Obesity in the UK is more like mid 20%. Still too high obviously.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Obesity among US adults reaches all-time high, 40% of adults and 19% of kids
- Thread starter ElectricBlanketFire
- Start date
Obesity in the UK is more like mid 20%. Still too high obviously.
shnurgleton
Member
Obese American checking in
The obesity epidemic is not exclusive to America...
Astral Dog
Member
150 calories my ass
Sunster
Member
it's not the calories that are getting you. it's the sugar.
Nikodemos
Member
Or, rather, that all those calories are derived from sugar. Not all calories are equal. A calorie from beef liver =/= a calorie from refined sugar. The human body is not a furnace.
CreepingFear
Member
It really is part of our culture. Every fucking day at work, someone brings in some sort of carbs whether doughnuts, bagels, or pizza. As someone who has struggled with my weight all my life, it is torture.
The problem with taxing "unhealthy food" is the parameters by which one defines food as unhealthy. For example, I follow a low carb diet that is high in healthy fats, moderate in protein, and extremely low in carbohydrates. My blood work and other measurements of health are now way better than they were when my diet resembled the SAD.
I eat fatty cuts of meat on a regular basis. I do not consume any fruit (with the exception of the occasional <1 oz of berries maybe). I consume 4-5g of salt per day.
Fat is great for me - not so much for somebody who is following a higher carb / low fat diet. And, as we know, consuming both high fat and high carb is a recipe for disaster without a lot of discipline in calorie consumption.
Aside from a few common denominators (vegetables, lean meats) between both lifestyles these dietary choices share little in common in regards to the types of food consumed. So what gives you or me the right to artificially dictate what people should or should not eat, especially when nutritional science is by and large changing on a regular basis?
Just me who thinks 3 years old is still far too young to let them eat crap like McDonalds?
CreepingFear
Member
I have memories of teething babies being given Mc Donald's french fries. It's perfect when you think about it. They are soft and easy to eat for a baby just starting solids.
entremet
Member
Plus you're sitting all day. It's just a horrible food environment we have.
It isn't cheaper, it's a matter of effort and access. Some veggies are on the more expensive side but some, like cabbage, carrots, potatoes, spinach, and onions are extremely cheap, it just takes work to knock those into something most people would call "food," and that gas stations usually don't stock them.
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
So are cucumber sticks.
Yeah. There needs to be some serious public education campaigns including in schools to tell people that eating unhealthy and being overweight is not ok. The normalization of heavy really needs to be dialed back for change to start.
Polioliolio
Member
The people need to understand that what they think is normal relatively healthy food on their grocery store shelves is loaded with garbage and added sugars. Don't put your faith in normality.
You cut that shit out, you don't gain weight like you have been.
In order to have this viewpoint, you need a little paranoia in you. A little leftist, against the man, kind of attitude. You have to rebel to eat healthy. Food industries are not on your side. Assume the worst.
You cut that shit out, you don't gain weight like you have been.
In order to have this viewpoint, you need a little paranoia in you. A little leftist, against the man, kind of attitude. You have to rebel to eat healthy. Food industries are not on your side. Assume the worst.
when i worked at mcdonald's we were trained on their "get 'em while they're young" philosophy to create life-long customers. you can't be too strict about mcdonald's.
CreepingFear
Member
and water is all we need to drink. Stating that fact doesn't change things.
theofficefan99
Junior Member
Not surprised. Everyone eats garbage on a daily basis, including my former self.
Thankfully I'm no longer obese or overweight :-D
Thankfully I'm no longer obese or overweight :-D
DiipuSurotu
Banned
Lol. You would think they would get a clue :/
Widdle Puppy
Banned
So much junk food in the US. It's not that there isn't healthy food there. It's just that there is so much opportunity to eat junl food that you can become dependant on it.
Portions. Not joking. They will eat all the same shit, but it's less than half the size. A large in Japan is between a small and medium here
DiipuSurotu
Banned
Eat cabbage not garbage!
Fulminator
Member
Fucking big sugar sneaking sugar in everywhere and getting people addicted without them even knowing
Fuck
Fuck
nekkid
It doesn't matter who we are, what matters is our plan.
Im never going to deny my kids that stuff. But Im not going to feed it to them every week. Or every month. Like all things enjoyable - its about moderation.
Shit, both our kids were fed during weaning using home-cooked recipes that were designed to develop their palette and make them appreciate vegetables because we refused to give them stuff out of jars.
And apart from that odd occasion they both drink just water, when every other kid seems to throw a fit when theyre not given a Fruit Shoot.
Well a child who appears to be overweight to that guy you quoted isn't necessarily an unhealthy child. Like that's dumb
DiipuSurotu
Banned
How is overweight not necessarily unhealthy?
That I don't get, to be both severly obese and still have huge, obviously ridiculous, portions of food. Surely not all are eating away their depression/anxiety?
Maybe they are but it's best not to wind yourself up about strangers and constructively help those close to you.
Chocolate & Vanilla
Fuck Strawberry
I watched a programme on the American corn syrup industry a while back. You put that shit in almost everything you consume. It's insane.
The information is out there what we're lacking is access. I'm not surprised minority demographics are higher on the scale due to the lack of local grocers. Many communities are food deserts combined with the increased cost of living, families have less time to prepare healthy meals and have to work more hours to make ends meet.
People are exhausted and reach for the most accessible option which is often unhealthy.
I also feel like we aren't talking to people who are overweight with respect. Oftentimes, even in this thread, we have photos just to laugh at how fat someone is. The bullying and harassment can lead those who are overweight to depression or even an eating disorder.
Overeating is often a symptom of other issues. So taxing unhealthy foods won't address the problem.
Honestly, I don't feel like people want to address this issue. There's a lot of judgment and so much could be solved with local grocery stores and perhaps more subsidies for programs like EBT so people don't feel so financially strapped so they can choose other options.
People are exhausted and reach for the most accessible option which is often unhealthy.
I also feel like we aren't talking to people who are overweight with respect. Oftentimes, even in this thread, we have photos just to laugh at how fat someone is. The bullying and harassment can lead those who are overweight to depression or even an eating disorder.
Overeating is often a symptom of other issues. So taxing unhealthy foods won't address the problem.
Honestly, I don't feel like people want to address this issue. There's a lot of judgment and so much could be solved with local grocery stores and perhaps more subsidies for programs like EBT so people don't feel so financially strapped so they can choose other options.
Read what I said.
CreepingFear
Member
Until the last three years, I usually had minimum wage jobs where I had to stand up all day. I don't miss waking up at night with my calves spasms.
Many other Western countries have increasing obesity rates, but at least here vegetables and fruit are cheap, fast food is way more expensive than cooking some simple potatoes with vegetables and since meat is expensive, many people don't consume obscene amounts. It's mostly the convience and reduced free time that drives Ammericans towards the unhealthy fastfood, but that's not something you can easily change, even through education.
A 30% drop in soda consumption means instead of 53 gallons a year people are drinking 35 gallons, which is still a ridiculous amount. I doubt I drink even 3 gallons of soda a year (which is 12 liters or so). It still boggles my mind the average person is drinking 130 liters of soda a year- that's a soda can every day, for an entire year.
Skellig Gra
Member
Yeah this is depressing. My son is the only one who gets home cooked meals at his day care. Everyone else only gets prepackaged stuff.
A lot of restaurants featured on that show seem to have large portions of food as "eating challenges" on the menu. I mean, the large portions aren't just specially made for the show to entertain the viewers. To eat a lot in America is seen as some sort of achievement, normal even.
Is it really down to a lack a of education? I don't think it is. I think people in the US simply like to eat a lot of food regardless of the health consequences. That's the impression I get as a non-American. I live in the UK where we seem to be following in the US's footsteps, albeit at a slower pace. I see a lot of fat people who look educated loading up on unhealthy food at the supermarket. They know it's unhealthy because the packaging tells them it is, but they still do it.
Platinumstorm
Member
I often think it's a matter of time at the end of the day for people due to long working hours and commuting. The addage was 8 hours of rest, 8 hours of work, and 8 hours of recreation. This isn't a reality.
I've certainly contributed to the problem. I used to be close to 300 pounds post surgical complications and a very unambitious lifestyle.
A few years ago I dropped 80 pounds, and I've regained 20 of that; and feel horribly fat.
I'm very active, I eat out less than once a week, and when I do eat out its at healthy establishments, which actually do exist where I am.
Even with my activities which involve hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and going to the gym, I still clock in at borderline obese, granted, being a very tall person BMI doesn't exactly capture me well.
Yesterday I worked from 8-5, including over my lunch hour; came home; was on the computer for an hour, then did work from 7-10. I browsed the internet for half an hour and went to bed.
I've certainly contributed to the problem. I used to be close to 300 pounds post surgical complications and a very unambitious lifestyle.
A few years ago I dropped 80 pounds, and I've regained 20 of that; and feel horribly fat.
I'm very active, I eat out less than once a week, and when I do eat out its at healthy establishments, which actually do exist where I am.
Even with my activities which involve hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and going to the gym, I still clock in at borderline obese, granted, being a very tall person BMI doesn't exactly capture me well.
Yesterday I worked from 8-5, including over my lunch hour; came home; was on the computer for an hour, then did work from 7-10. I browsed the internet for half an hour and went to bed.
Because, to them, it very likely isn't "obviously ridiculous." It's just normal, what the pizza place probably called a "large" and, when you're obese, large = 'this will fill you up and make you feel good'.
The most shocking thing to me after starting my weight loss journey was realising just how massive my portions before actually were. To me they just felt normal, it was normal to pile tons onto a plate and go back for seconds if available. When I started really looking at what my thinner friends and acquaintances actually ate the portions seemed tiny.
badboy78660
Member
Portion sizes available are one thing that come to my mind; portion offerings at fast food places here in the States are huge! I'd imagine they'd only increase to accommodate the "average" American's ever increasing girth.
Serious question, is that real person or is it photo-shopped?
Shadow Puppetry
Member
I love spices and herbs. I load up my food with them and don't add much oil when I cook and can count the number of savory dishes I regularly cook and add any sweetness to on one hand, and even then it's not much at all. I loves spice and lots of flavor and it doesn't even have to be hot/spicy.
I wish more food would trend in that direction. I can't count the number of times I've had catered food at events or meetings that was just oily, had way too much cheese (and I love cheese), sweet for seemingly no reason, etc. Two very memorable catered meals I've had recently were a giant mass Indian meal that was lentils, vegetables, and rice. Another was a line of rice, veggies, meat, etc. in Korean style, almost like a assemble it yourself bibimbap. Both were way tastier, healthier, and didn't feel like they'd just been sitting around to congeal all day. I bet they were way cheaper and easier too, but for some reason that sort of thing is rare here.
DiipuSurotu
Banned
So edgy bro