random thought regarding obesity

jenilla1

...Generally speaking though, a person will read the calories and go no further, eat what they want, and move on. Sorry, but your argument has no argument. Just because a person sees a serving size does not mean they comprehend the serving size...

Generally speaking then, basic thinking skills must be lacking...I guess then that people are just too stupid to care for themselves. I never thought I was that much smarter than the general population, but if the above argument is true, I must be a freaking genius among morons. I assumed people didn't care. Now I find out they are just really dumb. That's sad.

Carnivor0us

How many obese people are reading labels or worrying about serving sizes? None that I know. You don't get to be obese by worrying about your calorie intake.

Absolutely correct. However, let's hypothesize said obese person is trying to lose weight & eat better. Couldn't the ridiculous portion sizes be a factor in weight loss failure? I obviously don't think labels make people fat. Unless they are eating them too.

I don't think so, no. If you're reading the label you're seeing the serving size.

True. People don't read the labels, because if they did they'd know there are 2 servings of pop tarts per package. I learned about serving sizes FROM reading labels!

Why does everyone assume the obese can't/won't read labels?

Why can't obese people simply not give a ****, why does it have to be 'oh, those fatasses are just ignorant?"

Obese/overweight people can read - either they miscalculate or just don't care what the label says. It's shocking and hard to believe that someone may NOT care about what they put in their bodies but - oh, wait, no it isn't.

CristinaL1983

For me, 3/4 of a cup is a serving size. I eat 20g or 1/4cup of oatmeal for breakfast (often in conjunction with eggs, cheese, toast, etc...) which is half a serving. So, what are you suggesting? Quaker should say that a serving of oatmeal is a cup and a half (or more) because obese people sometimes eat outrageous portions?

Is your suggestion really that people become overweight or obese because they are too moronic to read the "servings per container" label that is usually right next to the "calories" line? Isn't it more possible that people just don't care and don't bother to read any of it? Or maybe that they eat places where the nutrition information isn't readily available?

When I was more overweight (and didn't count my calories) I would pick up one of those small bags of Chex mix, read the part of the label that says 200 cal/serving, see the part that says 2 servings think okay 400 calories, eat it and carry on with my day. Did I think about the fact that I had eaten 400 calories of chex mix later when I was making decisions about what to eat? No. That was my problem.

shellcan35

Maybe saying that people are obese because of product labeling is going too far; however, I do think that some people truly don't understand serving sizes. It is possible that a lot of weight loss companies are successful because they teach people to learn how to measure serving sizes by an object. For example, 4 ounces=a deck of cards, or 1 cup=size of fist, could serve as a general guideline for those people who are stumped on the serving sizes. I don't think those people should be generalized as lazy or ignorant though. Everyone learns differently and relates differently to food. Just a thought.

AlabasterVerve

It doesn't have anything to do with labels it's what you're eating. Eat real food and cut way back on the sugars and starches. If you do that you can eat when you're hungry until you're satisfied. You won't need to portion your food or count calories.

lizlkbg

Guys! It's NOT THAT HARD.

My third grader calculates his carbs per serving size every day (he has Type 1 Diabetes) and he isn't even in the "gifted and talented" program!

A kitchen scale helps. Measuring cups help. Buying smaller bowls helps.

It's not that big of a deal.

Energizer06

No but as per consumer course of ignorance, no one knows what serving sizes are. And companies do well to conceal it. (Putting multiple servings into a single food item, such as Ramen, soda, or the ever delicious Pop Tarts which are - you guessed it - two servings per bag.)

Agree with this. I have heard people say "Oh there's only 150 calories in this bag of potato chips!" Because they bought (what they think) is a single serve bag at the 7-11 that actually contains 3.5 servings. So, yeah, that's over 500 calories for a snack right there.

If your serious about losing weight and being healthier, then why are you even eating potato chips, or for that fact grabbing snacks at a 7-11. That's crazy for 2 reasons. 1. 90% of the food is crap 2. Its way overpriced crap. Wouldn't sound advice be to grab a piece of fruit and be on your way.

Energizer06

Guys! It's NOT THAT HARD.

My third grader calculates his carbs per serving size every day (he has Type 1 Diabetes) and he isn't even in the "gifted and talented" program!

A kitchen scale helps. Measuring cups help. Buying smaller bowls helps.

It's not that big of a deal.

This is why education in America is our downfall. Are you smarter than a 3rd grader?

hayleymc3

It amazes me how people who have never been obese view people who are. Astounding, really.

leighann881

I can't accept that people are fat because they are too stupid to read a label. If I'm not going to blame the person then I will blame the quick-fix industry of weight loss. At least with the latter the truth isn't on the box.

turnarounddontlookback

I think food labeling as well as the onslaught of fast food advertising contributes greatly to obesity. I'm not saying this is the reason why I have gained weight and that I take no responsibility for it. But I do think that it has impacted my weight gain.

A question I always think about is, why is there no restrictions on fast food/junk food items like there is for tobacco and alcohol products?????? Can you imagine seeing a mcdonalds' style advert on tv for cigarettes or alcohol......closeups of beautiful people enjoying this garbage???? no because the government has greatly taxed and restricted these harmful items. Will junk food and fast food be the next????? I hope so!!!!

Case in point - maybe if when an obese person went to mcdonalds and a salad with chicken breast costs 7.99 vs a double cheeseburger costs $1.39 they would make a different choice if the prices were swapped. Also maybe the prices would be different if the government had a Fat Tax on high calorie, transfat laden foods. I mean, they've been doing it for years to tobacco!!!!

goodenough13

i love when people think Naked Juices are a good healthy option.

yeah... cept one bottle has 64g of sugar. whoops.

I have only had Naked Juice like once in my life and I wasn't counting calories then, so I'm just curious... is that added sugar or is that the natural sugars from the fruit? I can eat 64g of sugar from just eating apples, oranges, and berries.

BaconMD

If I eat one serving of cereal for breakfast, and it's 120 calories, am I supposed to eat only one serving of that cereal for breakfast and nothing else? Wait, can I add a milk of my choice? One serving of almond milk, please! 45 calories. OK, now am I done? I am STARVING on this piddly amount of food.... And my 1/4 cup of cereal is floating around in a huge lake of milk... Am I allowed to have a serving of a third item? How many items am I allowed to have a serving of? Could I have a serving of eggs, a serving of bacon, a serving of toast, a serving of peanut butter, a serving of banana, a serving of oatmeal, a serving of muffins, a serving of pancakes, a serving of sausage, a serving of homefries, and a serving of steak alongside my serving of cereal and serving of almond milk? It's OK, right, because I only ate one serving of each thing?

You see, serving size is retarded. Labels should be standardized to 1/10/100-gram/mL portions for easy comparisons.

Maridonna

I agree with some of the comments... I disagree with the original statement which states that people are obese because math is hard. It is a very unsophisticated observation to assume that those who suffer from this epidemic are lacking, what for some of us is common sense, the knowledge of how to calculate their portions.

I cannot speak on behalf of obese people, but as a previously overweight person, I think that the environment in which the obese people live in, contributes to the support or lack of, to regulate their nutritional choices.

In very basic terms, if one child grows up in a rural area, lacks the healthy nutrition at home, does not get involved in sports activities from childhood, and eats and watches TV all day long... that has absolutely NOTHING to do with math.

It takes many many years to become an obese person. Why would it take a short amount to make life long habit changes?

leighann881

Generally speaking though, a person will read the calories and go no further, eat what they want, and move on. Sorry, but your argument has no argument. Just because a person sees a serving size does not mean they comprehend the serving size, hence my hypothesis that portion size is misleading and can contribute to weight loss failure. Obviously, a hypothesis needs testing to progress to theory.

Holy *kitten* that sounds like a dissertation title. It would be a perfect follow-up to my master's thesis, which clearly indicated that the presence of a mirror effected quantity and quality of an individual's food choices. Ooh someone find me a pencil.

You really think that the general public is that freaking stupid???

Reddy and I discussed this yesterday and he brought up a good point.... taking the time to count the calories is half the battle. I highly doubt the average person is so absent minded and/or mentally delayed that they don't read the line right below the calories line. *rolls eyes*

EDesq

One MAJOR problem in this Country and many others is that No one really knows what a "Serving" is. To Me a serving is what YOU want it to be...IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY THE COST (IN CALORIES)!!! SO get a cup (8oz) and pour away...Have 3 cups of cereal; One Cup = 4/4. NOW are you willing to do the "Math" of do you want your Fat Azz to do it on the scale?! Also, nobody here eats like "that" because "WE" never learned to WANT, so we have a SKEWED view of what a "Serving" is>>>AND. THAT. IS. ONE. REASON. "WE". HAVE . AN. OBESITY. PROBLEM. IN. THIS. COUNTRY.!

Take the time and care...or NOT.

leighann881

If I eat one serving of cereal for breakfast, and it's 120 calories, am I supposed to eat only one serving of that cereal for breakfast and nothing else? Wait, can I add a milk of my choice? One serving of almond milk, please! 45 calories. OK, now am I done? I am STARVING on this piddly amount of food.... And my 1/4 cup of cereal is floating around in a huge lake of milk... Am I allowed to have a serving of a third item? How many items am I allowed to have a serving of? Could I have a serving of eggs, a serving of bacon, a serving of toast, a serving of peanut butter, a serving of banana, a serving of oatmeal, a serving of muffins, a serving of pancakes, a serving of sausage, a serving of homefries, and a serving of steak alongside my serving of cereal and serving of almond milk? It's OK, right, because I only ate one serving of each thing?

You see, serving size is retarded. Labels should be standardized to 1/10/100-gram/mL portions for easy comparisons.

I don't think anyone is disagreeing that the food companies are manipulating serving sizes to make their product appear healthier than it is... I simply don't buy that America is so stupid that they fall for it.

And you can eat however much you like as long as it fits your calories for the day. If you don't get enough food for the amount of calories in a serving then eat something else.

OMGeeeHorses

FYI- I am obese because I had a car accident, I watched what I ate and still gained a ton of weight because I couldn't walk for a year. I have a scale, smaller bowls, and plates and my own measuring cups and packaging items to make my serving sizes already out and ready to grab..so what possibly is my excuse? I couldn't do anything other than measure my food and I still gained weight...sooo I guess I am ignorant right because I am obese? because thats what I am getting from this all...

arcaneshadowcat

I am still learning portion control, however I have begun to keep a set of measuring cups readily available; so now when I cook, I am measuring things out. I also got tumblers and smaller dinner ware, so that I don't go nuts with my portions. My biggest problem so far has been eating out. Most restaurants don't know which dishes are healthy, and then if you look at the healthy dishes, they have massive amounts of sodium in them.

OMGeeeHorses

Awesome job keep it up thats how you're going to be a great success in your weight loss friend.