Before I get started I hope we can all agree that being overweight is a epidemic in America and that it is not healthy. This topic is not to offend the fat out there either.

Obesity is a HUGE problem in the USA. I have been watching Shacks big challenge and am amazed at how fat the kids in that school are.

We eat terrible. We dont exercise and then we get sick. People need knee replacements and such because of obesity. Kids and Adults get type 2 diabetes because of fat, even death because of fat.

What can we do to stop this?

Stopping this would do amazing things for america. It would make gas prices go down, health care go down, sickness and such go down. Its all related to being overweight?

Personally I think more exercise and a better diet. A boycott of fast(fat) food places who have tooooo many calories in the foods.

We need this in school lunches too. Less pepsi and sodas or any other sweet drinks as this is probably half if not more of the cause of being overweight.

It used to be a soda was a treat and you drank a little. Now its cheap and people drink it and drink it. Besides it only making you more thirsty its very bad for you.

I saw a pepsi I was given yesterday had 41 grams of sugar in ONE can. I hate the mess to tell you the truth. I drink it rarely but if I want something sugary to drink its gatorade for its thirst quenching and good taste plus it has a whole lot less sugar per 12 ozes.

Mostly for me I drink lots of water. Sugar has even been thought or confirmed? to pimples in teens.

Perhaps one needs to back up a wee bit if we're going to discuss obesity.

First, there are several factors involved in obesity, including the three main ones ... a) genetics (a predisposition to overweight), ( environmental exposure to an energy-rich food supply and © personal behavior (lack of physical activity). And to add to this, there are specific diseases and specific medications that cause obesity.

I read several great articles a few years ago that changed forever my view of people who are obese ... something like ...

Think of skin cancer or melanoma - there has to be three factors present for this too ... a) your genes give you fair skin or skin predisposed to skin cancer (genetics), exposure to sunlight and c) rarely taking personal protection measures like sunblocks and proper clothing, etc.

When people get skin cancer, we rarely hear, "Skin cancer is not a disease - they did it to themself" and why should we pay the medical costs involved for something self-inflicted? Nope, highly unlikely.

In fact, society has concluded even alcoholism is a disease. Is being fat thought of as a disease by most of us? Nope. Jokes are made about the person being too lazy to exercise, lacking in self-control and that 'they stink'. Wow, nice huh. We charge them more for plane rides, we snicker at them behind the backs and sometimes right to their faces. In fact, there doesn't seem to be a shred of compassion we show to the obese people in our society.

Yup, some of them can change things by changing their personal behaviour - but some cannot. Lots of factors are involved and yes, let's have healthy food options given to kids in schools and elsewhere, let's all eat wiser than we do and exercise more. But to blame obese people for the economic woes of any Country seems not only unjustified but a tad unfair.

So when we pass a fat person on the street, I no longer think 'Wow, maybe you shouldn't eat so much'. Instead I think, 'Wow, I bet your life is truly difficult both physically and mentally and I bet people are often mean to you'.

We'd get - and deserve - a mental 'slap upside the head' if we were so rude to people for any other reason - but being fat seems to be the last thing left in our society that we can dump on and not just get away with it, often we're applauded for our lack of caring.

(This isn't a tirade against you CGM - rather, I just have a tendancy to 'root for the underdog' - gentle smile).

lmao.....you forgot the biggest cause (at least here in America.) um...most people call it "overeating."

I thought it was

being too short for your weight.

Genetics means you just have to eat less or better foods if you get fat as thats obvious...When you start getting fat its time to do something not keep going until you have to waddle like a penguin or get in wheel chair.

Overeating and eating the wrong foods must count to what 90% of the cases of obesity or more?

I do not believe its a disease no more than I believe drinking is a disease more of a very bad habit. I have watched fat people eat and they eat HUGE portions.

I don't know what the percentage is, but to ignore overeating and lack of activity as the primary reason for obesity is dishonest at best.

I don't see that big of a problem with being obese. Many people are obese, and often stronger than non-obese people. The way I see it, as long as you can walk a few miles without dying, you're good. Not to mention the fact that nothing can be done about it anyway. It's a choice people make, like smoking, and you can't stop either. Although changing some of the school kid's lunches might help, it won't stop them from eating that junk food anyway when they go home.

Ultimately, the solution is to educate about the effects of poor diet, too much food, and lack of exercise on individual health. Far too many people to do weight the effects to their health, for example, of reliance upon fast foods in their busy lives. I have seen people leave the gym and hit the nearest MacDonalds for a double-pounder and extra large french fries.
Regards,
John

Americans have an extremely poor diet for starters. We eat a carb-rich diet, filled with cheese! Most of the lean protein people ingest has been deep-fried. Table sugar is an enemy (even in small quantities) to us all, yet most of our drinks are saturated with them.

MaraM, I mean no disrespect, because I do understand that some people (the minority of the population) is plagued by disorders predisposing them to weight-gain.

However, even those predisposed often accept failure. Sadly, most people don't know what to do to stop weight-gain, so they try a fad diet and get dissapointed. Furthermore, many lack the discipline to follow through with good health practices. I'm not gonna lie, good nutrition takes time, planning, and diligence. You have to plan out your meals, you have to cook, you have to clean. Try drinking a gallon of water a day! These are things many are content to avoid. So they eat crap from a box, and feel good because it has '50% Less Fat'. But none of those fats are good fats!

Compound this with the horrible notion that pervades America, in that the more you eat, the fatter you get. I eat 5-6 times a day. This is the way to keep your metabolism up and burn fat all day and night. Also, people are lazy, so they don't want to go walk for an hour. Dedicate 1/24 of your life to your body health! Can that really be so bad?

No, I think the majority of people are just apathetic. There is nothing but a little pain (physical and mental) between them and a healthier body. But we are SOFT, and it pains me to see it. And the system placates to these people, telling them it is not their fault. BS! Their life choices have made them the way they are.

Training sucks for a time, but then it becomes habit. Wouldn't it be nice to be prepared for battle, with the mental and physical fortitude necessary to survive? LOL, my warrior philosophy shining through!

Finally, we are stressed out to the max in this nation! Culturally, we are not taught relaxation and meditation techniques. High stress levels have been linked to a higher release of cortisol and adrenaline into the system. Cortisol is what tells your body to store fat, especially in the belly.

I think most of this is a cultural problem. Hopefully, as a society we can take some steps to deal with this epidemic.

No offense taken, I assure you, blueandgold04

In reality, I know some people simply don't exercise and persist in eating the wrong foods or simply too much food.

But when trundling down the street, the people who are cruel to those that are obese - they do not know if the fat person is one of the above, or there is a valid reason quite beyond their physical or emotional control.

I am nearly 5' 10" and struggled most of my life to get up to my minimum healthy weight ... granted I ran whenever the urge hit me, etc. But a sweet friend, nearly the same height weighed over a 100 pounds more than I. While I must admit I was a tad dubious when she maintained she ate far less that I did (I would hope so as I tried to stuff down at least one milkshake a day!), it wasn't until we took a vacation together that reality slapped me up side the head. Both of us weighed by a mutual friend (family physician) before leaving, both ate the same foods while away (only I ate more of everything) - and wow, she'd gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks and I'd lost 4. (Sadly, 'old age' is setting in and I no longer have to worry about loosing weight - hoot!).

Yes, I honestly agree - let's encourage everyone to eat better and exercise more - but next time we see an fat person on the street, may we please show some kindness. Gentle smile.


-----
And a personal 'rant' ... any salesperson who walks up to a fat person entering their clothing store and says, "Sorry, we don't have anything in your size in our store" - a huge boo and hiss! Be kind and assume they are looking to buy a gift for a skinny, tall friend!

Stop eating so much @#$% and get of your fat @#$.

Do you think they "choose" hey I want to be fat skinny is so underrated....??

Not likely. They dont know that eating a bag of cheese puffs is bad for you. Once you pop you cant stop on pringles chips equals a lot of fat. I have to admit I have eaten a whole can of pringles myself for a quick snack on the go for a buck but the fat I ate that day was maybe 50 grams or more. Not something I do often yet a lot of kids do. Look at what they eat and adults eat. Its crazy.

Sodas were never meant to be a "thirst quincher" or a full time drink yet some people only drink these. It makes them fat and costs a lot of money per month.


If you are fat or trying to prevent getting fat walking burns too few calories per hour. Fast movements and such are needed. Jogging and weights help.

Lack of sleep causes fat too! 8 hours is said to be needed or close to it.

Me I can eat a lot and not get fat. Some are like this most are not and people need to get over it and eat healthy. When the fat starts packing on its time to stop eating so much fatty foods.

I like burgers and pizza. But I eat well most of the time and get a burger maybe once or twice a month. Watch some people you know who are overweight and see how many times they go out to eat each month. Fast food and even bar style places add tons of butter and such to everything adding hundreds if not thousands of calories to each meal! A classic burger plate I think its called at Ruby Tuesdays has over 1000 calories.

Safest thing to do is eat at home. I can cook anything they can for cheaper and healthier at home.

You know those man guts, they dont look good on a man and certainly not on a woman....Weird how all the fat wants to collect there isnt it? ha ha

One guy we know who is about 6' 4" or so said he has been growing his for years. He jokes about it sometimes he is like 300lbs or more but most of the fat is on his stomach.

CGM the best way to cure this is with the workout regimen that I had growing up (and I assume you had it to). Everyweekend and all summer I worked with my Dad feeding the cows, watering the cows, loading straw bales onto wagons, moving grain, cleaning out the silo and cattle pens with only a shovel, chasing the newborns to tag them, loading cattle up for market, and butchering our own cattle and deer.

If more kids today would do things like that today or just turn the TV off and go play outside we would be in much better shape as a country.

Feeling cranky?

I'm going to simply hope you're joking as surely no one here at our Bleeping could possibly be quite that insensitive - gentle grin.


You're very right, CGM - it's possible many don't think about what they pop into their mouths. But on the other hand, food should also be fun so perhaps a great compromise would be to eat out rarely but when we do, eat anything we want without a thought to whether it's healthy or not.

Have a quick question about kids and their eating habits ... the kids don't usually do the grocery shopping so suspect it must be the parents who pack home pop, chips and fast foods. Easy for me to say ugh, I know - but even working full time I figured if it wasn't in the house they wouldn't eat it and in all honestly, it takes little time to whip together a huge salad and broil a hunk of protein/fish. (Gotta confess we had a terrific time eating anything we choose when we did eat out, though).

if you use enough crystal meth you can eat what you like (when you come down) and still look trim and terrific.

You are quite correct, people do over eat and need more exercise,however,I do believe there are less abrasive ways of conveying that message.



If you use enough crystal meth you can also quite easily die, as a friends son did, and you won't ever have to worry about how trim and terrific you look!!
At the risk of being banned for flaming,I find your idea of contributing to a discussion in a forum highly inappropriate!

how about a plankton only diet?

No thank you on the plankton, I never really developed a taste for microrganisms and I'm far too busy to go out and dredge the water for them just so I can have supper.

Yeah...I guess that's a fair enough trade off for rotting teeth, organ failure, paranoia and other psychotic behaviors.

My thoughts exactly, 'Iodine'. BC doesn't need these Tactless and Abrasive remarks.
And 'dc3' you got that right with your last Post.

Fat people tend to be jovial, and easy-going. Some of the nicest people are fat or over-weight. Who says you have to be in tip-top condition? A little over-weight is just fine; I think these supposed weight marks are annoying. At a certain height, certain age, certain gender, you're supposed to be a certain weight. Bah! You can be over-weight and still be stronger and tougher than those "slim" people. Sure you may not be able to outrun them, but not everyone's an athlete. It also doesn't mean you get more illnesses and what-not. As long as you take care of yourself, you can be just as healthy as slim people and still be a little over-weight.

Helps to read the title of the thread...

Hence the word, "obesity"....what about obesity implies...a little overweight?

"Nothing to excess"
"Moderation in all things"

The Greek philosophers knew what they were talking about.
We would do well to follow their advice when it comes to our weight. Like CGM, I could---and have---polished down a bag of potato chiips in one sitting. But this is a rare occurance, and not something I do every day. I also cook most of my meals for myself; CGM's 1000 calories are, in many restaurant meals, understated---I bet you could double that easily.

Cheers,
John

Re: "Hence the word, "obesity"....what about obesity implies...a little overweight?"

Guess it depends on who is asked. The medical term for 'obese' means one thing but for many, it's simply a personal perception of another individual, rather than actual pounds.

Okay lets get something straight fat does not equal strength it equals weakness because your body has to haul it around. Muscle equals strength.

Try this. Get a couple of bags of something heavy say 50lbs each. Put them both on you so you do not have to hold them like on your shoulders or back...

Walk around all day if you can. Its a lot of work being heavy ha ha.

This man in my home state literally almost ate himself to death I think. He had to be taken out of his house by the fire department because he could not fit through any door or windows. They cut a 15 foot wide maybe more hole in his house to get the 400lbs man out. He is in critical condition.

Being overweight is not healthy some weight might be okay but being overweight can lead to many diseases.

Precisely. Because I'm hauling around more body weight than you, my muscles become stronger to handle it. If I continue to work out, I become even stronger and that fat helps me because it adds to the resistance of the training regime. Why do you think sumo wrestlers are extremely strong? And here's the microsoft word dictionary look-up of "obese":

overweight: extremely or unhealthily fat or overweight
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

I thought it just meant overweight and not necessarily extremely. I don't think you'll mind broadening the scope a little of this topic?

And like I said, it's more about what you eat than you're weight I think. You can eat healthy and still get "overweight" if you eat a lot, and that doesn't mean you're more prone to illnesses. overweight, or even obese, is not always synonymous with unhealthy.

generally the term obese comes into play when your Body Mass Index (BMI or Body Fat Index) exceeded a certain percentage



got it off of Wikipedia

Are you trying to say fat is a good thing? Just add some weights and be slim then you can have the best of both worlds.

Your muscles may get stronger to comepensate but you become tired easy and cant run thats for sure nor can you do much work or heavy lifting.

I have seen few fat people who can do any work let alone be stronger than a skinny one.

Fat makes you more prone to illness. Obesity is related to many diseases regardless of what you ate to get fat.

If you really want to know why America is grossly overweight. Here's what I've done since I got off work. 1)Attempt to fix sound card issues on my desktop (3hrs/2 beers/5 cigarettes), 2)Walk the dog around the yard 3 times (1hour/2 beers/1 cigarette) 3) Take the g/f to work (30min/0 beers/5 ciggarettes/#1 combo @TacoLand), 4) Install PCLOS on my laptop (3 hours and counting{I messed up}/3 beers/ 5 ciggarettes). Gee I wounder where those extra 2 inches in my waist came from

To each his own really. Fat may not be good, but when in moderation, isn't bad. To be honest, I think this "be skinny" fad that's going on in USA is annoying. Everywhere you see stuff to lose weight. I think having some meat on your bones is good, especially women. Too many women are so skinny, it just doesn't look good in my opinion. Round 120 pounds for the average woman, 190 for the average man or more depending on muscle mass.


It's the beers and smoking, not the lack of exercise, that did the most damage here in my opinion.

Yeah,

if we could just keep the cigarettes and beer away from all of those overweight

Elementary school kids, we wouldn't have this problem.

I didn't say it applied to everything, just your particular scenario. In the case of the elementary school kids, it's the parent's fault in my opinion. The parents need to regulate how much the child eats and what they eat too.

My scenario?

I got a scenario?

Couldn't have been the cigarettes - must have been the beer.

Wouldn't call it damage as I am supposedly about 20 lbs "underweight" still with a Body Fat index around 11% according to the calipers and my handy dandy BFI measuring scale (I'm 6'0" and weigh about 155lbs -fluctuates 5-10 lbs depending on how much water I take in and lose in a day).

NOTE: I do NOT suggest this method for everyone talk to your doctor about your weight issue and solutions.
I'm taking creatine and ultra-whey to increase my natural Body Mass back to normal levels. (The creatine and whey counteract each other. The whey increases Body Mass providing a supplemental energy source, since mine are smaller then normal, and the creatine boosts metabolism so when you work out it burns off the fats first then starts in on the starches input by the whey. This leaves me looking fairly fit and trim and a little buff) 4 years of HS wrestling play havoc on your metabolism (you can run all day on a pack of Lance Crackers or Ramen Noodles) and left me with enough info on supplements to where I can try to get back to a normal weight.

Anyone checked into the newest fad "Alli" ?

while i cant comment on the weight issues over in the u.s obescity is a worldwide thing and as this site is also world wide could we not change the topic to Replying to Obesity Problems And Cures.remeber america has its problems with it and so does everyone else infact at the moment here in the uk there is a boy who is six and weighs 15 stone(do the math).and he is on the brink of being taken away from his parents.i have never been to u.s but my brother has 4 times and everytime he has come back he has been carrying an extra couple of stone(he says down to big portions in restraraunt)i say it's just that he is a greedy guy.

Well I went out to eat today at golden corral for the first time in say 4 months.

Some of people in their were so fat they had to waddle to walk its sad to be that overweight.

But surprisingly not many were that fat and most were okay in weight range not to fat but not slim either.

Now we know who makes the money. Going out to the corral on a Saturday Night.

Wish we had money like I said its been 4 months or longer and I still cant believe we did it..ha ha

7.30 a person x4 is a ripoff!

Thats why I go to buffets . All you can eat baby!

Its a Buffet...

Best buffet in the USA to me is the Great American Steakhouse and Grill. Dont know if there are many in the USA but one is in Myrtle Beach SC?(was told) and one in Tennessee.

Huge meat bar that one has wow I want to go again its like hog heaven if you like meats and everything. Huge desert bar!

Okay, that does it - I'm jealous of where you live, CGM! Here, for $7.70 you get - well, you get to not worry about gaining weight from eating it that's for sure. (Two hamburgers with fries and two coffees - $21, last time we slurged on 'fat food').

Looked up 'Alli", BlackSpyder - sounds almost too good to be true. Couldn't find any references to how long it's been used or any long-term studies showing possible effects, etc ... maybe I just missed it?

But thinking about obesity versus skinny as a rail (many models and sadly, young kids following their lead) ... suspect either extreme is just as dangerous as the other.

$7.30 ?? here its almost $9 on Saturday night and $10 on Sunday all day and the food is less then great. I'd rather waste the extra and go to Applebee's and get a meal. Old Country Buffet is gone from here leaving only the coral and Chinese places left. (Of course I remember a time when the coral had a menu you could order from.

Yeah my boss is on Alli. The whole "involuntary anal discharge" side effect is a little too much for me. Other then the side effects it seems like it might work (of course they suggest using their diet too). Effective? maybe ,a study I read said that you will lose about 1 lb per month which you could do with diet and exercise. 1 lb a month isnt worth buy new underwear every week though.

Involuntary discharge Too funny ha ha

Hopefully,

you are talking about a gaseous discharge.

No. another side effect is diarrhea. In other words if you're on this stuff don't go "commando". BTW if any forum member is taking this stuff please weigh in with your thoughts and experiences

Now back to the topic at hand..... The cure will not come in the form of a pill, surgery, or anything like that. We have become a nation of inactive people. More people work in offices and go home and lay on the couch and never do anything then go out and eat massive portions at restaurants. Then wonder why we are getting more "rotund".

Well,

that would affect a weight loss though, wouldn't it?



Otherwise, with all due respect, I have to correct you on one issue -

diarrhea is not a side effect, it is a rear effect.

Yes, being inactive is being a 'normal' thing for so many and worse, it's becoming the normal for kids too.

But every time I hear someone in the government blaming television or video games or children themself, I think of that old saying 'calling the kettle black'.

I know it's unfair to expect our governments alone to keep us safe - but rather than simply blaming the tv and video games and kids, surely it would be better to recognise the problem of obesity among children may have a deeper cause.

It's an ugly truth but in our 'highly civilized' society, it's simply and utterly unsafe to turn children loose to play outdoors by themself anymore. Until it's safe once again for our children to run free and play in our parks and their own neighbourhoods, the tv and games must seem like a safe substitute. (And given a choice, bet there are few parents who wouldn't prefer to shoo their children out the door in the morning with a reminder to simply be home for dinner).

The only way the obesity crisis can be solved is by doing one of the following three things:

1. Government requirement that the people can only eat lentils and celery/banning of all unhealthy food (this, of course, not taking into account the black market)
2. Forced liposuction
3. The willingness of the people to change

Our own American authorities seems to be partial to Option #1 (schools in particular). But schools that making PE a mandatory class or banning vending machines that sell unhealthy food products will solve the case... you know, students don't know how to buy a Hershey's outside of class.

Well it's not that huge problem in here, but what can I say. It's the citizens own responsibility. YOU need to do something to lose weight. YOU need to make sure your kids exercise enough. Good thing that healthy schoolfood and PE exist, but that alone wont solve anything. If I ever have kids, I'll be sure to go out with them for walks etc and having them eat healthily. Pretty much teach them in to the world of sports.

Now that would just be stupid.. Of course healthy food HELPS a long way, I hope american schools have the same kinda meals than in here, not like in England or sth -- it's just a big mess there. There will still be shops open for candybars, chocolate, chips etc.

You can eat as much unhealthy food as you want to, just not so if you're overweight.

Simply put: eat well and exercise enough even if you're eating unhealthy food. Healthy food alone wont solve anything. Overweight people can still eat healthy food too much and still not move anywhere and the situation pretty much stays the same.

There wont be any magical quick salvation. The solution also won't be "stop eating" or "stop eating so much" -- would just increase the amount of cases of anorexia.