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Subscribe to RSSThat means more people believe obesity now outranks cigarette-smoking as a health problem. Nearly four in 10 Americans now say obesity is an "extremely serious" problem to society, while 30 percent say the same about cigarettes, and 18 percent about alcohol.
Video: FDA approves another weight-loss drug
Only 3 percent said obesity is not a serious problem, while 6 percent said the same about cigarettes.
However, when asked whether they agreed that it is "extremely or very important to have federal government programs to address obesity," people's answers broke down along political party lines. While 82 percent of people who identified themselves as Democrats said they agreed with this statement, 55 percent of Independents and 27 percent of Republicans said they agreed.
The growing concern regarding obesity is likely due the fact the obesity rate has risen, as well as Americans' increasing awareness of the problems it is causing society, according to a statement posted July 18 on the Gallup website. In 2010, 35.7 percent of U.S. adults were obese, up from 32.7 percent in 2005, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The poll's results were based on telephone interviews conducted this month with a random sample of 1,014 adults living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points. The sample of poll respondents is weighted by gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education and other factors so that the results are representative of the U.S. population.
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It's a lot easier to be in denial about obesity than smoking, so it's much harder to correct the problem. Smoking effects other people much more than obesity, so it's easier to impose sanctions.
Liberals can always impose their will by using the age-old argument that obesity raises healthcare cost for everyone, therefore food portions and contents can and should be regulated by the government.
Smoking effects other people much more than obesity...? How do you figure that? Because other people can smell it? Being a fat f--- does raise health care costs and, because of the amount Americans eat, it puts a strain on the food supply.
Most of what American's eat today, isn't actual food. Its processed corn flavored to taste like food... It would not be possible to feed the entire nation with actual, nutritious, food. Thats why they sell boxed process crap and why more than half of America doesn't know how to cook.
I'd rather everyone in America smoke than be fat. Being fat the way American's are today is not natural, not healthy, and is flat-out disgusting.
WHY does this surprise people??The Internet and great advertising has caused obesity...Computers, xBoxes, iPhones, etc...We've become a lazy nation....If one child was taught to spend less time on the computer, tv, or playing video games; and more time outside and keeping active, there would be no obesity issue. Unfortunately, there are idiots out there who find it easier to point the finger of blame at sugar, for example, as an excuse. Very simple, if you do not burn as many calories as you take in, you will gain weight. PERIOD..
For me, this article speaks to a bigger problem that's about to hit us, and most people don't even see it coming.
It seems to me that we could quibble all day as to which is more damaging, smoking or obesity. The fact of the matter is, they are both going to cost us more than we ever imagined in terms of resources, money, and time, especially now under the ACA.
We all know what smoking does, but for those who aren't fully aware, obesity can lead to a myriad of problems, and most obese people will eventually require treatment for any combination of the following: heart disease, cancer, DM type 2, joint problems, the list goes on and on. All of theses issues are expensive and time-consuming to treat; plus, we have limited resources. With an obesity rate at around 33%, that leaves us with approximately 100 million people (out of our 300 million+ population) with the potential to develop obesity related conditions mentioned above PLUS those who smoke, abuse alcohol, use illicit drugs, etc. who will end up with other serious illnesses simply because they made poor lifestyle choices.
Our nation has a shortage of doctors/nurses/pharmacists already and a limited amount of resources, including money. The sudden onslaught of that many people on the insurance rolls will cause backlogs that you won't believe. I'm not saying people don't deserve healthcare or that the current system isn't badly in need of reform, but from what I've seen in my profession in terms of how Medicare has been handled, we are headed for big trouble just because politicians either failed to act in years past or they supported this monstrosity of a bill without looking ahead and/or considering the ramifications of this law.
Mark my words: the people who this bill was intended to help the most such as cancer patients, people with catastrophic illnesses, and children with pre-existing conditions are going to end up losing the most because they will have to wait longer for care. They will be placed on a longer waiting list behind those who chose to partake in behaviors during their lives that can damage one's body. Think about it: a person having a heart attack (obese or not) will be seen before a leukemia survivor who has been feeling a little run-down lately; that's just the way it is, however unfair to the person who may have recently come out of remission.
I'm not saying I have all the answers to fix the healthcare mess, I'm simply trying to point out that not everything (such as ACA) is or will be as great as it sounds. When those in power fail to take into consideration all the possible outcomes of their political point-scoring deals, it's people who fall into said groups (obesity and smoking) that will take precious time and resources from the person who develops a cancer, such as leukemia, through no fault of their own.
It's time we start looking beyond what we gain, or THINK we will gain, in the short term and demand that politicians in BOTH parties do more than put Band-Aids on gushing arteries. We have seen them do this in the past with immigration, the economy and now healthcare, among other things. This madness needs to stop as having guaranteed coverage won't mean a darn thing, especially to the sickest among us, if they can't even be seen in a timely manner.
Go ahead, attack me and make this a political issue all you want. When the $#!+ hits the fan, at least I will be able to say I tried to warn people against allowing the politicians to pit us against one another so we become distracted and therefore fail to hold them accountable for their actions/inactions.
@B - Standing next to a smoker forces you to smoke with them if you want to breathe, which in turn can give you lung cancer (second hand smoke is worse than actually smoking even, since the filter isn't there). Standing next to a fat person isn't going to make you fat. You're not going to experience health consequences and have to pay for your own obesity treatment just by being near fat people, but you most likely will if you have to stand around smokers a lot.
Good heavens ToughCrowd, it's pretty obvious you, or someone you love has Leukemia, but please, "a person having a heart attack will be seen before a Leukemia patient who has been feeling a little run down", is standard medical practice no matter WHAT the "payer system" in health care is going to be.
I agree, KEEP POLITICS OUT of this kind of health care decision.
QueZen,
Yes, thank you. I am fully aware it is standard medical practice; hence the phrase, "that's just the way it is..." in that sentence. It can be found immediately following the portion you quoted.
My point was, there will be a lot MORE heart attacks and such that the "leukemia patient" (who was supposed to be one of the very people we are trying to help, right?) will have to wait behind under this law before getting care because frankly, the majority of obese people, smokers, etc. - even those who are willing to do anything at all about their condition - typically wait until an emergency such as a heart attack or stroke happens, and that is unfair to those they push back into a holding pattern as a result, would you not agree? After all, time is of the essence for other people, too!
Personally, I see the situation only getting worse as many people who currently fail to care for themselves will gain a false sense of security because they can now brandish an insurance card. In addition to not giving a rip about staying healthy in the first place, to my knowledge there are no provisions under this law that put in place either 1) penalties for not (at least making an attempt at) staying healthy, and/or 2) premium discounts for those who have worked hard to do so and/or have participated in preventative programs geared towards weight loss, smoking cessation, etc. Therefore, there are no financial incentives for anyone to stay healthy, right? Those details will be left up to the individual insurance companies to figure out, and we all know how well that has worked for us in the past!
There is also nothing I have come across that stops said insurance companies from charging those in the high risk pools higher premiums. I know someone in the insurance industry who told me some of the rates are expected to increase by as much as 5x for these groups! If that is the case, I find it to be utterly absurd because "guaranteed coverage" doesn't help anyone who can't afford the premiums in the first place. I simply feel bad for those who have conditions or illnesses by no fault of their own, yet they will ultimately be lumped in with the "pre-existing conditions" crowd right along with people who want to sit on the couch, eat potato chips/play video games all day, and prefer to take a handful of pills to treat their DM type 2 over exercise. Why should someone with DM type 1 (childhood) who are now adults pay more in premiums and "leukemia patients" wait longer for care because other people refuse to be responsible for themselves? And to those who would argue higher premiums ARE a financial incentive to stay healthy, 1) it's still not fair to those who were born with pre-existing conditions, and 2) think of your friend(s) who can eat tons of garbage all day long, never exercise, and yet they consistently fail to gain an ounce...we all know people like that, and they can have heart attacks, too!
These are the kinds of things that I was referring to when I talked about politicians failing to look ahead and plan accordingly. We have been had for trillions of dollars just so politicians could score political points, and the unintended consequences of this will haunt us for years to come and be unexpected and stunning to most. Again, I don't claim to have all the answers, but I do have a few ideas. Unfortunately, people won't stop arguing long enough to listen to people like me who would love to make a few suggestions to those making up the rules as they go along.
Also QueZen, while I do indeed have loved ones that have faced other kinds of cancer, I was merely using leukemia as an example simply because while cancer is cancer and it's a horrible thing, the circumstances surrounding someone who develops something along those lines are much different than one who ends up with lung cancer from smoking in terms of a causal relationship.
Are you kidding me?! The simple truth is that we can SEE obesity, but you don't see the evidence (blackened lungs or the possible cancer) that is INSIDE a smoker until they're DEAD. OF COURSE people are more "concerned" about obesity than smoking. I'd say denial of smoking is far deeper! But BOTH cause serious health issues, and I am tired of these articles trying to make comparisons as such.
I believe the figure of "35.7 percent of U.S. adults were obese" is a bit low. Plus, add the percentage that is regarded as "fat", we have about 75-80% of the USA population.
Fat is not where is is at, but thin is in. Nothing taste as good as slim feels...
I'm immensely over weight; conversely, I've never experienced cancer and many other health issues. And, I am almost 70. Do I need to lose weight, of course; however, I also focus on nutrition, focusing on scratch cooking, vitamins, and organic foods, when possible.
Many slender people die of cancer and other catastrophic diseases. It's all about the knowledge of nutrition and what constitutes a healthy diet. Being overweight is a health risk but also being thin and ignorant of a healthy diet and lack of nutrition are also, health risks!
skor154:
Keep making excuses for your obese life style. You are NOT healthy!
Problem is junk food is cheaper and easier to prepare than fresh fruit and vegetables.
If the crazies in the tea party didn't have some much influence, we could solve this problem through taxation. We should add a tax to every food product based on the amount of sugar and saturated/trans fat as a percentage of protein. Use the money to save medicare/medicaid. If you don't eat much of that stuff, it won't cost you much. Even if you are lucky and can eat anything without getting fat, you'll still save money by not having to pay higher insurance premiums for everyone else that is obese. The food companies will whine, but so did the cigarette companies. Alcohol is taxed heavily. Those policies have been good for us. Food companies will have incentive to develop other products that taste good but are more health.
Most fat bodies smoke to, so whats their gripe or worry....they think smoking makes them skinny, or at least looks cool...might as well look cool and be fat....just go to a walmart, every one of the fat bodies will light up upon taking their first step out the door....ridiculous article
I agree with the denial part, but not the point about smoking being more harmful to others. Over 60% of this country is overweight, less than 25% smoke. Obesity causes healthcare costs to rise for everyone much more so than smoking.
I see a lot more fat people than smokers.
@mixedpie, You're right that you're not going to experience health consequences and have to pay for your own obesity treatment just being near fat people. You're going to have to pay for THEIR treatment.
skor154, I think you should toss in a little exercise and perhaps count calories. Scratch cooking is great, but not if it's mashed potatoes and gravy, cakes and pies.
@Laura "You're" going to have to "pay" for the treatment of athlete's injuries, smokers, drinkers, people who tan, thin people who get cancer and heart problems, stress-related problems, anorexics, bulemics, and a whole host of other things too. So if you're trying to base prejudice on that, then you might as well just complain about everyone since everybody gets sick or injured at some point. Though, you won't "have to pay" too much for the healthy overweight people like me, who don't get sick very often (just come from very athletic bloodlines, eg, I would have to lose muscle and be dangerously thin in order to be healthy by BMI standards).
Once again we hear from a nut job who thinks that all the worlds' woes are the result of some liberal agenda. If you want to get political about it I'd guess that obesity has a higher incidence based on poor education, poor health choices, poor food choices, and association with the GOP. Thank you.
In order to truly enter the 21st century it needs to be realized that diet and exercise do not work in curing obesity. More research needs to be done in how the bodies of obese people are different from skinny people. I've been on both sides of the fence. When I was young, I was 98 pounds. I gained weight over 200 pounds when I approached middle age. I was NOT on a diet when I was a teenager and young adult. I was slim because I was slim. I'm the opposite now because I'm the opposite now. My body has changed. My diet has changed to lower cholesterol meat because I would definitely gain weight if I didn't control that. I didn't need to worry about such things when I was a kid. Then my diet was steak and potatoes. Then I was able to eat what I wanted and as much as I wanted. If I had been trying to gain weight then, I would not have been able to gain weight then. Now being older it is just the opposite. I cannot lose weight and without gaining more weight is what happens on diets.
i cannot fully agree with your comment. diet and exercise DO work in helping to cure obesity, part of the problem is that people do not watch what they eat or the portions etc... exercise and diet are proven to help fight obesity.
I was young and weighed no more than 120lbs.. now that im older, i weigh 135lbs.. its not because i have a "skinny" body and i need to be examined etc etc.. i watch what i eat and i exercise.. look at that ! ... you need to watch what you eat.. when you diet, its not a temporary thing.. diets are lifestyle changes and you need to stick with it for life.. or just don't bother at all..
The problem is that people LIE to themselves about their food intake. SAYING you diet and exercise is different than actually taking good care of yourself. How many times does a person go to any fast food restaurant in a week? Got an answer? Ok, where did the answer come from? Is it written down or is it just a GUESSTIMATE? People think they are doing good on a diet when they compare themselves to other people who are in worse shape than they are. They aren't really eating a controlled, nutritious amount every day. Otherwise they wouldn't weigh 300lbs. Start a journal, get a pedometer and quit LYING to yourself. No time? Well, have ya been sittin' on your butt reading MSNBC articles for the past hour? I repeat, Quit LYING to yourself!!!
Now that I'm older, my appetite has definitely changed. I eat far less than I did when I was younger and I watch to make sure that the food I eat is healthy. I try to avoid processed foods and cook and bake from scratch, making sure my meals are well-balanced. Even so, I am considered obese and weigh over 174 pounds. My blood pressure is great and my cholestrol levels are not a threat.
I also work outside at an entertainment resort in the Midwest (where temperatures have been in the 100s) and sweat profusely. I probably walk several miles every day, even more, depending on the job I am working for the day, so I get plenty of exercise. I hydrate (water - maybe low calorie Gatorade, on occasion) constantly through the day.
Even so, I may have lost a few pounds, but it's much tougher to lose weight when you're an older woman. If I were a man, I'd probably weigh about 110 by now!!!
I must say, though, that sitting next to an obese person will most likely not affect me at all, healthwise. Smokers, however, affect people who have to inhale their poison and suffer from it. Plus, I have asthma, so sitting next to a smoker is not an option for me - I can always move away. It's when they sit down next to me and assume I won't mind, that I ask them politely if they can refrain from smoking.
While obesity can lead to a myriad of diseases - diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, etc., smoking is far worse - lung cancer, COPD, emphysema, heart disease, tongue and mouth cancers, etc., plus it directly affects the people, who they are supposed to care about, by inhaling second-hand smoke.
It would have been more informative to know how many of the people polled were smokers and which were non-smokers. That would have been more informative.
BS. You're actually saying that less calories consumed and more calories burned would not reduce someone's weight.
What a bunch of pap.
Back that up with some science. SCIENCE. Give us some links. Show us some evidence.
I see walls of beef every day, shoving fast food and giant buckets of corn syrup down their gullets.
At every grocery store, big fat people pushing carts full of garbage. Fat kids in tow.
You can seriously sit here and post that eating healthy and exercising doesn't work for you?
SRSLY?
If you ate 1600 calories a day you'd continue to gain weight?
Enjoy your diabetes, and don't try dipping into my wallet to cover it.
That is the most common excuse used by obese people. Aside from the occasional thyroid case, obesity is caused by overeating and inactivity. To imply there is a cure is to imply obesity is a disease. It's not. Obesity is a self imposed condition.
Denial is not a river in Egypt. Please look up denial in the dictionary.
No surprise. Smoking is on the decline, but FAT people are everywhere!
So that means if more people smoked, there would be less FAT people. Hummm what to do.
Raydarlov:
Yes, that is correct. When long time smokers quit smoking, they often turn to food for their "habit". Suddenly food tastes good to them. Before they ate to survive. Both are very bad lifestyles. People in the USA do NOT live an active lifestyle and eat way too much. I can see more fat or obese people in a shooing mall in the USA than I can in an entire European city.
Americans have become fat, obese, lazy, whiners, dreadful workers, and poorly educated.
Obesity is caused by a food addiction...plain, pure, and simple!
If one thinks about the more severe health effects done by smoking vs. obesity, it is easy to tick off the more numerous and serious medical conditions that are a direct result of obesity. Smoking does negatively effect the heart and lungs as well as causing lung cancer. But in addition to heart and lung problems obesity causes diabetes and various other cancers.
As for the debate about which effect people more obesity vs. smoking again I'd say obesity. Yes, there is a case for closed-environment, long-duration second-hand smoke effects but obesity is not only transmitted genetically but more insididously by family behavior. Off-hand I'd say that obese parents produce obese children at a higher rate than smoking parents produce smokers.
Fat smokers are really disgusting!
First they came for the smokers and we warned you but you didn't listen.
I understand that for some, obesity is a foregone conclusion due to their genetics. However, this cannot possibly account for the overall rate of obesity in America or even for a significant portion of the overweight population.
I think that a large part of the problem is the amount of sugar the average American consumes. Consider how much of our diet consists of breads, pasta, and other goods made from white flour. If you go into the center of any grocery store or convenience store there is a plethora of food items whose first or second ingredient is sugar, corn syrup, or high fructose corn syrup. Virtually any item you order from any fast food restaurant contains HFCS. The amount of sugar in soda, many juices, and energy drinks is staggering.
Sugar alone isn't to blame and you have every right in the world to eat as you choose. But until individuals educate themselves about the food they are consuming and the nature of food production in America, we will continue to struggle with obesity and the associated overall societal problems.
Genetics plays only one third of the role in obesity. The other two thirds are environment (how much food and what kind of food do you have ready access to) and lifestyle (how much of the food available to you do you eat vs how much you exercise). Genetics plays a role in metabolism, which is to say how your body processes the food you eat.
If you want to combat obesity and obesity-linked diseases then you need to pay attention to all three of these. Where genetics is concerned, look at your ethnicity and family history. Because genetics is the science of inheritance, you may have inherited genetic risk factors for obesity and/or type 2 diabetes (T2D) from you family. These genetic risk factors will normally be prevelant in metabolically related genes. So if you have family members who exhibit metabolic disorders, then you are likely to have them. Also I mentioned ethnicity because certain ethnicities (like Native Americans) are at a statistically greater genetic risk for metabolic disorders than other ethnicities (say, Caucasians have less of a statistical risk than N.A.). Know your genetic risks or lack thereof and plan your lifestyle accordingly.
As for environment, we Americans live in an obesigenic environment, which is to say we have an over abundance of food. On top of that we have access to all kinds of food types imaginable (ever try going to an Indian grocery store?). Simply put if we don't have access to an over abundance of food, then we are less likely to over eat. Also take into account that of all the animals on Earth, humans have about the widest variety in our diet of any animal. We aren't limited to a handfull of plant and animal species for our food supply and we know it.
As to lifestyle, we can control that, unlike our environment or genetics. What do you do? How often do you exercise? What type of exercise is it? How often do you eat? What type of food do you eat? How much do you eat? If you don't tailor your lifestyle to your environment and genetic profile then you stand a greater risk of developing metabolic disorders, like obesity which can lead to insulin resistance or reduced insulin production which in turn lead to T2D.
In case it's not obvious I am a genetics researcher and I have written several peer reviewed articles on the subject of the genetics of T2D.
Excellent comment, MFN. Thanks.
"You have every right to eat as you choose."
Fine. I have every right to refuse to cover your diabetes and related health problems with my tax dollars.
Look out fatties they are coming after you. If you do not take a stand they will be telling you what you can eat.
Granted, they'd be easy to catch. Seriously? 'Take a stand'? If they did that there wouldn't be a catastrophic obesity problem in the USA, would there?
I'd love for "them" to "tell" me what I can and can't eat. Being able to go to (or even find) a vegetarian/vegan restaurant when I forget to pack my lunch around here would be great! As would being able to go to an organic foods store and afford things rather than having to stick to the processed full-of-corn and random additives junk I eat too much of now would be great!
Many of them cannot take a stand because they're too heavy to get out of their chairs.
OK, sorry, that was mean....but, sadly, there was one guy I used to deliver pizza to - always the same order, a large with double pepperoni, sausage, and extra cheese - who would demand that I open the door to his apartment and place the pizza on his coffee table because he was either too fat or too lazy to get out of his chair.
Simple solution: Tax fat people! Make them buy two airline seats or prohibit them from flying. They are a life threatening danger on an airplane becoming 300 lb projectiles if the plane hits bad air! Double their insurance rates. Put them last in line at the emergency room. The only way to solve the problem is to make them pay for their fat.
And, if there were taxes for hatred and stupidity you'd be broke.
Jamie is one of the more intellectually challenged gents on the Vines. Excuse him, he really barely understands the words he writes.
The biggest thing is people's lifestyles. People sit at work all day long and then they sit in their car to commute. They get home and sit and watch TV or sit and play video games or sit and surf the internet. Then they go to bed and sometimes not get enough sleep so they are always tired. Some people skip their meals and when they do eat it's more of a binge of calories that then get stored as fat. Where is the exercise where is the physical activity. Where are proper eating habits of eating just a bit every few hours.
We've created this problem no through our foods but the overall lifestyle of Americans. Our public transit system is horrid compare to other nations which forces people to drive to work instead of walking. People no longer take time to eat right because they are always on the go. There is no magic pill for this, you can't just ban amounts of food to be sold. Americans are also quick to point blame at everyone BUT themselves.
When it comes to obesity we ONLY have ourselves to blame. No one forces you to skip breakfast or work 1 hour away from where you live so you're commuting 2 hours a day. Take some responsiblity and change your life. Don't expect anyone to change it for you.
Amen to that delta470
I forgot to mention that changing from Body Fat % to BMI also increased this situation since BMI does not take into account how much of a person's mass is muscle or fat.
LOL.. To think that when we were younger we had all the time in the world to do everything. Now as adults we don't have time to take care of ourselves mentally and physically? Crock of BS if you ask me. I don't make excuses I make time to eat healthy and workout 5 days a week. Any excuse is, well just another excuse...
All the poll tells us is what random people say concerns them. This shows the power of polls -- first saturate the news outlets with stories about an obesity epidemic, peppered with references to invalid data on how much money is being spent to care for obese patients, voila! Why don't we now take a poll on how many people do not think Obama is a U.S. citizen then cite the poll as a source backing the validity of the claim. Wake up people.
Perfect example....Gov. Chrispy.
I have personal experience with this one...I've been "chunky" all my life. Last September something clicked for me and I decided I didn't want to live like that any more. I realize this is going to sound like a paid commercial and you only have my word that it isn't, but I started using "Lose It", a free program (available online and also as an app) and I've lost 54 lbs to date. I still have about 45 to go. Ok, so maybe I was beyond "chunky"...
I guess what I'm trying to say is it comes down to personal responsibility. There are a lot of people that like to identify a problem and want the government to fix it for them, but this is one that no one else can fix for you. Only you can fix you when it comes to your weight!
I've used "Lose It!" too with some success. I lost 30lbs when I was using it and had the time to exercise... then my schedule at university changed and I gained it all back, but if it weren't for that, thanks to Lose It! (which is really nothing more than simple calorie tracking) I'd be my ideal weight right now.
Let's see - how many illnesses a year are caused by second-hand weight gain - you know, someone in the same room you're in gains weight and you get sick from it? How many people a year are killed by overweight drivers? I think these numbers are a BIT less than illnesses caused by second hand smoke and deaths caused by drunk drivers.
Just because the majority of Americans have been led to believe something, doesn't mean it's true.
You're a moron. Scientific empirical evidence proves that obesity is the #1 cause of death in the United States, not smoking. Who cares what "polls" say.
No, birth is the #1 cause of death in the United States.
Why do these articles write about what "people think" as opposed to the actual statistics? The most watched television show in the United States is WWF. So much for the credibility of "polls".
Any knowledgeable person in the medical field knows that illnesses caused by obesity constitute the number 1 cause of death in this country, not smoking. Its a observable, researched fact.
I love to tell self-righteous, really fat people this when they tell me "how bad smoking is" when I puff on a cigarette.
Obese ...a notch higher than just fat is discustingly everywhere I look....with my job, I'm in and out of 6 different grocery store chains everyday, so I see people's shopping carts and the people pushing them. So it's a very safe statement to say really fat people bring it upon themselves.....because in the majority of fat people' cart is nothing but s**t food for a s**t diet.....w/ fat children in tow, pushing that cart with nothing but sugary cereals, cookies, ice cream, potato chips, sugary fruit punches, regular sodas(Not diet), family sized french fry bags, and on and on...and little to no fresh veggies, water, turkey....it's really gross when 12 year old children weigh more than the average size adult. I also service several different fast food chains and yup, you guessed it.....those same people are ordering the super sized everything including a regular soda and shake.....sad and so gross when people just don't care and I see it everyday
toperr,
You are absolutely correct, and I say that as an overweight adult!
I have been heavy my ENTIRE life, and I could just never figure it out...I drink 1% milk, no soda (I actually hate it with the exception of an occasional root beer), love water, do whole grain bread vs white, no chips/pretzels (I don't like salt) or other snacky-type stuff, plant a garden every year, always been a driven person on the go; the list goes on and on.
Eventually a relatively rare heath condition (at least for my age group) that went undiagnosed until just this year was detected, and now that I'm being treated successfully, I have been able to lose 40 pounds thus far with minimal difficulty. I still have more to go, but I'm working hard on it for sure!
I guess what I'm saying is this: I can truly say I understand that some people are obese for reasons beyond their control because I've been there myself, but what I see every time I go to work (in the healthcare field) or the grocery store (and notice some of the same things you mentioned) really irritates me...especially when the very same people complain they "just can't seem to lose weight". While junk food is fine every once in a while, the children are picking up these extremely unhealthful habits, will most likely perpetuate the cycle of obesity, and by extension, develop serious, yet preventable diseases that we all end up paying for in the end (see my comments above).
I don't expect everyone to be perfect, but when we go on vacation to the south and a standard meal at one of the chain restaurants includes fried chicken, fries, a biscuit, and vegetables are considered an add-on, it's obvious to me that things have gotten WAY out of hand! Even at my heaviest, I never thought twice about passing on good habits to my children because although I didn't know what was wrong at the time, I simply didn't want them to end up heavy like me. Additionally, I got them into sports, and they are perfectly healthy, happy kids because we have struck a common sense balance.
I find it very sad when I come across a child who is obese simply because of unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. Like I said, I don't expect or demand perfection, but for Pete's sake, we've got to at least TRY, right?!?
Holy cows the whole damn country is fat, I'm so glad its summertime and I get to enjoy seeing 300lb women dressed in short shorts and tank tops waddaling around with their 400lb husbands or boyfriends and their collective 300lbs of 8 and 9 yr old children (2 that is) with a big gulp, ice cream and candy bars...jut oozing celluite...most ppl think they are just sweating, but they are really oozing fat...
Let's make all obese people where a sign saying "fat is dangerous to your health". No one will buy them, then.
I predicted 20 years ago that after the tobacco police we would have the fat police. My prediction seems to be coming true faster that I anticipated. I think this is due, at least in part, to the fact that many ex-smokers substituted food and beverage for the tobacco that they gave up. I have an average weight for my height, so I'm not at risk of having the fat police coming after me.
it is an unfortunate fact today. just look around you, in work place or on streets, it's pretty easy to find some 300-400+ lb people or some 200+ lb people with big belly...
fat is the root cause of heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses, which would in turn increase medical or health care cost, a known fact.
I'm exceedingly fat; however I also suffer from a dead thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism places the individual at risk of obesity, but it results from an under-active thyroid gland and a lower body thermostat, which essentially translates to, a dramatically slower rate of metabolism. In other words, while you might dine on a hefty dose of calories, my body cannot accelerate the caloric burn rate of yours, in example. I burn calories at a much slower rate.
On a diet, my better half, loses weight twice as fast. Not fair, but his is life. Would I like a responsive thyroid gland, of course, but I keep chuggin along.
Every American, get your thyroid function checked out by your primary care doctor; your life depends upon it.
They got that right!! Has anybody been in their local hospitals lately? You see more "fat" people there than at Planet Fitness! What's with hospitals letting sweaty fat people work on the public full well knowing that being fat is NOT healthy?? Never mind the lame excuse..."well...I'm stressed from working long hours, so I eat"...bullcrap!! Fortunately, there are a few that keep their weight down even though they also are "stressed". Don't they know that they look sickening with their hanging "spare-tire", and exceedingly oversized "gluteus maxifateus". Listen up fatso's.... you look disgusting dressed as hospital staff with your fat bulging out!! If others can keep their weight down, SO CAN YOU!! Get with it!! And don't try to soften the word "fat" by using the word "obese"! That's like calling a homoesexual "gay" or "same sex partner"... "homo's" are homosexual, and nothing else. Fat people are fat....nothing else!
If you can't lose weight...... come see me, and I GUARANTEE you that you WILL lose weight within a month! Nothing fancy, no tricks..........GUARANTEED!!
I am reasonably thin. But I disagree this is a problem. If people want to be fat and die young ---its american right. I work out to feel better but I don't give one iota about some fat person. I dont hate them either. Its their life - not yours or mine to monitor. People forget that. Yes, being obese causes more medical costs but so does living longer! The longer you live the more medical costs. No different than smoking. If I smoke and die at 40 ...does living until 80 make my medical costs go down? I don't think so. Also, I think people are fat because what they eat causes lethargy. No one knows the difference between a fast carb and a protein or what corn syrup does to their system. Also, most fat people want to be thin but don't want to do the work. There is a disconnect between trying and thinking.
If it was the other way around, so what? Either way, early death is inevitable.
Actually, inactivity is a greater threat than obesity to health. But, there is no money in that. They ought to invent a pill that cuts obseity...that is, with proper diet than excersise. HA HAH