Fit to Flab, Flab to Obese. Will it End and at What Cost?

Hear, hear. A voice in the wilderness, surely to be ignored, but none the less sage.

You got it in one...
I feel sorry for the kids who are allowed to get that way, by parents who should know better. You see 'em going round the supermarket with Mum feeding them crap to keep 'em quiet.
Occaisionally you'll see a Mum who breaks a bit of crust of her grannary loaf for the kid to grw on, or gives 'em a piece of carrot, and I think 'well done...if only everyone was that sensible'
Del

For my birthday, someone made me lots of desserts (two pies, cannoli, baklava). I joked that for my birthday, he gave me obesity for my birthday, but I may not have been too far off if I had actually eaten all that by myself.

It is a daunting task to shed pounds, but quite necessary to live a healthy life. It's about time that obesity comes with a hefty price (besides cost of medications). Hopefully, having their life on the line will encourage more people to attempt to lead a healthy lifestyle, or at least, a non-obese one. Then again, it is widely known that smoking can kill people, but many still do it.

I think until there is an acceptance of accountability, no one will make the change because that requires effort on their part.

While there may be some genetic conditions that make excess weight more difficult to shed for some people, it is not at the numbers we currently see. Sure, my family might have a slower metabolism, but every extra pound I carry is easy to understand. Working too much, eating too much, and working out less than I need to.

When I was younger and worked out as much as I worked at my job (6 days per week), I could eat anything that I wanted (except during wrestling season). Since I finished grad school, bills have made working overtime or multiple jobs a necessity (thank you, private school collegiate education) and when time becomes short, food prep becomes what is quick and easy and working out gets pushed off to the side.

Until people take accountability, push away from the screen, and start doing something about how they live, this will continue to be a legacy, or a "lethargcy" if I can make a pun, that we pass on to our future generation with increasingly horrifying results.

Even though I reference it in every obesity blog on CR4, the film Wall-E nailed where this comes from and where it is going and the paradigm shift that is necessary to fix it. Even though I couldn't find a good picture, you can see the increase in weight with each successive generation.

Years ago my four-year-old son and I were waiting at the gate for my daughter's flight to arrive (remember when you could do that?).

While we waited, an obese woman waddled in and tried to sit in one of the molded fiberglass seats. I guessed her weight to be between four and five hundred pounds. She was very large, what they called "morbidly obese." The seat was too small to accommodate her and so, after trying a few more seats, she sat down on a low table in front of us.

My son had never seen an obese person before and he stared at her in childlike wonder. He had no idea what to make of this person! I quietly told him to please not stare at the lady, and gave him a toy to play with. He looked down at the toy and then up at her again. He was fascinated! Again I diverted his attention. This happened a couple more times before he finally appeared to lose interest in her and busy himself with other things. I picked up a magazine.

Suddenly my son's curiosity got the better of him and, before I could stop him, he left his seat, walked directly over to her, put his hand firmly on her knee and asked, "Is all of that you?"

Similar type experience - got to Disney in Florida from Europe, standing in a very long queue my 5 year old daughter said in a very loud clear voice "But Mommy they are all fat!" and that was 22 years ago.

I am surprised at the figures for China - my experience is that the majority of those with whom I have come in contact are not fat, diet is meagre but riuch in fruit and vegetables and manual labour is the order of the day.

NaturalPro, I think you summed it up best by saying that while the article is alarming, it's not surprising. I am actually more surprised that the number of overweight New Yorkers is only 25%!

Although I have a lot of thoughts and ideas on the topic of obesity, something I saw a couple of weeks ago showed me that just how severe the problem is – and how its getting passed down to younger generations as being normal and OK.

I am one of 20 grandchildren on my father side and my grandmother asked that we all assemble to get our picture taken. Due to demographic reasons, I hadn't seen most of my cousins for years, so imagine my surprise when I see that the majority of them are quite large – a couple of them definitely obese (not saying it to be mean, they're family that I care about, which is why this is such an issue).

At first I wasn't sure what to think… I mean, they were all active boys when I saw them last. Then I started paying attention to the refrigerator. Most of my cousins (a solid 16 out of the 20 of us) & aunts and uncles were taking one soda right after another from the fridge and downing them almost immediately. It struck me then that this is only part of the problem, as they started talking to me about how they gave up on baseball and now prefer videogames.

It seems like a generalization, I know – but I can't or wouldn't make this up! They had given up on athletics and playing outdoors to stay inside and sit in front of the xbox and computer screen. Their parents admit that they've also given up on their now, unruly teens.

This is just one example, but, unfortunately, I don't think it's uncommon. It seems to me that we now live in a culture that tells people that they can have or do anything they could possibly want (a gimme gimme culture, if you will). However, in a time where cheese puffs and coca-cola reign king, many people don't WANT to eat healthy. Or, they want to eat what they want, but refuse to exercise. These people are also the ones who generally wonder why they feel so crappy all the time…

As you mentioned, NaturalPro, personal accountability is necessary in this situation. Not only that, but parents need to be accountable for their children and teaching them how to be healthy. Kids are sponges, so if they see mommy and daddy wolfing down a bag of Doritos and plopping on the couch night after night, they'll learn that as a normal behavior and the cycle will continue.

Also, most people who know me knows that I am highly against the use of food additives and shortcuts, like high fructose corn syrup, so I personally would love to see that crap go as well!

It scares me how many kids prefer to be "electronic athletes". I am not shocked at this. There was even a goof prize where I lived in college for Electronic Athlete of the Year to spoof on the video game kid who was less than interested in actually playing sports (although most athletes I know played video games at night, as well).

What do you think, NaturalPro? How long before people get into Virtual Bodybuilding, where they can lift weights with the mouse instead of actually doing it?

Shakespeare,

Thanks for your post.

The whole thing is very frustrating to me. It's like where do I begin? And once I do I am not sure if I can stop. Our society and culture has become too much about "watching" and "not doing" and it has become socially exceptable!

Television, video games and the internet....the lives of far too many revolve around all 3 of these.

20 years ago before video games and the internet kids actually were involved in sports and activities. Now they can sit on the couch and act as a virtual athlete. Whether playing games online or off and then there are fantasy sports.....

Never before has someone had the opportunity to feel they are doing without actually doing. It is like dreaming and never waking up. Unless that dream is to beat the latest greatest video game or win your fantasy sports league.....I mean come on......let's get real and set some beneficial goals in life!

I for one cannot stand to sit still when I am outside of the office. Hell sitting at a desk 8 hrs a day is challenging enough. (odd that one of my challenges is being sedentary, I guess this makes me "abnormal") But my wife tells me that I don't know how to relax, I am always go-go-go. But my response to her is that I will have plenty of time to relax when I am dead. If I am not doing something I feel I am missing something.

More people need to get out and enjoy life. Sitting in front of a tv or computer hours on end is not my idea of enjoyment. But that is just me. Exercise and fresh air is something everyone can benefit from and should find enjoying. The options are endless.

It is a big world out there and alot to see and do. But as I type this I can't help but think there is Google Earth........you can see it all from your pc.......somewhere along the line we have been programmed to fail. The strong will survive, the disciplined and educated will make the right decisions. It has just become too easy to make the poor choices and like I stated earlier socially exceptable.

I have shirt I bought this past year at a hiking shop in Tennessee when I was there on vacation and hiking the Smoky Mountains.

It says:

You can get lost starve to death and die, You can fall off a cliff and die, You can get attacked by a bear and die, Or you can fall off the couch and die.

Too many people are choosing the couch.

GREAT slogan for that T-Shirt. I think it is why so many people have a hard time understanding why I still play rugby.

Four years ago, a close friend and colleague was climbinga rock face when he fell and fractured his skull in two places. He missed most of the school year and lost 80% of his sense of smell and taste, so far, permanently.

One Monday, three years ago, he saw me hobbling into school after a Sunday game where I had sprained an ankle or had gotten a contusion on my calf or something like that. The following conversation recounts his challenge to stop playing rugby.

Him: "Hey, man, when are you going to quit this rugby crap?"

Me: "When are you going to quit climbing rocks?"

Him: (Pause) "Good day to you, sir. Have a good game this weekend."

"I am actually more surprised that the number of overweight New Yorkers is only 25%!"

Last month my son and I spent a week in downtown Manhattan and right away we noticed how few people there seemed to be overweight. We chalked it up to the fact that people walked everywhere. Parking is scarce and expensive, and driving in Manhattan, at least, is best left to the brave - or the foolhardy. So, people go everywhere on foot. Great exercise, walking.

True, good point. I'm an upstate girl that has only been to NYC a couple of times, so I tend to seriously underestimate the number of people living there . You're right, in urban areas walking is more prevalent. Too bad people outside of those areas are less inclined to walk to the store, rather than drive 3 blocks.

Hi Sharkles,

All good points and none of it surprises me. I will try not to repeat everything I posted in reply to Shakespeare so let's see if I can keep this short.

"cheese puffs and coca-cola reign king, many people don't WANT to eat healthy. Or, they want to eat what they want, but refuse to exercise. These people are also the ones who generally wonder why they feel so crappy all the time…"

This has happened to us all at one point or another - but how many times have you felt like crap and wished you never had that last slice of pizza, second helping or dessert? But to over indulge constantly it is no wonder that weight and obesity has become an issue nationwide.

Food additives are a whole new issue in themselves. There is garbage as we can call it (additives) in most everything we eat now a days. Unfortunatley most people are clueless when it comes to making proper food choices, but throw in all of the additives which "mask" some of the nutrition facts on labels along with deceptive marketing and people think they are eating healthy when they really aren't.

It is getting to the point where you need a college degree to understand what you are eating and how it is effecting your body.

The following is in response to a comparison of obesity rates as it applies to New York City. Other cities and areas of the country don't necessarily fall into the overall category of obesity; Californians for example are cited as having a healthy life-style.

If you take India as the low end of the obesity scale, you would probably find the following factors enter into the equation.

• There is much poverty in India; hence people eat less.
• Indians are more active. They walk and bicycle a lot.
• Many of their jobs are of a physical nature.
• There is less junk food on the market (poverty) and people traditionally choose foods that are healthy.

In contrast, taking the U.S. as the high end of the scale, you will find a different mix of factors that affect us.

• Those who live at the poverty level may consume more junk food and depend on lower cost foods that are not as nutritious.
• Those who work in high pressure jobs that don't have the time for a healthy diet turn to fast foods.
• Many jobs that once took much physical energy to perform have been eliminated and replaced by automation.
• Two income families don't have the time to prepare healthy meals and consume prepared, less-than-healthy foods.
• Companies that prepare and package these foods take the easy way by catering to the weaknesses of people (sweets, fats taste good and are cheaper to produce; hence more profit).
• Not all people like to cook and there are many who don't know how to cook. These people turn to fast foods and convenience foods.
• Most fast and convenience foods contain less-than-healthy ingredients. That is not to suggest they're dangerous, but if consumed in small amounts and accompanied by nutritious foods for a major portion of the daily food intake; they shouldn't present a major cause of obesity.
• Probably the greatest factor causing obesity is the quantity of food intake.
• Lack of exercise ties with quantity of food intake for obesity. Children spend more time playing video games than playing outdoors. People drive everywhere, even on short trips that could have been done on foot. They park as close to a store as possible to avoid walking.
• Riding a bicycle used to be a great source of exercise. In a large city bicycles can be dangerous so bike riding is done mainly by those who live in the suburbs and by children, although that is being replaced by video games.

A combination of the above factors causes obesity. How do we reverse this trend?

• Forget about diets. They just don't work for the majority of the public. People want to rely on a programmed diet that takes out all the guess work and does all the work for them. Unless you follow a diet religiously to the letter, you are doomed to fail. The only ones who will benefit will be the author of the diet. Will power is the only way to control your eating habits.

• Control the amount of food you consume. The only diet that really works and costs nothing (actually saves you money), is to stop eating when you feel satisfied. Tasty foods tend to make people eat more. Prepare your food more blandly. Your will power will have to be strong to resist temptation.
• Get exercise every day. It doesn't have to be a full blown regiment unless you have the time and desire to follow it. Walking over driving is a good way to increase your physical level. I used to take a bus to work and every day, I would get off the bus one or two miles before my stop and walk the rest of the way to work. Off course I had to leave home earlier, but a nice brisk walk during the best time of the day did wonders for me. At work, I would use the stairs instead of the elevator. It was only two floors, but every bit helps. When you go to the supermarket, don't keep driving around in circles trying to find a parking spot right in front of the store. Instead, park a good distance from the entrance and walk.
• It is important to not over-do any exercise or cut back excessively in eating. If you do, you are more likely to go back to your previous lifestyle.
• If you are young enough and don't have any avocation or path to follow, consider the military. Not only will you be providing a valuable service, but the military life will keep you fit.

I know there are many more suggestions to aid in reversing obesity in American society. I recognize it as a problem, not one that is easy to pinpoint or solve. If I had to make one statement that would be the most important and primary thing we could do, that would be education. There is much ignorance regarding nutrition and healthy lifestyle.

The two best-selling kinds of books in this country are books on cooking and books on dieting.

Sin and repent.

Ronseto,

Thanks so much for an excellent post! And congratulations to you for quitting smoking (I seen elsewhere on CR4 recently that you quit cigars after many, many years of smoking?).

You make great points throughout your whole response. Interesting that in the 5 bullet points addressing "How do we reverse this trend?" that you specifically use the word "will power" in the 1st two points and it can also be applied to the 3rd bullet.

Will Power & Education. It does in fact all lie right there - you nailed it.

On the flip side Laziness & Ignorance is just too easy for some and they find ways (excuses) to justify it all.

Frankly I am amazed at the people at the shopping malls that drive around and around looking for a close parking spot. I park at the farther end (where there are spots galore) and I can actually walk into the mall while these same people are still driving in circles. Maybe they are in no hurry and I am not saying that I am. But all of them could certainly benefit from parking besdie me and walking an extra 100 yards.

I wish everyone had your understanding and would take away some of the advice you offer here.

Sorry, this is like trying to get higher mileage from a fuel of lower calorific value in the same engine.

There were no fat people in Biafra.

Rather than a sign of starvation, I am of the belief that in some cases, obesity may result from poor eating habits exacerbated by poor nutrition (semantics for starvation) for the very reasons CWarner already stated. My anecdotal evidence of observation of obese people I am familiar with supports just that. Many of those with weight challenges often gorge themselves on poor dietary choices that likely may be the result of their body "telling" them that they need some type of nutrient, yet the "empty" foods do little to satisfy that need, so the body tells them to eat more.

The reason I believe this, is because I will have cravings for certain foods from time to time like broccoli or bananas or whatever. When I eat those foods, my hunger signals decrease significantly. I believe our bodies "learn" to crave those foods that play an important part in our nutritional needs. Perhaps the most important thing for an obese person is to "re-train" their body to respond to healthier choices instead of automatically reaching for the chips, ice cream, cookies, soda etc. (All of which I love, but I try to eat plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grain, etc.)

Don't forget about the high fructose corn syrup. HFCS is now in 80% of the foods that we eat. The percentage increase used in foods has led the trend of obesity in the US. I saw a commercial from the corn growers association advocating HFCS (www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0 I can't open youtube. hope it is the right one. or http://www.corn.org/CRAR2008.pdf page 10 big blue picture on the right side or search for moderation) the other day and it even said that it needs to be consumed in moderation. I don't know all of the bads that come with HFCS but I do know it shuts off the full feeling and can lead to diabetes because it is in everything processed. I used to eat quite a bit more when I was eating those foods. Now that I have removed most of those foods from my diet, I quit gaining weight. I still need to lose the gut that I gained from it, but my exercise routine will take care of that.