FreddieQuell
Member
Sure, most people aren't consciously overeating, but there's no reason you can't become aware of that oversight and start being conscious of what you eat.
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Obesity among US adults reaches all-time high, 40% of adults and 19% of kids
- Thread starter ElectricBlanketFire
- Start date
Sure, most people aren't consciously overeating, but there's no reason you can't become aware of that oversight and start being conscious of what you eat.
It's amusing how threads like this always end up being cluttered with "society made me fat" posts. They never outright say that, but it's easy to read between the lines and see the agenda.
I mean...I'm sure it's a contributing factor, but if you don't take personal responsibility at some point you'll always be that way.
I was in the States for the first time in about 10 years at the start of the month and it shocked me how large people are on average. Even the ones who aren't "obese". You see plenty of it here in Toronto too but it's just not on the same scale.
I mean...I'm sure it's a contributing factor, but if you don't take personal responsibility at some point you'll always be that way.
I was in the States for the first time in about 10 years at the start of the month and it shocked me how large people are on average. Even the ones who aren't "obese". You see plenty of it here in Toronto too but it's just not on the same scale.
ArkhamFantasy
Member
I see alot of people explaining what is causing the problem, and being realistic about the fact that 100 million obese americans arent going to wake up tomorrow and decide to completely change their eating habits.
I always avoid Whole Foods like the plague, but is it really that expensive compared to other groceries?
ClosingADoor
Member
Might be. But there is also a large role to play for the government to make sure food companies don't just dump all kinds of stuff in there because it is cheaper or more addictive. Or that these companies target kids with their ads and other incentives, knowing full well what the consequences of their marketing tactics are.
It's a bit like saying: people, just stop driving so fast and there will be less accidents! Instead of putting up speed limits to help with it.
Finale Fireworker
Member
I get really emotional about this. I am going to use a lot self-deprecating language in this post, but it is essential to express how badly this phenomenon makes me feel. Just know I am not looking for sympathy.
I am a little overweight. More than I would like to be. I'm generally ashamed of it even though I am "healthy", per my doctor. I've been making changes over the last few months to try to look better and, in turn, feel better.
My problem is that I was raised to always finish my food. I always had to eat what was on my plate. I always had to finish my food as to not waste money. I always had to eat everything as to not insult the host. So I didn't eat because I was hungry and I didn't stop because I was full. I ate because the food was ready and I stopped because it was gone.
To this day, I don't really "get hungry." Hunger is almost never my primary motivation for eating. I eat because I want to. I eat because it smells good or tastes good and feels good to eat. The act of eating, and the desire to eat, is completely divorced from any sense of biological need or nutrition. Eating is an act of personal satisfaction.
Logically, I know that this is gluttonous and disgusting. I know that nobody should eat like this. I know that this is a grossly indulgent culture of consumption that I need to counteract and discourage myself from participating in. Every year I am a little bit heavier. Last year's pants wont fit. Shirts will be too tight. Then I'll break down and delete every picture of myself I can find.
I might not show up in this statistic sample. But I recognize that I am getting worse and worse, and I am getting bigger and bigger, and it will not stop unless I stop.
What makes things so difficult for Americans is that food is linked directly with personal satisfaction and pleasure. It is not an act of biology, it is a desirable indulgence. You eat because food is delicious. You eat because it makes you happy. The only time it ever starts to weigh on you is when your clothes don't fit. And then what do you do?
With this mindset, changing your diet becomes an act of denial. It is a direct reduction of joy from your life. Eating becomes unsatisfying. Eating becomes a chore. And your heart and mind scream for a taste of what you were used to and you resent everyone around you who doesn't have to do what you're doing. Every time you have to eat eight almonds for lunch or have a single egg for breakfast you imagine eating bullets instead. Your ego begs for an alternative. A miracle pill, a surgery, a genie lamp, an deal with a demon, anything to shed the poundage without sacrificing something that makes you so basely and profoundly happy. You look at old pictures of yourself and wish you could look like that again. But to do that, to accomplish that, you have to be miserable.
I've been forcing a different diet for months now. I have a meatless dinner. I order the smallest size of everything. I don't drink any sugar drinks. I never have dessert and I don't buy snacks and I do that thing where you only measure out a cup of pasta every time you make it. I ride an exercise bike for thirty minutes a day. I am finally losing a little weight. The change is ever so slight that I wouldn't notice if I wasn't desperately hoping for results. Every day I am unhappy and everything feels hopeless.
Not just because I am a fat American, but because I have to be unhappy to get better. The question of changing your diet becomes a question of how unhappy you will let yourself get to maybe feel happier in the future. Meanwhile, every health journal and every fitness guru and every European reminds you in their own way how it's all your own fault. They're not even wrong. The truth hurts.
Fighting your all-American conditioning is extremely stressful. And it makes it worse because you know it's your culture's fault. You read about how other countries laugh at America, and they don't have the health problems America does, and how comfortable and balanced their diets are, and it's honestly humiliating.
Somebody from the UK once asked me why Americans put cheese on everything and I realized I'd never had just a hamburger in my life. I never make a deli sandwich without cheese on it. I've never had pasta without Parmesan on top. There are things I do compulsively and without even thinking because, to me, that's what food is. A hamburger without cheese is food by subtraction. It is inherently missing something and worse to eat. Why would I ever eat that?
And this is why I'm fatter every year. This is why I hate looking at pictures of myself. This is why every other country in the world sees Americans as fat slobs.
So I deny myself my favorite foods. I eat what feels like microscopically small portions. And I try to remind myself at all times that it's all an illusion. It is enough food. This is what eating is supposed to be like. And I think, wow, the fact I want to cry when I can only have a 4 oz hamburger is why everybody fucking hates America. And then I feel kinship with them, because I hate myself too.
So when I see these rising statistics, I am so sad. Because these statistics keep going up even though American food went through a health-renaissance in the last decade. Even though plant-based meats are skyrocketing and people eat avocados now and people go for baked foods instead of fried, everyone is still gaining weight.
You can only change the food so much. You need to kill the culture. That makes me think all hope is lost for the 40% of adults who are already obese. The only hope is their children who need to be raised to see food differently from a young age.
There's a lot of ways to talk about this. I've had long conversations with people who challenge the notion that being overweight is a reason to be upset with yourself. I've gone through cycles of self-care where I think I can accept what I look like and not hate my reflection. I've tried to turn my self-loathing into motivation and I've tried to get excited about results instead of the process. Not everyone feels like me. I really hope they don't. I wouldn't wish this mindset on anybody else.
But this is why I'm one of these statistics.
I am a little overweight. More than I would like to be. I'm generally ashamed of it even though I am "healthy", per my doctor. I've been making changes over the last few months to try to look better and, in turn, feel better.
My problem is that I was raised to always finish my food. I always had to eat what was on my plate. I always had to finish my food as to not waste money. I always had to eat everything as to not insult the host. So I didn't eat because I was hungry and I didn't stop because I was full. I ate because the food was ready and I stopped because it was gone.
To this day, I don't really "get hungry." Hunger is almost never my primary motivation for eating. I eat because I want to. I eat because it smells good or tastes good and feels good to eat. The act of eating, and the desire to eat, is completely divorced from any sense of biological need or nutrition. Eating is an act of personal satisfaction.
Logically, I know that this is gluttonous and disgusting. I know that nobody should eat like this. I know that this is a grossly indulgent culture of consumption that I need to counteract and discourage myself from participating in. Every year I am a little bit heavier. Last year's pants wont fit. Shirts will be too tight. Then I'll break down and delete every picture of myself I can find.
I might not show up in this statistic sample. But I recognize that I am getting worse and worse, and I am getting bigger and bigger, and it will not stop unless I stop.
What makes things so difficult for Americans is that food is linked directly with personal satisfaction and pleasure. It is not an act of biology, it is a desirable indulgence. You eat because food is delicious. You eat because it makes you happy. The only time it ever starts to weigh on you is when your clothes don't fit. And then what do you do?
With this mindset, changing your diet becomes an act of denial. It is a direct reduction of joy from your life. Eating becomes unsatisfying. Eating becomes a chore. And your heart and mind scream for a taste of what you were used to and you resent everyone around you who doesn't have to do what you're doing. Every time you have to eat eight almonds for lunch or have a single egg for breakfast you imagine eating bullets instead. Your ego begs for an alternative. A miracle pill, a surgery, a genie lamp, an deal with a demon, anything to shed the poundage without sacrificing something that makes you so basely and profoundly happy. You look at old pictures of yourself and wish you could look like that again. But to do that, to accomplish that, you have to be miserable.
I've been forcing a different diet for months now. I have a meatless dinner. I order the smallest size of everything. I don't drink any sugar drinks. I never have dessert and I don't buy snacks and I do that thing where you only measure out a cup of pasta every time you make it. I ride an exercise bike for thirty minutes a day. I am finally losing a little weight. The change is ever so slight that I wouldn't notice if I wasn't desperately hoping for results. Every day I am unhappy and everything feels hopeless.
Not just because I am a fat American, but because I have to be unhappy to get better. The question of changing your diet becomes a question of how unhappy you will let yourself get to maybe feel happier in the future. Meanwhile, every health journal and every fitness guru and every European reminds you in their own way how it's all your own fault. They're not even wrong. The truth hurts.
Fighting your all-American conditioning is extremely stressful. And it makes it worse because you know it's your culture's fault. You read about how other countries laugh at America, and they don't have the health problems America does, and how comfortable and balanced their diets are, and it's honestly humiliating.
Somebody from the UK once asked me why Americans put cheese on everything and I realized I'd never had just a hamburger in my life. I never make a deli sandwich without cheese on it. I've never had pasta without Parmesan on top. There are things I do compulsively and without even thinking because, to me, that's what food is. A hamburger without cheese is food by subtraction. It is inherently missing something and worse to eat. Why would I ever eat that?
And this is why I'm fatter every year. This is why I hate looking at pictures of myself. This is why every other country in the world sees Americans as fat slobs.
So I deny myself my favorite foods. I eat what feels like microscopically small portions. And I try to remind myself at all times that it's all an illusion. It is enough food. This is what eating is supposed to be like. And I think, wow, the fact I want to cry when I can only have a 4 oz hamburger is why everybody fucking hates America. And then I feel kinship with them, because I hate myself too.
So when I see these rising statistics, I am so sad. Because these statistics keep going up even though American food went through a health-renaissance in the last decade. Even though plant-based meats are skyrocketing and people eat avocados now and people go for baked foods instead of fried, everyone is still gaining weight.
You can only change the food so much. You need to kill the culture. That makes me think all hope is lost for the 40% of adults who are already obese. The only hope is their children who need to be raised to see food differently from a young age.
There's a lot of ways to talk about this. I've had long conversations with people who challenge the notion that being overweight is a reason to be upset with yourself. I've gone through cycles of self-care where I think I can accept what I look like and not hate my reflection. I've tried to turn my self-loathing into motivation and I've tried to get excited about results instead of the process. Not everyone feels like me. I really hope they don't. I wouldn't wish this mindset on anybody else.
But this is why I'm one of these statistics.
Are you or are you not responsible for what you put into your mouth?
Hashmal_Bringer_of_Order
Member
The positions are not mutually exclusive. You can acknowledge that people are at fault as individuals while realizing that the only way to fix this clearly through the looking-glass problem is through mass-coercion in the form of laws.
Of course there is no reason for you to become aware of it. But the thing is that we have more nutritional information available to us than ever before, people are bombarded with messages about healthy lifestyle and counting calories, there's no reason why anyone shouldn't be aware of what they eat.
Yet it isn't working.
I get you, and agree that sometimes that attitude is frustrating, but as someone who was TRYING to lose weight for a decade but couldn't because I didn't have the right info and education, I'm sure that education plays a huge role in it. Once I had the right info, it was easy. It was more about ignorance than willpower with me, and it's not hard to believe that the same is true for a bunch of people.
First of all, tons and tons of people in the west eat like this. I was raised the same way, and I ate like that for the longest time. 'Shit, I've did good at this thing, I'll just pop round the shop for some crisps and chocolate to reward myself.' 'Ah, I had a bad day, some sweets would make me feel better'. 'I was served this food, it would be rude not to finish it.' 'I'm out at this nice restaurant maybe for the only time ever, it'd be a shame not to try their desert menu.' Little bits of pleasure to get you through life.
Don't hate yourself for it, that's irrational - you seem to know that this is an emotional point for you. Just know that you can change - and you're obviously attempting to. What stands out to me is that you feel miserable with your diet. Something is badly wrong if that's the case. It's possible to go from an average of 3,000 calories a day to 1,600 calories a day while eating what you like - even as a fussy eater like me. Good nutrition is more about portion control than denying yourself the flavours you want.
I do not eat vegetables. Just won't. I still lost 50 lbs and went from borderline obese to healthy - and I never gave up my two favourite things - chocolate and ice cream. It was all about calorie control and portion control. Once I realised I didn't have to give up the all of the things I loved (I did give up some), dieting became easy and that daily misery you describe (which I felt once upon a time) disappeared.
Your body adjusts to new portion sizes over time, and eventually you get the same pleasure from the same foods, just at half the size. It sounds like portion sizes are a mental sticking point for you, but maybe if you allowed yourself more of the foods you like you'd have less of a problem with getting less of them? You'd feel less like you were punishing yourself.
For me, I gave up the following:
-Bread
-Potato chips
-Cake
-Non-alcoholic drinks with calories
Didn't give up but halved my portions:
-Pasta
-Chocolate
-Ice cream
-Beers
Ate normally:
-Meat & Cheese
Still never ate:
Fruits & Veg
That still left me with a lot to enjoy and two and a half years later it's just my life now, it's no longer an effort.
You could say you are responsible for what you put in your mouth but Ill give you an example of food industry fuckery. I generally eat low carb. Sometimes Ill get a McDonalds salad, grilled. It comes with ranch dressing(Newmans own). If you look up the nutritional information it has 0-1g of carbs, but the packet at McDonalds has like 8 or something per serving. It doesnt taste better then the store counter part, it actually tastes worse. Theres no reason for it to have those extra carbs in there its just a way to sneak more sugar in there. The more sugar you eat the hungrier you get at least thats how it is for most overweight people.
American culture does not help people make better eating choices. In many areas, particularly poorer ones, there is more access to fast food options than grocery stores. Even in areas with many grocery stores, if people cook in ways that mimic fast food (excess sugar and salt), the stores do not help all that much. Ads for candy, snacks, sodas, and other items with lots of excess sugar and salt are created for each age group. Fast food places send out coupons for BOGOs and 1/2 off our meals and sides and create membership programs that encourage repeat eaters. Our lifestyle is rather sedentary due to school and work taking up about half of the day when you include the time sitting in traffic and sitting on while working/learning. After being out all day, millions of us find it more convenient/time rewarding to just pick up fast food than go grocery shopping.
Diprosalic
Banned
i feel so sad everytime i see an obese kid.
that kid is getting screwed.
that kid is getting screwed.
Greedings
Member
Probably not.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24720114
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mens-health/obesity-unhealthy-and-unmanly
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/excess-weight-sperm-fertility/
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/05/erectile.dysfunction.lose.weight/index.html
I mean the medical evidence is there. Obesity is now the #1 cause of preventable death in the US. More and more studies show obesity leads to incresed estrogen production and lowered testosterone production. Obesity leads to asthma, diabetes, reduced lung capacity, blood clotting, high blood pressure, pain in joints and knees and back, depression and self esteem issues etc. Health at Every Size (HAES) I liken almost to vaccine hoaxes and climate change denial. Often using pseudoscience or feelings to counteract science and facts.
I also speak from personal experience. Losing weight was pssibly the best gift I have ever given myself. Reversed numerous health and mental issues.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
To be fair... that's because they aren't. xD Hell, every time I snack on an apple or an orange, I seem to actually get hungrier than I was before eating it >_>
This is bullshit pseudoscience. Nothing wrong with drinking water, but this whole "drink X glasses of water a way" has always been nonsense.
If you're thirsty, hydrate yourself. If you aren't, don't drink water, unless you want to.
Simple.
It's really not that far off though, depends how you define a glass I guess. the standard is your weight / 2 = how many oz. you should have per day. And that's a minimum, you may need to increase it for summer months and your activity level.
Fixed.
Basic rule: If you add nothing but 'common sense' to a disussion (which have objective facts), don't bother adding anything att all.
Extremely short explanation: Junk Food is extremely rewarding (to the brain) and makes you happy/happier/feel better even for just a moment.
The food that makes you happy/feel better can be found everywhere in western societys.
Now add commercial, social norm, cost, the fact that you don't have to cook, and enviroment that makes you sit still all day etc into the equation and you'll realise that your line of thinking falls short.
I'll se if I can find good articles/studies about it later.
Genes.
Does that include water you consume in the food you eat?
titiklabingapat
Member
When you don't have to 'think' or set aside special time to be active, it all adds up.
I never claimed obesity wasn't a major health issue. It is in fact. We actually agree. Period.
LordPezix
Member
Damn, straight bullshit all through this thread.
You know someone has never tried to eat healthy when they say eating healthy costs more than not. AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT HARVARD STUDY SHIT EITHER.
I tell you what costs more is peoples time.
Convenience makes people fat. People don't cook their own meals they would rather get fast food. (Insert I eat McDonald's Salads).
People don't walk. I drive for ride share and motherfuckers will wait 10 minutes just to go 6 blocks.
Anything that physically exhausts time for individuals is readily disposed in favor of convenient accessibility to a suitable substitute.
You know someone has never tried to eat healthy when they say eating healthy costs more than not. AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT HARVARD STUDY SHIT EITHER.
I tell you what costs more is peoples time.
Convenience makes people fat. People don't cook their own meals they would rather get fast food. (Insert I eat McDonald's Salads).
People don't walk. I drive for ride share and motherfuckers will wait 10 minutes just to go 6 blocks.
Anything that physically exhausts time for individuals is readily disposed in favor of convenient accessibility to a suitable substitute.
LegendofDragoonLives
Member
It's ok to eat these America.
titiklabingapat
Member
It's obvious that it's both. For instance, any one individual cannot control the design of their cities. Vast majority Americans live in metro areas with suburban style layout where the only way to get around is using a car.
The federal government by and large was the contributing factor for this and continue to still do. They subsidize owning a car, the infrastructure to support it and keep gas cheap. They literally had a page on the urban design books with the pictures of a grid like layout and suburban style layout. The former had the caption 'bad' and the latter had 'good' underneath them.
ArkhamFantasy
Member
Its alot worse in some states, south east in particular.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Maybe you're thinking of overweight (different category than obese), which is at 74% of American adults, IIRC.
You can eat whatever you want as long as you keep your calories in check.
It's ok to eat these America.
Sometimes American salads have more cals than our burgers btw.
Don't know what the solution is. Honestly food is one of the few reliable pleasures people have in their life. And most people don't have the self control to exercise or control their diet. Bad combo.
Not really the same, though. There are numerous reasons people are poor; some out of their control, some not.
The food you choose to eat is one of the few things in life that IS fully under your control.
It's really not that difficult. It's simple.. not easy, but simple. Food is an addiction, depression is a thing, but at the end of the day it's your decision whether or not to chase the McDragon.
Did you read the contradictory post you just wrote? Availability, pervasive advertising, and cultural food norms are all outside of your control. Disregarding this influence on your actions is very dismissive and part of how we got here in the first place.
Edit: I mean, I understand the position you're coming from, I'm not trying to be inflammatory. I also advocate personal responsibility. But I also think that the US's culture of food shares the blame.
titiklabingapat
Member
Food deserts in poor communities are a thing. These date back to the historical racist redlining of various communities especially communities of color, who also happen to be poorer.
Sure, if you want to overwork your kidneys for no particular reason and potentially die from water intoxication.
R10Neymarfan
Member
I read on Reddit that food deserts are a thing because mom and pop grocers don't want to take a risk on underserved neighborhoods. I am guessing same for farmers markets as well.
Beardz
Member
Is about habits (duh) I started changing mine about 3 or 4 years ago. Started with small things like just drinking plain water, then bread, then avoid sugar, etc.and I can say that every "sacrifice" worth it, I've never feel better in my life.
Being overweight is a long process just like being thin or fit again, you have to accept that there are no shortcuts and I think that's where the majority of people give up. We want change, but we want it fast and with the less effort possible.
Being overweight is a long process just like being thin or fit again, you have to accept that there are no shortcuts and I think that's where the majority of people give up. We want change, but we want it fast and with the less effort possible.
I lost 120 lbs by keeping a food diary and staying active. It was a pain in the ass, but got easier the longer I did it. And sure, I have binge meals or whatever from time to time. The 80/20 rule worked pretty well for me (80% I ate clean and kept portions low, 20% not so much).
It's pure willpower; blaming food companies, food deserts or whatever is just passing responsibility from yourself.
JasonUresti
Member
You guys can eat ice cream or pizza or cheeseburgers and lose weight.
You just can't eat that shit all the time. Go ahead, make a big greasy hamburger with cheese and bacon one day, but don't stop and get Taco Bell for lunch.
Have a slice of pie for dessert, but don't have it after a dinner of three slices of pizza and garlic bread. Space it all out. Make a cheat meal an infrequent reward for eating clean and being a little hungry on some other days.
And it's going to take time. No one gets fat in a week or a month, it's going to take time to get rid of it. Celebrate the small victories instead of only looking ahead to the end game. Like watching a teapot waiting fir it to boil, the more you obsess over it the longer and farther away it seems.
You just can't eat that shit all the time. Go ahead, make a big greasy hamburger with cheese and bacon one day, but don't stop and get Taco Bell for lunch.
Have a slice of pie for dessert, but don't have it after a dinner of three slices of pizza and garlic bread. Space it all out. Make a cheat meal an infrequent reward for eating clean and being a little hungry on some other days.
And it's going to take time. No one gets fat in a week or a month, it's going to take time to get rid of it. Celebrate the small victories instead of only looking ahead to the end game. Like watching a teapot waiting fir it to boil, the more you obsess over it the longer and farther away it seems.
You assume that everyone has access to healthy food (however you define that) and a kitchen? And the knowledge to make smart eating decisions? And the money to buy their own food?
Most kids aren't grocery shopping for themselves. They are eating whatever gets put in front of them by their parents, their schools, or whomever else.
If a kid is morbidly obese by middle school how does that child NOT become a morbidly obese adult? Access to doctors and/or nutritionists? Sound education about food in school? Access to healthier food options? It might surprise you to learn those things don't exist for a very large segment of the population.
Ryzaki009
Member
Yeah I drank a bunch of water when I was trying to lose weight and I had more issues than when I was drinking juice. My doctor pretty much told me not to drink more than a gallon a day if I could help it.
Monkeyball
Banned
After about 2-3 weeks the sugar cravings are gone.
Like I've said to other people. Keep your subjective thoughts about objective facts to yourself. It doesn't help anyone.
Bait
platina
Member
Yeah I heard it takes a while for the body to get used to that.
How is it bait?
This. Moderation is the key.
The heaviest I've ever been was 185 lb, and that was when my boss stocked the office fridge full of Coca-Cola and encouraged us to drink it for "productivity" reasons for a few years. When he finally dropped that stupid idea, I gradually dropped 30 pounds to 155, without realizing it, and I've been pretty much stable at it for 10 years now.
Just that one thing made all the difference.
I still drink pop, just not ridiculous amounts of it. A can here or there a few times a week doesn't affect me.