Forums → WEPR → Fatness

Just a heads up, the &quotolitically correct" term is Obesity.

Yeah, there's no denying that our country has some major health problems, and I personally like to blame it on McDonalds, but that's just not the case. Americans have some major issues with blaming others for what they've done to themselves. IF YOU'RE FAT, BUT THE BURGER DOWN.

What makes it worse is stuff like "Super Size Me" that documents how bad and unhealthy our lifestyle is. Do Americans care? Nope. I think it all comes down to a convinience issue. People know that they have the choice to eat a healthy breakfast, but they'd rather get a Egg McMuffin in 2.5 seconds. Honestly, if your too lazy to care I think you deserve to be fat.

Latest Obesity Statistics
USA Obesity Rates Reach Epidemic Proportions

* 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
* Eight out of 10 over 25's Overweight
* 78% of American's not meeting basic activity level recommendations
* 25% completely Sedentary
* 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990



Obesity Related Diseases

* 80% of type II diabetes related to obesity
* 70% of Cardiovascular disease related to obesity
* 42% breast and colon cancer diagnosed among obese individuals
* 30% of gall bladder surgery related to obesity
* 26% of obese people having high blood pressure

Childhood Obesity Running Out of Control

* 4% overweight 1982 | 16% overweight 1994
* 25% of all white children overweight 2001
* 33% African American and Hispanic children overweight 2001
* Hospital costs associated with childhood obesity rising from $35 Million (1979) to $127 Million (1999)

Childhood Metabolic and Heart Risks

* New study suggests one in four overweight children is already showing early signs of type II diabetes (impaired glucose intolerance)
* 60% already have one risk factor for heart disease

Surge in Childhood Diabetes

* Between 8% - 45% of newly diagnosed cases of childhood diabetes are type II, associated with obesity.
* Whereas 4% of Childhood diabetes was type II in 1990, that number has risen to approximately 20%
* Depending on the age group (Type II most frequent 10-19 group) and the racial/ethnic mix of group stated
* Of Children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are obese

SOURCE: Wellness International Network Ltd - web.winltd.com

Weight Loss Advice
No matter how much excess weight or fat you have, if you want to lose weight permanently, your diet program should be directed toward a slow, steady weight loss. According to official government dietary guidelines, unless your doctor feels your particular health condition would benefit from more rapid weight loss, you should expect to lose no more than 2 pounds of fat a week, although initial loss (mainly water) may be greater. Losing more weight is no guarantee that weight loss is likely to be permanent



I bet more than half of the members look at that fat filled burger and think 'yummy' fact is, thats a loaded gun right there.

If you don't want your kids playing with a loaded gun, then don't give them fat food.

(I will only post ONE post then I'm going back to my #$(*%&#$ thesis!...but this is an important topic.)

The topic "Fun talk about candy and stuff" ended up looking a lot like the topic of this thread because...well, we can't help but drift towards this kind of conversation.

@ The_0ne: even though your English isn't perfect you've expressed something important. As a society, we are often quick to judge people who appear overweight (also a politically correct term!) and wonder however they got that way. Commonly, the judgment is one of disgust- if you're fat, then you made yourself fat because you're a glutton/lazy.

Is this true? Well, the answer is the same for all behavior for we can't entirely tell whether we're more acting on our own power or are subject to external forces...or both. That is to say, yes and no.

Simple fact: if you take in more energy than you put out, you will gain weight. If you're not exercising strenuously and gaining muscle when you gain weight, most likely that energy will be stored as fat. This is natural: your body considers fat a very valuable resource, especially in the days that we had to compete pretty hard to get enough food.

These days that's generally (in first world countries) not the case. We generally take having enough food for granted. The issue here is that society as a whole is not aware of how things have changed, and therefore the discrepancy between how our bodies tend to work and the conditions we live in. That's why it appears that most people don't care about how overweight nations like the US, Australia and the UK are: they don't know how it happened so much as judge people who appear to represent it.

So here's the factors that can influence how much body fat you tend to put on:

* Ethnicity- different races actually put on fat at different rates, likely related to historical locations of the original people of each ethnicity.

* Socioeconomic status- in short, the poorer you are, the fatter you tend to be. Why? Because multinational food franchises tend to run on profits, not health concerns. Despite purportedly making attempts to 'turn healthy', fast food chains still offer basically the same thing: too much energy at extreme convenience. And they still make their money the same way: specifically targeting poorer suburbs because the people there are not only less money poor, but also time poor and skills poor, making them largely dependent on fast-food for their sustenance.

* Culture and education- the big ones. There's no deflecting or having to acknowledge blame here...the fact is if you don't know, you can't act. I see some extremely dangerous practices parents commonly hold such as "the only time the baby isn't crying is when they're feeding," among others. If everybody were more informed about the factors that influenced your weight, we really would be having less of a problem.

* Depression and self-esteem issues- unless you really do a "The Biggest Loser" approach, chances are that the task is really too big to handle, and that's a real downer. As the OP said, overweight people also tend to have less motivation especially if its to an extent that their mobility is reduced, or they feel restricted from doing activities that might help them. For example, swimming is one of the best methods of exercise especially if you're overweight. But if you've got lolls of fat hanging off your waist, are you going to want to make an appearance at a pool so people can stare at you like you're a beached whale?

* Hormonal and metabolic disorders- certain hormonal imbalances can have you really losing/gaining weight like crazy. One well known example is Cushing's syndrome- sufferers often experience rapid weight gain and take on what is known to clinicians as the "lemon on sticks" appearance. The most devastating metabolic disorder I know of is Prader-Willi syndrome, where one of the common effects of this rare genetic disorder is in fact the literal inability to stop eating, due to a literally insatiable appetite.

True, ultimately what you do and what you stick in your mouth is up to you. Furthermore not all overweight people would be affected by all of the above. However since we're all subject to different influences, so I would reserve my frustrations regarding obesity for the most willful and self-contradictory of patients (rather, overweight people), and do my best to make systematic changes to our education as well as the way we see 'fat people', so that the problem might be empowered to deal with itself.

Ooh, Alex's post is rather informative. I'm going to quote the most important part:

Weight Loss Advice
No matter how much excess weight or fat you have, if you want to lose weight permanently, your diet program should be directed toward a slow, steady weight loss. According to official government dietary guidelines, unless your doctor feels your particular health condition would benefit from more rapid weight loss, you should expect to lose no more than 2 pounds of fat a week, although initial loss (mainly water) may be greater. Losing more weight is no guarantee that weight loss is likely to be permanent

Tydus is right it about the convenience part of eating unhealthy. It is a combination of a lot of things though. For starters it is cheaper to eat fast food than it is health food. Next time you are in the store look at the price of tofu chicken, or soy milk, or low fat items. They are much more expensive. It is generally the lower-income population that is obese. Next, is our exercising. Americans do not do it enough. We drive everywhere and are lazy (as a whole). We'd rather sit down and watch TV than go hiking or walk to mall, etc.

But there are ways around all of this. I am but a poor college student and I refuse to live off my parents. I live pay-check to pay -check right now because being a therapist with only a partial masters sucks. It's slow, but I'm doing it on my own. I will eat the normal things I can get from a grocery store but it is all about portions. A lot of Americans will gorge themselves on food like we aren't gonna see another meal. Like you were pointing out, it has to do with our mental states. Depression and stress lead MOST to eat more.

People just do not eat responsibly. They do not listen to their stomach and stop eating when they get their fill. They keep eating until they are stuffed. And then, don't exercise. It is all about responsible portions, balance, and physical activity. Personally, heck yes I am gonna eat a fat greasy bacon cheeseburger! But not all the time, and the rest of the time I eat generally healthy. But I don't think you have to cut fatty things out, you just have to be responsible with your eating habits.

As far as price goes, yes, unhealthy food is cheaper. And that sucks. It makes it hard to buy good food.

As far as depression goes, I actually find that I eat more when I am happy, and less when I am not. So it actually goes the opposite for me. Mostly, I am a very happy person, so I like to eat! I find that the thing that makes me eat the most is exams. Sitting down for hours on end study is not manageable without a snack next to you. Which is bad! But, as long as you keep it healthy (baby carrots, fat free popcorn, etc), this is still not too bad.

well as i see this topic goes to a point i didn't want it to go...... i really want you tp understand that its not always hard to stop eating.....

woooops that i postet last here was wrong.... i ment that it is hard to stop eating if u feel sorry for urself because of something..... or u just eat and it get out of control and after a while u dont think youre fat but normal,.... unless you have a body wich weights 3 ton :I

@ The_0ne

You are right it isn't easy to just stop, but it isn't impossible. I feel that a lot of Americans believe they lack the will-power and that's just ridiculous.

Arax_Nisanu, you seem like one of those individuals who takes eating far too seriously. I can see that by calling a cheeseburger a 'loaded gun'. Please, get real.

Many of my friends and acquantences are health nuts, and say 'you should never drink soda, eat those fatty foods,' blah blah blah. Fact is, I am in better shape that all of them.

Now, I am not saying eating healthy is a bad thing. I eat, for the most part, a balanced diet myself. However, it is not a killer to eat fast food (or 'junk' food) every once in a while.

On the topic of obesity, it is not necessarily a person's own fault if they are slightly overweight. It could be genetics, or possibly a common problem with the thyroid. Either way, I also believe most folks judge overweight people with too much of a critical eye.

lol im big boned but fat people dont exersice not that they eat too much

Well, I have a few extra pounds. Ever since I quit smoking 14 weeks ago, I did gain 20 pounds. My metabolism has not yet gone back to normal. Oh well.

@The_One: Your English isn't so bad; it's a lot better than my Spanish! Don't let it stop you from posting, you make some good points.

I see that other people upthread have already covered most points about how to lose weight if necessary. I will note that, like The_One said, there can be medical reasons why a person is overweight, and their doctor might not want them to be losing weight until they fix some other condition.

I also agree that ostracizing the overweight and obese is not really a solution. Most of them know they're fat, and would like to fix it. Even if they don't, calling them names is not going to fix anything.

However, I don't believe we should have to make special rules for obese people. If you are 600 pounds, you can deal with not getting on the roller coaster or having to pay for two seats on an airline. The number of cases were you couldn't lose weight are vanishingly small. Most obese people are obese because it's their own fault, and holding their hands isn't going to solve the problem any more than excoriating them for it will.

Hahah, he unknowingly infringed upon my state of Anti-PC.

But there is(at least in my mind) a clear difference between fat people and obese/overweight people.

Fat people are the ones that just eat too much and do no exercise. Thus, it is their own fault and calling them fat is justified. You fatty.

Obese/overweight people fall into the category of people that have genetic problems or conditions that make it so they make it so they really have no say in how they control their weight. Diabetes runs in my family from both sides just purely from genetics. I had a grandfather from one side and an aunt from the other side that became diabetics purely because their genes decided one day "Hey, lets make this sucker diabetic."

Personally, it just comes naturally now for me to have a healthy diet and eating habits. Just the other day I took my best friend out to eat at the local Moroccan restaurant, and I will admit that we kinda gorged ourselves because it was: A) Delicious and B) Not often just the two of us get to do something like that. But afterwards, we walked around town for 15 minutes then played frisbee for another 45. Then walked back to his house.

It also helps that I swear to god I have the metabolism of a freaking shrew.

i like ur posting.... and that some understand that we shouldn't blame them for anything and someone dont :I