Why is there an obesity epidemic?
Replies
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Why is 2/3 of the US overweight and 1/3 obese?
Most likely because people overeat and take their car everywhere for that 100m walk.
What was that Milkshake that became big news a few years back, it contained 2000 calories on its own! I mean, good God, people drink that and then wonder why they can't lose weight!!!
I won't even get started on that 5000 calories breakfast.
Seriously, people need to stop being so greedy.0 -
It is because we consume way more calories than we think. Up until two months ago I was always telling people that i don't know how I can eat less than others around me but still be fat. After joining Myfitnesspal, I now track those calories and am amazed when I look up some of the foods I was eating daily. Tracking the actual calories is what I needed. A person can be succesful on Weight Watchers or any other program as long as they track what they eat. But I enjoy the 90 dollars a month my wife and I save by using a free program. More money to buy good food. I still enjoy the double hamburger, no cheese from Steak n Shake on ocasion, but I know now how to plan my calories to enjoy it. Can't wait to get to idea weight and be able to hit my maintain calorie level.0
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It is because we consume way more calories than we think. Up until two months ago I was always telling people that i don't know how I can eat less than others around me but still be fat. After joining Myfitnesspal, I now track those calories and am amazed when I look up some of the foods I was eating daily. Tracking the actual calories is what I needed. A person can be succesful on Weight Watchers or any other program as long as they track what they eat. But I enjoy the 90 dollars a month my wife and I save by using a free program. More money to buy good food. I still enjoy the double hamburger, no cheese from Steak n Shake on ocasion, but I know now how to plan my calories to enjoy it. Can't wait to get to idea weight and be able to hit my maintain calorie level.
I know exactly what you mean, it can definitely be a bit of a shock to see all the calories eaten and what they add up to LOL.0 -
I won't even get started on that 5000 calories breakfast.
Seriously, people need to stop being so greedy.
A 5,000 calorie breakfast???
What is it - a pig on a stick?0 -
After reading this discussion I was looking at some UK stats and one thing struck me - there are a lot more older people now than there were in the 60s! And older people have higher BMIs! I wonder if that is a factor in the "obesity epidemic" - more middle-aged and older people, living longer?
Anyway, the stats on diet was interesting. People now (compared to the 60s/70s) are apparently eating less milk, less fat, less meat, less vegetables (but more fruit), the same amount of fish, less carbohydrate and less calories overall.
Total alcohol consumption hasn't gone up an awful lot since the 70s (I did wonder if that would be a factor, but maybe not).0 -
I won't even get started on that 5000 calories breakfast.
Seriously, people need to stop being so greedy.
A 5,000 calorie breakfast???
What is it - a pig on a stick?
How about this one in the UK - 6,000 calories and eaten by one man in 26 minutes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097707/Kidz-Breakfast-Great-Yarmouth-diner-eats-6-000-calorie-fry-26-minutes.html0 -
Re the "poor", a lot look at food and think chicken, potatoes, vegetables and cooking time all add up to a lot of time and money whereas chuck a burger and chips in the oven, quick and easy and seems much cheaper. What they don't realise is that the chicken and veg cost the same, if cheaper than the frozen burger and chips option.
Well that is a load of nonsense. You are saying that chicken + potatoes make people slim but beef + potatoes make people obese!
Just because you add veg to the chicken dish doesn't make it any less fattening. In fact it could be MORE so depending on what people think is a "vegetable" (for example a LOT of British people think sweetcorn and tinned spaghetti hoops are a vegetable). It just adds carbs, calories and fat to the dish.
No, I'm saying that some people would rather just eat convenience, ready prepared meals that they just heat up in the oven than cook a meal from scratch. Even making a burger from scratch, you have more of an idea what it contains. A pre-prepared burger contains lots of additives and (if you've been reading the news recently, especially in the UK) horsemeat from some very dodgy sources that hasn't been passed for EU testing.
And a lot of British people think sweetcorn is a vegetable because it is eaten as a vegetable - separated from the cob.0 -
watch the film "Forks Over Knives" to answer the OP's question.
it is free to watch on Netflix instant.0 -
Considering that almost or everyone belonging to this site is overweight or obese, I am amazed at the level of hatred and disgust towards overweight people being displayed on this thread.0
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Because everyone is programmed to blame everyone else for their failures in the US.0
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I agree that we eat too much food for the amount of exercise we do. One reason is as you said, there is so much poor quality food available. The government subsidizes farmers to grow corn, so processed foods with corn cost less. That is almost every packaged food because corn syrup is in everything. People with limited incomes save their food dollars by buying this stuff. Those of us who are lucky enough to afford organic eat foods without a lot of added ingredients. However, my store brand milk does not contain added growth hormone. It doesn't say anything about antibiotics.
Another factor is our inactivity level. Most of us sit at desks all day at work, and sit at the computer at night. We need to get out and be active.0 -
Eat more. Move less.
Wait.......
Dammit, this dieting stuff is so CONFUSING!!! :sad:0 -
No, I'm saying that some people would rather just eat convenience, ready prepared meals that they just heat up in the oven than cook a meal from scratch. Even making a burger from scratch, you have more of an idea what it contains. A pre-prepared burger contains lots of additives and (if you've been reading the news recently, especially in the UK) horsemeat from some very dodgy sources that hasn't been passed for EU testing.
And a lot of British people think sweetcorn is a vegetable because it is eaten as a vegetable - separated from the cob.
But there isn't any reason to think that home-cooked food is any less fattening/calorific.carby than a frozen processed meal. In fact, it is MUCH easier to overeat if one is helping oneself from a whole tray or pot of, say, lasagne, shepherd's pie, spaghetti bolognese, curry etc, both in terms of taking a portion, and in going back for seconds; whereas the ready meals are portion-controlled and have the calories clearly written on the pack. Also when making home-made version of those kinds of dishes, the cook is more likely to put on extra cheese and suchlike to make it more palatable and luxurious, whereas you will find that the ready meal has quite a measly amount of cheese, sauce, rice, etc, especially the "weightwatchers" versions of those ready meals.
I'm not saying ready meals are good or recommended or nutritious, I am talking merely in terms of their likelihood to make you fat. Many successful Weightwatchers members live entirely on these meals and lose a lot of weight.*
People think sweetcorn is a vegetable is that Green Giant, the world's leading seller of canned sweetcorn, proudly displays the words "One of your five-a-day" on every can! (I don't understand why the govt does not fine them for this, it MUST be illegal!
* Disclaimer: Before anyone attacks me I never eat ready meals, or any sugar, grain or starchy or refined carbohydrate.0 -
why? because people eat too much and do not move. It's not about what you eat, it's HOW MUCH you eat..plus what your activity level is.0
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Considering that almost or everyone belonging to this site is overweight or obese, I am amazed at the level of hatred and disgust towards overweight people being displayed on this thread.
Interesting. A bit similar to the amount of hatred and disgust that was shown towards fit women with small breasts who lift weights on another thread...
But then, that's a lesson that everyone can and should learn. Don't police anyone else's body. You are not them. Worry about your own back yard. Move your own *kitten* in whatever way makes you happy, eat what you want and how you want to eat, and don't blame anyone else, including the food industry, for decisions that you make in your own life if they don't turn out the way you thought they would.0 -
for one thing in comparision with Russia (I went on a mission trip) they eat 1/6 less portions on their meals than we do in the USA.
they don't eat the fatty foods and greasy foods we do. they also either have to walk almost everywhere they go or ride a bike at least in the town i was in. America has a car and they get to lazy to move. I've seen some like my step brother who didn't even want to walk two steps in the house so he would park his car right at the first step so he only had one step before going in the house.0 -
Not an American girl here but living in the fattest European country so throwing my thoughts in.
Eating too much and moving to little. Yes, there are fast food restaurants around what feels like every corner which are obviously very convenient, people using cars for trips no matter how close etc due to weather. But at the end of it all it's down to what we as an individual do. I don't blame my prior obesity on anything but myself. I am the one who chose to order a burger, I'm the one who would get the bus for something that would be a 20 minute walk. Thinnest I have ever been was living in South Korea. Moving around a lot since cars are inconvenient with traffic and I was scared of the bus drivers, smaller portions of healthier foods etc.
Why there is an obesity epidemic in several countries and not others? Other than a difference in diet between a few, I have no idea so I guess my posts pointless ha ha0 -
But there isn't any reason to think that home-cooked food is any less fattening/calorific.carby than a frozen processed meal. In fact, it is MUCH easier to overeat if one is helping oneself from a whole tray or pot of, say, lasagne, shepherd's pie, spaghetti bolognese, curry etc, both in terms of taking a portion, and in going back for seconds; whereas the ready meals are portion-controlled and have the calories clearly written on the pack. Also when making home-made version of those kinds of dishes, the cook is more likely to put on extra cheese and suchlike to make it more palatable and luxurious, whereas you will find that the ready meal has quite a measly amount of cheese, sauce, rice, etc, especially the "weightwatchers" versions of those ready meals.
I'm not saying ready meals are good or recommended or nutritious, I am talking merely in terms of their likelihood to make you fat. Many successful Weightwatchers members live entirely on these meals and lose a lot of weight.*
This is very true! I got fat eating mainly home-cooked food! How often do you make a home-cooked meal and not make enough of it? Not often. There's a tendency to overestimate what you need to put in.
In contrast, ready meals are often quite low calorie, and I don't just mean the Weight Watchers type. They're maybe about 400 - 600 calories for the whole meal which is not an excessive amount for the main meal of the day.0 -
I love the current epidemic, it makes my comrades look increasingly good, long may it continue, more jiggy jiggy for me and my tribe.
As for the reason, humans are weak and powerless in the face of hyper-palatable food and temptation.
My planet's people will prevail and claim another world.
Don't say you weren't warned weaklings.0 -
People don't live in reality . I know I didn't. I just would not weigh myself. I couldn't face it. Wouldn't even go to the doctor because I did not want to get weighed. We make excuses, justify our weigh, etc. With everything that life throws at us, we just can't face being fat too, so we ignore it , or hope it will go away, or say tomorrow, try ridiculous quick fixes, Before we know it we are in the obese range. Then we try, but realize how extremely difficult it is to break all our bad eating habits. Then we get depressed and eat even more.
I am now 9 pounds from my goal weight. I have worked my butt off in the gym. I know why people stay fat. It is really really hard to lose weight and keep it off .0 -
The 1/3 obese would also be in the overweight. I agree about the antibiotics. I think it is just another attempt avoid accountability by blaming it on something else. Everyone who is overweight needs to just say, Yes. I am fat, and it is my fault." No excuses.0
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Not everyone who is overweight is eating 5000 cals a day. It only takes eating 100 cals over your TDEE per day to gain 10 pounds in a year. In 10 years, you are now 100 pounds overweight. It can happen that easily. But that doesn't negate the fact that we are eating too much and moving too little. That is how the science of weight management works.
I have known many people who are naturally thin and eat a lot of food, and much of that food is sugar and junk food. Their bodies naturally burn sugar at a higher rate than other people's do. But we are not all blessed to have that metabolism. Life's not fair. What we have to do if figure out how many calories we DO need to maintain or lose and stay within those guidelines. It is often very hard to say no to donuts, and cheeseburgers, and pizza and fries, when we can't work them into our goals. We have to make hard choices sometimes, and that is just the way it is.
We have to find ways to become more active thru out the day. Like someone else said, we can't go spend an hour on the treadmill then sit on our butts the rest of the day and expect to lose weight.
We have to educate ourselves on how many calories are in the food we eat. Restaurants are a big problem, because professionally prepared foods are generally higher in calories than we think, and the portion sizes at sit-down restaurants have gotten completely out of control. At least with fast food, the portions are generally smaller.
And the super sized portions have become the norm in many people's eyes. I recall clearly back in the 70s when McDonalds advertised that you could get a burger, fries and a drink for under $1. The commercial showed a grown man walking in and ordering the meal, and receiving change back from his dollar. The meal he ordered is what is now the SMALL Happy Meal, sold to 3 yr olds!.
I went to Panda Express with my daughter last week and was so thrilled to see the calorie content posted beside each dish. That made it so easy to choose our lunch and stay within our goals for the day. We didn't spend less money, just made better choices. I would like for this to become standard among all restaurants. It will help so many people to realize how many calories are in the food they eat.
It is the law in this country that packaged foods you buy at the grocery store must have a nutrition label attached to it, so why is it not required for the same info to be posted on restaurant foods?
And another problem is the acceptance of being obese in this country. I don't agree that overweight people should be abused or discriminated against, but we have gone so overboard in 'fat acceptance' that now there is really no motivation to NOT become overweight. In the 70s, there were very few obese people around. For those of us who were not naturally thin, we would need to diet if we gained a few pounds to stay down in a healthy weight. Otherwise we would get picked on at school. Peer pressure worked well for most of us then. But now, if someone goes on a diet to lose 10 pounds, they are accused of having an eating disorder, and mocked for thinking they are 'so fat'. Young girls who are at a normal weight are being bullied more than those who are 50-100 pounds overweight.
Is it an epidemic? Yes, I believe so, because obesity has become such a huge health issue, costing millions of dollars in added health care costs, and for the first time in History, this next generation is not expected to live longer than their parents. That is just so sad.
There is not just one quick easy answer to fix this. There are many reasons to why we have gotten to this point. Everyone will have to take responsible for their part in creating this problem and find ways to turn it around.
It starts with education.0 -
We have to ...
Yes, we have to, but we won't, because stressing moderation to addicts is a moot point, and addiction to processed foods is a very real thing.It starts with education.
Yes. Still, people form and cling to false beliefs despite overwhelming evidence. It's called motivated reasoning.0 -
Not exactly. Your TDEE increases as your weight increases, so you would also have to keep ramping up your intake to continue eating TDEE+100 and keep gaining. Otherwise you reach an equilibrium point where your eating matches your body's expenditure.Not everyone who is overweight is eating 5000 cals a day. It only takes eating 100 cals over your TDEE per day to gain 10 pounds in a year. In 10 years, you are now 100 pounds overweight. It can happen that easily. But that doesn't negate the fact that we are eating too much and moving too little. That is how the science of weight management works.0 -
What was that Milkshake that became big news a few years back, it contained 2000 calories on its own! I mean, good God, people drink that and then wonder why they can't lose weight!!!
I won't even get started on that 5000 calories breakfast.
Seriously, people need to stop being so greedy.
The amount of calories in a meal doesn't add up to "greed". Ignorance maybe if you eat it.
Some of those insanely high calorie meals aren't even large.0 -
I won't even get started on that 5000 calories breakfast.
Seriously, people need to stop being so greedy.
A 5,000 calorie breakfast???
What is it - a pig on a stick?
How about this one in the UK - 6,000 calories and eaten by one man in 26 minutes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097707/Kidz-Breakfast-Great-Yarmouth-diner-eats-6-000-calorie-fry-26-minutes.html
Yeah ok, this one is definitely greed.0 -
Amazingly there are too many people addicted to Fast Food and Sodas, thankfully that has never been me :-)0
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It does come down to education, personal choice, and yes, economics. The food and advertising industries are definitely no help. And children don't actually study "health" in public schools - I know I didn't!! It took 40 or so years of figuring it out myself and navigating all the B.S. out there. And junk food is cheap in this country, plus a lot of junk is marketed as healthy. So it takes a lot of personal determination and persistence not to give in and to keep one's eyes open. As I write this, directly above my post is an ad for Trix, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Cinnamon Toast Cereal! Big bucks are being made from keeping people fat! Not saying that is ever an excuse. But I do think it will take a lot of demand from a lot of people to bring up awareness of other people and turn things around. I do think there is more awareness than there was in the '70s, when I was a preteen and teen. People still have to look at all the information available though.0
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most ( not all) over weight people eat to much and don't exersize hard enough and don't move enough.
serving sizes are also bigger than before and so are our dinner plates, I personaly eat off a side plate or slightly larger than a side plate and I am full on that. People see bigger plates, they want to fill that plate and then eat everything on it.0 -
People are excuse makers, and we live in a culture that teaches us that nothing is our fault, nothing is our responsibility, and every opinion is valid. You can see it all over MFP, even in this thread. People who got severely obese who are here to lose weight but still REFUSE to accept responsibility. The carbs made me fat, sugar made me fat, wheat made me fat, low-fat made me fat, processed foods made me fat, sodium made me fat, HFCS made me fat, the government made me fat, the food pyramid made me fat, my stressful job made me fat. Whine, whine, whine.
You made you fat. You and only you. You were lazy and gluttonous, as was I.
In our society we use words like fat, lazy, and gluttonous as personal insults. Why can't we just treat these as statements of fact? You're not a bad person if you eat too much, but if you are fat you do eat too much and why can't it be said?0
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