What do you think of the obesity epidemic in the U.S.?

dixiewhiskey

The photo is easy to interpret. It shows the arrogant, smug attitude of the preachy vegan culture very well.

Both sides are equally arrogant.. I love meat but I agree with the photo. I'll let vegans do their thing and I'll continue to have meat but let's admit it, fried chicken isn't the best choice out there of meats for us to choose from.

kdeaux1959

Interesting observation.. and it is true, we are an obese, yet largely malnourished people.. We eat what we want to eat and do what we want to do... which isn't much. One problem is a problem of PERCEPTION.. A couple of months back, a colleague looked at me and said "you don't need to loose any more weight, you're 'emaciated'"... Now, mind you, I am 6'3" tall and 225 lbs about that time... This is 25 lbs within the overweight range and only 15 lbs from being obese for my height... I'll grant you that I do lift weights and I will likely not ever get within my IBW range (probably about 18-20% body fat) but I am NOT underweight by any stretch of the imagination and certainly am FAR from emaciated.. The problem is PERCEPTION.. We have been overweight for so long that our perception of what is a healthy weight has been seriously skewed...

dixiewhiskey

I'm no supermom. Most of that 30lbs was just water weight and the baby etc so it's not like I'm so awesome. It's just that a lot of the weight drops off right away and I know I'm gonna have to work damn hard for the rest of it.

Your posts sure do come off that way, cocky and arrogant almost.. especially the last sentence about your thoughts on how long postpartum mothers should keep the weight on. You come off just as preachy as you claim the vegans to be.. and really, it's an image. What is it going to make you do? Go eat vegetables? Eat fried chicken? You insulted someone and their lifestyle efforts over an image. Get real.

liittlesparrow

I feel bad for the kids because they don't know any better and are being fed lies about food, and sometimes about themselves. Like they aren't meant to have a "trim" body, as you say. Or they have some problem they really don't (thyroid) or they say they are big boned, because that's what their parents always said. Or even worse, if they become part of that stupid fat acceptance movement where they think people SHOULD be that weight. I'm scared that people won't see through the crap and people will never change.

dixiewhiskey

Interesting observation.. and it is true, we are an obese, yet largely malnourished people.. We eat what we want to eat and do what we want to do... which isn't much. One problem is a problem of PERCEPTION.. A couple of months back, a colleague looked at me and said "you don't need to loose any more weight, you're 'emaciated'"... Now, mind you, I am 6'3" tall and 225 lbs about that time... This is 25 lbs within the overweight range and only 15 lbs from being obese for my height... I'll grant you that I do lift weights and I will likely not ever get within my IBW range (probably about 18-20% body fat) but I am NOT underweight by any stretch of the imagination and certainly am FAR from emaciated.. The problem is PERCEPTION.. We have been overweight for so long that our perception of what is a healthy weight has been seriously skewed...

Absolutely. Perception and attitude have a lot to do with the obesity issue in the US today.

servilia

I'm no supermom. Most of that 30lbs was just water weight and the baby etc so it's not like I'm so awesome. It's just that a lot of the weight drops off right away and I know I'm gonna have to work damn hard for the rest of it.

Your posts sure do come off that way, cocky and arrogant almost.. especially the last sentence about your thoughts on how long postpartum mothers should keep the weight on. You come off just as preachy as you claim the vegans to be.. and really, it's an image. What is it going to make you do? Go eat vegetables? Eat fried chicken? You insulted someone and their lifestyle efforts over an image. Get real.

I asked someone whether it's meat and chicken that made them overweight in the first place. It's a very valid question especially after the person made the implication that meat protein somehow makes everyone overweight.
Why did you bring up kids anyways? I don't think anyone has to lose weight after kids, their weight is not my business. But you're kidding yourself if you're still using the baby as an excuse for being overweight years after the birth.

sean_d33

The photo is easy to interpret. It shows the arrogant, smug attitude of the preachy vegan culture very well.

Both sides are equally arrogant.. I love meat but I agree with the photo. I'll let vegans do their thing and I'll continue to have meat but let's admit it, fried chicken isn't the best choice out there of meats for us to choose from.

Yes, I agree. Baked chicken breast is better than fried chicken. That picture was her response to a reasonable question about where her children would get their protein from.

Mock_Turtle

I don't think it can be singled out as an issue of portion sizes / eating out as the main culprit.

I lived for a year or so in Singapore and the culture there is to eat out a lot, with all kinds of pastries on offer and food at hawker stalls being plates of rice and some meat & veg. The serving sizes aren't ginormous, but they aren't small. Everyone finishes their meals, nboody wastes much (ie they will clean the meat off a chicken bone completely). Probably engrained in the culture since while the country is rich-ish now, it's only 2 generations removed from basically being a fishing post.

However, even with the eating out culture, the people are overall quite thin, especially women. One of the main things is the amount of walking that you have to do on the island - there are pretty big $$$ barriers to entry for car ownership, walking a few KM's a day is standard for basically everyone. There is also a culture of sports - every little neighbourhood will have a public area with open footsal fields, bball courts, tennis, etc.

They just seem to do a much better job of balancing out their total consumption. So while they are eating out for maybe lunch and dinner, that'd be basically the bulk of their food. They're not supplementing with 2 liters of cola and a bag of chips.

ropermom

I'm sick of all the whining about school lunches in U.S. public schools. It is your responsibility to feed your kids, not the school's, not society's at large. If you don't like what the school offers, you have a crap ton of options, ranging from sending your kid to school with his own lunch all the way up to getting involved with the school board so you can play a role in determining what food the school brings in. The last thing we need is more levels of government stealing more money from taxpayers that can be further mismanaged by a bunch of institutions that are mostly just glorified daycare centers anyway.

I'm a public school teacher and I agree with some of this. Specifically that parents need to take initiative and start feeding their own kids. The cutoff for receiving free and reduced lunch is laughable. People come into the school to sign their kids up carrying their iPhone and driving a freaking SUV. If you have either of those things, you should be paying for your kids' lunches, not the taxpayer. Because you can afford it. Then you can make better nutritional choices for your child.

But then you called schools "glorified daycare centers." Have to disagree. I raise other people's kids. Literally. I teach them their subjects, but also how to do everything else. Because their parents sure as hell don't teach them. They dump them on us and forget they exist.

THIS! I used to be a pre-k teacher and we had to poddy train for the parents--at 4 years old!!!!

dixiewhiskey

I'm no supermom. Most of that 30lbs was just water weight and the baby etc so it's not like I'm so awesome. It's just that a lot of the weight drops off right away and I know I'm gonna have to work damn hard for the rest of it.

Your posts sure do come off that way, cocky and arrogant almost.. especially the last sentence about your thoughts on how long postpartum mothers should keep the weight on. You come off just as preachy as you claim the vegans to be.. and really, it's an image. What is it going to make you do? Go eat vegetables? Eat fried chicken? You insulted someone and their lifestyle efforts over an image. Get real.

I asked someone whether it's meat and chicken that made them overweight in the first place. It's a very valid question especially after the person made the implication that meat protein somehow makes everyone overweight.
Why did you bring up kids anyways? I don't think anyone has to lose weight after kids, their weight is not my business. But you're kidding yourself if you're still using the baby as an excuse for being overweight years after the birth.

That's funny cause someone else's weight became your business a few hours ago. Your post was not a valid question, it was an attempt to appear innocent while posting a personal attack. I'm not the only one who saw it that way. I stated originally that you don't know her reasons for having to lose 150lbs and said in a very nice way that there are multiple reasons for weight gain.

Gaining weight during pregnancy and keeping it on is a fact of life.. again, another example where you tried to make it personal and insult others. I actually have less body fat, more lean mass now than I ever was at 120lbs before kids so I don't know where you say [I'm using my children as an excuse for still being fat (when I'm not)

You sound really hormonal or judgmental.. maybe a combo of both. :laugh: Calling someone out on their weight loss because of a photo.. it is no surprise here why there is a problem in the US.

ATTITUDE!

dixiewhiskey

The photo is easy to interpret. It shows the arrogant, smug attitude of the preachy vegan culture very well.

Both sides are equally arrogant.. I love meat but I agree with the photo. I'll let vegans do their thing and I'll continue to have meat but let's admit it, fried chicken isn't the best choice out there of meats for us to choose from.

Yes, I agree. Baked chicken breast is better than fried chicken. That picture was her response to a reasonable question about where her children would get their protein from.

Yeah, I saw that. It appears she either took it the wrong way.. or perhaps she was trying to be humourous with her response. I thought it was funny cause I interpreted it completely different than anyone else (and like I mentioned I love meat). I'm not sure, I'm not her but I don't think it really warranted someone dissing her because she used to be 150lbs overweight... other people questioned her image and never anything of that kind in their response. IMO that was just really mean..

blackgirlfit

THE EPIDEMIC BEGAN EVER SINCE THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION..dumbasses..said that fat causes heart disease.. so they were like lower your fat and people increased their carbs. but what they know now is that carbs and sugar are actually the culprit. fat doesnt get stored in your system without the carbs. if you eat a high fat high protein low carb (veggies) diet then you will use the fuel from your fat.


everyone is so LOW FAT LOW FAT LOW FAT.. its ridiculous. i use to be scared to eat avacados and nuts because of their high fat content. let me tell you.. i rather eat a whole bag of almonds and go over my caloric goal than eat a piece of white bread and be under. its not how many calories you eat.. its what you eat

servilia

Ok I'm sorry about the way it came out. It was a too direct way of saying it's not meat that makes one overweight but overeating in calories. And Dixie by saying "you" in that comment about using excuses I thought it was obvious I was using it in the general sense and not about YOU.

Icanhazsugarnow

I think you're over exaggerating, to be honest. Not everyone is overweight, at least not where I'm from. In fact most of the people around Georgia are thin. Which I hate. It makes me feel so out of place...

SanteMulberry

THE EPIDEMIC BEGAN EVER SINCE THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION..dumbasses..said that fat causes heart disease.. so they were like lower your fat and people increased their carbs. but what they know now is that carbs and sugar are actually the culprit. fat doesnt get stored in your system without the carbs. if you eat a high fat high protein low carb (veggies) diet then you will use the fuel from your fat.


everyone is so LOW FAT LOW FAT LOW FAT.. its ridiculous. i use to be scared to eat avacados and nuts because of their high fat content. let me tell you.. i rather eat a whole bag of almonds and go over my caloric goal than eat a piece of white bread and be under. its not how many calories you eat.. its what you eat

Yes, I would agree that the low-fat/no-fat craze is part of the picture. Our ancestors ate as much fat as we do (often more--especially in winter) and yet they were slim. The dietary difference between them and us is our sugar habit. In 1900, we ate less than 5 pounds of sugar per capita per year. Now the number is 150 pounds of sugar per capita per year. It is the most likely cause of "food addiction" as that level of sugar consumption deranges appetite. Wheat could also be part of the picture as there is an addictive substance, gliadin, which is a component in gluten. I lost weight, more or less effortlessly, when I cut out sugar and then wheat. I have lost 10 inches off my waist as well.

Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door

for one thing America eats 1/6 more in portions then the people overseas. when I went to Russia the portions were very small. we also have more choices with fast food, junk food, sweets bombarding us on every corner. plus in my day i was always outside playing basketball and getting active. now days most of the kids watch tv all day and play video games.

to be honest America has gotten lazy see people want to get thinner and loose the weight but they don't want to have to make the effort to do it. they look for every quick fix they can find like diet pills but the thing is that doesn't help them loose weight. they follow every latest Dr Oz fad searching for a quick fix but they don't learn in the real world to lose weight you have to work for it. get active, eat right and be consistent.

Acg67

THE EPIDEMIC BEGAN EVER SINCE THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION..dumbasses..said that fat causes heart disease.. so they were like lower your fat and people increased their carbs. but what they know now is that carbs and sugar are actually the culprit. fat doesnt get stored in your system without the carbs. if you eat a high fat high protein low carb (veggies) diet then you will use the fuel from your fat.


everyone is so LOW FAT LOW FAT LOW FAT.. its ridiculous. i use to be scared to eat avacados and nuts because of their high fat content. let me tell you.. i rather eat a whole bag of almonds and go over my caloric goal than eat a piece of white bread and be under. its not how many calories you eat.. its what you eat

Lol

Pot Kettle

med2017

its sad, but its the government and corporate companies and fast food chains that are responsible for this, consumer wants consumer gets.

AmberLee2012

I feel so sad for the children...especially the children that have obese parents who know what it's like to go through life exhausted, overweight and with health issues. Why do that to your child? These people are literally making their children fat. There is no one else to blame but themselves. Their children count on them for food and shelter and have no other way to get either of those things.

tachyon_master

Interesting observation..

The problem is PERCEPTION.. We have been overweight for so long that our perception of what is a healthy weight has been seriously skewed...

^^^ THIS!

I'm amazed at the number of people who seem to think that they're a healthy weight, when clinically they'd be classified as at the higher range of overweight or even obese. And while I can understand that some athletes would technically be called "overweight" based on BMI, these people aren't athletes. They're the type to drive 90 seconds down the road to the shop for lunch rather than take a less than 10 minute walk.

Yet at the end of the day, they turn around and call me anorexic and just about every other name under the sun because I'm at a healthy weight. Yes, ok, I'm at the lower end of what's healthy, but still...

VelociMama

Interesting observation..

The problem is PERCEPTION.. We have been overweight for so long that our perception of what is a healthy weight has been seriously skewed...

Yes this.

brittaney10811

as much as it is a choice to be healthy, it's a choice to be obese.


not to say people wake up and say "i am going to work on upping my body fat percentage today,".... but everyone is aware of the fact that they could be making healthier choices on a daily basis. these are usually thrown to the side for a number of reasons/excuses.

throwing the option to make a better choice for reasons being for convenience or lack of willpower, is making the choice not to change.


i'm still technically obese, but that was because i made the decision for years not to work out and to eat fast food multiple times a week (and sometimes a day).


but now i've made the choice to be healthy, and it's paying off.


as for the children.... i find it selfish of the parents who choose to feed them unhealthy meals for their own convenience. if you decide to have children, it's your responsibility to make sure they grow up strong and healthy.

oregonzoo

What do you think of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. ?

I think it's hard to NOT be obese in this country. There is so much fast food, junk food, soda, etc. None of it is healthy but we buy it because it's cheap and it tastes good. Especially when money is tight, like it is now. I'm as guilty of this as anyone.

The food industry makes tons of money off our hunger, and the medical industry makes tons of money when we get sick. It's a win-win situation for them. So they keep shoving this cheap crap down our throats, knowing we will buy it. Until something major changes in this country, the obesity epidemic will continue.

oregonzoo

What do you think of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. ?

I think it's hard to NOT be obese in this country. There is so much fast food, junk food, soda, etc. None of it is healthy but we buy it because it's cheap and it tastes good. Especially when money is tight, like it is now. I'm as guilty of this as anyone.

The food industry makes tons of money off our hunger, and the medical industry makes tons of money when we get sick. It's a win-win situation for them. So they keep shoving this cheap crap down our throats, knowing we will buy it. Until something major changes in this country, the obesity epidemic will continue.

Um. People need to have personal resposibility.
Come on. Fast food is not great for you. But this isn't exactly breaking news. It's about decisions.
NOBODY is shoving ANYTHING down throats.

FFS.

Kebby83

But then you called schools "glorified daycare centers." Have to disagree. I raise other people's kids. Literally. I teach them their subjects, but also how to do everything else. Because their parents sure as hell don't teach them. They dump them on us and forget they exist.

What you just described is a glorified day care.

I do agree about the school lunches though. The school encouraged us big time to sign up for the free lunches. And I qualify but I send her lunch in every day (Gotta keep her fed while you are busy raising her and I am off gettin' my nails done!).

Also - Really glad you're not my kids teacher. You are on a power trip, sweetheart.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

I don't think it can be singled out as an issue of portion sizes / eating out as the main culprit.

I lived for a year or so in Singapore and the culture there is to eat out a lot, with all kinds of pastries on offer and food at hawker stalls being plates of rice and some meat & veg. The serving sizes aren't ginormous, but they aren't small. Everyone finishes their meals, nboody wastes much (ie they will clean the meat off a chicken bone completely). Probably engrained in the culture since while the country is rich-ish now, it's only 2 generations removed from basically being a fishing post.

However, even with the eating out culture, the people are overall quite thin, especially women. One of the main things is the amount of walking that you have to do on the island - there are pretty big $$$ barriers to entry for car ownership, walking a few KM's a day is standard for basically everyone. There is also a culture of sports - every little neighbourhood will have a public area with open footsal fields, bball courts, tennis, etc.

They just seem to do a much better job of balancing out their total consumption. So while they are eating out for maybe lunch and dinner, that'd be basically the bulk of their food. They're not supplementing with 2 liters of cola and a bag of chips.

Very interesting indeed. I personally am kicking my daily walking up something tremendous. Just last night, I ran outta something and instead of driving to the grocery store (like is my natural lazy inclination) I walked to the store and back, about 2 miles both ways. I believe walking and getting out of our convenience and comfort zones DAILY will play a huge role in my getting down to a slim and trim size just as much as my eating properly too. Thanks for posting this!

bcattoes

I literally started counting how many slim/trim people I saw, because they were so few and far in between--I could literally count them. I saw many overweight people (especially young people) as well, I mean A LOT, everywhere.

What do you think of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. ?

The sentence above caught my eye, because as an older adult I can remember a time with the exact opposite was true. I could name every overweight child I ever attended school with, because they were so rare. And even the adults we thought were fat in the 60's and 70's would not be considered overweight today by most.

It does scare me. The medical care for obesity related ailments is a huge financial burden. Insurance rates and tax rate will continue to rise as our nation grows sicker from overeating and sedentary lifestyles. And there really is no end in site.

LaserMum

We have to be careful about classing children as obese as sometimes that is not the case.

When my daughter was 10 she was naturally chubby. She had to go into hospital for some tests and the nurses pointed out to me that her weight was in the 95th centile for her age and height.

I pointed out to the nurse in question that she was very active and also sailed every weekend throughout the winter and summer and had just gained a place in the region's junior sailing squad.

Now, six years later, she sails in international competition and competes against Olympians (although she's never beaten one ... yet!)

Some children really do just have puppy fat.

BTW, before eveyone starts really beating me up over this, I'm aware that childhood obesity is a very serious issue but I'm just saying don't just judge by appearances.

bcattoes

I think it's hard to NOT be obese in this country. There is so much fast food, junk food, soda, etc. None of it is healthy but we buy it because it's cheap and it tastes good. Especially when money is tight, like it is now. I'm as guilty of this as anyone.

People eat fast food because they like it and it's convenient. Driving a gas guzzler through the drive thru is much easier than preparing a healthy meal at home. But it absolutely is not cheaper.

tachyon_master

We have to be careful about classing children as obese as sometimes that is not the case.

When my daughter was 10 she was naturally chubby. She had to go into hospital for some tests and the nurses pointed out to me that her weight was in the 95th centile for her age and height.

I pointed out to the nurse in question that she was very active and also sailed every weekend throughout the winter and summer and had just gained a place in the region's junior sailing squad.

Now, six years later, she sails in international competition and competes against Olympians (although she's never beaten one ... yet!)

Some children really do just have puppy fat.

BTW, before eveyone starts really beating me up over this, I'm aware that childhood obesity is a very serious issue but I'm just saying don't just judge by appearances.

I think the issue is that while some kids grow out of the puppy fat phase, a lot don't. And the percentage of ones who don't is growing (pun intended).

How long do you wait for your kid to "grow out of it" all the while they're continuing to pile on weight, before you realise that they're now an adult and have a genuine weight problem that you've ignored for years because you were hoping it was just a puberty/growth thing?