This gallery explains why millions of Americans are obese…
Replies
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People don't get fat because food gets bigger. Food gets bigger because people demand it.
Has anyone seen the new 1-lb Snickers bars? 2,070 calories! Sure, the wrappers say "Slice and Share", but you know the manufacturers are just making them bigger because "King size" isn't enough anymore.0 -
I think it would be just as simple minded to say larger sizes have NOTHING to do with increased obesity as saying larger sizes have EVERYTHING to do with increased obesity.0
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How exactly did so many read this as propaganda? It's nothing of the sort-- the picture on its own doesn't make ANY mention of clean eating nor is it blaming corporations for bloated portion sizes. It is simply pointing out that portions have gotten larger (they have) and one result of this change is that many people now find the larger portions to be a "normal" size which has contributed to higher body weights nationally. That's it.0
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I think we are blaming ourself but if I buy a piece of pizza for snack (and pieces of pizza sold around in london are about £2 each) they don't care what you will do with it, they just want the money. And you think if i bought it for £2 i better eat it than trow it away. They have incresed the sizes so can make more money out of 1 person. Obviously if they sell a small piece of pizza they can charge only £1 and less will be the earning out of that piece. Yes I do also blame the market and governament. But it up to them because more fat people more people will use health system and it is the governament paying for it. I stopped eating outside sometimes I just order some chinese and that's it. Anyway it is up to us deciding to still buying food outside or cook our meals at home. However I do shop in tesco and the ready meal portion are normal. I can see small containers with pasta (1 portion) or sandwiches cut in half .. just normal portion and around (350 cal)..0
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See, I don't think it's the size of the food stuffs, it's the access and marketing thereof. Families used to cook dinners, now they see how 'easy and convenient' a hamburger helper dinner or a quick drive thru at McDonald's would be. I don't think it's just the size, it's the marketing as well.
right, so we are all robots that automatically go to McDonalds when the fast food overlords say "jump"
what ever happened to personal responsibility...
No, but there have been numerous studies proving that frequent exposure to advertisements for food, especially through commercials, signals our brains to feel hunger and crave that particular food. While, sure, people have the choice to say no, the problem is people aren't used to needing to tell themselves no when they feel "hunger." Evolution has prepared us to crave foods when they're readily available, and now that they are, people are consuming to their heart's desires and their brains are rewarding them for it. Food manufacturarers are fully aware of this, and do everything to make it even more appealing and irresistible. People may have the option of saying no (I fully believe in taking accountability for what you consume), but it's hard to compete with your own personal predispositions.0 -
People don't get fat because food gets bigger. Food gets bigger because people demand it.
Has anyone seen the new 1-lb Snickers bars? 2,070 calories! Sure, the wrappers say "Slice and Share", but you know the manufacturers are just making them bigger because "King size" isn't enough anymore.
Is this really a thing?! I'm thinking it's a great stocking stuffer. :happy:0 -
I think it would be just as simple minded to say larger sizes have NOTHING to do with increased obesity as saying larger sizes have EVERYTHING to do with increased obesity.
If the picture labeling weren't so absurdly wrong in most cases, it would be more compelling of an argument. The general concept probably has some merit when better presented.0 -
No real food pics in this thread... Highly disappointed and leaving this here:
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See, I don't think it's the size of the food stuffs, it's the access and marketing thereof. Families used to cook dinners, now they see how 'easy and convenient' a hamburger helper dinner or a quick drive thru at McDonald's would be. I don't think it's just the size, it's the marketing as well.
right, so we are all robots that automatically go to McDonalds when the fast food overlords say "jump"
what ever happened to personal responsibility...
No, but there have been numerous studies proving that frequent exposure to advertisements for food, especially through commercials, signals our brains to feel hunger and crave that particular food. While, sure, people have the choice to say no, the problem is people aren't used to needing to tell themselves no when they feel "hunger." Evolution has prepared us to crave foods when they're readily available, and now that they are, people are consuming to their heart's desires and their brains are rewarding them for it. Food manufacturarers are fully aware of this, and do everything to make it even more appealing and irresistible. People may have the option of saying no (I fully believe in taking accountability for what you consume), but it's hard to compete with your own personal predispositions.
right, so the overlords have programmed us to eat when they tell us to eat; therefore we have no say in the matter...when the Wendy's pretzel burger commercial comes on, I automatically get up, find my keys, drive to the nearest wendys, order the burger, satisfy myself by eating said burger, and then go home to wait for the next "feeding window" as determined by my fast food masters...
OR
the commercial comes on and I say ..hmm looks good I guess, and do nothing...
which sounds more realistic...0 -
HaHa! What you said!
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See, I don't think it's the size of the food stuffs, it's the access and marketing thereof. Families used to cook dinners, now they see how 'easy and convenient' a hamburger helper dinner or a quick drive thru at McDonald's would be. I don't think it's just the size, it's the marketing as well.
right, so we are all robots that automatically go to McDonalds when the fast food overlords say "jump"
what ever happened to personal responsibility...
No, but there have been numerous studies proving that frequent exposure to advertisements for food, especially through commercials, signals our brains to feel hunger and crave that particular food. While, sure, people have the choice to say no, the problem is people aren't used to needing to tell themselves no when they feel "hunger." Evolution has prepared us to crave foods when they're readily available, and now that they are, people are consuming to their heart's desires and their brains are rewarding them for it. Food manufacturarers are fully aware of this, and do everything to make it even more appealing and irresistible. People may have the option of saying no (I fully believe in taking accountability for what you consume), but it's hard to compete with your own personal predispositions.
right, so the overlords have programmed us to eat when they tell us to eat; therefore we have no say in the matter...when the Wendy's pretzel burger commercial comes on, I automatically get up, find my keys, drive to the nearest wendys, order the burger, satisfy myself by eating said burger, and then go home to wait for the next "feeding window" as determined by my fast food masters...
OR
the commercial comes on and I say ..hmm looks good I guess, and do nothing...
which sounds more realistic...
What sounds more realistic is probably not an incredibly over simplified version of how the brain works. Black and white doesnt often reflect human nature very well0 -
This is what we call "cherry picking." For starters, EVERY single "20 years ago" item is something you can still purchase today. Plus the "today" pictures are all extreme examples, and nowhere near accurate with either the stats or the commonality.
You can still buy small french fries, you can still buy 7 oz sodas (in glass bottles or cans,) you can still buy smaller bagels. Also, I LOVE the comparison between a plain cup of coffee and a "mocha coffee." Yeah, because those are exactly the same thing. Why not compare it to a regular cup of coffee? Oh yeah, because then it wouldn't be a wildly ridiculous calorie count to scare people with.
In short, the only thing this gallery explains is the fact that the person that made it is clueless.0 -
In order to get a cheeseburger, small fries, and a drink, you need to order a Happy Meal. I remember when that was the only size of burgers and fries at McDonalds. Here in Seattle, all fast food restaurants must post calories next to the menu item. If you want to eat 1,500 calories in one meal, then it is your choice.
Even sit down restaurant meals are enough for two or three. We have a lot of 'small plate' restaurants here where people can get a normal sized meal. When I go out to a regular restaurant, I order from the appetizer menu or get a side salad. Regular salads are way too big.0 -
No real food pics in this thread... Highly disappointed and leaving this here:
are these the portion sizes from 20 years ago, or from now?
until i know this critical fact, i don't know whether i should "thumbsup" or "thumbsdown" your post.0 -
Its not just the food. Its convenience of not having to walk
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Beautiful Bacon Pictures!!!0
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Portion sizes are a part of it yes (I can remember when a large soda from McD was only 16 oz). Another part of it is the availability of fast food (I can count 4 McD on my route to work and that's just McD). Another part is the constant propaganda to get us to eat something (advertising works or nobody would be doing it). Another part is the increased sedentary lifestyle of society as a whole (our ancestors did not need exercise equipment to be healthy)....
I can go on all day.
who cares? there are four waffles houses on my way to work each day..I just keep on driving by...
You missed my point. There are so many things going on that the OP is missing the big picture.0 -
I think it would be just as simple minded to say larger sizes have NOTHING to do with increased obesity as saying larger sizes have EVERYTHING to do with increased obesity.
If the picture labeling weren't so absurdly wrong in most cases, it would be more compelling of an argument. The general concept probably has some merit when better presented.
Example?0 -
Yes, it's real. I want one.People don't get fat because food gets bigger. Food gets bigger because people demand it.
Has anyone seen the new 1-lb Snickers bars? 2,070 calories! Sure, the wrappers say "Slice and Share", but you know the manufacturers are just making them bigger because "King size" isn't enough anymore.
Is this really a thing?! I'm thinking it's a great stocking stuffer. :happy:0 -
Except you could buy larger portions 20 years ago, and you can still buy the smaller portions today, so it's really NOT saying that. It's just propaganda/excuses.I think the OP is trying to point out that portion sizes for food has increased over the years. Meaning more calories consumed. Nothing about clean eating, or not eating those things.
That's what I thought too
Thats because you two have enough reading comprehension skills to understand the post. Some people, not so much0 -
There is way more to it than that. All you have to ask yourself is why Americans choose to eat larger portions. In many cases it is a matter of money.
Given a choice between $10 worth of healthy, filling food that only contains a portion of the calories you need to not starve to death versus $10 worth of unhealthy food with 3000 calories that you won't stop eating until it's gone, leaving you in a surplus, which will you choose?
If you're overweight and intent on losing weight despite the discomfort, you might choose to starve. Otherwise, you can't choose to starve so you will gain weight. The food won't be nutritious and may contain harmful ingredients that will shorten your life, but no one is going to choose to die in months due to starvation over maybe dying fat and sick some undetermined decade down the road.0 -
The larger portions existed 20 years ago (20 years ago McDonald's pioneered SUPERSIZE with 44 oz drinks and massive fries,) and you can still get the smaller portions today. It's a completely false idea.How exactly did so many read this as propaganda? It's nothing of the sort-- the picture on its own doesn't make ANY mention of clean eating nor is it blaming corporations for bloated portion sizes. It is simply pointing out that portions have gotten larger (they have) and one result of this change is that many people now find the larger portions to be a "normal" size which has contributed to higher body weights nationally. That's it.0 -
not to mention the average size drink now is 20oz
True, I notice a lot of bottled water is 20 oz.
And the most common drink size ordered when I worked fast food was the 20 oz. But when you fill those 20 oz. cups up 1/3 full of ice (company standard) then it fits 12 oz. of soda perfectly. I know this because one time our soda machine went down and we had to run to the store and buy cans to keep things running for a few hours. And very few people ordered their drinks light or no ice in the four years I worked in the fast food industry. 0 -
I'm sticking one more thing in here...
not to mention the average size drink now is 20oz
i don't think i've ever had a big gulp or a double big gulp in my life. but why is a big gulp worse than drinking 2 or 3 or 4 cans of soda (or however many cans of soda that is equivalent to it)? why does anybody assume that the person drinking 1 big gulp was only drinking 1 can of soda 20 years ago? when i worked in the corporate world, i'd sit at my computer all day working on IC designs. we had a fridge stocked with free sodas. i probably drank 4 or 5 diet pepsi's during the course of the day (9-10 hours) if i had 1 big gulp that was roughly the same size, i'd have just sipped from that all day. i'm pretty sure my intake would have been about the same amount regardless. and yet because it makes a catchy graphic for the gullible, somebody could easily claim that we now drink more than we did 20 years ago and simply show a photo of a photoshop enlarged big gulp next to a photoshop reduced can of soda and somehow that becomes compelling evidence to the people who might see it and accept it at face value with no further investigation or critical thought.
its just to say our consumption of these quick calorie sources has gone up...if someone is drinking 5 cans of soda a day they have drank the equivalent of that middle big gulp. They have consumed for a Coke Classic 700 extra calories in addition to food.0 -
I think it would be just as simple minded to say larger sizes have NOTHING to do with increased obesity as saying larger sizes have EVERYTHING to do with increased obesity.
If the picture labeling weren't so absurdly wrong in most cases, it would be more compelling of an argument. The general concept probably has some merit when better presented.
Example?
Every example except the coffee drink is silly. That's the only example item that is commonplace and different from the 90s.
If they had picked the largest items available from McD, say, they might have been able to make a consistent point about increased portion size. They just picked a small item (available now and then), and a large item (also available now and then). The larger item has more calories, sure, but it did 20 years ago too.0 -
I used to buy double big gulps on my way home from school as a kid. That was 20 years ago. Not much has really changed.I'm sticking one more thing in here...
not to mention the average size drink now is 20oz
i don't think i've ever had a big gulp or a double big gulp in my life. but why is a big gulp worse than drinking 2 or 3 or 4 cans of soda (or however many cans of soda that is equivalent to it)? why does anybody assume that the person drinking 1 big gulp was only drinking 1 can of soda 20 years ago? when i worked in the corporate world, i'd sit at my computer all day working on IC designs. we had a fridge stocked with free sodas. i probably drank 4 or 5 diet pepsi's during the course of the day (9-10 hours) if i had 1 big gulp that was roughly the same size, i'd have just sipped from that all day. i'm pretty sure my intake would have been about the same amount regardless. and yet because it makes a catchy graphic for the gullible, somebody could easily claim that we now drink more than we did 20 years ago and simply show a photo of a photoshop enlarged big gulp next to a photoshop reduced can of soda and somehow that becomes compelling evidence to the people who might see it and accept it at face value with no further investigation or critical thought.
its just to say our consumption of these quick calorie sources has gone up...if someone is drinking 5 cans of soda a day they have drank the equivalent of that middle big gulp. They have consumed for a Coke Classic 700 extra calories in addition to food.0 -
There is way more to it than that. All you have to ask yourself is why Americans choose to eat larger portions. In many cases it is a matter of money.
Given a choice between $10 worth of healthy, filling food that only contains a portion of the calories you need to not starve to death versus $10 worth of unhealthy food with 3000 calories that you won't stop eating until it's gone, leaving you in a surplus, which will you choose?
If you're overweight and intent on losing weight despite the discomfort, you might choose to starve. Otherwise, you can't choose to starve so you will gain weight. The food won't be nutritious and may contain harmful ingredients that will shorten your life, but no one is going to choose to die in months due to starvation over maybe dying fat and sick some undetermined decade down the road.
WHAT???? My brain hurts just reading this...0 -
all we have to ask is someone from a different country do Americans serve large portions? And as an American I can attest I regularly eat all of those huge portions and that is the reason I reached nearly 400lbs.0
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I used to buy double big gulps on my way home from school as a kid. That was 20 years ago. Not much has really changed.I'm sticking one more thing in here...
not to mention the average size drink now is 20oz
i don't think i've ever had a big gulp or a double big gulp in my life. but why is a big gulp worse than drinking 2 or 3 or 4 cans of soda (or however many cans of soda that is equivalent to it)? why does anybody assume that the person drinking 1 big gulp was only drinking 1 can of soda 20 years ago? when i worked in the corporate world, i'd sit at my computer all day working on IC designs. we had a fridge stocked with free sodas. i probably drank 4 or 5 diet pepsi's during the course of the day (9-10 hours) if i had 1 big gulp that was roughly the same size, i'd have just sipped from that all day. i'm pretty sure my intake would have been about the same amount regardless. and yet because it makes a catchy graphic for the gullible, somebody could easily claim that we now drink more than we did 20 years ago and simply show a photo of a photoshop enlarged big gulp next to a photoshop reduced can of soda and somehow that becomes compelling evidence to the people who might see it and accept it at face value with no further investigation or critical thought.
its just to say our consumption of these quick calorie sources has gone up...if someone is drinking 5 cans of soda a day they have drank the equivalent of that middle big gulp. They have consumed for a Coke Classic 700 extra calories in addition to food.0 -
I used to buy double big gulps on my way home from school as a kid. That was 20 years ago. Not much has really changed.I'm sticking one more thing in here...
not to mention the average size drink now is 20oz
i don't think i've ever had a big gulp or a double big gulp in my life. but why is a big gulp worse than drinking 2 or 3 or 4 cans of soda (or however many cans of soda that is equivalent to it)? why does anybody assume that the person drinking 1 big gulp was only drinking 1 can of soda 20 years ago? when i worked in the corporate world, i'd sit at my computer all day working on IC designs. we had a fridge stocked with free sodas. i probably drank 4 or 5 diet pepsi's during the course of the day (9-10 hours) if i had 1 big gulp that was roughly the same size, i'd have just sipped from that all day. i'm pretty sure my intake would have been about the same amount regardless. and yet because it makes a catchy graphic for the gullible, somebody could easily claim that we now drink more than we did 20 years ago and simply show a photo of a photoshop enlarged big gulp next to a photoshop reduced can of soda and somehow that becomes compelling evidence to the people who might see it and accept it at face value with no further investigation or critical thought.
its just to say our consumption of these quick calorie sources has gone up...if someone is drinking 5 cans of soda a day they have drank the equivalent of that middle big gulp. They have consumed for a Coke Classic 700 extra calories in addition to food.
I did too and my body shows the results0
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