"Weight of The Nation"

BlueJean4114

http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/films

^Has anyone else watched this documentary on why Americans are now struggling against so much weight gain?
It was a four part series,
which i sat spellbound for. I learned a lot. I *thought* i knew a lot about why we in USA are now gaining weight so much,
but, wow, i learned a LOT, :noway:

also, parts of the 4 films had most fascinating section about KEEPING weight off, very informative. I have a new insight now, that i never had before. So many inspirational people are shown in the film, too.:flowerforyou:

I watched this documentary a few months ago, and STILL recall several lines from it !!!!!!!!!!!. I highly recommend it as a very thought provoking and informative program. One can watch the entire series

---

free

---

in the link above, if u click around.

Each of the 4 films is about an hour long. Make some low cal popcorn, get your family, and watch this, maybe one film per night. It *sounds* boring, i know, ("yeah, yeah, we all watch tv now, is why" or something) but, it's More to it than that.

If you DO watch this, you will not forget it. It'd be hard to watch this, and NOT learn something about losing weight or keeping it off. NO specific diet is recommended, nope, but tons of facts about weight loss, and keeping it off, are covered in parts of this film. Why some people DO manage to keep weight loss off, and why so many people struggle against re-gaining it back.

(sorry if this documentary has already been discussed on this website, i am new here, and couldn't find it on a search, sorry if duplicate post).

BlueJean4114

bump. I see some other threads WERE posted on this documentary series, but this one DOES have the LINK in it to watch the series of 4 films, "The Weight of the Nation"
FOR FREE
even if you do NOT have HBO, you can watch the films FOR FREE Here: http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/

Grimmerick

bump, i love documentaries. Thanks!

historygirldd

^ to check out later at home.

sandiegosummer

I really enjoyed this program as well.

As an American who has spent many years as an expat it's scary how staked the American food industry is against people trying to lose weight. Not that tescos is any great health resource or anything, but when I lived in London I lost tons of weight eating the same things I eat in the US (Hummus, veggies, cheese, lean meats, fruit) and I didn't go to the gym ever. As soon as I got to the states I kept the same diet and gained weight. part of it i am sure is the huge portions (aka Tesco tub of hummus vs Sambra hummus) but I am convinced that another part is all the crap that we put in our food. Even fruit here seems like it's just sugar and water (I have seen apples the SIZE OF MY FACE at harris tetter). The film exposes a lot of the reasoning behind adding this crap and making food more addictive and tasty and the pretty destabilizing economic impact for the food industry of trying to reverse it. And it's becoming harder and harder to find real and affordable food options.

One of my biggest issues with the obesity problem in the US is how much it is linked to income. Eating healthy is expensive and nearly impossible to do on a limited budget. One of the problem (which the film addresses thankfully) is the difference in production methods for fresh healthy food, and processed food. Due to the short shelf life etc of veggies and fruits and non-processed meats they can't really be mass produced and thus they stay at a fixed price point. And to artificially lower the price of veggies and fruits doesn't really work b/c it lowers an already slim profit margin for the farmers. The other issue is the locations and availability of grocery stores and health focused stores like whole foods (which i think is a rip off when it comes to fruits and veggies). There are many neighborhoods, even in the nicer parts of my current city, that don't have access to a grocery store, and if you go into the really poor areas, good luck finding more than a mini-mart where the food is behind bullet proof glass. If you are on the edge and forced to choose between 6 pack of ramen that will last you a week or lettuce and tomatoes that will last you a couple of days for the same price or you dont even have access to the later option...you are kinda backed against a wall. When I was in Cape Town, this was a similar problem, with a small boom of wealth and expansion of things like mcdonalds there was a spike in obesity in the townships and traditionally colored areas despite a rise in HIV etc. This is more of a vent than anything else I guess but I think it would be a great innovation in business and public health if someone could come up with a WalMart for healthy things.....

None of this should be meant as an excuse...we are all responsible for our own destinies and have the ability to take control of our own health (even if its harder for some), but I think its something that we as a community need to work on changing.

bex0178

The series is free to "purchase" and keep from Vudu.com. Vudu is one of the apps available on the Xbox for Gold members. I just downloaded the series this week.

haeffel2

bump bump bump

liftingheavy

I watched the whole series on HBO and it really confirmed some suspicions I had about why especially children are becoming more obese.

Well worth watching.

Skinny_Jeans_Soon

I want to watch this but haven't spent the time to figure out how to download it on my tv.

MaraDiaz

Watching now, this is great information, thank you!

BlueJean4114

I want to watch this but haven't spent the time to figure out how to download it on my tv.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AH, you do NOT have to "download" the film, nope, you can just click on the link at my top post, click around til you find "watch now" or some similarly worded button,
and watch it. The way you do not have to "download" youtube videos to watch them, you know? you just click on them and watch them?
the link at top of this thread is like youtube

---

just "click and watch'. (unless your computer is extremely different than mine)

IT'S WELL WORTH A WATCH by anyone interested in weight loss, etc.

BlueJean4114

I really enjoyed this program as well.

As an American who has spent many years as an expat it's scary how staked the American food industry is against people trying to lose weight. Not that tescos is any great health resource or anything, but when I lived in London I lost tons of weight eating the same things I eat in the US (Hummus, veggies, cheese, lean meats, fruit) and I didn't go to the gym ever. As soon as I got to the states I kept the same diet and gained weight. part of it i am sure is the huge portions (aka Tesco tub of hummus vs Sambra hummus) but I am convinced that another part is all the crap that we put in our food. Even fruit here seems like it's just sugar and water (I have seen apples the SIZE OF MY FACE at harris tetter). The film exposes a lot of the reasoning behind adding this crap and making food more addictive and tasty and the pretty destabilizing economic impact for the food industry of trying to reverse it. And it's becoming harder and harder to find real and affordable food options.

One of my biggest issues with the obesity problem in the US is how much it is linked to income. Eating healthy is expensive and nearly impossible to do on a limited budget. One of the problem (which the film addresses thankfully) is the difference in production methods for fresh healthy food, and processed food. Due to the short shelf life etc of veggies and fruits and non-processed meats they can't really be mass produced and thus they stay at a fixed price point. And to artificially lower the price of veggies and fruits doesn't really work b/c it lowers an already slim profit margin for the farmers. The other issue is the locations and availability of grocery stores and health focused stores like whole foods (which i think is a rip off when it comes to fruits and veggies). There are many neighborhoods, even in the nicer parts of my current city, that don't have access to a grocery store, and if you go into the really poor areas, good luck finding more than a mini-mart where the food is behind bullet proof glass. If you are on the edge and forced to choose between 6 pack of ramen that will last you a week or lettuce and tomatoes that will last you a couple of days for the same price or you dont even have access to the later option...you are kinda backed against a wall. When I was in Cape Town, this was a similar problem, with a small boom of wealth and expansion of things like mcdonalds there was a spike in obesity in the townships and traditionally colored areas despite a rise in HIV etc. This is more of a vent than anything else I guess but I think it would be a great innovation in business and public health if someone could come up with a WalMart for healthy things.....

None of this should be meant as an excuse...we are all responsible for our own destinies and have the ability to take control of our own health (even if its harder for some), but I think its something that we as a community need to work on changing.

Yes, that WAS a very powerful point they made. If one is working 40+ hours a week, and has no access to fresh fruit and veggies, and driving to another neighborhood to purchase these items takes time and gas money, it's easier to imagine how that could reduce this person's likelihood to eat well.
Poverty IS linked to obesity for many many people.


also, the film discusses HOW farmers who grow CORN, (used to make high fructose corn syrup, etc)
ARE subsidized by the govt,
while there is little financial motivation for the farmers who want to grow tomatoes and plums, for example, which are much much more difficult to ship, and no govt subsidy for that. The corn lobbyists do have some power there in Washington DC....

BlueJean4114

THE ENTIRE DOCUMENTARY, MADE SO MANY AMAZING POINTS,
COMPARING LIFESTYLES OF EVEN A GENERATION AGO, TO TODAY...........BOTH in what we eat NOW, and how our days are spent, the types of jobs we have now, the lifestyles we have now,
and what IS in the food we eat NOW....


......the graphs and facts and interviews from experts were staggering, imo....

still, lots of really inspirational people in that film, as i am beginning to discover right here on MFP too....lots of amazing ppl here too.

paradigmsubversion

This series is one of the reasons why i am trying to be healthier, and am on MFP!

Excellent, excellent series, with good information that stays with you. The key take-away for me, was that it is largely diet changes that create weight loss, but exercise is the key to maintaining that weight loss/keeping the weigh off. Great advice, and good science behind it. I also really enjoyed hearing about the heart health study in the first video.

StephTink76

Bump to watch at home.

BlueJean4114

This series is one of the reasons why i am trying to be healthier, and am on MFP!

Excellent, excellent series, with good information that stays with you. The key take-away for me, was that it is largely diet changes that create weight loss, but exercise is the key to maintaining that weight loss/keeping the weigh off. Great advice, and good science behind it. I also really enjoyed hearing about the heart health study in the first video.

that point struc,k me too!! that the calories burned by exercise is not a huge contributor to weight loss, BUT the link between exercising and KEEPING the weight off, seemed a very very strong association in this film. I so so enjoyed the two women who had both lost like 100 lbs, and what they did to keep weight off, i thought about those two women for days afterwards...

I was also SOooo stunned,
to learn,
that two people of same weight/height,
but one of the two ppl who has previously been heavier,
that one who WAS previously heavy

---

usually has to eat several 100 calories LESS per day than the person who never ever was overweight ever. (i can't recall exactly now how many more calories the previously-heavy person has to reduce just to maintain the weight loss
compared to a person who was never ever heavy)

kaydensmom12

Thanks. I'm going to watch them:)

BlueJean4114

i am so happy to find ppl who HAVE watched this show, no one i know in real life was much interested in it, but i watched it several times, actually.

I did not expect to hear anything i didn't already know,
yet, i sure did hear things i did not already know.:noway:

I hope you do all get a chance to watch it in that link up at top of this thread, and post your thoughts on it.

BlueJean4114

another interesting point, made in the documentary, that i have reminded myself of a few times,
is
that there is a sort of a neurochemical trigger that can cause almost an addictive response to fats and salts in foods. This point has been suggested in other films, too, like "Fast Food Nation" and "SuperSize Me"
about how once we get accustomed to fat and salt, it can st up an inner brain reaction of craving such food types.


I once asked someone pretty smart, how is it we humans often crave things BAD for us? Why do we not naturally* crave broccoli??
and he suggested, it is possible, that way back in our hunter/gatherer days, those who DID crave/eat the high fat items, were more likely to survive, and pass on their genes and those who were repulsed by high fat items died out here and there. Not that a creature's food choices are entirely inherited, look at dogs who Can learn to eat whatever we feed them. (mostly, anyway) i'd guess that every member here is aware of the power of a habit, whether for good or for bad.

but, being drawn to eat the high fat items, when starvation was a widespread risk back then,
may have been a survival thing back then,
but, now, we no longer need eat high fat foods to survive, yet, that urge to do so is still easily triggered in many humans.


* re: 'naturally' craving broccoli, i do not mean to imply that i think people can not love eating broccoli. but many humans, if not fed properly, if not helped to establish healthy eating patterns and HABITS, can default into choosing high fat, high salt, high sugar type of foods,
over broccoli.

BlueJean4114

another point from "The Weight of The Nation" which is crossing my mind now, is how even a fairly small reduction in one's weight can have some Significant health benefits, for our inner organs, our bloodwork, our risk levels for many things, drops with each and every pound we lose.

I have forgotten the % of fat we have to lose to get the improvements now, but, it wasn't that much. That is encouraging.

tanyaslosingit

I just finished watching Part 1 and it was truly an eye-opening experience! I hadn't been aware that the series was available online so a big "THANK YOU" for providing the link. This was not only educational, but motivational and a guard against complacency.

DietPep1978

I just watched Part 1...I'm a little depressed and I'm going to take my child out for a walk.

Many of the points in the film I can see in my own extended family and in myself. I had gestational diabetes, I have a fatty liver, I carry my weight in my abdomen. I've had family members who are not that much older than me suffer and die from obesity/diabetes related complications. Here I am, right up near by heighest weight ever.

I've always known I needed to get myself together. I've found the last few months quite sobering to just how serious my situation is and how important it is to work at it.

No matter how long it takes, no matter how slow the process, as long as I start moving in the right direction I will feel better than I do at this very moment.

I'm looking forward to watching Part 2, 3 and 4 and I'm very glad to hear there is a segement on what you can do about it.

ginnylee74

Bump

fteale

Does it also explain why British people seem to be putting on weight?

KettydeDios

Bump

Nbentz214

bump

BlueJean4114

Does it also explain why British people seem to be putting on weight?

i do not recall anything specific to the UK, but, much of the info would be applicable to anyone interested in losing weight. I imagine the food supply in the UK to probably be similar to USA, but, i am only guessing there.

BlueJean4114

I just watched Part 1...I'm a little depressed and I'm going to take my child out for a walk.

Many of the points in the film I can see in my own extended family and in myself. I had gestational diabetes, I have a fatty liver, I carry my weight in my abdomen. I've had family members who are not that much older than me suffer and die from obesity/diabetes related complications. Here I am, right up near by heighest weight ever.

I've always known I needed to get myself together. I've found the last few months quite sobering to just how serious my situation is and how important it is to work at it.

No matter how long it takes, no matter how slow the process, as long as I start moving in the right direction I will feel better than I do at this very moment.

I'm looking forward to watching Part 2, 3 and 4 and I'm very glad to hear there is a segement on what you can do about it.

OH, i AM SORRY that the film impacted you in this way----BUT i am smiling as you decide to take your child out for a walk!!

i don't recall feeling bummed out, at all, when i watched the films. I did not watch them in correct order, though.
I felt a lot of my questions were answered on why i am now seeing a new trend towards overweightness even in the young ppl! and why too many of my fellow citizens gaining weight. (including my own self).
I DO HOPE YOU DO WATCH THE INSPIRATIONAL PARTS on what can be done!!!???

But, it is good to be aware,
the foods that my generation grew up on,
are NOT the same foods the kids today are being fed.
^that right there, explained a lot to me.

BlueJean4114

I just watched Part 1...I'm a little depressed and I'm going to take my child out for a walk.

Many of the points in the film I can see in my own extended family and in myself. I had gestational diabetes, I have a fatty liver, I carry my weight in my abdomen. I've had family members who are not that much older than me suffer and die from obesity/diabetes related complications. Here I am, right up near by heighest weight ever.

I've always known I needed to get myself together. I've found the last few months quite sobering to just how serious my situation is and how important it is to work at it.

No matter how long it takes, no matter how slow the process, as long as I start moving in the right direction I will feel better than I do at this very moment.

I'm looking forward to watching Part 2, 3 and 4 and I'm very glad to hear there is a segement on what you can do about it.

YES, that is how i felt too, i felt like, AH HA, i can do this, and i now have more information on how the foods i've been eating are contributing to my weight gain, (more than i'd suspected)
and in parts 2,3, and 4,
i became inspired,
this can be solved.

and i CAN lose this weight.
I do NOT have to be this way.
I am NOT 'stuck' here like this forever.
I got the notion, that my weight gain is NOT permanent. (somewhere alone the line, i'd come to believe, that this is just the way i am now)
I came to understand that I can SOLVE this,
and i am not alone in this struggle. Even people with much higher mountains than i have, are finding success.


i still think of those two older ladies who lost the weight, a few times a week. Some remark one or the other said, comes to me, now and then, as i stand in front of the fridge, lol!!

tmos512

bump

omma_to_3

bump for later