U.S. Now the Most Overweight Country

[erratic]

Last time I was in Canada, there were as many fat asses up there as there were down here in the US.

Obesity is a world epidemic, not just an American one.

This is very true. Canada is getting fatter and fatter and fatter, especially in the suburbs, which has bought in wholesale to the American suburban nightmare lifestyle. Drive everywhere, walk nowhere, fast food is "going to a restaurant." I've tried to go for five minute walks before and had people tell me it's too far and they'll give me a ride. I've had people look at me like I've got a third head when I tell them I enjoy hour-long walks. It's depressing.

That being said, I don't want to talk down the severity of the American obesity epidemic. Of all the countries I've been to, none has had the amount of astonishing obesity, enormous portions, or sugar hidden in everything, that I've seen in the US. And it's been a while since I've been to the States, so if things have gotten worse, then I bet Canada will be getting worse too.

 

[BIGBULL29]

This is very true. Canada is getting fatter and fatter and fatter, especially in the suburbs, which has bought in wholesale to the American suburban nightmare lifestyle. Drive everywhere, walk nowhere, fast food is "going to a restaurant." I've tried to go for five minute walks before and had people tell me it's too far and they'll give me a ride. I've had people look at me like I've got a third head when I tell them I enjoy hour-long walks. It's depressing.

That being said, I don't want to talk down the severity of the American obesity epidemic. Of all the countries I've been to, none has had the amount of astonishing obesity, enormous portions, or sugar hidden in everything, that I've seen in the US. And it's been a while since I've been to the States, so if things have gotten worse, then I bet Canada will be getting worse too.

But there are pockets of the US where the obesity problems are less severe . For example, the state of Colorado has less obesity (if I remember correctly) than other states (more fit people).

People from other countries fail to remember that America is made of different states; and within those are different laws and slightly different cultures/accents/lifestyles.

Other countries need to stop blaming the US for their obesity problem. The UK, Australia, France, etc. can easily give a big resounding NO to American imports. And they won't, so obviously there is something about American things the world cannot resist (good or bad).

 

[BIGBULL29]

You will be telling me next Americans are Teetotal :wink:

No (maybe 40 years ago) ... LOL

Our drinking culture pales in comparison to yours -- seriously (wsa shocking to me [my puritanical roots])

We also use the term "binge drinking" over here.

Take care

(PS: Don't drink too much, and I won't eat too much:biggrin1

 

[Pompeynate]

But there are pockets of the US where the obesity problems are less severe . For example, the state of Colorado has less obesity (if I remember correctly) than other states (more fit people).

People from other countries fail to remember that America is made of different states; and within those are different laws and slightly different cultures/accents/lifestyles.

Other countries need to stop blaming the US for their obesity problem. The UK, Australia, France, etc. can easily give a big resounding NO to American imports. And they won't, so obviously there is something about American things the world cannot resist (good or bad).

The same is true of the UK of course. In Scotland people don't live as long as in England & people up there have more of a drink problem too... I would say that northern parts of England are also not as healthy as London & the south east, though there are fat people everywhere...

Although we have many American brands over here in the UK, most of it is made here & not imported, so we don't put half as much crap into it. For example Sunkist & Fanta in the US are a very dark orange colour, yet here in the UK they are more of a yellowy colour as we don't allow artificial colourings in foodstuffs any more. Even chocolate is different, try a Snickers bar from the US & then one from the UK & they taste so different...

 

[erratic]

But there are pockets of the US where the obesity problems are less severe...

People from other countries fail to remember that America is made of different states; and within those are different laws and slightly different cultures/accents/lifestyles...

Other countries need to stop blaming the US for their obesity problem...

You're preaching to the choir. No country is homogeneous. Compare Toronto to Mississauga, or Montreal to Laval. You'll see very different body shapes, and there's more and more research piling up showing that the sedentary suburban lifestyle, as opposed to the more active urban and rural lifestyles, may bear a large chunk of the responsibility for the difference. And if it came off like I'm trying to blame the US for our obesity problem in Canada...well, that's not what I meant. I said we bought into the problem wholesale. In my mind, that's very different from saying it was foisted on us.

 

[monel]

I just heard on the radio that schools are having to deal with the "larger" students. From elementary school on up, the kids are getting too big for the desks and so the schools have to get bigger desks.

I wonder if there is any connection to the availability of chicken nuggets in the school cafeterias.

 

[Pompeynate]

I just heard on the radio that schools are having to deal with the "larger" students. From elementary school on up, the kids are getting too big for the desks and so the schools have to get bigger desks.

I wonder if there is any connection to the availability of chicken nuggets in the school cafeterias.

Schools over here have banned unhealthy food from canteens (thanks mainly to Jamie Oliver's campaign), some are even going an extra step & confiscating chocolate & candy from packed lunches...

Though there were some stupid (& fat) mothers pictured in the press buying burgers & the like & passing them to children through the fence of the school

 

[petite]

Both of my parents are health conscious and raised me to be well educated about nutrition and how to eat healthy on a daily basis. I'm lucky that my parents did that because I've never had a problem with weight. I remember being a kid and living in America and thinking it was odd that everyone else drank soda all the time and we never did, or that pizza was a rare treat because my mother cooked fresh food for us, and we never ate fast food unless we were literally on a road trip. We almost never ate fried foods, so I was one kid who didn't eat fries regularly. They raised me to always be aware of how much fat I consumed every day and they taught me how to read food labels and keep track of things like my fat and sugar consumption. I think most Americans would think that is excessive, but I haven't had weight related health problems and I've never struggled with staying thin, so perhaps it's the other way around, perhaps the lack of care and attention to those things is what is actually excessive and my parents raised me to pay attention to the correct things to give me the gift of a long healthy life.

Being healthy in America is definitely feasible. I think most people were just raised with bad habits, and those are so difficult to change. Then I see parents passing on their own bad habits to their kids. It bothers me whenever I read the moms on the mothering forums use "my mom gave me X to eat so I consider it a tradition" but they're talking about Macaroni and Cheese for toddlers or something else that shouldn't be considered "traditional" as a daily food.

 

[vince]

But there are pockets of the US where the obesity problems are less severe . For example, the state of Colorado has less obesity (if I remember correctly) than other states (more fit people).

People from other countries fail to remember that America is made of different states; and within those are different laws and slightly different cultures/accents/lifestyles.

Other countries need to stop blaming the US for their obesity problem. The UK, Australia, France, etc. can easily give a big resounding NO to American imports. And they won't, so obviously there is something about American things the world cannot resist (good or bad).

People in other countries are well aware that America is made up of different states and cultures etc. We aren't stupid. Actually on the whole, we are probably more aware of American culture than the average American is of ours. And where did anyone blame the US for for their eating disorder? Some of us have commented on the size of portions and the lack of walking, but no one "blamed" anyone.

btw- I had pizza for dinner!

 

[bobg4400]

They raised me to always be aware of how much fat I consumed every day and they taught me how to read food labels and keep track of things like my fat and sugar consumption.

This makes sense if you keep it under control but it seems like the kinda thing that could all too easily spiral into an obsession and an eating disorder or something. It would be easier just to pick things you know are generally healthy rather than read all the nutrition information and keep track of everything all the time.

 

[petite]

This makes sense if you keep it under control but it seems like the kinda thing that could all too easily spiral into an obsession and an eating disorder or something. It would be easier just to pick things you know are generally healthy rather than read all the nutrition information and keep track of everything all the time.

Oh brother. See, this kind of reasoning is why I think people get messed up about food. They believe that paying attention to what you eat is somehow even less healthy than not paying attention.

Keeping track of how much fat and sugar you eat isn't difficult - not as difficult as trying to avoid all sugar and fat because you'd rather not keep track of it. That's much more extreme. It's not like you should just avoid eating all butter because it's too annoying to remember how much butter you ate. People need to indulge sometimes and in moderation there isn't anything wrong with fat or sugar, but moderation means that if you've eaten one high fat food today, you probably shouldn't for the rest of the day. That's keeping a moderate lifestyle. And I don't understand how a person can "just pick things you know are generally healthy" unless you actually know what is actually generally healthy. You can't just pick up any granola bar, for example. Some of them are as unhealthy as candy bars. You actually have to read the labels to know if it's good for you or just a food that's being marketed as healthy when it's not. Or salad dressing. That's a big one. Salads in general are healthy, but unless you read the label on the salad dressing and look at the serving size, it might be making you fatter instead of helping you stay healthy. All this is basic common sense, but bring it up and someone inevitable will bring up that they think being health-conscious is it's own sickness.

 

[bobg4400]

That actually seems harder. It's not like you should just avoid eating all butter because it's too annoying to remember how much butter you ate. That's not a reasonable way to eat.

That's an extreme example.
I meant something more like buying margarine instead of butter or cooking in sunflower oil instead of butter. Or buying semi-skimmed milk instead of the full-cream. Just things like substituting one thing for a helathier version of it will make a difference since you automatically will be eating healthier food without having to obsess over how much fat or sugar or whatever everything has.

 

[petite]

That's an extreme example.
I meant something more like buying margarine instead of butter or cooking in sunflower oil instead of butter. Or buying semi-skimmed milk instead of the full-cream. Just things like substituting one thing for a helathier version of it will make a difference since you automatically will be eating healthier food without having to obsess over how much fat or sugar or whatever everything has.

But it doesn't matter if margarine is healthier than butter if you eat too much of it every day. You can't just choose a healthier fat. You have to also remember not to eat too much of it. Quantity matters. It matters a lot. The rule of thumb I was raised with when I was young was to shoot for 30 grams of fat per day. That could be in any form I wanted. If I wanted to eat a candy bar then I could, but then I had to choose not to eat butter on my veggies. So I learned not to eat butter on my veggies because I happen to like chocolate. It takes a little bit of discipline, but it takes a lot less discipline when it's already a habit.

 

[bobg4400]

But it doesn't matter if margarine is healthier than butter if you eat too much of it every day. You can't just choose a healthier fat. You have to also remember not to eat too much of it.

Assuming you don't suffer from some sort of disease that renders you unable to stop eating most people will stop eating when they're full. Even if you eat the same amount of food as before, because the food is healthier you'll automatically lose weight as you'll be consuming less energy. So there'll be less excess energy to convert to fat.

 

[MickeyLee]

food network.
cooks network.
food porn.

food is a fetish these days.
once ya tie something to pleasure response ya just asking for devilment to follow.
*sigh*

 

[petite]

Assuming you don't suffer from some sort of disease that renders you unable to stop eating most people will stop eating when they're full. Even if you eat the same amount of food as before, because the food is healthier you'll automatically lose weight as you'll be consuming less energy. So there'll be less excess energy to convert to fat.

BTW, I don't eat butter, I usually use an omega-3 blend that tastes buttery, but that's now.

If that works for you, then good for you. I don't believe it would work for me. I do gain weight sometimes and when I do, I have to change my diet to lose the weight again. My diet is generally extremely healthy as it is, but sometimes I start to gain a few lbs and I am strict about not growing out of my clothes. When my pants start to feel tight, which is about five lbs overweight, I go back on my "diet" again to lose the weight. According to you, somehow I shouldn't be gaining any weight at all because I made healthier choices? I don't understand where you're going with this...

My dieting philosophy is that one should rely upon foods that naturally keep one fuller and are less calorie dense by volume, so I eat oatmeal a few times a day (no butter, only omega-3 oils and cod liver oil and yogurt) and a lot of raw vegetables and fruit, 3 ounces of lean meat at a time. I lean heavily towards a lot of vegetables eaten without fat. I avoid bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes. I do not calorie count. I eat whenever I feel hungry and I snack all day. I do not believe in hunger. I also drink a lot of tea: green, black, herbal. It always works. In about four weeks I'm back down to the size I like to be and I didn't starve myself or make myself miserable or rely upon any gimmicks, just healthy food.

I don't understand what you're criticizing. I honestly don't possibly see how I could eat healthier, but you seem insistent that there's something wrong with me.

 

[monel]

Schools over here have banned unhealthy food from canteens (thanks mainly to Jamie Oliver's campaign), some are even going an extra step & confiscating chocolate & candy from packed lunches...

Though there were some stupid (& fat) mothers pictured in the press buying burgers & the like & passing them to children through the fence of the school

I think schools should offer only healthy meals. I don't mean "health" food per se but rather do away with the overly processed crap, sodas, etc. and provide reasonable portions.However the government oversteps its bounds when it starts to dictate what a parent chooses to feed his/her child. There was a case in a School in a southern state where a girl's lunch consisting of a turkey sandwich and potatoe chips (crisps) was confiscated because some bureaucrat determined it to be unhealthy. She was then given the school's chicken nuggets. How such an imbecile ended up in education is scary enough. But I wouldn't want anyone second guessing what I choose to feed my kid.

Just because we elect clowns to public office doesn't make them any better at raising my kids than am I.

 

[bobg4400]

I don't understand what you're criticizing. I honestly don't possibly see how I could eat healthier, but you seem insistent that there's something wrong with me.

I'd like to point out that I wasn't referring to you specifically but using the plural form of 'you' to refer to people in general. I had no intention of criticising you and I apologize for not wording my post in such a way as to make that perfectly clear.

According to you, somehow I shouldn't be gaining any weight at all because I made healthier choices?

Again I wasn't clear enough, assuming you didn't alter your lifestyle in any way e.g changing levels of physical activity, changed portion sizes etc.
Then simply consuming food which has less calories per volume would result in weight loss simply as the ratio of energy supply to energy demand would lower and you would begin to lose weight as your body removed the excess fat.

Since most people tend not to do exactly the same thing each day their enery demand varies on a day to day basis meaning their weight would also fluctuate as the ratio of energy supply to energy demand changed. Peoples weight also fluctuates on larger timescales than daily such as monthly and even seasonally as people gain weight during the winter and lose it during the summer.

If you periodically gain weight without altering your diet then something else is altering the way your body is functioning to cause you to gain weight.

 

[vince]

food network.
cooks network.
food porn.

food is a fetish these days.
once ya tie something to pleasure response ya just asking for devilment to follow.
*sigh*

Have you seen this? Punchfork

My kid sent me the link and I was oh damn... I need to go shopping.

 

[petite]

I'd like to point out that I wasn't referring to you specifically but using the plural form of 'you' to refer to people in general. I had no intention of criticising you and I apologize for not wording my post in such a way as to make that perfectly clear.

Ah, okay. :smile:

Again I wasn't clear enough, assuming you didn't alter your lifestyle in any way e.g changing levels of physical activity, changed portion sizes etc.
Then simply consuming food which has less calories per volume would result in weight loss simply as the ratio of energy supply to energy demand would lower and you would begin to lose weight as your body removed the excess fat.

Since most people tend not to do exactly the same thing each day their enery demand varies on a day to day basis meaning their weight would also fluctuate as the ratio of energy supply to energy demand changed. Peoples weight also fluctuates on larger timescales than daily such as monthly and even seasonally as people gain weight during the winter and lose it during the summer.

You're correct, I should perhaps alter my lifestyle sometimes. I could rely upon exercise to lose weight, I just usually don't. I rely upon changing my diet instead. I think it's because it's what I've found that works for me. While exercise is very important, I know a lot of people who think that they can eat anything that they want because they look fit, and I suspect that isn't true. Looking healthy doesn't mean that they are healthy. For example, a lot of fit looking guys are damaging their livers and kidneys with all their supplements to keep them looking good, which will come back to haunt them some day. No matter how much I exercise, I'm always going to be paying attention to what I eat.

I do lose excess fat, but I do so by consuming fewer calories by choosing different kinds of foods, less calorie dense foods (but more nutrient dense). I'm literally health-conscious, so when I gain weight, it matters to me that while I lose excess fat that I don't sacrifice eating a healthy diet. One of the reasons why I rely upon oatmeal is because not only does it keep one fuller, it has also been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, and if I've gained excess fat, then I'm concerned about making sure that I'm not accumulating that fat in my arteries.

If you periodically gain weight without altering your diet then something else is altering the way your body is functioning to cause you to gain weight.

It's not a mystery why I sometimes gain weight. It's when I eat more than I burn, just like everyone else. I don't count calories and I don't rely upon a scale. I use the belly fat finger pinch test. It's very unscientific, but more accurate than the scale or counting calories because as you pointed out, one's calorie needs are constantly changing depending upon physical exertion, which is constantly changing depending upon one's lifestyle and even the season. Sometimes I exceed my calories needs. It's normal and it happens to everyone. The difference is that I reverse course whenever I detect that I'm gaining weight before it becomes a bigger problem. All my clothes are in the same size because I stubbornly refuse to grow out of them.

I also have rules for indulging because I believe that it's important. I believe that maintaining a regular lifestyle of healthy eating gives me the freedom to indulge and looking forward to indulging gives me the incentive to eat healthy. I like to make those times special, so I eat anything I want when I go on vacation and on holidays. There's nothing worse than seeing someone attempting to diet when there's a lavish holiday spread out, so I consider those no-guilt days. :yup:

Here's another rule I have: it's either got to be very delicious or very healthy. As far as I can see, there's two reasons for eating, to keep oneself healthy and happy, and to indulge in the hedonistic pleasure of eating. I refuse to eat food that doesn't fit into one of those two categories. If it's not particularly healthy and it doesn't taste really good, then why bother eating it? So I'll eat like a Yoga instructor all day and then have a creme brulee. Yay for moderation! :smile:

I don't normally talk about stuff like this. I feel like other people don't like it when someone else talks about their nutritional or diet philosophy, but since it seems to be a major theme of this thread, I'm breaking that rule.