Obesity...
 

Okay, this whole obesity issue...

I know we have had many threads devoted to the topic, but what are the real problems. Lets try not to fight...

Why start another thread? Fine, I'll continue.

There are so many causes of obesity. Geneitics, poor diet, lack of excersice, other medical problems.

There isn't one cause that we can pin point. Sometimes it can't be blamed on the individual. Obviously eating better and getting enough excercise is important for everyone, and it wouldn't kill anyone to do this things, overweight or not, but if you're trying to get people to come on here and say oh it's becasuse they're lazy, well that's wrong.

Don't forget emotional eating. Statistics show that people who have went thru a truamatic experience (rape, abuse, etc) are most likely to have weight problems

Not sure what this has to do with politics(?) Somone want to move it to Chit Chat?

I'll let it live, but if it does turn into a flame war, I'll close it.

I blame the transportation problem in the United States. Does anyone walk anywhere anymore?

I heard on the news a few months ago that suburban women are on average 5 lbs. heavier than city dwelling women. The theory is that the suburbs aren't really set up for walking. Meanwhile, I walk many places in NYC as long as the weather isn't too bad.

You may be on to something -- SoCal, where I live, is a temple of suburbs and non-walking.

Re: Obesity...
 

Part of the blame is because of the manufacturers and marketing strategies. When I was a little kid I rember my town had a general strore. The store had a old fashioned soda machine outside. The machine had 7 oz sodas. Then they got a new machine with 12 oz sodas. Then they upgraded 16 oz sodas. Now the machine probably has 20 oz.

When you go to a convenience store/grocery/fast-food or wherever they intentionally set their prices to sell the most product at a maximum profit. If it costs a .o1 to add more product but then can charge .05 more then they do it. Then the consumers are suckered into buying the larger portion. From a dollars and cents point of view you are getting a better deal with the larger portion. Just look at soft drinks. They sell the small for .90 the medium for .95 and the large for 1.00. You spend and extra nickel and you get double the portion. At the end of the year everyone is fat.

So we in the suburbs are supposed to walk 10 miles to school? In the snow? In an ice storm? And we're supposed to walk 5 miles to the mall/store/wherever?

Sorry this ain't Texas. It's not always Sunshine up here.

ps... no offense to Texas people... I just think it's ridiculous to make a comment about transportation being the problem when obviously different cities are built differently and the weather is a HUGE deal in Michigan.

Which is another factor. I don't know the statistics of facts cuz I'm too tired to look them up, but I learned somewhere that the seasons have a LOT to do with it. Especially in Michigan, when it's cold and people would rather sit at home under a blanket then get out of the house.

I think obesity is an entirely different things than just being overweight.

I think there are numerous reasons why someone is obese, many more than I could list here.

Being overweight however, I feel is easier to expain, though there are also millions of reasons. Being not at my ideal weight myself, I feel there is a bit of truth to those that say that you, i.e., me, are overweight because you choose to be. I believe that and feel in my case it's true. I also think laziness has something to do with it, I also think genetics has A LOT to do with it as well as portions in restaurants, mental state, sheer luck, where you live, financies, stress, etc etc etc.

I also feel that it's way too complicated to think of just one answer however, the United States is the only country whose children living in poverty are overweight. That makes no sense if you really think about it.

Weather can be a huge factor. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) could also be a cause of weightgain/obesity, because during the winter days are shorter so people are getting less sunlight and that causes depression in many people, and when people are depressed, they eat.

When I went to UK before transferring, I often walked the mile from my house here in Lexington to campus........got honked at quite a bit too so it boosted my ego :) If i had a bike(thanks mom for selling it without permission and then not telling me) I wouldve rode that quite a bit too.

I do think that weather plays a big role, as well as town/city layouts.

Our genetic make ups today are not different than those of humans in the days of "cave men" so to speak, nor is our metabolism. Compare the diets and physical activities of then and now. They were much more active, being walking everywhere and having to chase/stalk and then preparing to eat their dinner. Today we have processed foods that are ready to eat loaded with excess salt/sodium, trans fats, carbs etc by way of fast food, tv dinners etc. Our lifestyles today are also much more sedentary---we drive, we sit at home, we sit at work, we take elevators for one or two floors instead of taking the stairs, we drive around and around hunting the closest parking space to the entrance(which also wastes gas and time) instead of parking farther out and walking to the entrance........etc etc.

In short, I think while society dictates the necessity/desire to be skinny and to exercise, I think modern technology as well as society also encourages laziness and unhealthy eating.
Not to get too far off topic but next time when you are watching your favorite tv show....count how many food/snack commercials you see in that 30 minute or 1 hour time slot.

Re: Re: Obesity...
 

This is a good point. Supersizing a meal can really make a person fat.

I also think that people eat for comfort and emotional reasons instead of hunger. Plus people are not as active as they were when we were an agricultural society. Very few people plow farms nowadays. :)

Re: Re: Re: Obesity...
 

I do in TriBeCa.

Re: Re: Obesity...
 

Suckered????? Joking???

Here is what they should do, ban everyone's right to buy soda. Let no one buy fast food, or eat more than 3 meals a day for that matter. It is a marketing scheme you know, these things called "snacks". Let's blame it on corporate America.

By the way, I find this VERY political, so do the demcoratic hopefuls.... just an fyi...

No offense taken. Texans can't talk. We hold claim to five of the top ten fattest cities . Not sure that nice weather is always good for you. I notice here in Texas there are not a lot of places to be outdoors though. And I don't want to be outdoors in the summer. :p I feel healthier when I am in Rhode Island. I walk more places, and spend more time outside of my home.

I think that a lot of this has to do with with how dependent a city is on automobiles. Most cities in Texas were developed after World War II, and are completely car dependent.

Something that I noticed when I lived in Florida, was that people will drive around in a mall parking lot, for 5 more minutes, to find a parking space that is 1 minute closer by foot.

That (and the weather) could account for Detroit being #1 on the fattest cities list!

Dee

Was Detroit the fattest city, or the phattest city? :confused:

Both!

San Francisco is one of the healthiest cities... probably because of the (generally) good weather and all the FREAKIN' hills we have to walk up because there isn't any FREAKIN' parking in this DAMN city or you have to walk to use public transportation...

Re: Re: Re: Obesity...
 

actually we (humans) were not ment to eat just three meals a day, we were made to "graze" all day. So a slight snack and then eat as you work and then a slight lunch eat as you work and then dinner then bed. MY sister does this, and has a super fast metabolism (eating just 3 or 2 meal will actually slow your metabolism) and is super fit with a 8 pack and is like a size 6.

But people need to keep their meals and "snacks" small.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Obesity...
 

True. But we were also not meant to be sedentary all day. Humans were meant to move around (hunting, collecting firewood, etc.). While we were meant to graze all day, we were also meant to burn it off through physical activity.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Obesity...
 

Also true, that is why I said snack as you work.

Most people do not get enogh exercise they need, nor the right vitamins/minerals...

MSN Encarta Standard obesity:state of being unhealthily overweight: a condition in which somebody’s weight is more than 20 percent higher than is recommended for that person’s height


We need to keep this in mind, people are confusing fat and obese.

Know that I think about it, when I use to live in the 'burbs, we had no sidewalks. :confused: I guess you could always walk in the street.

I didn't understand this at first, either, until I learned many people attribute this to the fact it's more expensive to eat healthily. It's cheaper and easier to give the kids some money and take them to McDonalds than it is to go to the grocery store and buy all these fruits and veggies and make them something. (And as someone who is currently trying to eat healthier, I can attest that our grocery bills are 15-20% higher now, buying fruits, veggies, whole grains and low-fat foods, than when I would buy our "normal" foods.)

When I lived in NYC, I did a lot of walking to and from places. I had managed to walk at least 30 going to point and another 30 back. I now live in the West Valley area and I don't have many opportunities to walk than I did in New York.

http://cmw.dailymoviereviews.com/contrib/edoom/sad2.gif

Re: Re: Re: Re: Obesity...
 

you are correct...

I love San Fran...

One of the things that I love about living in NYC is that you have the option of walking to your destination, granted if it wasn't too far. I actually enjoy walking long distances, weather permitting. :)

Exercise helps with depression, stress and "non-hungry" eating.
As for S.A.D., I grew up in Vancouver, the rainy gloomy capital of the world. Exercise definitely helps.

" Because excesing procuces endorphins, endorphins make you happy and happy people just don't kill their husbands, they just don't " Sorry for that legally blonde moment... I just had to...


Back to your regularly sheduled thread... :D

Its called exercise folks. Get off your butt and join a gym, go for a hike, take up tennis, etc.

Addiction is the answer. How many fat crack heads or meth adicts have you seen?

IF you want to lose weight take up a meth habit foo a while. Get super thin and then rehab it.

LMAO!!!!!

Thats awesome!!! I can see the commericals now....
"Are you tired of being overwieght? Have you tried every diet out there and still can't lose weight? Well, we have the answer for you!!! Its called CRACK!!! Go to your nearest neighborhood druggie for a month's supply! Hurry, this is a limited offer, until the dealer goes for 25-life in Sing Sing!!"

[QUOTE]Originally posted by James
Addiction is the answer. How many fat crack heads or meth adicts have you seen?

IF you want to lose weight take up a meth habit foo a while. Get super thin and then rehab it. [/QUOTE
James,

Go back to your room.