Why are Americans getting so fat these days

a reply to: musicismagic
Too much automation,in old days actually had to expel physical energy,now everything is done for you,but people are still eating at the same rate,like a wild animal compared to one in captivity

a reply to: Humbaba
You lost that bet.
It was the part where to OP insults the people walking away by also insulting the cashier (who he implied was also "fat" because he was so "dumb" he did not know what a hog was).

So fat and dumb goes together in his mind. I think others explained it way better.

a reply to: verschickter

I lost what? The point I made went right over your head. Cashier asked a question. He answered. That's it. I suspect you would have no problem with what was said if it was what you consider kind.

I'll be specific and ask again: must people, in the most casual of circumstances, be guarded with their words to avoid the sometimes ridiculous sensibilities of others?

a reply to: Humbaba
If you can´t remember your last post, it´s not my fault...

a reply to: wasobservingquietly

Having that hectic of a schedule must drive them batty, I'm happy to hear they pop by for some decent food at your house.

Yes I've seen it in kids too even when active, portion control or lack of it is also a large contribution to the weight problem, everything is "supersized" we are overeating as a culture a vast amount of food. we don't need a huge plate of pasta or ginormous mounds of mashed potato, 4oz of any protein is enough for a healthy meal. what I was told is a proper meat portion should be the size of the palm of your hand but you see many eating double or even triple that amount.

According to Gary Taubes, author of "Why We Get Fat" and "Good Calories, Bad Calories" we get fat because we eat too many carbohydrates. The people who are getting fat have insulin issues and the more carbs they eat the fatter they get. For these people, low calorie diets and increased exercising are doomed to fail because they fail to address the insulin issue going on in fat people's bodies.

Sal

a reply to: musicismagic

a reply to: verschickter

That was a terrible attempt at feigning ignorance. Why am I not surprised? What does a person have to do to get an answer to a direct question? I will ask yet again: must people, in the most casual of circumstances, be guarded with their words to avoid the sometimes ridiculous sensibilities of others?

a reply to: Humbaba
I do not owe you any answer, since you decided to assume things about me
But if you want, you can explain how ignorance fit´s into this. Start with you assuming things about people.

In fairness, there's a lot going on with regard to epigenetics and problems with gut microbes.

Not all people who are over weight over eat. Many do, but that's not always the case.

This is speculation on my part, but my guess is that we'll someday learn that the industrialized diet/environment has a lot to do with waistlines...more than simple will power vs gluttony. I'd also wager our genes also play a heavier role than we imagine.

But on a happier note, if we can avoid killing ourselves in some kind of WWIII scenario, I bet new medical insight might lead to better solutions for obesity as well as better food options.

The full truth requires reading the book "Wheat Belly". In summary, the wheat germ was genetically modified in the 1980's to be more resistant to cold climates. Unfortunately the GMO wheat germ became so popular that it's overuse caused the original germ to go extinct. Now we've discovered our bodies don't process the GMO germ properly, but it's too late to go back. This is why the obesity epidemic started in the late 80's. It's not just the USA, it's global. It originated here, but the population is equalizing. It's quite the tragic tale really. We shot ourselves in the foot.

a reply to: musicismagic

This thread is still up. It is nothing but an attempt to insult 7 out of 10 americans who are all fat dumb hogs?

If I started A thread saying why cant Asians drive it would be shut down.

originally posted by: imsoconfused
a reply to: musicismagic

This thread is still up. It is nothing but an attempt to insult 7 out of 10 americans who are all fat dumb hogs?

If I started A thread saying why cant Asians drive it would be shut down.

Look, I made an attempt to say, basically, I have just experience something that just in my mind, "wtf happened to Americans". It's true, I live in Asia and for the most part my "eyes" have adjusted to what I see of the people here. So when I visited America and went to the grocery store and waited in line, I noticed something I've never seen before, "fat" people actually having to pull back the cart and then get in front of it to take out their groceries. And yes, I did laugh a bit too loud and yes I did express myself a bit of less concern for maybe these people are handicap, but 7 out of 10 people throughout the registers meant it was a serious laugh, and not one of insult. Something is seriously going wrong with the American way of eating.

a reply to: Battlefresh

The GMO wheat isn't sold for human consumption in the UK so your global claims are incorrect. Plenty of fat Brits as well but its because they consume more energy than they burn.

It is that simple, I eat all kinds of fatty, corn syrup crap but I burn it up in manual work...if I worked at a desk I would need to eat less or I'd be a fatty.

Of course all the fat crowd will come out with all kinds of excuses but it is a simple energy in/out explanation. ...when was the last time you saw a fat person in sustained famine conditions? Or 'big boned' people lol just bull# excuses for the overwhelming majority of fat people.

We've evolved into such fast-paced societies, after reading through this thread it's clear to me that the solution isn't as simple as controlling what we eat.

Daavin made an excellent point about how curriculum doesn't educate thoroughly enough about cooking or "home economics", I did cooking classes at school 15 years ago here in the UK but I'd be telling you a lie if I said I actually learned much about cooking... It was a bit all over the place, I learned more about food and cooking in my sport studies.

A solution could be more communal halls, that way we'd have even more time for our fast-paced lives. I suspect ego couldn't allow that.

a reply to: musicismagic

I tend to see a big difference when I shop our local organic store than when I walk into other types of supermarkets. People tend to be much larger at non organic stores. Fine, you could argue that people who tend to shop organic stores do tend to eat healthier, but I think there is more to it.

For example, I tend to stay away from anything that states on the packaging that it is “diet”. That goes for diet soda pop too. I would rather drink a regular soda pop to a diet one, and that is because I don’t like all the bloating that diet soda seems to cause. I also stay away from all processed foods. I eat real butter too. In fact my motto is to eat as your grandparents would eat, as long as they were born before all this fake food seemed to have taken over the grocery shelves.

Yes,

“Don’t eat fake food, and eat as your grandparents ate”

It works for me anyway.

originally posted by: RAY1990
We've evolved into such fast-paced societies, after reading through this thread it's clear to me that the solution isn't as simple as controlling what we eat.

No, it really is that simple. Eat no more energy than you use and you won't get fat. I eat # loads of crap trans fat food and drink lots of beer but I burn it off.
It is basic biology and the overwhelming majority of fat people are fat because they consume more energy than they burn off.

a reply to: grainofsand

Over 4 hours later and nobody has an argument to counter me?!
Lame as #, where are the folk crying that the overwhelming majority of fat people are victims???
ATS you disappoint me.

The chemicals put in food are what is causing it.
You think sugar is sugar but it has been refined and is more like a chemical than sugar - same with salt. Fast food is full of chemicals that make you fat.
Fizzy drinks are a big cause. Fructose is the sugar in soda pop.

Here is a documentary called 'Big Sugar' - if you skip straight to 47 mins they explore obesity and fructose.
topdocumentaryfilms.com...
It also shows how schools are pushing soda pop by having them in the school - why is this?
It leads to diabetes and early death.

a reply to: grainofsand

I'm sure I've talked about this with you before.

A whole list of medications and illnesses can cause obesity whether that be the body filling up on fats or fluids.

No need to get frustrated, I'm mostly in agreement with you. Most weight gain is due to over-consumption or simply consuming the wrong things. I can't argue with a simple fact.

Now however, it would be ignorant if I was to assume that everyone should stop eating so much and that would be the end of it because it isn't that simple. Someone wanting to lose weight could look at the problem critically and lose weight by learning how many calories go in and how much is burnt, that part IS simple and to save you the spiel on how difficult that might be for many people I'll just say that time is valuable for some and it's hard to educate someone set in their ways.

All the obese people I've seen lose weight to a healthy level had a life changing thing happen to them, they open their eyes. If I were to say "So you stopped eating so much?" I'd be ignorant and probably get a black eye.

originally posted by: RAY1990
If I were to say "So you stopped eating so much?" I'd be ignorant and probably get a black eye.

You would however be absolutely correct about the overwhelming majority of fat people though.
Notice the gaunt skinny citizens in NK and their fat or plump leaders.

Energy in/energy used. As I said I eat lots of fast food, trans fats, corn syrup and drink more beer than I should...I'm not fat because I burn it off...if I worked a desk job I would have to eat less or I'd get fat.
No miracle of science.