ForumsWEPRwhy is america fat

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fracell
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fracell
67 posts
Nomad

is it the lack of exercise stress junk food (go ahead blame the food) or what i think it is technology were so dependant on technology that we stay inside all day with little human contact i am verry fit i go outside everyday run with my dog do 300 pushups a day do benchpresses and curls punch the bag ect. and i joined the navy seals and marine force recon why can no one else do this its the easyest thing in the world tell me about your ideas

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acepilot0
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acepilot0
359 posts
Nomad

A large majority of the reason why America is fat is due to convenience and price. It is generally much cheaper to eat food that is considered junk, while fruits and vegetables are constantly raising in price. The average workday has only gotten longer, and with more nuclear families having two working adults in the house, the draw of a home-cooked meal has lessened. It is so much easier to just toss a pizza in the oven or grab some fast food on your way home.

The biggest problem with the flip side of the equation, the exercise, is we equate exercise with going to the gym. Going to a gym for the first time when you are incredibly out of shape is intimidating. You see people much farther along on an exercise regimen and gym rats that sit in there all day, and it is hard to stay motivated to go. People take for granted that the best fat burning exercise is walking, and are too prone to take miracle supplements, go on fad diets, or just turn the blind eye to the entire situation. Simple education on proper exercise would do wonders in this country. Stepping off my soapbox now.

Bux99
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Bux99
301 posts
Nomad

One of the biggest problems is that everybody is too quick to be lazy and not cook for themselves. I'm English and have been to the U.S.A many times and another big difference is the portion sizes they are massive!!!!

partydevil
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partydevil
5,132 posts
Jester

Drink a lot of soda


it's not the product but the amount of it. me and most of my friends never drink anything els then soda's. still most of us are not fat.
maninfrontofthemask
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maninfrontofthemask
95 posts
Jester

K I only read like the last page of this thread but I think you guys are missing another big aspect of this issue. Not only in our society are we driven to eat unhealthy foods out of convenience, economical reasons and such other things but I think technology is developing to a point where it is removing our need and desire to do activity. We no longer need to perform strenuous activities to get what we want and with this crutch we also may turn from other activities such as sports because we are no longer good at being active due to the previous reason

maninfrontofthemask
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maninfrontofthemask
95 posts
Jester

Sorry to double post but mind is really going now. As for the food aspect of this issue I think it may be less of a problem then people think. Kids are making poor food decisions and i don't deny that. If they make healthier meal choices that will help but I think the reason the food they eat is so bad is because they eat too much. I propose as an example a backyard barbecue with friends. Sitting down to eat the person at the barbecue asks whether you would like 1 or 2 burgers. DO YOU NEED 2 BURGERS! Even at McDonalds and such they don't have a double burger option for you (of course, you could just buy another burger but I'm getting at that the fast food chain doesn't offer it) not to mention the theoretical barbecue probably has salad, potato/egg salad, fries or some other things. That's a big portion and way more than kids today need to fuel their lifestyle. I work at a local restaurant and I often look down at what I'm serving and go "God, that's a lot of food" not to mention at gatherings we often have desert right after the meal, which is just piling on. My suggestion, eat healthier, eat less and don't eat desert right after supper, give your body time to digest before you go throwing more food down the hatch

Bux99
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Bux99
301 posts
Nomad

I'l give one other reason which came to me lastnight, watch MAN Vs.FOOD!!

acepilot0
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acepilot0
359 posts
Nomad

While portion control is part of the issue, how we eat is another big problem. Most people eat little to no breakfast, a light or moderate lunch, and a big dinner. You are giving your body energy when you dont need it.

The best way to balance that out is to make breakfast your biggest meal of the day and your meals should get smaller throughout the day. Also, you should not eat 2 hours before you go to sleep, because this food will not get metabolized and will get turned into fat. People do not eat food when their body needs it, and this leads to weight gain and other health issues, and also is a major contributing factor to fatigue in the afternoons at work.

MageGrayWolf
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MageGrayWolf
9,470 posts
Farmer

My suggestion, eat healthier, eat less and don't eat desert right after supper, give your body time to digest before you go throwing more food down the hatch


Eating healthier can be quite problematic. Many food within budget for people are devoid of nutrition. Even if one were to go to MacDonalds and order the salad instead of the burger, chances are you are not reducing your calorie intake. For instance out of the 9 salad choices (not including the side salad) at MacDonalds 5 have lower calories to that of a regular hamburger. One of which is only a 20 calorie difference. It could be very easy for someone to buy a salad thinking they are watching their weight and get the salad that has higher calories then that of a double cheeseburger.

As for eating more food, since this stuff is junk and usually quite empty of nutrition the human body will try to continue to feel hungry in order to compensate. This craving if continued long enough can fool the body into thinking it needs that level of intake regardless.

So we are left with eating high calorie low nutritious food, with our bodies wanting us to eat more to make up for the low nutrition, to the point of addiction.
maninfrontofthemask
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maninfrontofthemask
95 posts
Jester

As for eating more food, since this stuff is junk and usually quite empty of nutrition the human body will try to continue to feel hungry in order to compensate. This craving if continued long enough can fool the body into thinking it needs that level of intake regardless.


I totally agree with you here GrayWolf but I have to point out that my point was that we need to break the addiction and eat less. The stomach will then shrink down to a more reasonable size to accommodate for the reduced meals you are eating. For example I used to do the 30 hour famine with my church. Afterwards we would then have a buffet style meal (which I think may have defeated the purpose of the famine but I digress) and everyone complained because they ate as much salad (first course) as they would have a couple days ago to save room for the entree but now were stuffed. I don't recommend doing a famine to shrink your stomach but what I do is instead of grabbing my HUGE dinner plates I pull down my smaller plates and eat off those
Zee_
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Zee_
16 posts
Nomad

we really aren't its just a demonized thing created by society and media

Mycal101
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Mycal101
307 posts
Nomad

America is so fat because there is like a fast food place every 100 metres in new york or something like that

Jacen96
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Jacen96
3,087 posts
Bard

America is not fat. The scale used to determine whether or not one is fat is severely screwed up. Even some Olympians are considered obese. (no they are not sumo wrestlers)

source

ryan7g
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ryan7g
478 posts
Shepherd

Eat healthy.

Eat good tasting food.

Eat low-budget food.

You can only chose two. We can't win.

HahiHa
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HahiHa
8,259 posts
Regent

America is not fat. The scale used to determine whether or not one is fat is severely screwed up. Even some Olympians are considered obese. (no they are not sumo wrestlers)

Yes, the BMI is inaccurate, especially in special cases like weightlifters. But most peoplee with a BMI of 30+ are not weightlifters.

But saying America is not fat only because the BMI is inaccurate doesn't hold water, since in most studies countries are compared between each other. In order to compare you have to make the same analysis with the same measure method. And in all these studies America is on top of the fat scale. So even if not absolutely so, America is surely relatively fat.
Jacen96
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Jacen96
3,087 posts
Bard

Yes, the BMI is inaccurate, especially in special cases like weightlifters. But most peoplee with a BMI of 30+ are not weightlifters.


neither are most of the people on that list. Also, the results of those studies, are probably based on the results from when people come in for there check-up, and the doctors just convert BMI straight to body fat percentage
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