Becoming Obese...

[ganja4me]

How many kids do you have?
How many jobs do you have?
How many hours a day do you work?
Can you afford to have a gym membership?
If not, can you afford to have exercise equipment?
Is there room in your home for exercise equipment?
How much sleep do you get so you have enough energy to exercise?
Do you live in an area where it is safe to walk or jog any time of the day?
Do you have transportation to get to somewhere where you can walk or jog?

Etc. Etc.

Honestly, I am sick of reading threads about why fat people suck and what you thin people are doing right that every fat person should be able to do easily. It's bullshit. I'm going to take my 175 pound body (BMI 25.8) to bed before I get too pissy.

There are a lot of overweight people that are just lazy not all of them though. It's understandable if someone doesn't have time for exercise because they have more important things that are a higher priority. But I even know a few people personally who are just fat because they don't care about their health that much. I even have one friend who says he likes being fat. These people I am talking about don't even eat too much they just eat unhealthy food and don't get any exercise at all really. They could get exercise if they wanted to but they prefer to sit at home and watch tv in their spare time. But there are also others who are so busy all the time they don't have time to shave off a few pounds here and there. I know from experience it does take a lot of effort and time to lose weight.
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[snoozan]

Another factor that many of us just don't realize is that we have become a nation of suburbs and strip malls. Everything built within the last 50 years has taken out exercise as an integral part of our lives. We have built an infrastructure that revolves around the car, air conditioning, and unwalkable distances. Sprawl over density. I look at places at Phoenix, Houston, and Los Angeles and it is no wonder why most people are fat in these environments. No one walks. No one needs to. You do need a car, however, to live in these places -- not so in cities that were formed in the 19th century like New York and most of Europe. Where walking is the best way to get around town. It is part of your daily routine.

Exercise is now done at a set time in a private membership only facility not in walking distance which invariably the poor are excluded from. The devout few who have the money, will, and time are the ones who get exercise. We have built our enviroment where exercise has been made inconvienent.

Yeah, I think I tried to touch on this but you explained it so much better than I could. I've been looking forward to possibly moving to a big city in the next year or two with my husband's job just so I can get out and walk to stores, parks, etc. rather than drive.

You're starting to sound like me lol, though I take offense at you so called fat people calling yourselves fat when there are people like me out there too. If I didn't feel fat before reading about how fat you are at 175, I certainly do now :tongue:

I was 235 pounds when I signed up here last November, and closer to 250 a year ago. I get what you're saying, I think. It wasn't until a couple months ago that I could go into the mall and buy a pair of jeans from a regular store.

 

[ganja4me]

No. What she's saying is that because nuts don't get overweight, people don't get overweight from eating them. Read her post. As far as i can tell, she's being 100% literal about what she's saying. If it doesn't physically get overweight, it doesn't make you fat. Salmon is a lot fattier than lean chicken meat, but if you follow her logic, the chicken makes you fatter.

An ounce of almonds has about 2 times as much fat as an ounce of lean ground beef.

Almonds may have more fat but not more saturated fat than beef. Which means the beef is more fattening in a bad way. The almonds have good fats in them. Both fish and lean chicken meat are low in saturated fat but overall I think the fish is better for you than the chicken.
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[B_big dirigible]

On the other hand, fish NEVER GET FAT. Although fish do "make" fat, they never BECOME fat.

When fish overeat, they explode. Like most things, piscine metabolism has its good and bad points.

 

[diamond]

As a person, who lost a lot of weight, ( 70 pounds to date) I know all to well the plight of being obese. ( gallery pic of me in my boy shorts is 3 weeks old)

I had every excuse in the book, too busy, failing marriage, too tierd, stressful job etc etc, until one day I got on the scale and nearly passed out at the number.

I realized that making excuses, was not helping me, hence I made two simple changes. I ate only veggies, fruits, and lean meats, and I started excercising 20 minutes ( twice a day) at home. No fancy gyms, etc, . I had 2 DVD's that I worked out to, and used one of those large excercise Balls.

I did not touch anything with starch or refined sugars and I stuck to a way of eating simply Known as the GI diet.

The book and diet that I followed was called the " Living the GI DIET" written by Rick Gallop. No meausring, no fancy formulas really easy book to follow. The book is divided into 3 color skews. Green foods have low glycemic indexes and you can eat as much as you want, yellow foods you have to have in moderation ( and is not recommended until you reach your target weight) and red foods well they are used for occasional treats.

For my last 15 pounds I decided to join weight watchers, just for the support group. I tend to follow the core program which is basically the same as the GI diet. I realize that some members have money constraints hence thus the suggestion of the GI book.

(Luckily where I live there is this tiny fruit and veggie market and their prices are cheaper than our local grocery store so buying a variety of fresh legumes was not really an issue.

 

[Lex]

this is one of the first times in history that a large percentage of the population (specifically, the western world) have had access to an abundance of food. the human body is wired to eat when food is plentiful and store fat when it's not plentiful, which makes it easy to gain weight and hard to lose it. pair that with the lessening need to be physically active to go about daily life and you've got a recipe for obesity. there are other reasons as well, but these seem like the two biggest to me.

Great points, Snoozan. I know it is hard, but people have to begin to understand that they have to put themselves first. I have built my body with 30-40 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week. Note: it takes a bit longer when you do not exercise more. It has taken me about 3 years to do it.

As Oprah would say, you have to BE at 100% before you can take care of other things and people.

Lay off the junk food or only have it as a treat. I only had it as a treat when I was younger (ie once a month or so), not every day like some people. And I never tried to sue McDonalds

We have be lied to and told that fat is the enemy when the enemy is actually sugar. One of the most insidious things in foods is high frustose corn syrup. It is NOT sugar and your body has a horrible time metabolizing it.

For example: take Dannon Light Yougurt versus StoneyField Farms Organic Yogurt, both with strawberries. IF you look at the nutritional information, but will say that they contain 22 grams of sugar, but it is NOT the same sugar.

Dannon (and Yoplait) have high frustose corn syrup in the mix (you will note that they taste much sweeter by comparison). Stoneyfiled's 22 grams of sugar are the natural sugars from the fruit. Your body will process these two types of yogurt differently. In fact, eating the dannon and yoplait yogurt isn't very healthy at all because it contributes to the sugar cycle (high, crash, crave, eat more).

No. What she's saying is that because nuts don't get overweight, people don't get overweight from eating them. Read her post. As far as i can tell, she's being 100% literal about what she's saying. If it doesn't physically get overweight, it doesn't make you fat. Salmon is a lot fattier than lean chicken meat, but if you follow her logic, the chicken makes you fatter.

An ounce of almonds has about 2 times as much fat as an ounce of lean ground beef.

Yes. Not all proteins are created equally. Eating lost of protein usually helps keep you lean becasue the body burtns protein slower so that you feel full longer. Feeling full longer keeps you from eating as much throughout the day.

Think of your stomach as an open fire. Sugar = toilet paper, carbs = cardboard, protein = 2x4's of wood, fat = log.

Honestly, I am sick of reading threads about why fat people suck and what you thin people are doing right that every fat person should be able to do easily. It's bullshit. I'm going to take my 175 pound body (BMI 25.8) to bed before I get too pissy.

I agree snoozan. Not everyone who is fat had been lazy and not everyone who is skinny has exercised. Many of us benefit (or fight) genetics, everyday. I appreciate when we can all give each other great advice adn respect each other's perspectives and plights.

I personally admire what people like Snoozan, Kotchanski, and Diamond have done. It takes perseverence to change your body in that regard. Kudos.

 

[tallguypns]

While I'm no expert on the matter, I believe the explanation is a simple one.

Part a) Lifestyle change - subtitled the Invention of the Assembly Line

For the most part, in the western world, we've had a very significant lifestyle change over the last 100 years or so. The invention of the assembly line has led to a great number of these lifestyle changes.

The assembly line in general has changed the way we work. The vast majority of things can now be produce much faster by fewer and fewer people, sometimes none, than ever before with less and less physical effort in general. There are still a need for people to do hard manual labor jobs but the mass production of food and products has greatly reduced that number. This means that most people do not have physically active workdays anymore, with some exceptions.

Mass produced automobiles made cars affordable to all but the poorest of our society. This had a great affect on us, as someone pointed out earlier, because it allowed us to get away from the neighborhood relatively easily and travel greater distances for our necessities, and treats. Before, you had to grow most or raise what you ate if you didnt live in a city, which takes a great deal of physical labor. If you lived in a city, you did much more walking than even now.

Labor saving devices some of which existed before the assembly line, became more affordable once refined and mass produced. The washing machine, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, lawn mower, etc. all save us a great deal of daily and weekly labor. Jobs that took hours now take minutes to complete. No more scrubbing clothing on a washboard. No more taking the rubs outside to beat the dust out of them. No more using a scythe or a manual push mower to cut down the overgrown vegetation on the lawn.

Electronic devices tend to keep us sedentary as well. Televisions, computers, game consoles and arguably music devices all keep the user glued to their seats. Should these devices have existed 100 years ago, they'd rarely have been used since there was little free time away from the chores of keeping up the household.

Prior to the assembly line, only the richest people could afford these things and could consequently afford the luxury of being fat. I think that's why we sometimes call them fat cats.

 

[tallguypns]

Part b) Nutrition

This part has already been covered pretty well by other posters, but I believe in restating a few things here. Most of what we consume in the western world is incredibly processed.

High Fructose Corn Syrup is everywhere these days. Whether you're buying "sweets" or not, you'll often find this listed as an ingredient, often close to the top of the list, which as most people know, indicates it is in greater quantities than things lower on the list of ingredients.

Refined flour is used in most baked goods. Refined flour has very little fiber or nutritive value other thans simple carbohydrates. When we eat whole grain flour, the fiber tends to cause is to feel more full than if we eat refined flour. Feeling more full with fewer calories = less likely to gain weight.

Our relationship with food has also changed. Most people, except of course the wealthiest people, had to prepare their own food. The mass production of food has changed that. Canned goods are now relatively cheap. If you take the time to read the ingredient list, on some of those goods, you might just be amazed or shocked at what is in them.

Even the poorest among us are eating, for the most part, prepared foods. Foods that are loaded with invented sugars (HFCS) refined flowers, additives and fats are easier and cheaper in many cases to deal with.

Finally, we dont treat food as a fuel, but rather as a comfort. We sit down in front of the television or movie screen with chips, candy, popcorn (coated with industrial strength butter flavored obesity juice). We throw casual parties and put out snacks. We get upset at something or someone and sit down with our pint of ice cream and eat our troubles away.

In summation, the general oversimplified reason for obesity is prosperity. I believe the trend in obesity will continue, but can be reversed with some serious educational efforts. Watching what and how you eat as well as increasing your calorie burning activities will do the trick.

 

[Dave NoCal]

It seems to me that both genetics and lifestyle are factors.

For example, I went to a family reunion last year and there were about sixty people there. It was mostly my parents, my siblings, their spouses and children. There were two people who would be considered to be overweight and they were not obese by any means. Having been adopted, I can't lay claims to the gene pool but can say that in my extended family that there has never been a death due to cancer, no diabetics, and I can only think of one somewhat premature death (72) death due to heart disease. People in my family routinely live to be ninety and eventually just wear out. That suggests favorable genetics.

However, among these people there were no smokers, no people with drinking problems, and most pursue regular exercise, generally through sports. Then there is the matter of diet. Growing up overseas, we ate almost no processed foods, my mother always had lots of fresh fruit in the house for snacks, and desert, when we had it, was usually made with fresh fruit. My nieces and nephews seem to have been raised to eat similarly.

Personally, I try to stick with what I call my "fisherman's diet" of fish, vegetables and fruit. I indulge in eating crackers, chips and cheese but the bulk of my diet is those three things. I don't go hungry and my BMI is 22. I weigh every day and take small corrective actions when needed.

It's my impression that a lot of peole who live an unhealthy lifestyle tend to think of health and fitness as something that passively happens to one, rather than something that one actively does.

 

[Not_Punny]

As far as animals that don't get fat versus animals that do, I'm not really understanding wht you're talking about. I really don't see any scientific basis for those statements, nor do they make any logical sense. Salmon is fatty as are other fish. Nuts, even though they don't have potbellies, are full of fat, as are avacados, olives, etc.

Hello Snoozan! I'm referring to research that has isolated growth factors in mammal milk that stimulates "massive" growth spurts. A link to one such paper is below. Far more research needs to be done -- I'm merely speculating about what the #$#&$* else might be in the flesh and milks of mammals (in terms of growth and "storage" factors).
Hormones and growth factors in milk. [Endocr Rev. 1993] - PubMed Result

As far as fat from avocados, salmon, nuts, etc. The difference is WHERE the fats are stored. Our brains, organs and skin require certain "essential fatty acids" (omega oils), many of which our bodies cannot manufacture on their own. These fats are not only structurally different from "animal fat", but they are stored differently in their host environment. And when consumed, these "good fats" seem to migrate to different areas of the human body. "Animal fats" tend to be stored as adipose tissue. "Omega fats" tend to be stored (used) in our brain and skin cells.

I am not an expert, but dietary chemistry is a hobby of mine.:wink:

 

[SteveHd]

I'm going to piss on everybody's diet theories. It's mostly a matter of calories taken in minus calories burned.

Before I go any further, I'll state that I'm ~140lbs at 5ft 11in, which is thin by most peoples standard.

I don't eat "health" food or "unrefined" stuff. I eat mostly packaged foods which many would call "junk". Sugar is included because I can't take aspartame. The trick is to limit TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE to less than what you burn. Easier said than done, I know, but I do it. As Peter Lynch says, "It's that simple".:smile: If I ate 3,000 calories per day the way many Americans do I'd weigh about 250lbs or more.

 

[dolfette]

is it really this complex?

buy small plates.
try to eat veg & fruit & whole grains.
walk.
don't think about food & dieting because it just makes you hungry.
being a healthy weight doesn't always mean you're healthy.

i was anorexic when i was young, overweight after giving birth, struggling with food isn't good. counting calories, weighing and fretting aren't healthy attitudes.

 

[snoozan]

Hello Snoozan! I'm referring to research that has isolated growth factors in mammal milk that stimulates "massive" growth spurts.
Hormones and growth factors in milk. [Endocr Rev. 1993] - PubMed Result

I think I understand what you're saying, but reading the abstract it's not clear if those are exogenous or endogenuos growth hormone. I also don't see where a conclusion is drawn that these factors stimulate weight gain in humans.

I'm not arguing that what the beef and dairy industries do by giving growth factors and other hormones to their cattle to increase production isn't reprehensible.

And when consumed, these "good fats" seem to migrate to different areas of the human body. "Animal fats" tend to be stored as adipose tissue. "Omega fats" tend to be stored (used) in our brain and skin cells.

I understand part of this-- fish tend to have fat more rich in those omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, while beef and chicken do not. I take fish oil capsules for regulation of mood. They also are necessary components of the cell wall. These effects don't have much to do with food and energy metabolism, however. From my understanding, all fat types as they are used for energy are broken down into their fatty acid components, then stored as glycogen and then used as energy or converted back to fat. They aren't stored directly as you're stating. What am I missing here?

Again, I'm not arguing that a diet rich in EFAs and polyunsaturated fat isn't more healthy than its counterparts. I understand the scientific reasoning for "good fat" and "bad fat" and their effect on cholesterol level(I think). However, I'm not seeing how equivalent amounts of, say, beef fat and avacado fat are stored differently and/or one will make you gain more than the other.

I'm going to piss on everybody's diet theories. It's mostly a matter of calories taken in minus calories burned.

Before I go any further, I'll state that I'm ~140lbs at 5ft 11in, which is thin by most peoples standard.

I don't eat "health" food or "unrefined" stuff. I eat mostly packaged foods which many would call "junk". Sugar is included because I can't take aspartame. The trick is to limit TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE to less than what you burn. Easier said than done, I know, but I do it. As Peter Lynch says, "It's that simple".:smile: If I ate 3,000 calories per day the way many Americans do I'd weigh about 250lbs or more.

I do think there's more to general overall health than this, but I agree that getting fat and gaining weight is more about calories in- calories out than anything else. When it comes down to it, you can live off of McDonalds cheeseburgers and still lose or maintain weight if you keep your calorie consumption down. Overall, though, you're probably better off eating other food because of their other beneficial effects in the body.

 

[Lex]

is it really this complex?

For most people it is. Body chemistries are unique. If they were not , then all medicines would work for everyone in the same way and they clearly do not.

...counting calories, weighing and fretting aren't healthy attitudes.

You will have to do a lot to convince me that being vigilent about what you eat is a bad idea. You can eat small portions of crap and NOT be the shape you wanta to be or the shape that is healthiest for you.

Being Healthy can not be reduced to a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

Here are earlier threads on this matter:

Eating and Exercising which was followed by Fitness Goals.

Even though I have a body that many may admire, I have to work hard to keep my blood pressure and cholesterol down. I think we, each of us, can take our bodies for granted. Being healthy is important.

 

[SensualGoth]

they don't account for the high price of gas, food everything.. I've cut back... I stopped drinking sodas earlier this year lost over 20 pounds so far and I walk more to places since the gas is literally raping me.

 

[dolfette]

For most people it is. Body chemistries are unique. If they were not , then all medicines would work for everyone in the same way and they clearly do not.

You will have to do a lot to convince me that being vigilent about what you eat is a bad idea. You can eat small portions of crap and NOT be the shape you wanta to be or the shape that is healthiest for you.

i'm saying there's a difference between being aware & careful and obsessing.

clearly our views differ and i've no intention of quibbling over this.
there are experts who follow both opinions.
i follow the school of thought that says a healthy diet for life is better than a weight loss diet for the duration.

 

[Not_Punny]

Heyyyy! Lighten up! :smile:

My entire original point was to draw a parllel between (a) ENdogenus factors present in mammal milks and tissues and (b) obesity in populations that consume mass quantities of mammal products. The link that I gave you in my more recent post was merely one that was to hand. There is a lot more written about the subject elsewhere in biology texts and on the Internet.

On the EFAs, yes, there ARE chemical differences; otherwise they wouldn't get the "essential" label. Books are written about these fatty acids, and I can give you the title of my favorite book if you are interested.

I am not trying to fight with you here, and I'm sorry if I'm posting information in too sketchy a fashion and if that's annoying to you. I am truly not trying to be air-headed or a pompous bore, and I don't seem to know where/how to strike the right balance between quick-comment and substantiated-research in order to make what I thought was an interesting observation in need of further research.:wink:

 

[MagicTongue]

One thing that I find helps me lose weight is giving up the sodas, and drinking tea instead. I can't stand drinking plain water so Tea is the best thing I can get into my system right now. I lost like 20 pounds drinking tea earlier this year... Unfortunately I ran out of tea and relapsed into my habit of drinking sodas again... But I've got tea in my cupboards again...

I drink about a 1 gallon pitcher of tea a day.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

I'd second many of the posts about poor nutrition due to a proliferation of addictive junk foods coupled with a lack of aerobic type excercise.

I'd also say urban planning that favors automobile transport over safe pedestrian or bicycle acces is as much to blame as anything else. Also consider the American tendency to spend so many hours working and commuting.

The health care costs of the obesity epidemic are not going to be trivial.

 

[dolfette]

I'd also say urban planning that favors automobile transport over safe pedestrian or bicycle acces is as much to blame as anything else. Also consider the American tendency to spend so many hours working and commuting. .

i was amazed when i visited the states.

people get into cars to cross the road! some areas seemed almost to be designed to be hostile to pedestrians.
here i walk everywhere but there it wasn't realistic.