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

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  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/


    Free to watch series, answers the question pretty darn well. Someone posted it the other day on this forum. Thank you again, whoever it was! :flowerforyou:
  • OhKelsey1
    OhKelsey1 Posts: 139
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    I think it's the way we sell our food, for one. Once you start paying attention to labels, it becomes painfully obvious how unhealthy EVERYTHING is. And most people don't take the time to educate themselves on what's healthy and what's not, so they just buy what they like. And food marketing is RIDICULOUS, becuase it just throws in healthy keywords without actually following through. Did you know a product only has to be 51% whole grain to put that on the box? So people THINK they're eating healthier, but 49% of it is still processed enriched wheat flour.

    I also think people just have NO understanding of how weight and calories work. Even before I got in shape, I was pretty slender because I'm young and have a fast metabolism. But I would look at my mom and just feel DOOMED to gain weight and be bigger when I got older. I literally thought it was unavoidable. Now I understand how calories and weight gain work, and I know that as long as I eat what I need and don't go over, I can maintain a healthy weight.

    Bottom line is, people just really aren't educated on what healthy eating actually is.
  • RhoRocks
    RhoRocks Posts: 28 Member
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    Three big reasons:

    1) Corn syrup
    2) Wheat
    3) Apathy... we think we can take a pill to get healthy and fit. We don't make time to exercise.

    My nutritionist calls corn syrup "embalming fluid".

    About wheat she says it increases your blood sugar just like pure white sugar does.
  • pullipgirl
    pullipgirl Posts: 767 Member
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    lack of education about healthy food choices
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    I don't think you can just say laziness... maybe when it comes to exercise but we didn't become the top nation in the world by being lazy. I think when we were in a economic boom most were focused on careers and a lot more people found themselves behind desks for 8 hours/day. I kind of feel like we're on the rebound though and people are starting to hit the gyms like never before. People are getting bored and looking for things to do. I bet we get healthier in the next 10 years!!
    my two cents.

    But it's not just a physical laziness... it's a laziness to learn what is good and bad for you.... it's a laziness to do what is good for you and to make the good decisions. Being a productive member of society doesn't mean you (in a general sense) need to forgo being good to your body.
  • DiannaMoorer
    DiannaMoorer Posts: 783 Member
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    Ignorance plays a part too. I saw a person on here say they thought the deep-fried shrimp platter would be low in calories because it was shrimp. Every day there's another thread of people asking how to eat vegetables... one person thought "vegetables" meant those bags of frozen peas and carrots. I think a lot of people don't have a fundamental understanding of how to eat properly, so they just don't try.

    Well, yes they are vegetables. And usually they are frozen fresh and still have a lot of their nutrients in them. A good alternative and a little cheaper than fresh.
  • beansprouts
    beansprouts Posts: 410 Member
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    Processed food that is high in sugar and salt.
  • stshelleyb
    stshelleyb Posts: 13
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    Read the book "Wheat Belly" - it explains it all. I've given up wheat as a result and it's worked wonders.
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    To much quick food; not 'fast' food, though that does play a part.

    Quick food; the food you don't have to prepare to eat, and, especially for families with kids, we don't have the amount of stay at home moms (or dads for that matter). Growing up I was in pretty dang good shape, I was athletic, but I was also a gamer; I think the kicker, where other kids in the same sport were heavier than me, my mom was a stay at home that really cooked stuff from scratch. I have nothing against two working parents, but I tend to think a part of the reason I didn't ballon as a kid was we had a garden, that my mom worked in during the day (with us helping) and honestly, going to a friends house and having Life cereal, or that white store bought bread? It sounds silly, but that was a treat to me! Cracked Wheat, Homemade Rye bread; I grew up, and each meal was prepared, not canned, not nuked in the wave of micro.

    It is too easy, in our society as a 'whole' for instant gratification, pop used to be a treat... now it is a daily consumed 'beverage', same with many candies, and sugary things; once they used to be one a month, if that; now it is as easy as throwing a dollar to get a 900 calorie fix. :)

    Being overweight used to be a sign of wealth; it still is in 'some' regards. The US, while people like to cut it down, is doing fair all considering; there are bad areas, etc... but, when people are only gripping about gas prices and not the cost of a loaf of bread? Once people start protesting food costs I'll start to worry.

    Farm Market it up people!! *throws his two cents* ^_^

    SO true. My mom was a stay at home mom. We had really good well balanced meals. I don't think I had Hamburger Helper until I was 18 and bought my own and brought it home to try. I'm still pretty thankful for that. Plus my mom was always good about her portion sizes, although she didn't necessarily teach us the same. But my parents are still in pretty good shape, especially for their age!
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    I don't understand how people don't "know" that food is bad for them?!

    How can you be that uneducated and out of touch with reality? Seriously?!?!?
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    It seems like many people have changed their standards to suit themselves. I've told a few people that I've joined MFP and what my goals are and they're shocked. They think I'm already skinny and they know I'm already an active runner and I have lots of energy compared to others. However, I see a steady pound increase here and there and I could definitely use more muscle.

    Even here, I see lots of people like a 5'3" woman with a goal of 150 lbs. That's chubby. It might be a drastic improvement but it's still chubby.

    I've also noticed how little people know about food. Lots of people have already mentioned all the "diet foods" available. They're awful!!! I personally didn't know how to eat fresh fruit until I was out on my own. Growing up, I thought canned fruit was healthy. I also had my own personal struggles with diet food and it took me forever to figure out how bad they are.

    I feel this is an unfair statement. 150 pounds on a 5'3'' is just fine if she's muscular - the number on the scale doesn't mean as much as people make it out to mean.

    I agree... and I do have to say, that if one gets the right kind of canned fruit, it can be just as (or at least nearly as) healthy as fresh fruit... and definitely healthier than candy... but it has to be the fruits that are canned in their own juice, not "sugar free" and not any kind of syrup... granted fresh and frozen fruits are better... but if the dollar comes down to it, fruit canned in it's own juice is better than buying cookies.
  • cdmyers6
    cdmyers6 Posts: 10
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    TELEVISION!!!! You come home from work, from school, on break, and what do you do? Plop yourself in front of the TV and turn into a zombie for the next three hours or more! And what do you see?? Your mind is bombarded with thousands of images of fast food restaurants, telling you how amazing they are. Most people don't know that your subconscious mind records every single tiny bit of information that you come across, even if you don't take the time to process the information yourself (billboards in your peripherals even if you don't read them) People think it's okay to just prop up their toddlers in front of the TV to watch cartoons for hours and let the TV babysit them. It disgusts me! Also, how many tons of commercials have you seen for some miraculous weight loss pill, a new belt you throw on and lose weight, shoes specially designed to help you lose weight, etc. People see them so so so many times that they think, surely, it must work right?? WRONG! To effectively lose weight you HAVE TO DIET AND EXERCISE!!! There is no miracle cure out there. People so want to believe there is so they spend countless time and money on BS products that get them nowhere.

    I also see pictures people post on facebook of their 2 year olds eating a cheeseburger from McDonalds and drinking pop. Are you kidding me?!?! That crap is so processed that it's not even real food! It's basically a blob of salty fat and carbs molded into the shape of a cheeseburger. Be a better parent and give your kids real food!
  • Jenni129
    Jenni129 Posts: 692 Member
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    Overeating and laziness. Compare today's bowls and plates to old ones when you were a kid. My sister-in-law bought an older home with the original dishwasher and her plates would not fit in it. Drink sizes have increased like at gas stations... Most places now carry 20 ounce bottles of soda (or larger) in their cooler where in the past you just grabbed a 12 ounce can. Portions have steadily increased without anyone realizing it.
  • vrlaw
    vrlaw Posts: 5 Member
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    Looking at your watching and saying ' it's noon must be time to eat - whether or not you are hungry. I see my parents do this and they both are 50 lbs over weight. No wonder.



    This is something I am having trouble with in my son, who is only 10, but he has already got it in his head that he has to eat when he is hungry AND when the clock says it is breakfast, lunch, dinner time. It really is not a problem right now (10 year old boy matabolism) but I would like to break this habbit before he gets older.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    Because we live in a Burger King state of mind. "Your way, right away." We want everything to happen instantly whether it is food, success or weight loss. If it's not fast we give up. SO thankful I took a stand against this mindset!
  • MrDude_1
    MrDude_1 Posts: 2,510 Member
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    more calorie dense foods.

    its not that its processed.. its just that everything presented to us, even healthy choices, are often more calorie dense, and/or in larger portions then in the past.

    so we consume more calories... makes a MUCH larger diff then 'lazyness' or 'lack of movement' if you're only considering overall weight.

    Keep in mind, when you say this, that 10-15 years ago all McDonalds food was cooked in lard! People knew nothing and cared nothing about how things were processed. We aren't talking about comparing now to the 1950's. This is just 10 years ago and foods were actually more calorie dense and worse off then.

    ok, so McDs fries were in lard. you also got less fries then you get now.... but even if they were the same.. thats just McDonalds.

    im talking about walking through a grocery store, pick out everything you see commonly in peoples carts.. then read the labels.
    theres usually filler in there, sugars, fat(oils), grain, etc.. all jack up the calories higher then they would be if you made the same thing at home yourself.

    sometimes the calorie counts read lower... sure.. but then look at the volume in the package and think about how most people will cook/eat the whole package... if its 6 servings and is being made for 2, its 3 times the calories. theres a portion issue too..
  • SorchaEilis
    SorchaEilis Posts: 99 Member
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    I think a lot of it has to do with two main things:

    1, historically, in America, having more (of anything, including food) was a sign of wealth, power, and success. Today we have a 'bgger is better' mentality with just about everything: food, cars, homes, paychecks... the list goes on. Look at restaurant portion sizes! One meal at many restaurants has more than enough calories for an entire day and enough fat for two! This, naturally has resulted in bigger Americans.

    2, we like a quick fix. There are so many weight loss pills out there, so many fad diets, whatever it takes to 'get thin without exercising'. Lots of people jump on those bandwagons, and in the long run, many of those diets, pills, or crazy 'magic' solutions actaully hurt your metabolism and your health. This can result in weight gain, instead of the promised loss.

    I think as a culture, we've set ourselves up to be heavy, and until we start to realize that and choose to change (like most of us here on MFP), Americans will continue to be some of the most overweight people in the world.
  • cPT_Helice
    cPT_Helice Posts: 403
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    It seems like many people have changed their standards to suit themselves. I've told a few people that I've joined MFP and what my goals are and they're shocked. They think I'm already skinny and they know I'm already an active runner and I have lots of energy compared to others. However, I see a steady pound increase here and there and I could definitely use more muscle.

    Even here, I see lots of people like a 5'3" woman with a goal of 150 lbs. That's chubby. It might be a drastic improvement but it's still chubby.

    I've also noticed how little people know about food. Lots of people have already mentioned all the "diet foods" available. They're awful!!! I personally didn't know how to eat fresh fruit until I was out on my own. Growing up, I thought canned fruit was healthy. I also had my own personal struggles with diet food and it took me forever to figure out how bad they are.

    My favorite answer.

    Totally agree. When I see people who are shooting for weights that would have gotten me in trouble with my ob/gyn, when I was 9 months pregnant, AND I'M 5' 8", that's just a whole new world of societal acceptance, having nothing to do with health. And way too many people claim it's all muscle - no it's not.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    I'm responding to your title. I didn't read the post or the comments. We're getting fatter because we're stuffing our faces with crap food that has high calories and fat but little to no nutritional value, that does not make us full, so we have to eat loads and loads of it. Yeah, yuck! Plus, we seem to think we need to stuff ourselves to feel satisfied, rather than just eating until we are not longer hungry. ( I am so guilty of this, even now. )

    ETA: I think obesity in kids is from the same thing but also the lack of exercise because too many kids are sitting inside watching tv and playing on the computer or playing video games instead of playing outside, running around, burning off the calories they are consuming.
  • drmikej1008
    drmikej1008 Posts: 3
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    While the sedentary lifestyle is certainly a contributor to the weight problem, there have been links established that indicate High Fructose Corn Syrup (known by multiple names, including HFCS) is the major culprit. It is artificially created from corn starches, and has adverse effects on the liver and other organs. These effects reduce our ability to absorb and process vitamins and minerals, as well as the utilization of fats and carbohydrates. The graphing of the increase of obesity and the increase in the occurrence of diabetes directly parallels the graphic curve showing the increase in the addition of HFCS into the our foods. Read the labels, and you will see how much of our food supply has been adulterated with this substance. Natural sugar, as bad as it can be, if not used in moderation, does not have the same ill effects.

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