Why is there an obesity epidemic?

volume77

That awkward moment when a Mcdonald cheese burger is cheaper than a salad

actually theyre both on the dollar menu....so theyre both the same price ( i know i eat at mcdonalds everyday)

volume77

lololololololololol

montlucia

People are fat because junk food is so cheap. And the US seems crazy for huge portions. I don't base this comment on lack of knowledge. When in America, I had some fast food and noticed how huge the portions were compared to what I was used to. I absolutely loved Chipotle though.

And I hasten to add that that is just one side of things because I know Americans are hugely keen on exercise. I've never seen a 24hour gym in the UK and the concept kind of baffles me. Who wants to work out at 4am?

taso42

I thought it was because of diet soda and high fructose corn syrup

366to266

Believe it or not, there's a lot of psychology behind overeating. Stress eating, eating disorders, socialized eating, psychology of advertising, environmental learning, etc. Your brain is wired to derive pleasure in the easiest way possible. The link between having a delicious restaurant meal with friends and having a great time associates itself in your mind. A friend's reaction to eating vegetables can cloud your own judgment about how they taste, even if you liked them before.

Very intelligent and correct reply.

wikitbikit

I thought it was because of diet soda and high fructose corn syrup

Wait, you mean the devil?

366to266

I am too drinkies and too lazy to read this thread. I'll tell you what I told my daughter recently, when explaining to her why we're trying to eat more whole foods...

Once upon a time, people had farms. They grew things and they sent them around the country for people to eat. Growing things and sending things started costing more money, so they started stretching out the food--using fillers and preservatives so it would last longer and be cheaper to produce. People just wanted to fill their bellies, so they were happy with this fake, stretched out food. Companies realized they could make a profit around it, and found new and "improved" ways to make it "taste good" to the consumers. They used less and less Real Food and made more and more Profit. We were already used to this 'compromised' food, so the companies--now actually Corporations--decided we need ways to make "food" even more "convenient" and came up with more and more ways to pump us full of filling, but ultimately unFULLfilling, food-type products. And now we're in a position where we are eating a diet of chemicals that is full of 'energy' (calories) and thinking it 'tastes good,' instead of actual food that is nourishing to our bodies. And because our bodies are not being nourished, we desire more and more of this fake food, with all of its 'energy,' to fulFILL us, and it never can.

You know, or something.

ANOTHER BRILLIANT REPLY ..... READ IT PEOPLE

jenilla1

greed and gluttony

montlucia

True. Food is a drug. And I wanted to add something more informed - that people are more affluent now than they were in the early twentieth century and the rising numbers of working professionals means people are after food which is convenient. At the same time there is the emergence of the supermarket with ready prepared food. People used to buy base ingredients and cook from scratch which is happening much less now. In the past, people probably did much more outdoors as well so general fitness might have been better in some cases. But we have so many more ways to make a healthy lifestyle than we used to. Just seems like people don't know how to take advantage of that or don't want to.

Lissettelarson

These documentaries were very informative and helpful for me. Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and Hungry for Change. I watched on Netflix

366to266

people are more affluent now than they were in the early twentieth century and the rising numbers of working professionals means people are after food which is convenient. At the same time there is the emergence of the supermarket with ready prepared food. People used to buy base ingredients and cook from scratch which is happening much less now. In the past, people probably did much more outdoors as well so general fitness might have been better in some cases.

Where is the evidence that it's the young, busy, urban professional that are becoming obese?

What I see around me is that most obese people are unemployed, or are stay at home mums.

The most affluent people in today's western world are NOT obese. The correlation is the exact reverse.

Seems it isn't being busy and professional that makes you fat, it's being on a very small budget.

Ever thought of that?

Lissettelarson

Maybe for the same reason doctors are every day richer and the world is every day sicker. We just don't take responsibility for our wellbeing. We want to live and eat irresponsibly and then have some specialist or expert fix us. It doesn't work that way. If we live responsibly free of vices and eat wisely, the natural outcome is going to be good health and great shape. But it stars from within, There is a great need in our world for people to take responsibility for themselves and the life they live, this is not a dressed rehearsal, this is it, the only time we have to live a good life is now.

366to266

The REAL reason for the "epidemic" is that the definition changed, and overnight millions who were never classed as obese suddenly were.

Ed98043

The REAL reason for the "epidemic" is that the definition changed, and overnight millions who were never classed as obese suddenly were.

Do you truly believe that as a nation we're no fatter than we were 50 years ago? 100 years ago? They used to take 350 lb women and put them in the circus with the bearded ladies and siamese twins. I can see 20 of them at any given Walmart now.

trud72

:laugh: OH CR@P...
i think i might have caught it!!!! :noway:

can you get shots for it??? anyone......please help.......is anyone still alive........ :huh:

Vailara

I think there could be a number of reasons, but one that really stands out to me is that there is so much tasty, available food! I remember that when I was young, there just wasn't so much of it about. There wasn't a big variety of fresh food and we ate more tinned and dried food. It was fairly plain and not always very appetising. I was so bored with boiled potatoes! Now there's just loads of delicious food available. Even for people who don't cook much, there are more appetising things to buy. Most people (where I live) have freezers now so don't need to rely on tins and dried. It's just so much easier to slightly overeat on tasty food than it is on less appetising food.

There's an interesting article here on the relationship between income and obesity.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2013/jan/23/fact-checking-obesity-poverty-link

It seems it's not as clearcut as you would think. For instance:

"For example, someone from the poorest 10% of UK households will consume on average 1,845 calories per day while someone from the richest 10% of households would consume 2,009 calories.

The highest calorie consumption however is to be found in the households between these two extremes; those in the 4th income decile consume 2,096 calories per day. A similar pattern can be seen for fat intake, where the poorest and richest households consumer fewer grams of fat per day than those in the middle income groups."

lolagurlx0x0

BS. Just all of it BS. Epidemic? 2/3? An epidemic is classified as something that spreads quickly from person to person- I don't know why I caught the fat and my 110lb mother didnt- and epidemic is a fear word- EPIDEMIC has been used to describe hundreds of things- In 2005 it was the SARS epidemic. Thousands of people wore masks and feared the spread of this disease. (not to say it wasnt threatening)

In 2005 can you guess the number of people who were actually infected? 800 world wide. Out of 6 billion. That is less than .000000075% of the worlds population.

So forgive me if Im skeptical of numbers and figures put out when it's unclear what the agenda behind them is. Who would benefit from misrepresentation of facts about obesity statistics? Medical providers- Diet companies- companies that specialize in "light" or healthy options. Organizations that get funding from these things. Lobbyists, Political figures using it to further there social stature, Media, documentary creators, etc.

When I go Any where- I can 100% say that the ratio is not 2 out of 3 for obese people vs people of a standard size. Can you? It's ridiculous to propagate such trash. and that is what that figure means- is that for every 2 obese people there is only 1 standard size person.

When you examine the Height to weight ratio charts and the abuse of BMI- which the person who created the formula stated would be irresponsible to use the ratio alone to determine health and fitness- There are a ton of people who are 'overweight' who clearly are not. Tim Tebow? Is considered very overweight- if you take his height and weight alone. With out factoring in his fitness level. So On the one hand- by US standards- Tim Tebow is very over weight- on the other hand- He was nominated one of the top 5 fittest individuals in the US.

If you think the people who created these "facts" took the responsibility and combed through the numbers they have and removed everyone who was fit to create an accurate census you are very naive.

Fact: A Gastric by pass costs 100k dollars. With follow up treatment and complications it can get into the 500k range very quick.
Fact: Organic and "healthy food" both LOOSE standards due to our corrupt FDA is a 31 billion dollar industry (has grown 25 billion in the last 13 years... I wonder what spiked that?)
Thats a lot of revenue with little to no advertisement dont you think?

* **Yes obesity is real. No I dont think its a public problem. Yes there are companies out there that want your money who dont care if you get fat. get over it. That doesnt make it an epidemic- it makes people irresponsible- and it's an attempt to pass the buck. "I got fat it's not my fault its the food I bought and put in my mouth and then did not keep a proper level of fitness for" ??? And because its convenient?! Thats the next line of BS to follow? " its not my fault- Its mcdonalds! They're the ones who made it convenient to eat a burger?! " is just as insane as a person with the cupboard full of doritos blaming Walmart for stocking them!

Guess what. If your demands change the market changes. McDonalds will not keep selling Big Macs with SECRET SAUCE if everyone stops buying Big Macs with SECRET SAUCE. Look at japan- only 1 of thousands of markets that MCDONALDS adapted to to keep themselves profitable.

lolagurlx0x0

:laugh: OH CR@P...
i think i might have caught it!!!! :noway:

can you get shots for it??? anyone......please help.......is anyone still alive........ :huh:

^^^ this hahaha

lolagurlx0x0

People are fat because junk food is so cheap****. And the US seems crazy for huge portions. I don't base this comment on lack of knowledge. When in America, I had some fast food and noticed how huge the portions were compared to what I was used to. I absolutely loved Chipotle though.

And I hasten to add that that is just one side of things because I know Americans are hugely keen on exercise. I've never seen a 24hour gym in the UK and the concept kind of baffles me. Who wants to work out at 4am?

****.... The last time I went into a grocery store an orange was around 10c A dinky bag of chips was 1.25- about an ounce of chips. ... People always say this- but it's ridiculous. And I apologize if the units of measurement for money are not the same- but I think you get the picture.

lolagurlx0x0

"they" are fattening us up so that we make more filling meals.

Try the soylent green everybody...