodas (in glass bottles or cans,) you can still buy smaller bagels. Also, I LOVE the comparison between a plain cup of coffee and a "mocha coffee." Yeah, because those are exactly the same thing. Why not compare it to a regular cup of coffee? Oh yeah, because then it wouldn't be a wildly ridiculous calorie count to scare people with.

    In short, the only thing this gallery explains is the fact that the person that made it is clueless.
  • dgroulx
    dgroulx Posts: 159 Member
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    In order to get a cheeseburger, small fries, and a drink, you need to order a Happy Meal. I remember when that was the only size of burgers and fries at McDonalds. Here in Seattle, all fast food restaurants must post calories next to the menu item. If you want to eat 1,500 calories in one meal, then it is your choice.

    Even sit down restaurant meals are enough for two or three. We have a lot of 'small plate' restaurants here where people can get a normal sized meal. When I go out to a regular restaurant, I order from the appetizer menu or get a side salad. Regular salads are way too big.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    No real food pics in this thread... Highly disappointed and leaving this here:

    20120514-burger-roundup-24_large.jpeg

    thumb_large.php

    are these the portion sizes from 20 years ago, or from now?

    until i know this critical fact, i don't know whether i should "thumbsup" or "thumbsdown" your post.
  • patfriendly
    patfriendly Posts: 263 Member
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    Its not just the food. Its convenience of not having to walk

    542816_10151328499316407_745672730_n.jpg
  • Shannonthompson73
    Shannonthompson73 Posts: 105 Member
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    Beautiful Bacon Pictures!!!
  • dauvis
    dauvis Posts: 57
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    Portion sizes are a part of it yes (I can remember when a large soda from McD was only 16 oz). Another part of it is the availability of fast food (I can count 4 McD on my route to work and that's just McD). Another part is the constant propaganda to get us to eat something (advertising works or nobody would be doing it). Another part is the increased sedentary lifestyle of society as a whole (our ancestors did not need exercise equipment to be healthy)....

    I can go on all day.

    who cares? there are four waffles houses on my way to work each day..I just keep on driving by...

    You missed my point. There are so many things going on that the OP is missing the big picture.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
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    I think it would be just as simple minded to say larger sizes have NOTHING to do with increased obesity as saying larger sizes have EVERYTHING to do with increased obesity.

    If the picture labeling weren't so absurdly wrong in most cases, it would be more compelling of an argument. The general concept probably has some merit when better presented.

    Example?
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,135 Member
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    People don't get fat because food gets bigger. Food gets bigger because people demand it.

    Has anyone seen the new 1-lb Snickers bars? 2,070 calories! Sure, the wrappers say "Slice and Share", but you know the manufacturers are just making them bigger because "King size" isn't enough anymore.

    Is this really a thing?! I'm thinking it's a great stocking stuffer. :happy:
    Yes, it's real. I want one.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I think the OP is trying to point out that portion sizes for food has increased over the years. Meaning more calories consumed. Nothing about clean eating, or not eating those things.

    That's what I thought too

    Thats because you two have enough reading comprehension skills to understand the post. Some people, not so much
    Except you could buy larger portions 20 years ago, and you can still buy the smaller portions today, so it's really NOT saying that. It's just propaganda/excuses.