It also depends on how much of a veritable wilder beast you have become .. . 10 pounds or less to lose necessitates small changes .. . 30 plus . . is a project.

I am not trying to be nit-picky, but this just is NOT true... You can get a banana for like 20 cents at the grocery store... Not to mention a Gallon of Mineral water for under a buck. Use an old water bottle, fill it up from the tap if you must, but you can get fruit and water every day for less than 50 cents, I do it all the time.

People love to make Obesity a class issue, but it just isn't one... It is all about making healthy decisions, and learning moderation for the times that you decide to splurge on less-than-healthy foods...

This is so true. Fresh fruit is much cheaper than twinkies.

Portion size is a huge issue for North Americans.

I went to the abseball game the other day and roderd a hot dog and some fries. Not the healthiest meal, but I was starving and there isn't much choice there and I should have brought something with me, I didn't. The size of the hot dog was a normal hotdog (not a jumbo or a susage...one like you'd get out out of one of those packs), very small and it was only a handful of fries. So I ordered a drink to go with it and I asked for the smallest size. Well the smallest size was 24oz.!!!!! Thankgod I was drinking diet coke (I drink diet coke because I am a diabetic), but damn, if you're ordering a coke that's 24 oz. all the time no wonder you're fat!

24oz is too big and I didn't have a choice in size. Now ultimately I could have had a choice to buy a water or drink diet or not buy it all, but a Coke once in a while isn't going to kill you, it would be nice to have the option of getting a smaller size.

Its OUR fault we are fat. We are programmed to like food because we need it to live, and when we have excess, we act like dogs act, and we eat too much.

I wanted to do a research project in college to find out what really makes people fat, and why people in lower socioeconomic classes have a higher incidence of obesity. However, I ran out of time. Someday I'll go back and do it....

I hate to sound stereotypical, and I hope I don't offend anyone, but I would guess it is because of a lack of nutritional knowledge. This type of information is not taught in schools, it is not taught by most doctors, and apparently not within many households. To be nutritionally savvy, you have to find this out yourself. It takes research, and I really believe schools should teach this type of information. They need to inform people, so that they can make their own decisions, rather than just eliminate the vending machines. This does not teach anyone anything, and I fear that this trend of "food type elimination" that is so prevelant in our society is going to lead to many food disorders and obsessions. It just isn't natural... Moderation and willpower need to be taught and followed. It is the individual that ultimately decides... unless it is an overpowering medical problem...

I agree that schools need to be teaching these things. I was quite surprised when my kids started school and I got notes home that they had snacks twice a day and I wasn't sending anything. Sorry, but I don't think my kids need to eat breakfast at 8:00, have a snack at 9:30, lunch at 11:30, snack at 2:00 and then another snack in latch key at 3:30! I don't send snacks for my kids during school because they don't need them! I tell them that if they want to save the yogurt, fruit or veggie from their lunch for snack, they can do that. I do send them a snack for latch key (fruit or cut up veggies) because 11:30-5:30 is a long time to go without anything. However, I just found out that my son has been purchasing snacks from the snack cart (cookies, ice cream, hostess products) every day with his meal account! The kid is 8! I had to send a note to school to not let him do that. Why do they even make that stuff so freely available? I've been trying very hard to get our family into a healthy eating habit (and have lost 23 pounds myself in the process!) and I feel like the school is just sabotaging it! (their dad sabotages it too, for every pound they lose at my house, they gain a pound at their dad's house).

</rant>

Dee

Being overweight is not easy. I'm sure all of us (overweight or not) can agree. Genetics play a role, but you will be less heavy if you stick to a healthy regimen. I can't stand people that gripe about needing to lose some pounds yet they eat the junkiest, greasiest food and park in the closest spot. People are under some delusion that to be fit you must live off carrot sticks and go to the gym 3 hours a day, and if you can't do that then you must deal with being overweight. Not so. I get sick of all these diets and pills and quick fixes. Not to mention the terrible imbalance of resources. If people would just moderate their eating habits (oh my gawd) and maybe get off their *sses every now and then, our national epidemic would be cut in half. Not everyone is meant to be a size 4, but I doubt that many people are meant to be obese.

I think it's true in regards to portion size. If you go to Starbucks in North America, the smallest size on the menu is a "Tall". You can still ask for a "Short" coffee, but it isn't on the menu. "Short" is saved for kids' drinks. However, if you go to Starbucks in say, Hong Kong, you can still find short lattes on their regular menu listing.

swissmiss04 you are right. Not everyone can be a supermodel, but if they follow moderate eating habits, and make the mjority of their diet healthy food, they will be healthy. Add exercise to that and people can really make strides in weight loss.

That's the key point: AT THE GROCERY STORE. If you purchase fruit from Au Bon Pain or one of those type places, you get gouged on it, same with bottled water. The key is planning in advance.

And reusing old bottled-water bottles is really not the most sanitary thing but that's another thread :) If you want to bring water to work with you buy a water bottle at Target.

That's exactly what I was saying...someone, in their self-righteousness, misconstrued my words. At my grad department's snack bar (hardly a site of class warfare), a Rice Krispies treat is 75 cents, a banana is $1.00. A Coke is 75 cents, a bottle of water is $1.00, and juice is $1.50. If you have $1.50 in your pocket, the nearest ATM is a 5 min. walk, and you have 2 minutes to get to your next class, what are you going to do?

I normally bring a yogurt and some water. Some go to the snack bar, wait in line, and are a few minutes late. Others run for the vending machine. That's why they are OBESE and can't walk up the stairs. Not class. Convenience and a lack of planning.

So, my point still stands. Everyone needs to take responsibility, and I certainly do, but the fact that--in many cases, the snacks and junk food are more convenient and cheaper--still stands.

Whoa... I assume you are talking about me. If so, sorry I offended you. I just meant if you plan ahead, it is easy to buy healthier foods. Your point regarding on-campus eating is valid, but if we are talking about obesity as a class problem, we need to look beyond the campus. Healthy foods can be affordable if they are purchased at a normal grocery store. I think we agree on this, and you stated the point very well, so there is no reason to go on. I do not think I was acting in a self-righteous way, sorry if I was...

Pop is probably one of my main culprits.

Is there any restaurante's in the country that serves something besides pop to drink?

I could order juice or milk, but they charge you a buck twenty five per refill. I'm not going to pay thirteen dollars for a seven dollar meal b/c I order a few refills...

unsweetened iced tea or waters.. no calories, free refills