Why more educated we are , more obese we become?

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anetap2000
anetap2000 Posts: 116 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I grew up in Europe . I ate white bread, a lot of pasta , a lot of sandwiches with cold cuts but also a lot of vegetables and fruits from our own garden and I was skinny. There was maybe 5 % obese people.
Now a lot of food is processed , they add a lot of chemicals and preservatives that's why we can not lose weight . Why few years back I was able to be skinny while eating bagels with cream cheese , pizza, sandwitches. Maybe because I ate when I was hungry only? Most of the time 3 times a day only. Now I know a lot about food and what and often we should eat. But it doesn't seem working.
I don't think age makes such a big difference. My mom is 65 and she looks great. She eats like I used to eat when I was 20-30.
So what is so important? To count calories, eat unprocessed food or eat 5 times a day? Or something else?

Replies

  • xLexa
    xLexa Posts: 482 Member
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    I don't think there is a magical one size fits all answer to this.

    I think the most important thing is to never give up until you find what works for you. Many people get disheartened, but something will eventually kick in, it is just a matter of having patience and taking the baby steps, knowing that slow progress, even if it stops and starts is still going in the right direction.
  • phil6707
    phil6707 Posts: 541 Member
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    I grew up in Europe too. The problem is that the wheat they use in America is so processed that you find in it much more sugar that needed.

    They put corn syrup in everything (even in pickled fish)...

    Try eating unprocessed food as much as you can but it is hard, because even local farm cannot guarantee that.

    For about being more educated and more obese, ever took a trip to Walmart? :)
  • neonemesis
    neonemesis Posts: 74 Member
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    for me
    i eat processed foods
    i count calories
    i exercise (strength training is very helpful to me) as I've read having more muscle will make you burn more calories in a sedentary state

    but i do believe that processed foods are not good at all but its just so damn convenient.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    My activity is much less now than when I was younger. I had to walk everywhere and/or use public transportation. Now I have a car and generally don't want to get sweaty during work hours because I still need to be in close proximity to people for the rest of the day. Hard to tell if I'm eating more or less calories. Probably more. Things like burgers fries and other fast foods that I like can be very calorie dense. Whereas almost any meal I make from home will have way less calories
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    Although I see no correlation to your topic title and your actual post, I would offer that the more educated one gets, the less likely one is rely on manual/physical labor as a means of supporting oneself financially.

    Less activity would tend to encourage obesity, not more education.
  • thiosulfate
    thiosulfate Posts: 262 Member
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    Now a lot of food is processed , they add a lot of chemicals and preservatives that's why we can not lose weight .

    No.
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
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    I grew up in Europe . I ate white bread, a lot of pasta , a lot of sandwiches with cold cuts but also a lot of vegetables and fruits from our own garden and I was skinny. There was maybe 5 % obese people.
    Now a lot of food is processed , they add a lot of chemicals and preservatives that's why we can not lose weight . Why few years back I was able to be skinny while eating bagels with cream cheese , pizza, sandwitches. Maybe because I ate when I was hungry only? Most of the time 3 times a day only. Now I know a lot about food and what and often we should eat. But it doesn't seem working.
    I don't think age makes such a big difference. My mom is 65 and she looks great. She eats like I used to eat when I was 20-30.
    So what is so important? To count calories, eat unprocessed food or eat 5 times a day? Or something else?

    Well....you say in your profile that you binge eat. Perhaps that has had an effect on your weight gain?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    It's one thing to have knowledge. It's another to apply it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    Although I see no correlation to your topic title and your actual post, I would offer that the more educated one gets, the less likely one is rely on manual/physical labor as a means of supporting oneself financially.

    Less activity would tend to encourage obesity, not more education.

    this.

    i dont have to work hard for my food. i essentially earn my food by sitting on my butt 40 hours a week and working on a computer. and then when it comes to actual food i can either go to the grocery store where it's been hunted and gathered for me or i can be really lazy and order it already cooked.

    really the only real "work" i do around my food is putting it on a dish and feeding myself.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    I believe that the statistics I have read indicate that the more educated you are the less likely you are to become overweight. In general, the best educated people have higher incomes and the money to afford high quality food. They have more leisure time, more household help, better health care, and in many ways more resources to take care of their bodies. That is a generalization, but I can see some truth to that.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Now a lot of food is processed , they add a lot of chemicals and preservatives that's why we can not lose weight .

    No.
    I agree. Chemicals and preservatives don't cause weight gain. But if you eat a lot of packaged foods, you probably eat a lot of calorie dense foods, just because that tends to be what gets packaged. Even if you made your Doritos and PopTarts from scratch, they'd still be high calorie, low satiety foods.

    There is no correlation between education and obesity that I've ever heard, except for maybe reverse correlation.

    I think obesity in America is actually on the decline, isn't it? At least among kids and teens.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/26/health/obesity-rate-for-young-children-plummets-43-in-a-decade.html?_r=0
    http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266166.php
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
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    Having knowledge doesn't mean people apply it correctly.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    Europeans traditionally stay slimmer than Americans because there is greater portion control there and much more day to day physical activity.

    Many Europeans eat very well, but notice next time that the idea of a typical French or Italian portion size is almost nothing like one here from the States.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    more education and more technology = a more sedentary lifestyle, because of all the things we invent like cars and all kinds of machines that remove the need for physical labour to stay alive

    combine that with food becoming more available because we're better at agriculture, industry, retail and social welfare...


    sedentary lifestyle + more food than we need = obesity crisis

    it really is that simple.... the solution is that everyone has to be proactive in participating in physical activity and in practicing good portion control. Or we could all return to being hunter-gatherers.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Europeans traditionally stay slimmer than Americans because there is greater portion control there and much more day to day physical activity.

    Many Europeans eat very well, but notice next time that the idea of a typical French or Italian portion size is almost nothing like one here from the States.

    No free refills in the place I visited either :(
  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
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    All those late nights spent studying makes us both hungry and sedentary. *nods* true story.
  • TiffieLand
    TiffieLand Posts: 159
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    I think because before we are naturally more active than now. We slept much earlier and therefore eat less calories within the day since no late night snacks. There are so many more jobs that require physical labor than now. There are so many reasons...
  • LunaStar2008
    LunaStar2008 Posts: 155 Member
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    I feel the same as the OP and grew up te same way-only, that I often went hungry to bed. My parents had strickly portion control and you got assigned your portions based on age. So, often I still felt hungry. Is this now the pitfall in my weight gain???

    I also believe that the gen-manipulation in our grain, vegetables and meat has an impact on our weight. Grain, soy and corn is manipulated to increase weight gain in the animals it is fed to. Some of this manipulated grain is also used in our food chain/production. So, if it makes the ox/bull/cow/chicken/pig fat it probably makes us fat as well. Kinda logic, or...????
    The food we eat has more energy in less quantity.....soon we just need to swallow a pill and cover our energy need for a day...LOL....but it doesn't eliminate the natural hunger pattern.
    I try to refrain from processed food as much as possible, but use it sometimes out of time management or convinience.

    Also, circumstances in your life, like sedentary desk job, family-less personal time, convinience (car, mail order) makes you less active, even we try to balance this with physical exercise....as a child I was more outside and playing in nature (climbing trees, building huts, chaising siblings).

    I think a lot of reasons factor in of weight gain and the knowledge to avoid it. Interesting post though to see all these opinions.
  • eihope
    eihope Posts: 5
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    I personally know what I have to do to lose the weight and keep it off. It's a lot of work and I have to be in full focus and dedication to stick to the plan. That has been the hardest part for me - sticking with it. I have to count calories and work out just about everyday. The biggest thing in my way has been me. And I haven't been able to figure out how to get the focus. Anyone have any suggestions? Someone once told me that I have to get rid of the demons, but I'm not sure what that means (exorcism?) I think a lot has to do with depression - I do feel like that at times, but then not eating right contributes to that. It's like a vicious cycle. I am trying once again to get my focus back. I always keep on trying.

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