[OT] Why are so many Americans "overweight"

[The Forsaken One]

Why are so many Americans "overweight"

I was just looking at the photo thread and remembering 2 vacations in the States and 90% of europe is skin and bones compared to the average american I've seen, Americans are extreme in lifestyles, opinions and size I've come to experience. Is it the food... or what?

(Attempted disclaimer: Not trying to insult anyone just a question that pops up in my head eveytime I see footage of average americans and lifestyles and go over my own personal memmories in the states.)

 

[Enkhidu]

I think diet has a lot to do with it - how much meat is usually in your diet in a standard day, Forsaken?

I also think portion amounts are partially to blame (I think a large number of Americans eat like our forefathers did, and steak and eggs for breakfast are no longer necessary to fuel the body in the increasingly white collar US - maybe when we were mostly farmers, but not any more).

Course it could always be all the hormones in the meat...

 

[Wicht]

I don't think we are as overweight as some try to make out, though in comparison to many in the world it is apparent that we tend to be bigger.

I would say in general it is because we are prosperous and eat well. Its really not a big mystery.

 

[JeffK1966]

I agree, prosperity is part of it - and permissiveness of parents. I'm 35 and see a lot more obese/fat teens these days than when I was in junior high school and high school - and the numbers say that it has tripled in the last 20 years.

 

[ForceUser]

I eat meat every day. I eat fast food about twice a week, on average, but I eat generally unhealthy food (high in fat and calories) every day. The only exercise I get is walking from the train station to my place of employment and back again at the end of the day (about 1/2 mile round trip). I'm roughly 80 pounds overweight. I'm your average American.

It's our fast food, give-me-something-for-nothing culture, man. We'll pay hundreds of dollars a month for weight-loss supplements and Jenny Craig balanced meals before we put on a pair of sneakers and gym shorts and work out. Consequently, 60% of Americans adults are overweight, as are 30% of American children. Welcome to capitalism gone mad.

 

[Pielorinho]

Lots of factors. One thing I've heard is that American cities tend to be younger than cities in other developed countries; many of them were built after the automobile, and getting around in them pretty much requires driving. Cities in, for example, Europe tend to be older and easier to get around in by foot.

I know that in my personal life, I rarely walk except for pleasure. I can walk to a grocery store near my house, but that's a relatively new luxury for me -- and there's no sidewalk, and part of the walk is along a busy road.

Friends of mine who've spent time in France, by contrast, report walking daily to get to and from jobs and to go to the market for groceries.

I think Americans don't have much exercise built into our lives, compared to folks in other parts of the country.

So remind me again -- how does this relate to gaming? Maybe D20 modern should give Americans a -2 penalty on CON?

Daniel

 

[NLP]

It is nice to know that you have met all 284 million of us, and can make such a broad statement about us.

I spent a great deal of time in the military, stationed around the world. If anything, Americans are not "extreme in lifestyles, opinions and size". America's lifestyle is fairly conservative. We do not have legal prostitition and nude/semi-nude beaches everywhere. America is still fairly dominated by religious institutions.

As far as opinions go, I have seen more arguements between the locals in a Paris diner than I ever have in an American diner. I think everyone has opinions, and message boards allow people to express those opinions fairly easily, but I would never consider Americans to be more opinionated than any other group with fairly equal economic lifestyles.

I will give you the size thing though. Americans do eat a lot. There is a lot of food to be had, and since we are not paying $4.00 a liter for gas, we spend our extra money on entertainment; which often boils down to food. There are several thousand restaurants in Chicago alone. I have no idea how many there might be throughout the country. Food is cheap and plentiful, and is a simple drug for the masses. Besides, all the heart disease and cancer deaths are helping to keep our population under control.

 

[Desdichado]

What's really sad are the obese kids I see an awful lot of these days. If you can't even be thin when you're a kid, you're doomed to a hard life weight-wise as you get older. At least I didn't get overweight until I was in my mid-twenties.

If you can really call 20 or so extra lbs. of pot-belly overweight.

 

[mmadsen]

Americans are simply leading the way. Obesity has increased dramatically in the US in the last few decades, and other prosperous countries are following the same pattern, just behind by a few years.

What causes it? American food portions have grown, and grown, and grown -- particularly if you look at soft drinks. Americans eat more fast food than ever, and what used to be a "large" Coke is now, I believe, smaller than the "small" Coke -- same thing with fries. (You'll notice that the burgers don't grow as quickly, but they get more sauce, bacon, onion rings, etc. added on top.)

Then there's the fact that Americans get little physical activity. Almost no one walks; everyone drives -- and then fights to get a closer parking spot. Almost no one takes the stairs; there are elevators in almost every modern building, and no one looks for stairs. Most jobs aren't physical anymore, and even those jobs increasingly rely on equipment to do the job.

We've come a long way from a nation of farmers and laborers.

 

[Crothian]

I can't speak for all Americans but I know why I'm overweight. I work in a cubicle, so not much exercise. Food has something to do with it as well. I'm not the healthies eater I know.