[OT] Why are so many Americans "overweight"

[Cedric]

I'm 6'2" and 305 pounds...AND...I have Type Two Diabetes (mild, diet controlled).

I have had 3 doctors tell me to lose 30 pounds...which I've done. That's it...no drop to 180 crap or anything else.

Cedric

 

[NLP]

Re: some comments

Being the richest country in the world isn't a good explanation
the luxembourg has the biggest Gross Domestic Product per habitant in the world, and its population is less overweight than US population.

Luxembourg only has a population of 441,000, which is just a little higher than Fresno, California and about the same as Kansas City, Missouri. That country is not large enough to support overweight citizens.

 

[Darklance]

I'm 17, 5,9, and about 220lbs. I'm fairly fit and very strong. I Do Ninjutsu (1+1/2 hours) twice a week and Tennis(about two hours) twice a week during spring/summer/early fall. I try to do 10 minutes on a punching bag every day but not all the time.

I can say I easily eat only 3/4 of what my brother (who is skinny as a rail) eats.

I am considered overweight however. I've been overweight my whole life. I guess its just how I am. Most of the fat is on my stomach with the rest of my body being fairly trim. Its annoying but what can you do? (American BTW)

 

[Blacksad]

Re: Re: some comments

Luxembourg only has a population of 441,000, which is just a little higher than Fresno, California and about the same as Kansas City, Missouri. That country is not large enough to support overweight citizens.

Isn't the world champion Sumo wrestler from Taïwan?
edit:36,000 km²

 

[Uller]

Heh...I'm management...I work as much as my boss says I have to, and get no overtime compensation. I average 50-60/week....and lots of overnight traveling.

Actually, the average American worker is not working any more than they did 30 years ago. Our "increase" is due to the large number of women entering the work force. Most American famillies are two-income famillies now. Europeans, by contrast, suffer from much higher unemployment rates, so obviously they won't be working as many hours per week. Also, it is my understanding the many European countries mandate a certain amount of vacation per year for workers. In the US, we tend to believe (at least we used to) that such issues were best left to be decided between employers and employees...

Here's an article about it:

http://www.epf.org/ff/ff991014.htm

I seem to be about average for an American male: 43.4 hours per week. I work around 40-45 hours per week, sometimes a bit more if deadlines are going to be missed. I work as an engineer for EDS. Management types seem to work considerably more...it is not uncommon for my boss to work 70 hours a week. Of course, he also gets paid 3 or 4 times what I get paid so there you go...

Anyway...this is getting dangerously close to politics...let's not go crazy while the mods are at the con...

 

[LightPhoenix]

I'm going to go against the grain somewhat.

Yes, part of it is American culture. Somehow we've managed to emulate the Spartans without the "sound body" part. Some part of it is not exercising.

A big part of it is that people here just plain eat wrong though. The idea that you must eat three meals a day is ludicrous. You're much better off eating when you feel like eating (and in fact most good diets say this). Couple that with the American propensity to eat less grains and vegetables and more meats and dairy, and there you have it.

I'm also not entirely convinced that there's less exercise in American culture. How many gyms are there? True, we may not have to walk to and from work every day, but it's not like the resources aren't out there. Hell, a simple workout crunches, push-ups, squats, and jogging is enough to keep most people in shape.

I think the reason is because American society is so damned fast paced, even on the west coast. It's almost as if we're never expected to have any time to devote to simple pleasures like cooking and eating a meal (which is very often more nutricious than take out), taking an hour to work out, or reading an interesting book/journal/newspaper (sound mind and all that). Especially when everyone wants to have "a life".

 

[Hopping Vampire]

we (americans) also tend to have high starch diets (noodles, potatoes bread etc) and also a poor diet. i am 6'2", 180 lbs and i am skinny as a toothpick. most americans that i know that play DnD, MtG and other games like that are just plain fat.

 

[Some guy from Ohio]

Eat right. Stay fit. Die anyway. Beyond our vanity, does it really matter?

 

[corvus]

Yes, it's the food: Too much sugar!

Yes, obesity is epidemic in the US, and it is quickly happening in many other countries. Diabetes too. Even in children.

In the past 30 years, Americans have been eating less fat, yet obesity has increased and heart disease has not decreased. Blame the food pyramid. It should be inverted for optimal health.

Here's why (low-carb diet in a nutshell):

Eating sugar (ALL carbs are sugar) causes your insulin to rise in an attempt to lower your blood sugar levels. The more sugar you eat, the more insulin you get. The insulin does its job of lowering your blood sugar (one of its numerous jobs) and your blood sugar levels drop rapidly. Now your blood sugar levels are low so you feel hungry. At that point, you reach for a snickers (a cholocate candy) and start the cycle over.

Over time, with your insulin levels so high all the time, the insulin receptors in your cells become less efficient and require even more insulin to do their jobs. So, your body cranks out even more insulin and the cycle continues.

Eventually you may wind up with insulin resistance, diabetes, and a host of over health problems.

BTW, one of insulin's other jobs is storing engergy in fat cells. Hmmm...

Low-fat, high-carb diets are bad for us. We didn't evolve to eat that way and it is killing us (well, not me thankfully).

On the other hand, I believe elves do well on a diet of pure sugar.

 

[Creamsteak]

This hits the nail on the head IMO. Americans do eat more than Europeans, bigger portions, better food (than us Brits), and lots of all-you-can-eat deals. But the big reason for widespread obesity is lack of exercise - most Americans don't seem to walk anywhere, they drive. I remember my first visit to America, complaining to my American (future) wife that we never walked anywhere. She took me the 1/4 mile 'walk' to the nearest post office. Suburban Knoxville in August. Hell on Earth.

1/4 mile of no sidewalk, poison ivy, 100% humidity, 100 degrees fahrenheit heat, cars whizzing past, people looking at us from the cars like we were escaped felons...

We staggered back into the apartment after the 1/2 mile round trip, drenched in sweat, exhausted, and in my case convinced never to try walking in the USA again outside officially designated walking zones (national parks, city centres etc).

Me=American, Your Statement=True.

Grocery store = 2 Miles (Average load of groceries is 20 lbs. a person in my house
Fast Food Places = 1 Mile (Not so bad, but then again doesn't the excersise contradict the food?)
School = 32 Miles (Screw walking this. 32 Miles is for Military Academy Trainies to walk to school, not anyone else.)

Not to mention how true it is that people look at anyone who is on foot, with a certain hint of animosity towards them.

Amarica is a little to big and spread out in my opinion. This helps to generate more money, but it drains resources quicker and results in some severe lack of efficiency. America is the strip-mine of the world, fast production, but wasted resources.

I manage to float weights that vary as much as 40 (yes 40) pounds in a year, with no edit to my diet.

Freshman year I weighted 130 pounds - 130 pounds
Sophomore year I weighed 130 - 150
Junior year I weighed 140 - 180 (briefly)
Senior year (just started) I'm beginning at 150

I notice, personally, that I gain the most weight when I don't eat with my family. If I miss dinner, I snack all night. If I do this for like a week straight (like I did when I worked my old job) I gained about 5 pounds each week. When my schedule is normal and I eat a full breakfast (two eggs, hash browns, and steak sauce on both) and miss lunch (which is actually my normal schedule) and eat dinner of whatever (a grilled chicken breast and about a cup of rice for example), I maintain my weight of about 140 pounds.