Obesity Thread - Obesity Epidemics, the Problems, and How to Fix it.

[Joan Nyan]

350 calories is basically equal to 1 pound. If you burn 350 calories a week, you can lose a half a pound to a pound. Which is why you see people who drop all sugary drinks from their diet drop huge amounts of weight quickly. People just don't understand, don't watch what they eat and just don't care.

3500 calories you mean. You have to burn 500 calories a day, every day to lose one pound in a week.

 

[The Demon]

i'd say just introduce them to youtubers like jaxblade https://www.youtube.com/user/jaxblade07

 

[George Oscar Bluth Jr]

1. Stop letting kids get fat. Doctors need to tell parents when their kids are overweight and having obese kids should honestly be considered abuse. A fat kid who has been fat all his life because of what his parents fed him is going to go into adulthood with a very difficult mindset. They've never known a normal diet so breaking themselves of something so ingrained into their lifestyle is going to be very rough.

2. Make it normal to point out when people start gaining weight. Weight gain can really creep up on you and having someone nudge you back on the right track when you start gaining is a big help. Friends and family should keep each other accountable for health.

3. Stop pushing this image of dieting that says you need to have certain proportions of foods or cut out entire food groups or whatever. Getting a variety of foods, having lots of vegetables, and so on are great for optimum health but not needed for dieting. Keto and Atkins and stuff like that are specialty diets that may work better for some people because carbs tend to be less filling for the amount of calories. But at the end of the day, it's calories in < calories out to lose weight and that is what should be pushed as the primary method for weight loss before we start worrying if obese people are eating their greens. Fat people see all this complicated dieting advice that would require radical meal changes and cooking lessons and cutting out their favorite foods entirely and don't even bother trying, when "you can still eat the stuff you like but you have to eat less of it" really isn't that intimidating.

 

[Slowboat to China]

I don't think there's any one factor that can explain the whole thing. Food surpluses, the addictive nature of sweet things, a culture that pushes convenience ... Take your pick.

For what it's worth, though--after two years as a night checker in the heart of corn country, I got to know a lot of my customers pretty well. And the ones who were healthier were the ones who cooked their own food rather than relying on the processed stuff. It wasn't necessarily gourmet-level cooking, either, just basic ingredient combinations, but even the fat ones who cooked were less fat than the ones who came up to the checkout with a cart full of Totino's Party Pizzas.

(Sidebar: I fucking hate Totino's Party Pizzas. They are the tell-tale sign of someone who's given up on life.)

I think if you teach kids to cook, to experiment with their palates and feel the satisfaction of having made something, they can develop a better relationship with food. Obviously this isn't a guarantee (anyone remember Simply Sara?) but it'll at least teach them to think of food as something other than instant satisfaction in a plastic wrapper.

And make them some homemade bread. Four ingredients, don't even need to knead it, and it makes better sandwiches and doesn't disappear as fast as that fucking sponge the supermarket calls bread. Corn syrup does not belong in my sandwich, dammit!

 

[Masta]

It’s no secret that the USA or even other parts of the world are becoming fatter to the point of obesity. I’m interested to hear other opinions on when or if this rising statistic will ever halt and lower, and what caused this incident.

I’m more of pessimistic mindset that it’ll never stop and we’re doomed. All because it’s human nature to take the least resistance path in life, if it’s possible. Although, I’ve seen some half assed attempts of the USA trying to combat obesity with mandating the drink size or taking vending machines out of schools, but it mostly failing and ends up being a threat to our freedom.

There’s no hope for a healthier America..

 

[The Pink Panther]

Good.

 

[KimCoppolaAficionado]

Sure there is: people with slower metabolisms will die off over time, thanks to our joke of a healthcare system and obesity interfering with reproduction.

 

[Red Hood]

Teddy Roosevelt had it right when he talked about the life of ignoble ease.

A life of ignoble ease, a life of that peace which springs merely from lack either of desire or of power to strive after great things, is as little worthy of a nation as of an individual. I ask only that what every self-respecting American demands from himself and from his sons shall be demanded of the American nation as a whole. Who among you would teach your boys that ease, that peace, is to be the first consideration in their eyes-to be the ultimate goal after which they strive?

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

Mexico is doing worse, though you'll literally never hear that anywhere.

 

[Some JERK]

Mexico is doing worse, though you'll literally never hear that anywhere.

The US is ranked 12th for world obesity, and 31 countries, including New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Australia and the UK are all within less than 10% of the US numbers, but 'lol fat Americans' is what makes people feel better so that's all you hear.

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

The US is ranked 12th for world obesity, and 31 countries, including New Zealand, Canada Mexico, Australia and the UK are all within less than 10% of the US numbers, but 'lol fat Americans' is what makes people feel better so that's all you hear.

I almost never come across super obese people on a daily basis. It's hilarious.

 

[Joe Swanson]

Dear Feeder can't keep getting away with it

 

[Some JERK]

I almost never come across super obese people on a daily basis. It's hilarious.

I haven't seen a super fat person in a while, although that could just be that I'm in Southern California most of the time. When I'm back east I seem to see more big people, but even then it's pretty rare. The problem is also that BMI is a terrible system for measuring obesity.

 

[Sopressata]

I think part of the cause is technology. People are far less active than ever before. Kids aren’t outside playing until mom calls then in for dinner or bedtime. Years ago people didn’t go to a gym to be active. I had an aunt who used to say “ if you cleaned your house properly on a regular basis you’d never have to go to a gym. “ I laughed but she had a good point. Our food has weird additives and our portion sizes are obscene. There is more mental illness (at least that we know about) than ever before and many people self medicate with food. People eat to feel better or because they are bored and then become depressed because they are fatasses which results in a cycle of eat , feel better, feel bad you are fat eat again to feel better lather rinse repeat. The fat acceptance movement isn’t helping. No one should hate themselves but they shouldn’t be accepting being 400 lbs and call themselves a big beautiful strong brave woman when they are on the verge of a cardiac event. Idk what the future will bring but it needs to start with teaching kids about nutrition etc which probably won’t happen now because someone would get offended that a Popeyes chicken sandwich and a big gulp are enough calories for three days.

 

[Y2K Baby]

Global warming will make more sweat. It all evens out in the end.

 

[Distant Stare]

Mexico is doing worse, though you'll literally never hear that anywhere.

I heard that soda is cheaper there in many places than water. It is also cleaner because it is made to American standards

 

[Coffee Druid]

I’m just thankful that, while both my parents have been obese my whole life, me and my siblings are healthy weights. It makes me see the genetics excuse as rubbish. Like, sure genetics can determine where you store fat but it’s YOU who determines how much is stored. I used to be chubby in elementary school. But once I learned about nutrition information and choosing my own foods (parents were kind of neglectful so we rarely had meals together at the table to begin with) and exercising a little I got it under control. Sure, I was also depressed and dumb and had an eating disorder for a time but I got over that.

I’d say that in my area of the US we have a good chunk of people overweight. Not the vast majority but still common. As a byproduct of my eating disorder I started using calorie counting apps to make sure I wasn’t eating too much. Now I still use them occasionally to see if I’m getting enough vitamins and junk. I just can’t wrap my head around eating foods with abandon and not thinking about how much you are eating. But I guess that way it’s really easy to have pounds creep up on you.

 

[Teadrinkr]

There are 2 ways to lower obesity rates at this point:
1) Ignore it so people with slower metabolisms die out until we're left with skinny eating machines that require more food a day than the average person currently does.
2) Or ban high fructose corn syrup and enforce smaller portion sizes in restaurants, put people with higher than x% body fat in healthy eating workshops and provide support for those with binge eating disorders.
•Tax the ones that refuse treatment for every % of body fat they are over the limit if you get a statistically significant amount people refusing it.

Naturally that's pretty harsh, but I don't see many other ways to 'fix' the obesity epidemic besides waiting for fatties to die, or getting the gubmint massively involved, since many fatties do seem to lack the willpower to stick to a diet change without tremendous outside help.

 

[Sopressata]

I was once obese many years ago. I lost the weight and I have kept it off since. The things that got me healthy and kept me here are balance, portion control and activity. Years ago people used to ask me how I did it, when I said this they were always disappointed. They wanted to hear that I took a pill or there was some magic solution that was painless. Unfortunately there is not. People need to take responsibility for their behaviors and be adults about this. I never drank soda or sweet drinks so that was something I didn’t need to eliminate. Even when I was fat I only drank water. And lots of it. That really has helped over the years. I always drink a glass of water before I eat so I don’t go into a meal starving. I never had chips or snacky type of food in the house either so that wasn’t something I had to eliminate. My main problem was just eating portions that were too large. And I was not good about balance. At the time when I was trying to retrain myself I bought a food scale and I learned about portion sizes. I still have a food scale and I use it now and then but I’m good at eyeballing things and my brain has adjusted to eating like a healthy normal person. If I over eat or have some thing unhealthy I feel it immediately. I honestly don’t know how people eat fast food and really rich things on a regular basis and don’t feel like hell. We need far less food than we think we do. For someone who is trying to lose weight when you measure and weigh your food and track it and see how much you really need in a day it’s somewhat of a shock. Most people don’t have the self-discipline and motivation to do what they need to do to be healthy and not gain weight. It takes effort for a lot of us and a lot of people are too tired and busy to care about this. Planning is key. Every weekend I plan what I’m going to eat for the following week to some degree. Breakfast and lunches are similar and dinners are some thing I’ve cooked that I reheat and add salad and vegetables too. If I don’t plan I’m much more likely to grab whatever is in front of me. Planning eliminates decision making and opportunities for me to do unhealthy things. I allow myself treats, I work them into my day. I pay attention to balance, I make sure I have plenty of fruits and vegetables Combined with foods I enjoy that satisfy. I don’t eliminate any food groups at all because if I do that that will be the one thing I crave and feel bitter about not being allowed. I choose to do certain behaviors, like have lower amounts of carbs. I still eat carbs because I love them but I really watch my portion sizes with them.If you are a person with weight issues it takes being accountable and responsible and giving a shit about yourself. Years ago I was in a group of people where someone said it’s not fair that some people get to eat whatever they want and they don’t have to worry about their weight. A lady at that meet up said well That ain’t you so get over it LOL it hurts but she was right.

 

[White bubblegum]

There are 2 ways to lower obesity rates at this point:
1) Ignore it so people with slower metabolisms die out until we're left with skinny eating machines that require more food a day than the average person currently does.
2) Or ban high fructose corn syrup and enforce smaller portion sizes in restaurants, put people with higher than x% body fat in healthy eating workshops and provide support for those with binge eating disorders.
•Tax the ones that refuse treatment for every % of body fat they are over the limit if you get a statistically significant amount people refusing it.

Naturally that's pretty harsh, but I don't see many other ways to 'fix' the obesity epidemic besides waiting for fatties to die, or getting the gubmint massively involved, since many fatties do seem to lack the willpower to stick to a diet change without tremendous outside help.

Just ban high fructose corn syrup, no need to put fat people in concentration camps and tax them for being fat because muh freedom. But I don't think we can just wait for fat people to die off. They won't. Even if they die at an earlier age, many still manage to breed before that, filling the next generation with fat kids.

The government could also help by requiring that grocery stores have only a small percentage of unhealthy junk food vs. Real food. Ever notice how grocery stores seem to have more cookie and snack cake varieties than fresh produce? Also, a no-bullshit public education/propaganda campaign on healthy eating. If the media and govt. got people to care about wearing masks during this pandemic they could get people to care about eating healthy... obesity is a pandemic too.