Obesity Pandemic - Is a Conspiracy to Blame for You Being Overweight?

According to a recent essay in Harperês, by Greg Critser, one fifth of all Americans are obese. The dean of American obesity studies, the University of Coloradoês James O. Hill, says that if obesity is left unchecked almost all Americans will be over-weight within a few generations.

Source

NOTE: I am NOT a medical expert who deals with obesity issues. I have not done a ton of "educational" style research on the subject. I have, however, been overweight since the age of 10 and have had first hand experience with weight loss products and several "fad" style diets in my efforts to lose the weight and keep it off. I am writing this piece from the viewpoint that there is NO conspiracy to keep us fat. That being said, this post will be written from a personal standpoint and NOT a professional one.



I have struggled with my weight since I was 10 years old. I have had my ups and downs, but, for the the most part I have stayed withing a certain level of "obesity" since that time and in relation to my height/age.

Being one who has had severe weight struggles and problems, I definitely see how one could blame their weight problems on a bigger "conspiracy" to keep them fat. God knows, I have almost felt this way myself on several occasions as a result of despair over my inability to keep weight off.

When it comes to being fat, there are usually 3 main groups of fat people.

1. People that were born to be fat - This people are the ones that who have a genetic history of being obese. You come from a long line of people who have always struggled with their weight. (I fit in this category, but only partly)

2. People who are fat as a result of their overeating - This speaks for itself. (I also fit into this category)

3. People who are overweight a the result of a medical issue - Women who gained weight while pregnant (but not before) and were unable to keep the weight off fit here.


No matter what group you fit into, being overweight can (and will) be a HUGE hassle in your life.

Overweight people face a variety of struggles throughout their life. Whether it is from health issues or just naturally skinny people chiding them and (in some cases) even avoiding them socially altogether, being fat can be a HUGE problem (pun intended). A person who has never lived a day of their life being fat can NEVER have any idea of how bad it can be on your self esteem. Fat people struggle in many different areas of life. Whether it's having trouble finding clothes that fit, being a social recluse or even being able to ride certain rides at theme parks. Being fat is an all day, every day problem.

It's for reasons like this that I feel people can easily slip into the mindset of feeling that it's someone (or some corporation) else's fault for their daily struggle and heart ache. As I said earlier, I too have let myself fall into the category of trying to lay blame on someone else for my problem.

However, the more I struggled and the more diets and diet pills I tried; The more I came to realize that ONLY I was responsible for my inability to keep the weight off how I would like. Now, before I go further into that statement, let me tell you why I ended up fat in the first place.

When I was young, instead of being MADE to drink water and eat healthy, I was allowed to drink sodas by the 2 liter and eat chips instead of my supper. If I didn't want to go play that day, I wasn't made (or even encouraged) to. After awhile, these habits had already put their evil claws into me and, little did I know, wouldn't EVER let go. Now, do I blame my parents for this? No, of course I don't. Why? Because they each worked 60 hour weeks just to keep us in the crappy little house in the good neighborhood that we had. My parents lived a constant struggle as the result of money and, even though they loved me very much, they had more immediate worries than my potentially developing this bad habit. When they got home in the afternoons (or at night), they devoted as much time to me as any child could want and they DID indeed take care of me in every way a child could ask for. They simply never saw this problem coming as the result of being blinded by all the others.

Now, skip ahead a decade or so and this is when it truly becomes MY FAULT.

I have struggled through so many diets and diet pills that it is not funny. I have done everything that I could think of looking for a "quick" fix to my weight problem. I went through the Stacker phase, the Xenadrine phase and several fad diets phases before I finally realized what my problem was.

I was looking for a QUICK fix.

I have realized since then that there is no QUICK fix to someone who is naturally overweight AND with a bad eating/drinking habit.

My problem didn't lie with some conspiracy to keep me eating junk food, my problem was with MY OWN unwillingness to give up my SODA habit. That's right, all the diets I tried and all the pills I took never got the in the way of my love for Pepsi Cola. Now, granted, caffeine IS an addictive substance and I do indeed get some splitting headaches if I avoid it. However, that addiction was NOTHING in comparison for my love of feeling that burn in my throat from my first cold Pepsi of the day washing my breakfast down. I LOVED that feeling, and still do to this day.

It was when I first actually decided to take the time and look at the "nutritional information" label on my sodas that I realized where my problem was coming from. At several hundred calories and almost pure carbohydrates pure can, I realized that I was DRINKING my calories and, in turn, realized just how easy it had been for me to keep myself fat all those years.

Since that time, I have been cutting back on the sodas and working water into my drinking habit and since that time I have been slowly (but steadily) losing weight. I still eat pretty much any food that I want and that has not hindered me a bit in my weight loss AND health goals. Not only that, but I feel MUCH better about myself with each passing day.


That being said, I do no personally feel my weight problems are the result of any type of conspiracy. However, I do feel that it does serve many many company interests to keep me (and you) fat. Many companies do indeed see very healthy profits from our unhealthy life choices and, in that sense, perhaps the conspiracy that keeps us fat is the one that is in our own mind and habits.

Who knows?

Perhaps you feel differently? Perhaps you agree with me? Either way, I want your feedback.

Do you feel there is some huge conspiracy to keep us fat? Or are we the only ones to blame for our problems?



Jasn

"Never does nature say one thing, wisdom another."

Our eating habits are unnatural. Our diet is severly unhealthy. Our mindset about nutritional diet is grossly out of whack.

Find the key to a natural healthy weight is as easy as looking at our nearest counterparts. I was overweight most my teenage years until I had taken up vegetarianism and I have a natural carrying weight and am in perfect help despite being largely inactive(at least in my opinion, probably over active compared to your average American.).

I don't think there's a conspiracy but convenience plays a major role, and instead of contributing to health, they find it more profitable to produce food that is cheap, relatively good tasting, and grossly insufficient or nutrionally unbalanced.

There's a shared responsibility between the consumer and the producer of these types of foods. Takes two to tango.

reply to post by DeadFlagBlues


If you are a Veg. I hope you are taking your supplements haha.

I am a firm believer that meat is a cornerstone to a healthy diet. I know, personally, that if I have to go without my farm raised (and not injected) beef, chicken and pork for a few days, I feel AWFUL.

Nothing like a delmonico to raise my vitality haha.

Jasn

I think sitting around in front of ATS too long can contribute to obesity issues.

reply to post by Skyfloating


Hey now, watch the negative ATS propaganda.



Though, what you say is true. Sitting in front of the new boob tube does indeed contribute to obesity issues.....and look at our schools now...trying to indoctrinate our children with the ways of the computer even in preschool.


Jasn

reply to post by SimiusDei


3 days ago. I've been trying to "beef up."
147 LBS. 4.9% body fat.



9 month ago, 3 months into Veganism after a 5 day fast.

136 lbs. 4.1% body fat.





Supplement THAT, Simius.

Oh, I'd like to add that I don't do ANYTHING, accept get pissed at Skyfloating and Techsnow here on ATS.com and play some soccer every now and again.

reply to post by DeadFlagBlues


Hahaha, looks does not equal internal health DFB.


Wait till I can get a cam and show you where my red meat and laying off the sodas has gotten me.

I might make ya feel bad haha


Jasn


EDIT TO ADD: I am now 6'1"/6'2", 272 lbs with 8.6% body fat. In addition (and perhaps luckily) to my hereditary obesity, I also have a tremendous muscle structure which added to my weight (and back problems) until I started shedding the fat pounds.

EDIT TO ADD 2: Since I have no current pics, I figured I'd post this one from shortly after my madison was put in hahaha. If I can't upstage your current picture, I might as well upstage your tatt with my awesome piercing hahahah j/k. Though you can see the start of the trapz in this pic.....they are a thing of beauty now.





Now, back onto the subject at hand haha.

[edit on 25-10-2007 by SimiusDei]

[edit on 25-10-2007 by SimiusDei]

Hmm, I donno about a conspiracy behind this, but I seriously wouldn't be surprized if there were.

I can't speak for people who are well-off finacially, but I've noticed down here at the dimmer end of the income spectrum, usually, the healthier the food is for you, the more it costs.

I think pastas are extremely cheap, are filling, go a long way and can be reheated. Breads are cheap. Boxed foods are pretty cheap. I'd even say a full meal at Mickey D's for about $3 is pretty cheap. Sodas are pretty cheap compared to nutritious juice drinks, milk and OJ.

So I would guess if there were a conspiracy, it would be to make sure we smack that intelligence and income off your face, to ensure you can only afford carby foods so that you become obese, make sure Britney Spears is on halftime with her boobs flailing around so you don't get up off the couch, and voila! Now you gotta go to the doctor's every month and subscribe to about 5 different pills.

Ah HA! It all comes back to big pharma! (actually, I tend to think a lot of things do, for some reason.)

Don't mind me, I'm just having fun speculating.