50% of Americans will be Obese by 2030

aviduser

This was in today's news. Very alarming. Anthony Bourdain made the point that it will be hard for folks to serve the country in the military, though the same should theoretically apply to many others as well.

Obesity is a major problem on a personal and societal level. I am grateful to MFP for helping me learn how to manage the most basic function of survival--eating. Odd that I did not learn how to manage that until I was in my 40s.

How do we (the true believers) get others to see it too? Or is it a "hitting bottom" kind of thing? It was for me in essence--I had a doctor (who was fit and not fat like most other doctors who had told me before) that I needed to lose a large amount of weight.

I guess that was the wake-up call.

Anyway, you all--we all--are on the right track here.

laursey

Some light bulb of sorts really has to go off for you to get it and decide to stick with it. Before I started, I would bake a batch of cookies because I felt guilty for downing a whole batch of brownies. How screwed up is that? I was thinking it would take a heart attack to break my habits, but nah, I would probably bake a chocolate cake because I felt sorry for myself.
But here I am. I was hesitant to set goals because I might not meet them. I started off just trying to not feel disgusting inside. My poor tummy ; ) As I felt better and results started to come, my eating got cleaner and my minutes of exercise increase. I never thought I would be here in 7 months. It seems crazy.
We need to spread the word and hopefully inspire others to join.



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shreddin_mama

Scary.......

KeyMasterOfGozer

By their definition of Obese, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be obese.

Erica_theRedhead

There are lobbyists trying to get the manufacturing laws for processed and fast foods changed in government. Also, more health food in schools would help a lot. But that requires common sense and collaboration between politicians, so good luck getting that stuff changed...

Hearts_2015

I see it more in a positive way, we've found MFP and as we share our successes others will be inspired by that. Whether they use MFP or even say anything out loud to us about the changes they see... we are a great influence on others. Statistics aren't 100%, they never are in any topic be it cancer, weight, politics etc. They are an estimated guess to some degree.

This is my spin on 50% being obese by 2030 but actually I thought by now it'd hit that level already. I made changes in my life that were huge and many of us on here have done so as well... how can it be estimated and a statistic placed on this or any other subject that is constantly changing.

If people don't CHANGE their lives and create healthier ways to live, yes statistics could hold true but.........

I see how many on here share how they had that 'click' moment and life changed forever...

Cheers to each of us that heard it and acted on it!:drinker: :flowerforyou:

Kohadre

By their definition of Obese, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be obese.

Well while thats true, what he was in the 80's, he is now the polar opposite of.

aviduser

For me it was really about learning what was a healthy amount of food to eat in one meal and one day. Sadly, this is not something most of us seem to learn without making a serious effort.

The societal effects of obesity will be serious-- health costs from weight-related illness and disease, unavailability of fit people for military service, cramped public transportation, etc.

So how do you get someone to realize that they are killing themselves one bite at a time? Based on my own experience, I am not sure that much works. Really, it takes the right combination of the message (you are overweight and need to lose x pounds) and receptivity to the message.

Of course, speaking personally, now that I have reached my goal (40lbs) I just have to learn to maintain it over the long haul. You might notice that I am still on MFP. :-)

ninerbuff

It's not a matter of knowledge in almost all cases. People know that they should exercise and eat well to stay relatively healthy, just like smokers know they should quit smoking because of the drawbacks. So is it ignorance or laziness that's stopping people from doing it? Like a smoker, unless a life threatening event happens to them, it seems most people don't have any incentive to change to a better lifestyle.
What's ironic, is that they wish they had their favorite celebrities body or athlete's body, but also bash them at the same time for working so hard for it. Meh. The strong survive.

12by311

By their definition of Obese, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be obese.

Well while thats true, what he was in the 80's, he is now the polar opposite of.

If going by BMI, he was probably considered obese or overweight at hit fittest.

atsteele

By the look of things, I'd say we're going to hit 50% earlier than that! CDC says 34% of adult Americans are already obese! At the rate we're going, I'll give it another 8 or 9 years (2020).

nibblerbigcat

I may be naive, but I am hoping that this won't come true. With enough efforts put into educating people on eating the right food and the right amount of food, this could be reversed.

Also, what people have to realize is that unhealthly food will always be available as long as people are buying it. Demand and supply. People have to learn how to live around that food without being controlled by it.

There's gotta be a lot of work done and a lot of controversy will ensue...

nibblerbigcat

By their definition of Obese, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be obese.

Well while thats true, what he was in the 80's, he is now the polar opposite of.

If going by BMI, he was probably considered obese or overweight at hit fittest.

And we all know that BMI is an unsophisticated reference chart, not meant to diagnose people. Arnold Schwarzenegger is irrelevant to the topic.

brocantrs

Not me!

agthorn

By their definition of Obese, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be obese.

Well while thats true, what he was in the 80's, he is now the polar opposite of.

If going by BMI, he was probably considered obese or overweight at hit fittest.

While factually true, I think we can all agree that body builders and athletes who fall into the "obese" category of BMI by virtue of their muscle mass are a rather small proportion of the country.

sleepytexan

not me. I will not be obese.

Russellb97

Yes BMI is messed up, but you don't need acrazy chart to see American's are getting more and more overweight.
I call BMI-Bad Misleading Information.
You should use it.

My biggest fear with BMI is it become the be-all-end-all for health insurance, because i am still overweight according to that even though my bodyfat percent is in the single-digits.

By their definition of Obese, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be obese.

Well while thats true, what he was in the 80's, he is now the polar opposite of.

If going by BMI, he was probably considered obese or overweight at hit fittest.

And we all know that BMI is an unsophisticated reference chart, not meant to diagnose people. Arnold Schwarzenegger is irrelevant to the topic.

kfitz10103

Not me!

Not me either! Nor my children who will be 19 and 20.

Pangui

It's not a matter of knowledge in almost all cases. People know that they should exercise and eat well to stay relatively healthy, just like smokers know they should quit smoking because of the drawbacks. So is it ignorance or laziness that's stopping people from doing it? Like a smoker, unless a life threatening event happens to them, it seems most people don't have any incentive to change to a better lifestyle.

To some extent, I disagree. I think it IS a matter of knowledge. I think we are mis-informed about what is healthy for us. I think that we are subsidizing big corporate farm industries that are using their wealth and power to influence our eating patterns. They have members sitting on boards that determine food recommendations for society in general and that determine the food that is served to our children in school. Ketchup and french fries aren't healthy vegetables, yet many people believe they are.

I thought I knew everything I needed about how to lose weight. I was a failure because I thought I lacked willpower and self-control. Portion control was too hard. Once I better understood the role food plays in nourishing our bodies, fighting off diseases like heart disease and cancer, and HOW to use high nutrient low-calorie whole foods to maximize my metabolism, all my self-control and willpower was restored to normal. I now think I had addictions to certain foods. When I eliminated those foods from my diet I also eliminated my urges to overeat.

doobabe

This is very sad........................ And there is absolutely no good reason for it.....
I agree that knowledge is power on this one, but willingness also plays a role..............

carrie1128

I think it's a combination of lack of knowledge as well as apathy. It makes me sad, especially for children who have no control over what their parents feed them. I saw this chart a little while back on last year's stats and it makes me want to cry.
http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2010/

This is such a sensitive topic for so many people and I've learned that they just don't want to hear it! I never offer advice unless asked because people are so defensive about their food. All I can do is take care of my own body and my children's bodies and hope that I'll have given my kids the best start possible and the tools they need to live a healthy life. There are things that can be changed though, starting with school lunches. If 20-30% of children are getting free lunches daily from our schools, it should not be crap.

Also, no matter what standards they used to come up with the stats, no one can possibly deny that Americans are getting fatter.

lmelangley

You're right - I've had about 6 people ask me how I've lost weight, saying they need to, as well. I've given glowing reviews of MFP, even sent URLs to a few. But, none have joined. It's like they want to lose weight in theory, but don't want to actually do anything to actually lose. I guess everyone overweight just needs that moment of clarity where they realize where they are headed. Personally, I wish I had had mine 20 years earlier.

carrie1128

You're right - I've had about 6 people ask me how I've lost weight, saying they need to, as well. I've given glowing reviews of MFP, even sent URLs to a few. But, none have joined. It's like they want to lose weight in theory, but don't want to actually do anything to actually lose. I guess everyone overweight just needs that moment of clarity where they realize where they are headed. Personally, I wish I had had mine 20 years earlier.

This is so true. I think people want an easy fix. They literally want their cake and to eat it too. No offense to anyone on them but that is why I don't agree with all of those fad, quick fix diets. People need to learn to eat real food that is healthy in real life, every day and that is what they don't seem to want to do.

Scott613

Bmi says Im obese but my bodyfat says otherwise. Like russ and a few others said if you carry more muscle mass your BMI is not going to be reliable.

agthorn

Bmi says Im obese but my bodyfat says otherwise. Like russ and a few others said if you carry more muscle mass your BMI is not going to be reliable.

Yes, we get it. You and Russ are awesome. (No, seriously, I mean it!) But you guys and others like you are like, a rounding error when it comes to the population of the US. Would it be better if we said "By 2030, 50% of Americans will be obese but 0.1% of them are just awesomely muscled so they don't count"?

millionsofpeaches

I am surprised that it is only 50%

tladame

There are lobbyists trying to get the manufacturing laws for processed and fast foods changed in government. Also, more health food in schools would help a lot. But that requires common sense and collaboration between politicians, so good luck getting that stuff changed...

^^
This. I really wish schools had more nutritious foods for kids. Mine won't be entering kindergarten for a few more years, but I'm planning on making her lunches most of the time. I haven't forgotten the crap that was in our school lunches, like the "Carter burrito" (deep fried burrito filled with PB & J). Gaack!

I hope more people will jump on the MFP bandwagon with us too. It seems like a lot of people quit smoking when the tobacco tax hit (the hotel I worked at went from 9 out of 12 smoking floors to only 1 smoking floor in the 10 years I worked there).

Circa1964

We can only hope that people will catch on and turn things around. And spread the word on how to do it.

aviduser

You're right - I've had about 6 people ask me how I've lost weight, saying they need to, as well. I've given glowing reviews of MFP, even sent URLs to a few. But, none have joined. It's like they want to lose weight in theory, but don't want to actually do anything to actually lose. I guess everyone overweight just needs that moment of clarity where they realize where they are headed. Personally, I wish I had had mine 20 years earlier.

well said. i have had the same experience.

aviduser

Bmi says Im obese but my bodyfat says otherwise. Like russ and a few others said if you carry more muscle mass your BMI is not going to be reliable.

I used to think that BMI could not be correct--And folks were surprised to learn that I weighed 220 because I "carried it well." Nearly 45 lbs later, I am in the healthy BMI range and I could probably got to 170 and be just fine (now 177).

I cycle tons (1200 miles since April) and do weight training 2 days a week. I am cut and lean. I am not a bodybuilder.

I agree that BMI might not be perfect. BUT, it is a pretty good indicator.

For those who are truly at 3-5% body fat and all lean muscle, it might be off. That is a small group. I would also add that the weight of that muscle still puts extra strain on your heart.

So don't ignore the BMI. It is a good indicator--the reality is that most of us should be a lot lighter than we previously imagined.

BTW, I am 5'11" and 179 is the upper limit of healthy for me on the BMI.