As a nation, we're getting steadily heavier - WHY?

Acg67

White bread...

AlabasterVerve

There's research being done right now that shows one of the biggest indicators of childhood obesity is the diet of the mother while she was pregnant. It seems that it can "turn on" the fat gene (or some such) and even though these children are born a normal weight they just get fatter in an environment with abundant food.

Not that I expect anyone to care. It's much more satisfying to believe there's no biological and environment reasons for the obesity epidemic and that it's "their own fault" for being bad, lazy people instead of something driving people to overeat. Everyone seems to absolutely revel in this idea that being fat is a well deserved punishment for a lack of character and thinness is a reward for a good, virtuous character. Truly bizarre.

"They get fatter in an environment with abundant food". That would suggest they would not get fat if they did not overeat.

Of course?

bcattoes

White bread...

The whiter your bread, the sooner you're dead.

Acg67

White bread...

The whiter your bread, the sooner you're dead.

Def maybe

beckajw

White bread...

OMG! You're a genius! I knew it had to be white bread, I just knew it! Now, I need to throw away my sandwich... Does a hamburger bun count as white bread? Maybe I can replace my sandwich with McDonalds.

bcattoes

There's research being done right now that shows one of the biggest indicators of childhood obesity is the diet of the mother while she was pregnant. It seems that it can "turn on" the fat gene (or some such) and even though these children are born a normal weight they just get fatter in an environment with abundant food.

Not that I expect anyone to care. It's much more satisfying to believe there's no biological and environment reasons for the obesity epidemic and that it's "their own fault" for being bad, lazy people instead of something driving people to overeat. Everyone seems to absolutely revel in this idea that being fat is a well deserved punishment for a lack of character and thinness is a reward for a good, virtuous character. Truly bizarre.

"They get fatter in an environment with abundant food". That would suggest they would not get fat if they did not overeat.

Of course?

So ... how would that not be their fault (or in the case of children, their parents fault)? The environment is not making anyone overeat. People choose to overeat.

happypath101

As an outsider (Canadian) it seems to me to be the portion sizes and food options. When I go to the US and order a meal, I am utterly shocked at how much food is on the plate. It's also far cheaper. I suppose that makes it easier to serve and order more. And, perhaps, that's why there's a "get my money's worth" philosophy. And even at the grocery stores and corner stores, the selection is unbelievable! With that much food around all the time, it's no wonder weight is an issue.

Dad_of_3

There's research being done right now that shows one of the biggest indicators of childhood obesity is the diet of the mother while she was pregnant. It seems that it can "turn on" the fat gene (or some such) and even though these children are born a normal weight they just get fatter in an environment with abundant food.

Not that I expect anyone to care. It's much more satisfying to believe there's no biological and environment reasons for the obesity epidemic and that it's "their own fault" for being bad, lazy people instead of something driving people to overeat. Everyone seems to absolutely revel in this idea that being fat is a well deserved punishment for a lack of character and thinness is a reward for a good, virtuous character. Truly bizarre.

"They get fatter in an environment with abundant food". That would suggest they would not get fat if they did not overeat.

Of course?

I am fat. F-A-T. As in I still have 128 pounds to lose FAT. It's not a bad word. Why? Because I was lazy. L-A-Z-Y. Because I made bad choices and ate too much. It might not be politically correct to say it, but the truth is the vast majority of people would lose weight without surgery, pills, etc. if they would just get off their well-cushioned butts and exercise and eat less, and ate better. IT TAKES WORK. People ARE lazy, and it takes WORK to lose it. Sadly enough, people want surgery or a pill to lose the weight for them, so they turn to that, without ever getting the problem fixed in their heads first.

Edit: Also, I seriously considered surgery too, so I speak from experience in this matter.

beckajw

As an outsider (Canadian) it seems to me to be the portion sizes and food options. When I go to the US and order a meal, I am utterly shocked at how much food is on the plate. It's also far cheaper. I suppose that makes it easier to serve and order more. And, perhaps, that's why there's a "get my money's worth" philosophy. And even at the grocery stores and corner stores, the selection is unbelievable! With that much food around all the time, it's no wonder weight is an issue.

I don't notice that much different in Canada. It is more expensive, but the portions seem to be the same. I've never eaten at a Canadian restaurant and thought, "wow, the portions are much smaller here". I always bring food home with me. I also see just as many heavy people in Canada. So, I think it's more than portion sizes and food options.

Ketomaniac9

If we didnt as a nation have to work so dang much there would be more time to be active, and be able to cook healthy meals at home... look at europe they don't work so much.. and you don't see anywhere near as much obesity and stress over there!

Acg67

White bread...

OMG! You're a genius! I knew it had to be white bread, I just knew it! Now, I need to throw away my sandwich... Does a hamburger bun count as white bread? Maybe I can replace my sandwich with McDonalds.

If you toast your bread, your body won't recognize it as white bread and you're in the clear

Dad_of_3

If we didnt as a nation have to work so dang much there would be more time to be active, and be able to cook healthy meals at home... look at europe they don't work so much.. and you don't see anywhere near as much obesity and stress over there!

I used to use work as an excuse. Now I make time to walk and run. I look for opportunities to turn "no burn" into "some burn".

beckajw

White bread...

OMG! You're a genius! I knew it had to be white bread, I just knew it! Now, I need to throw away my sandwich... Does a hamburger bun count as white bread? Maybe I can replace my sandwich with McDonalds.

If you toast your bread, your body won't recognize it as white bread and you're in the clear

Oh, thank God there is a toaster in the office! You saved my day!

rodneyderrick

There's a war going on in America, in the world, and many of us didn't even know about it. Each restaurant in the 90s waged a war with each other for the consumers' dollars. Many of us didn't realize this war was taking place; and the people that understood what was happening, didn't have the power to stop it. Each restaurant tried to give the average person more food for their dollars, including all-you-can-eat buffets for only a few bucks. The lunch time crowds that ravished the buffets took that style of eating to their kitchens. They traded in the small plates for the plus-sized platters, and still maintained this attitude: you gotta clean that plate. We took two for the price of one to the house, and never looked back.

Laces_0ut

100% lack of willpower

LowcarbNY

The OP asked why we were getting heavier since the 90's.

NO she did not. She just backed up her argument one piece of data from the 90's . Do you think that the reason we got fatter in the 90's and the 00' is somehow different than why we got fatter in the 80's?

AlabasterVerve

There's research being done right now that shows one of the biggest indicators of childhood obesity is the diet of the mother while she was pregnant. It seems that it can "turn on" the fat gene (or some such) and even though these children are born a normal weight they just get fatter in an environment with abundant food.

Not that I expect anyone to care. It's much more satisfying to believe there's no biological and environment reasons for the obesity epidemic and that it's "their own fault" for being bad, lazy people instead of something driving people to overeat. Everyone seems to absolutely revel in this idea that being fat is a well deserved punishment for a lack of character and thinness is a reward for a good, virtuous character. Truly bizarre.

"They get fatter in an environment with abundant food". That would suggest they would not get fat if they did not overeat.

Of course?

I am fat. F-A-T. As in I still have 128 pounds to lose FAT. It's not a bad word. Why? Because I was lazy. L-A-Z-Y. Because I made bad choices and ate too much. It might not be politically correct to say it, but the truth is the vast majority of people would lose weight without surgery, pills, etc. if they would just get off their well-cushioned butts and exercise and eat less, and ate better. IT TAKES WORK. People ARE lazy, and it takes WORK to lose it. Sadly enough, people want surgery or a pill to lose the weight for them, so they turn to that, without ever getting the problem fixed in their heads first.

Edit: Also, I seriously considered surgery too, so I speak from experience in this matter.

I think part of the problem is that fat people have such low self esteem they can't even consider that there are underlying causes for overeating. We're so consumed by our own problems we can't step back and see the bigger perspective. You're so wrapped up in blaming yourself for eating the bags and bags of chips and sodas when you KNEW you shouldn't and yet you did anyway. You KNOW you're to blame -- I get it.

It also doesn't help that "eat less, exercise more" makes perfect sense so why look for another cause? Regardless of popular opinion, I'm just glad that the research is finally moving in another direction other than calories in, calories out.

Acg67

White bread...

OMG! You're a genius! I knew it had to be white bread, I just knew it! Now, I need to throw away my sandwich... Does a hamburger bun count as white bread? Maybe I can replace my sandwich with McDonalds.

If you toast your bread, your body won't recognize it as white bread and you're in the clear

Oh, thank God there is a toaster in the office! You saved my day!

Many people think the body is color blind, but in fact it can tell the color of the food you're eating, hence why the eliminate everything white diet works cause your body knows white = bad and stores it as fat

Dad_of_3

I think part of the problem is that fat people have such low self esteem they can't even consider that there are underlying causes for overeating. We're so consumed by our own problems we can't step back and see the bigger perspective. You're so wrapped up in blaming yourself for eating the bags and bags of chips and sodas when you KNEW you shouldn't and yet you did anyway. You KNOW you're to blame -- I get it.

It also doesn't help that "eat less, exercise more" makes perfect sense so why look for another cause? Regardless of popular opinion, I'm just glad that the research is finally moving in another direction other than calories in, calories out.

Don't misunderstand me- there are some conditions that cause obesity. But it is a very, very small number. And research has shown the HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) increases weight disproportionately in animal studies. I am aware of this. But it makes no sense that humans maintained a decent weight for thousands of years and now all at once we are fat, thus something else is to blame. Again, the cause of vast majority of the problem is indeed to many calories in, not nearly enough exercise.

Oh, and I read a study somewhere that obesity is not nearly as a big a problem (no pun intended) in countries that do not have a high level of machination.

MrDude_1

White bread...

OMG! You're a genius! I knew it had to be white bread, I just knew it! Now, I need to throw away my sandwich... Does a hamburger bun count as white bread? Maybe I can replace my sandwich with McDonalds.

If you toast your bread, your body won't recognize it as white bread and you're in the clear

Oh, thank God there is a toaster in the office! You saved my day!

Many people think the body is color blind, but in fact it can tell the color of the food you're eating, hence why the eliminate everything white diet works cause your body knows white = bad and stores it as fat

This is known as the NAACP approach.