random thought regarding obesity

24

Replies

  • turnarounddontlookback
    turnarounddontlookback Posts: 13
    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
    goodenough13 Posts: 78
    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
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    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
    Maridonna Posts: 10 Member
    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
    leighann881 Posts: 371

    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
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    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
    leighann881 Posts: 371
    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
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    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
    arcaneshadowcat Posts: 41
    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
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    Awesome job keep it up :) thats how you're going to be a great success in your weight loss friend.
  • arcaneshadowcat
    arcaneshadowcat Posts: 41
    No, that doesn't make you ignorant. Stress plays greatly into our weight as well. I know I eat less than several friends who are a bloody size 6, not to mention I exercise more often and am more fit... I just don't seem to lose weight. It likes me apparently. :flowerforyou:
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    I can't accept that people are fat because they are too stupid to read a label.
    Look lady, I was morbidly obese / obese class 3. Did I get that way because, as you put it, I was "stupid"? No. I am actually fairly intelligent. I'm not a scientist or doctor, but I'm not stupid.

    I got to Err2 pounds by simply NOT GIVING A **** about what I ate. Plain and simple. That doesn't make me or anyone else stupid. Some of us simply did not care about food or nutrition beyond "does it taste good? If yes, then eat. If not puking, eat more." Labels do not even factor into it. Calories, macronutrients, micronutrients - doesn't matter. And many restaurants and fast food places don't even have the info labeled in their establisments, and 75% or more of my meals came from such places.

    It's a fact you have no choice BUT to accept: some people just do not care about things you think they should. And whether that's whales, seals, trees, 9-11, Twilight, or food, it doesn't make them stupid. It makes you weird.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    People get fat because they eat for reasons other than hunger, and they don't move enough. No one knows how to be a normal eater anymore. We are caught in cycles of restriction and overeating. Many people don't cook and they eat for a pleasurable experience most of the time, not just to fuel the body. I'm talking about most of the time, not just cravings. They use food and dieting for recreation and it becomes a vicious cycle.
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 8,493 Member
    Lables in the US are better than some places. Per 100g isn't so great if they don't specify how many servings that is. You can't always carry a scale around.
  • svelt123
    svelt123 Posts: 173 Member
    :wink: Have you ever seen a spoon made for a Barbie Doll?
  • OMGeeeHorses
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    I am sure they make them ;)
  • andyisandy
    andyisandy Posts: 433 Member
    My 2 cents, as a nation we have got lazier. We eat more and move less.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I want to see the spoon that goes with the thimble of jell-o. :laugh:
    Jell-o is properly eaten with a straw.

    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.

    What does growing up in a rural area have to do with it?
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Umm, yeah what does growing up in a rural area have to do with it?
  • OMGeeeHorses
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    It doesn't its just weird assumptions to make things seem like they have a meaning to why they happen.
  • JUDDDing
    JUDDDing Posts: 1,367 Member
    This assumes that these people are keeping track of their calories in some way at all. They're not. I've spoken to dozens of people who have lost weight or tried to lose weight, and not a single one of them has kept track of calories but done so wildly incorrectly because they ignored serving size.

    Yeah, but some of them are still kind of funny. :)

    The other day I had a candy bar - one that comes in 3 sections. A serving was 1.5 sections. :laugh:
  • fluffykitsune
    fluffykitsune Posts: 236 Member
    While my mum is not obese.. She can down a whole bag of popcorn.
    She is still convinced one bag is only 40cals (its 40cals per cup).. there is 4 - 6 cups per bag!

    She also gets those premade coffee drinks at the store which say 160cal-- per serving, which the whole bottle is 2.5 servings.
    urg.
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    Lables in the US are better than some places. Per 100g isn't so great if they don't specify how many servings that is. You can't always carry a scale around.
    Uh, the point I was trying to make was that "serving" is a stupid, undefinable term... It's not a one-size fits all, and the standard diet it's based on does not apply to me or most people in the first place. And why do you need a label to dictate to you what your serving is? "Hmm, this box of cereal tells me it's 520 calories per 100 grams, but it doesn't tell me how many grams I should eat for one serving!! HELP!!" What? No, you eat however much of it you want to fit into your allotment. I eat 800 calories for breakfast, so I'd eat like 140g of said cereal and 240mL of almond milk... I don't need an omnipotent label to tell me, "BaconMD, you must eat 55 grams of this cereal. That is your serving size!" because, no, it's not. It's not enough.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    When I was overweight it was due to self control.

    Not math.
  • Lisa_D1989
    Lisa_D1989 Posts: 9 Member
    I once tried to find a healthier (lower calorie) version of dry pasta. I found a packet of durum wheat semolina pasta at the supermarket and compared the nutritional information on the back. I was amazed to see it contained half the amount of calories than the regular pasta. So I bought it. After inspecting the nutritional information again at home, I realised that the 'healthy' pasta quoted calories for 100g of COOKED pasta, where as the normal pasta quoted the calories for 100g of DRY pasta. I guess you could say I was a bit too careless when looking at the labels, but I thought it was very deceptive. In the end, both contained roughly the same amount of calories .
  • volume77
    volume77 Posts: 670 Member

    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.



    i did this exact thing with cashews!!!!
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    3/4 cup of cereal sounds silly to me.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Lables in the US are better than some places. Per 100g isn't so great if they don't specify how many servings that is. You can't always carry a scale around.
    Uh, the point I was trying to make was that "serving" is a stupid, undefinable term... It's not a one-size fits all, and the standard diet it's based on does not apply to me or most people in the first place. And why do you need a label to dictate to you what your serving is? "Hmm, this box of cereal tells me it's 520 calories per 100 grams, but it doesn't tell me how many grams I should eat for one serving!! HELP!!" What? No, you eat however much of it you want to fit into your allotment. I eat 800 calories for breakfast, so I'd eat like 140g of said cereal and 240mL of almond milk... I don't need an omnipotent label to tell me, "BaconMD, you must eat 55 grams of this cereal. That is your serving size!" because, no, it's not. It's not enough.
    I think you are reading too much into the meaning of the word "serving." It is just a unit of measurement, not "how much you must eat at one time or else there is something wrong with you and the universe will explode."

    If you tried to standardize a unit for that, say all calories on labels must be per 100g, it would be weird too.
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    I think you are reading too much into the meaning of the word "serving."
    How could I possibly read too much into it when I just finished saying that the term is pointless and meaningless?

    There is no reason to use a non-standardized measurement for presenting nutrition info on a label, and even less of a reason to term said non-standardized measurement as a "serving."

    A "serving" is not equal in ANY way - weight, volume, calories, carbs, fat, etc. NOTHING is equal. All servings are different. Even the same food item from brand to brand has a different amount for a "serving." And there is no certain amount of "servings" we're supposed to eat in a day. So what is the point of calling it a "serving" when it means absolutely nothing? It's not even useful to measure a serving 99% of the time!
  • CCusedtodance
    CCusedtodance Posts: 237 Member
    Wow, you really believe this is why people (such as me) are obese? It is obvious you HAVE NO CLUE. I will tell you why I am obese. I developed a food addiction at a very young age and I have never mastered it. I struggle each day to beat it. Do not laugh, for it does exists just like someone can have an addiction to porn, exercise, drugs, alcohol or other things. I think about good tasting food all the time. My mouth starts to water at just the thought of food. I crave food all the time. I used to plan my day around food. I made social activities around food. WHY? Because it controlled and at times still controls my life. Prior to starting on MFP I did not give a **** about food labels or serving sizes. I rarely if ever looked at the nutrition label. Not because I am stupid (as you suggest), but because I DID NOT CARE!!!!!

    As for the suggestion from another post that this country tax fast food, get real. Do you really believe that food addicts or obese people only get their food from fast food restaurants? I rarely went to fast food restaurants, for I enjoyed the process of making my own food and sharing it with those around me. I made huge pots of lasagna, chili, fried chicken, gravy on just about anything, cookies, cakes, etc. To tax fast food is just another tax. It hasn’t stopped alcoholics from drinking and it hasn’t stopped people from smoking. It will not stop obese people from eating.

    What obese people need is for everyone to stop judging them and calling them stupid or lazy. Every time they are ridiculed, they reach for food which is their comfort. No one wants to feel bullied, yet those who judge others as being weaker and then point out or make fun of those weaknesses are just that; bullies.

    Follow this link and learn about food addiction, then maybe some of you will understand and then maybe not.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/942220-food-addiction-it-really-does-exist

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