Are Americans getting fatter?

[TexasSissy]

I was out at lunch today eating a sandwich in a downtown office building tunnel. As I looked around, I saw that almost every person I saw was overweight, and a lot of them were obese. A number of the population will always be obese, and some will always be thin, etc. But it seems to me that more and more Americans are getting very overweight.

I can remember, say, 30 years ago. Not that many people were obese. But now, there are lots, it seems.

What's happening in this country? Is it the food? Is it the computers? (I've had to struggle with my weight more since getting a computer 9 years ago....I sit at home more than I used to because of the computer.) What the heck is it?

[NC_Nurse]

1. In a word

Yes.

Come to the hospital sometime....you won't believe it.

[Trajan]

2. I think you are on to something ....

The computer thing certainly doesnt help ...

Video games, DVD/VHS, 500 high definition, crystal-clear digital channels of eye-opening Television fare ...

Toss in TONS of fatty, sugary food each year, not to mention the stupid, useless diets were desparately try : Is there ANY DOUBT that we have become a nation of absolute sloth ?

[0007]

5. .....and all that fat free food that isn't indeed fat free.

[Left Is Write]

14. Part of the problem with "fat free" and "lowfat" products

is that people think it's an excuse to eat as much of those products as they want. They same thing happens with "low carb" products.

Products that are fat-free, lowfat, and low carb still have calories. And calories in vs. calories out is still the bottom line as far as weight goes. People need to understand that you still can't eat an entire box of Snackwells just because they are "lowfat." Smart choices and portion control have to play the biggest part. In fact, it would be better to eat a regular fat cookie if one wants a cookie - one regular fat cookie will be more satisfying and keep one full longer than eating a bunch of "light" cookies.

[0007]

Exactly! The marketing & advertisement folks play the sheep

like a fiddle. :nopity:

[frank frankly]

18. no doubt in my mind

we are quite revolting, in general.

thanks RONNIE RAYGUN for gutting education! you motherfucker!

and thanks ray kroc for all the POiSON!

[rene moon]

3. YES

It's very sad.

[UrbScotty]

4. Some are, but I'm actually losing weight.

I've lost 15 pounds and a pants size this year.

[central scrutinizer]

6. About the weight you lost...

I think I found it.

[BiggJawn]

50. No, I found it...

They're right, I AM getting fatter...

Not a happy-maker, that's for damn certain.

[UrbScotty]

53. Why did I just know you were going to say that?

;-)

[Left Is Write]

17. I lost weight too.

After my youngest child weaned, I found myself twenty pounds heavier than when I'd gotten pregnant with him. I'd never been overweight in my life (and, at 135 pounds, I still wasn't technically "overweight" for my height, but I *was* overfat). I lost 25 pounds and took my bodyfat percentage from 32.6% to 20.4%. I've worked hard developing lots of lean muscle mass, and lifting weights is also helpful for preventing osteoporosis (as a short, slender white woman, I am at high risk for osteoporosis).

I do some form of exercise every day, and I lift weights at least three days a week.

[TexasSissy]

42. Congrats, Leftie! That is a remarkable accomplishment. I am

a believer in wt. lifting (of the normal variety) for women; it helps with the osteoporosis risk, as well as just developing more lean muscles that aerobics won't do.

[UrbScotty]

54. Good for you!

:-)

[mosin]

23. I started running again this summer...

and I've lost about 25 pounds since July. I plan on losing about 40 more, though it's well-distributed, so I don't particularly look like a need it. I ran the NYC marathon a few weeks ago, and I'm going to run the Kentucky Derby and Chicago marathons next year.

I'm happy to report that once you're actually in shape, running is kinda fun. :) When you first start, it just hurts. That's probably why so many people stay fat.

[TexasSissy]

43. Wow. I'm impressed. Never been a runner, and now that I'm

middle aged w/low back pain sometimes, I doubt it'd be good for me. But I've noticed that runners are almost ALWAYS skinny! Which is a good thing.

[Sideways]

51. I'm 45 5-9 130 Pounds

I run 45-60 miles a week. I've run 12 Marathons. It is good for you and so much fun. I am a size 4. I have 4 children including one who is 3. I don't eat any red meat I eat lots of fish and I am a vegetable freak. I don't eat chips or crackers not a snacker.

I drink a shit load of red wine. I live in Sicily it's a requirement.:evilgrin:

[mosin]

58. Fantastic

I'll be 5'11" 160 lbs when all is said and done. Right now it's 5'11" 200 lbs. :) I've run 7 marathons. 5 several years ago, and 2 in the last 2 months. (We had kids, and I got fat and lazy.) This winter, I'm running 35-50 miles a week in my training. It'll be a little higher in the spring and summer.

[Sideways]

59. Go Go Go

If you want any training tips just PM I have a good system. My best time is 3:17:27 and I am no super runner by any stretch. I will give you some good advice if you like. Much of it has to do with food.

[UrbScotty]

55. Amazing.

25 pounds? Three marathons?

Congratulations and continued good luck!

[TexasSissy]

41. Congratulations! I put on wt. this past year, but have now lost

some of it, on the way to losing more. I quit smoking, too!

Am exercising, watching food intake, etc., etc. It's hard werk!

[UrbScotty]

56. Dubya would agree: it is hard work.

You are doing an 'exemplarary' job.

Rarely is the question asked: Is our children losing weight?

[MissMillie]

46. I'm down 55 lbs. this year

And still losing.

[UrbScotty]

57. Fifty-five pounds?

Fantastic!

[CO Liberal]

7. It's The Food

They inject growth hormones into the beef cattle, and everything is loaded with sugar, chemicals, and perservatives.

[skygazer]

8. I think a big reason is because they're getting fatter younger

I seem to see a lot more overweight kids than I used to when I was growing up, or even when my kids were growing up. When I was a kid, we were always outside on bicycles or running around the neighborhood raising hell. Also, we had PE in school which I guess a lot of places don't any more. And we didn't have vending machines full of junk food - you either brought your own lunch or got the hot lunch that the school served.

[Left Is Write]

19. I agree.

We had NO vending machines in school when I was growing up. No pop, no candy, no Cheetos, no junk like that. PE was required in every grade from first through high school. Every year we participated in the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge. And every day all summer long, kids in my neighborhood were outside playing. Most of us had moms who didn't let us watch TV all day, and we didn't have video game systems.

[TexasSissy]

44. Same here. As kids we played outside all the time; now kids

stay inside and play computer games, etc.

[mcscajun]

9. a BIG part of the Problem? High-Fructose Corn Syrup

It replaced plain white sugar as the sweetener of choice for food manufacturers and processors some time ago...and it's insidious in its effects on the body's chemistry.

More details here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL

[Left Is Write]

20. That's one of the items I look for on food labels.

For example, I never buy the "flavored" diced tomatoes - you know the Italian or Mexican spiced, for example - almost all of them contain HFCS. If I'm not using fresh tomatoes, I will only used canned tomatoes that contain tomatoes and tomato juice, period.

I had to search high and low for whole wheat bread that was ACTUALLY whole grain AND that did not contain HFCS.

HFCS appears in a lot of products you would never guess contain it.

[Taverner]

26. Get Ezekiel 4:8 bread

Not only is it whole grain, it's sprouted wheat, and includes barley, lentils, spelt...

Yummy stuff...and high in protein and fiber. Oh and no HFCS.

[TexasSissy]

45. Bill Maher has mentioned this a couple of times.

I'm unaware of this issue, but I'll read that article.

[Left Is Write]

10. Maybe, but I think perceptions are changing also.

Case in point: last night my husband and I attended a basketball game as part of a gathering for his colleagues and guests. One woman and I were discussing the cheerleaders: all of them had a little meat on their bones; none were overly thin. In a million years I would NEVER, EVER consider any of them fat, not by a long shot. They simply looked healthy - neither emaciated nor chubby. This other woman agreed with me, and we also both thought it was nice that these girls didn't feel the need to starve themselves to be cheerleaders/dance line members.
This woman and I are both slender.

The girlfriend of this other woman's brother-in-law came over to talk to us during a performance of the cheerleaders/dance line. All she could talk about was how "fat" the girls were. That they were too chubby for the outfits, too fat to be cheerleaders, and they should be embarrassed to be out there. (And really! These girls were not fat!) Interestingly, this complaining woman was slightly overweight (although I wouldn't call HER "fat" either).

So are our perceptions changing? Do we think more people are fat because we've become so conditioned to the ultra-slender look? I do believe that on the whole, Americans probably are heavier than 20 or 30 years ago, but I also think our perceptions of what a healthy body looks like are skewed. I absolutely include myself in this group - I have a hard time with my own body perception as a one-time anorexic - but I do try to be realistic.

And yes, if Americans are getting heavier, I think a large part of the blame lies with too much sedentary time and not enough active time.

[Taverner]

21. Granted, but you have to admit

There are higher numbers of obese americans. I'm not talking about chubby, but 250-300 lb people.

I think mcscajun is onto something with the High Fructose Corn Syrup...

[liontamer]

31. i agree about perception

I was watching an episode of the monkees and the band had to go to the beach and there were a bunch of girls in bikinis that were supposed to go crazy over davy.

To my eyes they all looked really fat. They were bigger than most of my friends and they were all bouncing around in bikinis having a good time.

I also see it when i read older books. I once read a book in which a character bemoaned that she could never be the perfect 38 28 28. By the time I was in high school that ideal had dropped to 34 24 34.

[NewJeffCT]

32. disagree about perceptions

If anything, it has become more acceptable to be fat - how many fat actresses were on TV & movies in the 70s & 80s? I don't recall too many... Now, you have big stars in Oprah, Rosie O'Donnell, Roseanne Barr, Kathy Bates, as well as Kirstie Alley, Delta Burke, Kathy Najimy, etc that are heavy, plus a show called "Fat Actress" and chat rooms for Big Beautiful Women. There are groups dedicated to improving the self-esteem for heavy people, etc.

[Left Is Write]

37. Yes, but no one argues that these women aren't heavy.

My reference to perception is that many people see women who are a perfectly healthy weight (not overweight) as fat, like the cheerleaders I described. They were not fat, but the woman I quoted THINKS they are fat. When a size 0 actress puts on enough weight to be a size 4 or 6, people call her fat. Those are skewed perceptions.

[NewJeffCT]

38. that is true

The top "sexy" actresses these days are definitely thinner than they were in the days of Marilyn Monroe. But, that goes for men as well - John Wayne was the tough guy of his day, but he is way less buff than your average male lead these days.

[Placebo]

11. You makin' fun a me?

:P

[American Tragedy]

12. Am I the only one who doesn't see such a deluge of fat people?

Certainly not as many as statistics and cable news specials seem to suggest.

But then, I spend a vast percentage of my daily life in the university library, buried in books. I'm not terribly observant of my fellow man... unless it's something crazy.

Like for instance the old bearded Hispanic dude who looks exactly like Fidel Castro, even in his facial structure. He's been walking around the library in a dark military uniform complete with epaulets, buttons, and ribbons. Dammit I can't figure out what is going on there.

[Tweed]

15. Do you live in a city?

[American Tragedy]

16. Yes I do

Does that have an effect?

[Tweed]

25. It has a HUGE effect

People in cities walk more than other Americans. In cities, you are less likely to have guaranteed parking. It's more convenient to walk than it is to drive depending on where you are going even if it's cold outside. Just keeping your body active is key to maintaining a nice weight. Many towns in America aren't even set up for walking. Suburbs have communities without sidewalks. If you walk around people look at you weird (from their cars of course). You drive everywhere in smaller towns. Imagine how little walking someone does when their main walking is from their house to their car and back. Plus cities have a wider variety of food options. Suburbs tend to be heavy on fast food joints. More mom and pop type places can survive in the city.

[Tweed]

13. Is TV getting worse?

[babylonsister]

22. Lets not forget 'all you can eat' buffets.

I am always amazed at all the big people I see at these places.

[Scrooge]

24. food portions

I partially blame the restaurants, fine dining, as well as fast food. They advertise like crazy, and their food is nothing but fat. You could live all day on the calories from one upsized meal combo at a fast food restaurant. McDonalds is worst, although another one just came out with a sandwhich over 1400 calories!!! And when is the last time you finished a meal at any restaurant? I just order an appetizer and I am usually stuffed. Or I will simply share a plate.

Yes Americans are getting way fatter, and I dont think it is all their fault.

[Left Is Write]

30. No kidding on the restaurant portions!

They're insane! Everybody likes to get more bang for their buck, but it's certainly not healthy to eat those mammoth portion sizes. (And the restaurant staff acts like you're a big cheapskate if you want to share a meal. I just want to say, "Hey! It's not the money! We just don't need THAT MUCH food!")

Americans' ideas of portion sizes are skewed. I'll bet the average person has no idea what an actual portion size is. How many would be satisfied with 3 oz of meat and half a cup of rice?

One of the tricks I do at home is to fill half (or more) of my plate with vegetables. The other half is divided among meat and other side dishes. I always put the vegetables on first and load up. Leaves much less room for the other options.

[TexasSissy]

47. Yes, I read about that disgusting 1400 cal. burger! Can't believe it.

Who in the world needs a 1400 cal. fat laden burger? (now, cholesterol-laden, high-calorie Popeye's fried chicken with greasy fries and biscuits is another matter; who could live w/o those? My favorite....but haven't indulged in that for over two years. Sigh.)

[CalebHayes]

27. hell yeah

[CalebHayes]

28. hell yeah

[Kiteflyer]

29. I had an aunt

that weighed as much as two people combined. Whenever she was included in the guest list for a party we counted her as two when considering food portions. That way we never ran short on food.

[SmileyBoy]

33. I live in Farm Country, and almost no one around me is overweight.

It's very peculiar. Also because I'm 5'10", and I feel short compared to most of the males around me. Most of the girls at my college are almost my height at least. Also, I'm 35 pounds overweight, and I stick out like a sore thumb among all the buff, lean males and good-looking females.

[fnottr]

34. well, people who actually do farm work

are naturally going to be in better shape since they're getting plenty of excersize. In fact, the 'American Breakfast' (you know, something like 4 eggs, a pound of bacon and plenty of bread) was thought up when the majority of people had jobs that required a lot of physical exertion. Now days, people eat that way and sit in front of a computer all day. The consequences aren't too surprising.

[Left Is Write]

39. True. And running a household used to

take a lot more physical work also. Modern conveniences have significantly reduced the exercise value in basic housework.

[TexasSissy]

48. Yeah. Now my housework consists of ....

watching the dustbunnies tumble down the hallway. And a quick vacuuming if company is coming.

[fishnfla]

35. The remote contol, the drive thru, high fructose corn syrup

Americans are fat, ugly, and stupid

[RagingInMiami]

36. Two words

Super Size

[u4ic]

40. Here's an interesting program

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/diet/

This past Tuesday's Frontline.

[TexasSissy]

49. That's great. I've already forwarded it to a friend. Thanks!

[SemiCharmedQuark]

52. EVERYONE is getting fatter...that's what happens when jobs are composed of

sitting in front of a computer. 30 years ago, people actually had to work really hard in their jobs. As things get more and more automated, so much can be done just with a push of some buttons. Wow, great exercise there. And yet, this work is mentally taxing sometimes, and people are still tired from it and need to go home and relax. Couple that with people working long hours and getting their food from fast food places and you've got even more problems. It's not just the U.S., it's all over the world.

[SmokingJacket]

60. It's the High Fructose Corn Syrup.

They put that crap in everything! The human metabolism wasn't designed (or rather, evolved) to handle that much sugar. Look at the stats on soda consumption: almost pure corn syrup.

I've heard that HFCS is metabolized differently from regular sugar. (I've also heard that's bunk. But I believe it!)

Also, processed foods.

Also, never having to walk anywhere except to your car.