[OT] Why are so many Americans "overweight"

[Seaver]

I said it elsewhere - I think a lot of it has to do with the growth hormones used on our food animals.

I don't know anything about that, not saying you're wrong though.

I do believe it has something to do with such a large portion of the up and coming female population developing at such an alarming rate.

Frankly I don't remember girls developing breasts that are occasionally almost the size of their own heads when I was 12...and that was only 15 years ago. Evolution doesn't move that fast!

I find it a bit disturbing and unnatural...I mean sheesh they're still kids! They are barely even in Junior High at that point.

 

[Blacksad]

Europeans, by contrast, suffer from much higher unemployment rates, so obviously they won't be working as many hours per week.

uh?

 

[Blacksad]

Frankly I don't remember girls developing breasts that are occasionally almost the size of their own heads when I was 12...and that was only 15 years ago. Evolution doesn't move that fast!

This is due to the current most prevalent means of contraception: the pill.

The growth hormone, is used to increase the speed at which an animal takes fat, officially in Europe it is carcinogenic, and its usage is forbidden in the food industry, thus the reason France doesn't accept American food.

Unofficially, the government decided to have a better quality in food, and the concurece of the U.S. prevented that, though recent study tend to show that it is indeed carcinogenic.

 

[Creamsteak]

Frankly I don't remember girls developing breasts that are occasionally almost the size of their own heads when I was 12...and that was only 15 years ago. Evolution doesn't move that fast!

Also note the number of high-school girls that bleach thier hair. It's officially ALL OF THEM last time I saw my school. Heh, trends for girls are to stuff your bra (or find some way to enlarge your breast cub by the time your 12 years old), bleach your hair, and maintain a complete aura of ignorance to all things that can be classified as knowledge.

 

[Seaver]

I have a pet theory about this. When I was 5 years old, in 1977, a coke was 10 ounces. Now that I'm 30 years old...a coke is either 20 ounces or maybe even a liter.

I think soft drink companies are mostly to blame for American's being overweight.

Cedric

You can get it in either a 20 oz or a 1 liter. I have a 1 liter of the new Pepsi Blue right here with me now.

Pepsi Blue is a blueberry flavored caffinated non-cola soda btw.

What I love is that it's cheaper to buy a fountain soda rather than a bottled one. It's $1.09 for a 20 oz bottle for example, but $0.99 for a 48 oz fountain soda of the same type.

Oh, or if you bring the cup for that fountain soda back and use it for a refill you can get 48 oz of bone eating, phosphate filled, fizzy goodness for only $.70.

Mmmmm. Phosphates. Just kidding I tend to stick to 7-up or else just iced tea w/o sugar. Well and the occasional White Russian.


Buy in bulk is more or less one of the US' shopping mottos. More is better.

 

[GILGAMESH]

It says it all!!!

1)society
2)commodities
3)food
4)lack of exercise

I 100% agree!!! couldn't be any more true!!

 

[Seaver]

Also note the number of high-school girls that bleach thier hair. It's officially ALL OF THEM last time I saw my school. Heh, trends for girls are to stuff your bra (or find some way to enlarge your breast cub by the time your 12 years old), bleach your hair, and maintain a complete aura of ignorance to all things that can be classified as knowledge.

True...and no thank you. My wife is a brunette. Never was fond of blondes myself.

Don't those poor girls know what kind of damage they are doing to their hair?

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Just an opinion, mind you....

Europeans get huge vacations. 4 weeks per year, I've heard, is mandated in some countries. Me, most of my working life, I was lucky to get 1 week per year. My last job, I had 2 weeks per year. But when I was laid off, I had almost 3 weeks saved up. Why? I couldn't find the time to take a vacation. We were severely understaffed, since corporate was too cheap to replace workers who quit.

Okay, getting back on topic.

Me, I'm about, I dunno, 80 pounds overweight. When I was a kid, I tended to forget to eat some days, but I still was fat. I think my body went into survival mode, and when I don't eat, it starts storing fat. In addition, I tend to eat a lot of starches, and definitely a LOT of processed food. (Frozen dinners, for instance. I can't cook. )

I can't exercise, because I was born with bad knees. They're not connected right. The tendons have a tendency to try to pull my kneecaps out of their groove when pressure is applied to them. So, I had to finally give up riding bikes when my knees were going through excruciating grinding sensations. Fun!

In addition, I've a tendency to sprain my ankles. "Keep off them for a week," I'm told. Right. I went to a college that was spread out over ACRES of land. (University of California at Davis, a huge university.) I would have to get from one end of the campus to the other in seven minutes, the time alloted between classes. Couldn't wait for the little golf carts they used to ferry people with casts and crutches. One week, I sprained both my ankles, stepping into potholes. Another time, I was taking a moonlit walk around the Arboretum (a big "lake," about 9 miles circumference, surrounded by trees), and the path narrowed in an unlit area. Crack! I stumbled off the path, sprained my ankle, and had to walk about 8 miles on a sprained ankle, or sit in the cold for 8 hours until someone might find me.

Then, at the place I worked before my last job, I had a bone dislocate in my foot. For two years, I could barely stand up, much less walk or jog. It's better now, but now I've done something to a tendon....

Basically, it comes down to: Does anyone have any spare body parts they want to donate? I'm only 32 years old, for goodness' sake!

 

[Seaver]

I do have to say that is one thing that drove me nuts about my last job. I did a good amount of work that involved our European offices. Programming support for them and what not.

It seemed like half the time I needed information from the standard contact in whatever country, they were off on vacation somewhere and wouldn't be back for a few weeks.

Plus they typically didn't leave any kind of alternate contact info.

Arg!

 

[Falcon]

I am 38, stand 6'1" weigh 195, and have something like 11% bodyfat. I really could care less, but my doctor seems to think it is important. I lived in Europe for eight years. I work out all the time, and when I am more sedentary than normal , I adjust my diet to reflect that. The only thing I don't like are beets and brussel sprouts, and I like lots of veggies and fruit, so that is easy.

When I returned to the US, the sheer physical mass of the meals amazed me. One big honkin' plate of everything. And the idea that food is merely fuel, and not part of being time spent with friends or a repast for yourself, leads to the whole grab-a-burger-on-the-run mentality, propogated my the media, subsidized by various industry interests.

A very interesting read is "A Diet for a New America," or something like that. It details the myth of cheap food, how expensive livestock is in terms of environmental degredation, transport costs, etc., etc.

Stop eating chips, drinking soft-drinks, and start walking 30 minutes a day, and the results will astound.

Edits: Mis-spellings and schtuff.