| Author | Message | ||
     Lizziecat Citizen Username: Lizziecat Post Number: 1344 Registered: 5-2003 |
Many doctors are becoming aware that it is more harmful to yoyo diet than it is to be fat. Also, many doctors are themselves fat. They realize how hard it is to lose weight and do not feel that browbeating their patients is an effective method of providing health care. | ||
| Arnomation Citizen Username: Arnomation Post Number: 666 Registered: 7-2003  |
Thin == healthy Just ask Karen Carpenter and Jim Fixx | ||
| Flameretardant Citizen Username: Flameretardant Post Number: 21 Registered: 9-2004 |
The fact is ... and I'm saying this with a personal scientific/medical background ... the guidelines about what is "fat" are not just a matter of fashion. If you're obese, you're more likely to die of CV disease, cancer, and a number of other things. How much is "fat" and how much is the resulting risk? Well, that's a matter of scientific debate. But to dismiss the issue by saying that it's a matter of taste, style, etc. is to be plainly ignorant and irresponsible. | ||
| Factvsfiction Citizen Username: Factvsfiction Post Number: 1213 Registered: 4-2006 |
Don't doctors and hospitals need to make an income? This is America! Maybe they can smoke 2-3 packs a day too. | ||
| Flameretardant Citizen Username: Flameretardant Post Number: 22 Registered: 9-2004 |
FvF ... are you implying that doctors/hospitals create the guidelines in order to "make an income"???? If so, I'll disregard your post, since that demonstrates complete, utter, and simple-minded ignorance of what your handle refers to. | ||
| Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 4869 Registered: 5-2001 |
Pippi,  and her mom had to have open heart surgery before age 50, right? | ||
| sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 2517 Registered: 10-2001  |
It may be hard to lose the weight once you've gained it but it really isn't that hard to watch what you eat. Yo-yo dieting is definitely not good for your body and health, the trick is understanding how you got into that position in the first place. Once you understand that you can take the necessary steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again. It won't be easy and that's part of the problem. Too many diets promising that you'll lose ten pounds in the first week. That's definitely not healthy. I'm 5'11" and I weigh about 175 lbs, which for me is not a comfortable weight. Its too heavy. Its not about a certain look its about staying healthy. About two years ago I started having problems with my lower back and I developed a serious case of heartburn all of which prompted me to take a look at my eating habits and my (lack of) exercise. What I realized was that I was exercising about 90% less than I used to and eating bad foods. Two months ago I made a conscious decision to diet for the first time in my life. I went to a chiropractor about my back and got my lazy butt back into the gym. I bought an elliptical machine for home and after two months I've gained a new appreciation for how hard it is to lose weight (I've actually gained about two pounds) but I feel better. I'm not as tired as I used to be and I don't seem to be eating mindlessly any more. Every time I go on vacation I marvel at people who can't fit comfortably into airplane seats or on rides and think to myself how did this happen to people? Then I see their kids and they are headed down the same path - its sad. Lizziecat - it really isn't about the look - most of what passes for attractive these days is really bordering on disgusting - the fact that we hear so much about these rails is disheartening and I would imagine being a young girl is very difficult in these times. As someone above mentioned Type II diabetes is rapidly getting out of control, coronary disease, heart disease, arthritis are all on the rise and its because we can't seem to control how much or what type of food we eat. Both of my brothers are heavy - not obese but heavy. My younger brother is about 6'1" and weighs about 250 - but he's a big guy and carries it fairly well. My older brother is 5'10" and weighs about 225 and doesn't carry it well. Both of them suffer from high blood pressure and other weight related health maladies. It really is disheartening to walk around seeing all of these VERY overweight people and what's worse is the fact that they are making the same mistakes with their kids. | ||
| Scully Citizen Username: Scully Post Number: 831 Registered: 8-2005 |
sportsnut: '...and after two months I've gained a new appreciation for how hard it is to lose weight (I've actually gained about two pounds) but I feel better.' Don't forget that muscle weighs more than fat so if you start exercising at the same time that you are watching what you eat it could muddy the waters. My doctor (I'm ever so slowly losing weight) suggested that I take a waist measurement along with weighing myself once a week. If I hit a plateau or even gain a bit back (while being 'good') but the waist continues to go down then all is well. | ||
| Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2677 Registered: 8-2003  |
VIG - exactly...to be more than 100 pounds overweight and with a history of heart trouble in her family, It's almost criminal that her doctor doesn't "browbeat" her into losing weight. and it is not about appearances, it is about good health and longevity, period. | ||
| Ligeti Man Meat Citizen Username: Ligeti Post Number: 746 Registered: 7-2002  |
I didn't intend for this particular report to be a criticism of peoples' appearances. Although I myself am exceptionally buff, I can find much to admire in a full-figured, even portly physique. Gives a guy plenty to hold on to during a moment of urgent activity. But if you get out into the world, you'll see how comparably big Americans are. I blame the jumbo portions of food we have accustomed ourselves to. Most of our restaurants justify high prices by putting huge slops of food in over-sized bowls, platters and troughs. Olive Garden, T.G.I.F., Red Lobster, Houlihan's, etc....unfortunately, this is where many Americans regularly eat (including me, on occasion). Worldly visitors are frightened by the size of these portions. While abroad, I have also heard big-bottomed Americans whine about the tiny servings on their plates. Reject America's obsession with BIG. | ||
| tjohn Supporter Username: Tjohn Post Number: 4577 Registered: 12-2001  |
I blame gun ownership. | ||
| Rastro Citizen Username: Rastro  Post Number: 3662 Registered: 5-2004  |
It's Clinton's fault. Oh wait, no. This week it's Bush's fault. Next week it'll be Clinton's fault. | ||
| combustion Citizen Username: Spontaneous Post Number: 293 Registered: 4-2006  |
Maybe it's gang related? Is there anyway we can blame this on Newark? | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 463 Registered: 5-2005  |
No one needs to be browbeaten to lose weight...what do skinny people think that obese people look in the mirror and see Twiggy??? Obese people know what we should weigh and the decision has to come from within. Also, many obese people have totally screwed up their matabolism (myself included) by trying to cut calories, and eat less and less...I am now on weight watchers and it's finally working, but I had to get used to eating much more food than I had been previously. Many days I still can't manage to eat all my points. | ||
| BGS Supporter Username: Bgs Post Number: 1182 Registered: 10-2003 |
...and I have seen Psychomom and can tell the difference and it is a wonderful thing! keep up the good work!!! | ||
| tjohn Supporter Username: Tjohn Post Number: 4578 Registered: 12-2001 |
I was serious about gun ownership being the cause. If you own a gun and danger approaches, you will stand your ground and won't move. If you don't own a gun, you will flee and the running will burn off calories. | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 468 Registered: 5-2005 |
BGS you are the sweetest person in the whole world. Thanks your words of support mean more than you could ever imagine. Thanks MOL for letting me this wonderful new friend! | ||
| Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2679 Registered: 8-2003 |
psychomom - I put "browbeat" in quotes in reference to what Lizziecat posted: "They (doctors) realize how hard it is to lose weight and do not feel that browbeating their patients is an effective method of providing health care." I am not suggesting that that's the best approach to getting a patient to take to steps to make themselves healthy. Sometimes it does take a healthcare provider to step up and make suggestions for healthy living. Isn't that what our healthcare providers should be doing, looking out for our health? I don't know how many times I have to say it's not about a person looking like Twiggy! It's not about appearances AT ALL. It's about good health and living long enough to see your kids graduate from college and get married. I refuse to believe that being 100 pounds or more overweight doesn't have major health ramifications. | ||
| Pippi Supporter Username: Pippi Post Number: 2680 Registered: 8-2003 |
FWIW - I realize that Ligeti's post started with the statement that the average American is 25 pounds heavier than 40 years ago... I have no issue with a healthy 25 pounds. That's barely overweight. My main issue is with 100+ pounds. That's dangerous. | ||
| Elgato Citizen Username: Elgato Post Number: 78 Registered: 2-2004 |
Ligeti Meat Man is correct regarding the portions. The food chains here are so much more numerous here than in Europe but the average McDonald's serving is smaller and is obviously serving the demand of the country. I notice on supermarket labels that corn syrup and soy beans don't seem to be used as 'fillers' in almost every processed food/bread/cereal as they are here. in the UK genetically altered food has to be labelled by law and restaurant menus have to state if genetically altered food is included. In the USA most people don't even seem to know what it is and that they've been ingesting genetically altered food for years with very little testing. The public seem to be much more informed and aware about their food choices in Europe - probably as a result of food scares such as 'mad cow' disease. In the UK I know that the layout of their towns is also much more walker/bike friendly in general, kids tend to walk further to school, there are no school buses, etc., there are footpaths in towns and villages for leisurely walking and walkers maps are available in most areas which encourage this activity. | ||
| Glock 17 Citizen Username: Glock17 Post Number: 1620 Registered: 7-2005  |
If the portions are too big...don't eat all of the food. Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to eat it. Additionally...why are we even talking about fast food chains? If you are worried about your health DONT EAT THERE. Good grief. Go to the supermarket...buy some goods, make your own portions. | ||
| Mr. Big Poppa Citizen Username: Big_poppa Post Number: 815 Registered: 7-2004  |
I agree Glock. Everyone is complaining like the restaurants are shoving food down their throats. They should be accountable for their own gluttony. Instead, they blame it on the restaurants. Everyone has a choice as to where, what and how much they want to eat. Don't blame others for your own poor choices. | ||
| Ligeti Man Meat Citizen Username: Ligeti Post Number: 749 Registered: 7-2002 |
Here's an analogy Big Poppa and Glock can understand: You go to the Hummer dealer to buy an H3, more than adequate for your purposes. All they sell are the huge, repulsive H1s. But you really need a Hummer. So you drive off in the H1, feeling like the dealer was not very sensitive to your needs. People snicker at you on the roadways. Fillups are budget busters, too, and now you can't afford that hot new RAZR cellphone. | ||
| LilLB Citizen Username: Lillb Post Number: 2174 Registered: 10-2002  |
Ligeti - I agree with Glock and Poppa, and I don't see how your analogy relates. I think you're missing what the actual problem is in America's "obesity" problem. Generally speaking - it's a lack of control that gets people into trouble. If people had more control in their lives to live in moderation (in all areas of life, not just food), we'd have fewer issues in this area. Blaming restaurants for large portions is a distraction from the real issue. | ||
| Ligeti Man Meat Citizen Username: Ligeti Post Number: 751 Registered: 7-2002 |
Why is this a problem only in America? I've done a lot research on this -- they don't serve you these huge vats of food in European restaurants. Why does everything have to be so big in America? | ||
| LilLB Citizen Username: Lillb Post Number: 2177 Registered: 10-2002 |
I don't know for sure, but maybe we're a country of abundance. The more you have, the more you want? | ||
| Glock 17 Citizen Username: Glock17 Post Number: 1631 Registered: 7-2005 |
Ligeti, why not? Fast food places offer "value menus" with smaller, more cost effective options. So anyone complaining about the size of the portions obviously hasnt been to a fast food place. | ||
| Mr. Big Poppa Citizen Username: Big_poppa Post Number: 818 Registered: 7-2004 |
Ligeti, you never do research on any of your claims. You just blabber nonesense. The size of the portions are not what may be making the average American overweight. The food just doesn't jump off the plate down one's throat (maybe some very fresh sushi..). Rather, other factors probably apply: more fattening ingredients in food, more sedentary lifestyles, less time to cook leading to more fast food consumption, etc. | ||
| Hoops Citizen Username: Hoops Post Number: 1739 Registered: 10-2004  |
America needs more people playing Hoops... | ||
| notehead Supporter Username: Notehead Post Number: 3647 Registered: 5-2001  |
Why does everything have to be so big in America? Because American culture equates quantity with achievement and prowess. And because large companies, generally, are not in any other business than that of acquiring profit. The products or services they provide are simply the means to this end. Several years ago, I vacationed on the island of Dominica. In purely monetary terms, it's the second-poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. But you know what? Most people there were in amazingly fine shape, they eat a far healthier diet than most Americans, they have a wonderfully tight community and a rich culture, and even without the hundreds of products and opportunities and services that we think are so essential, they are happier than we are. | ||
| Arnomation Citizen Username: Arnomation Post Number: 685 Registered: 7-2003 |
One thing that has been overlooked in these fat-american-portions-are-too-large debate is that much of it also has to do with the price of food. You can buy 3 liters of soda or a couple of gallons of that off-brand fruit punch for .99 cents and four boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes for a dollar fifty but a gallon of milk is three dollars and some fruit will run you few dollars a pound. There are a lot of people in this country trying to stretch their dollar and they can go to the store with five bucks and come back with bags full of junk and it will appear that you were a smart shopper and got a lot for their money or for the same price only come back with a quart of milk and two nectarines. They don't refer to Whole Foods as 'Whole Paycheck' for nothing... | ||
| Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 2110 Registered: 5-2001 |
Arno - That "off-brand fruit punch" is just sugar water - 1 pound of sugar and water is going to make buckets of sweet drinks for much less than the .99 pre-packaged versions. Fat and salt are tasty, but a lot of our (collective) poor eating habits are from habit rather than necessity. A box of pasta w/ fresh vegetables and seasonings is still cheaper and more filling than junk food. Not saying that after a long day grabbing a bag of fast food isn't an option, but healthy food is pretty easy to make, filling, and even if you buy organic, usually cheaper in the long run. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 15248 Registered: 1-2003  |
More is better. Even more is even better. Even still more is even still more better. | ||
| Valley_girl Citizen Username: Valley_girl Post Number: 130 Registered: 12-2004 |
I bought a candy bar yesterday that was 3 servings!! At the newsstand--not even at the movies! And it was the only size they had. | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 15257 Registered: 1-2003 |
For whatever it's worth, Whole | ||
| Cynicalgirl Citizen Username: Cynicalgirl Post Number: 3053 Registered: 9-2003  |
Some of it's family/culture habit, and it appears to concentrate in the working and lower middle class. Check out "Honey We're Killing the Kids" sometime on one of the cable channels. You don't see so many well-to-do folks way overweight. Folks who are noting that fattening, often fast or fast to prepare unhealthy food is cheaper are also right. So, you grow up on it, then you have 2 time-pressed working parents, family/community cultural reinforcement, and the cheap/easy option is what you fall to. Hard habits to change. | ||
| mantram Citizen Username: Mantram Post Number: 253 Registered: 8-2003  |
Tom -- not true. I picked up Newman's Own Lemonade at Whole Foods and guess what? It was sweetened entirely with HFCS. | ||
| Scully Citizen Username: Scully Post Number: 914 Registered: 8-2005 |
It's hard to find, but 'Bear Naked Juices' has a lemonade sweetened with white grape juice and it tastes awesome! A while back it was at Corrados. | ||
| chroma Citizen Username: Chroma Post Number: 48 Registered: 3-2005 |
To answer the question simply: 1. People walk less. 2. People eat more. 1. This is harder to solve, since it is connected to the way much of the country now lives. Communities built in the last 40 years are largely (no pun intended) designed so that the residents are car-dependent. You absolutely need a car for any place you want or need to go. The traditional model of the walkable community (with schools, parks, stores, services within 10-15 minutes walking distance to most/all residents)is only beginning a resurgence. Not only that, but now most people's workday keeps them generally off their feet. The more time you spend with your butt in a seat, the bigger it gets.... 2. Enormous portions of unsatisfying but easily prepared foods, because we all work too long and too hard and are therefore disinclined to plan, shop for and then prepare fresh, delicious meals. It takes time, which most people simply have much less of than 40 years ago. | ||
| Ligeti Man Meat Citizen Username: Ligeti Post Number: 763 Registered: 7-2002 |
Non-Americans drive a lot more, too. But they don't eat the kind of slop we do, and their portions are human scale. They don't drive Hummers and shoot guns like we do, either. |
