who's at fault for this nationwide epidemic? genetics? today's enviroment of fast food/junk food? or a simple lack of exercise during the day?

All of the above

The cheapest and most mass produced foods are the worst for you.

The people who are eating all that crap. People need to take some responsibility for their own health instead of blaming everyone but themselves. I live in the same world as them and I have no problem keeping a healthy diet.

I think it lies predominantly with the person...I was overweight for a time in my life, mostly due to beer, right Terrapin?? LOL
Once I hit 25, my body only wanted to eat when it was hungry, so I have maintained about 135-150 (after holidays!) and I am 5'7". I am fine with that.
The key is to eat healthy foods, and only wne you are hungry.

if all else fails, watch SuperSize Me!

Another layer of this is that we have a lot of fat and/or lazy social icons.

- Homer J. Simpson
- Al Bundy
- Peter Griffin
- Drew Carey
- John Goodman

There's dozens of people who we as a society--but especially males--look up to and idolize/respect, and who are overweight.

If American culture started to portray the "ideal" lifestyle as one of physical fitness, things might be easier to change.

True enough!

Hmm...

Baywatch goes off the air/into syndication, and American obesity goes on the rise.

Connection?

in large part responsibility lies with the person. in this day and age we have nutritional labels, warnings, all kinds of studies and we have known for some time now how bad having a poor diet and little exercise or activity in general is bad for you even if you're not overweight, it can lead to heart problems and other problems that arent obesity related.

now i could easily blame mcdonalds with their big "heart attack in a cardboard carton" mac super size value meals. but they did do away with the supier size option, a step in the right direction but not enough IMO. however noone is forced to go there. i havent eaten their food in a LONG time. i prefer to cook at home.

i could blame the junkfood makers for making the foods so tasty they're almost addictive, i could blame them for making them in mass quantities and selling them to us at fairly cheap prices. but again, noone is forced to buy that food and 90% of the time i dont buy it, everything in moderation, some is ok.

as for our sedintary lifestyles...too much TV and reality TV, too much entertianment, internet, video games and all kinds of **** that doesnt encourage physical activity. now with kids parents are to blame, they buy them all kinds of wink wonk gadgets and do not think that MAYBE just maybe they should no buy that latest game and try to find a way to get them to go outside and do something.

but none of the blame matters, regardless who is blamed if the person lacks will power, simply being able to say "no" to lots of fried foods but can say yes to the same type of foods that are say baked in an oven, still having the same food (or some of them) but with far less or no fat involved. again, a step in the right direction.

but if the people arent buying it they arent making it. the makers of oreo cookies have gone overboard IMO in their line up. not long ago they had fudge covered oreos, now ocassionaly i like oreos but not a lot and that turned me off and i havent had an oreo since. but they also have double stuffed oreos, mint oreos and all these different kinds of oreos in order to appeal to more people so they can make more money. ugh. its disgusts me. but noone is making people buy them so what can you do?

obesity is becoming a bigger problem than smoking related health problems. unlike smoking which largely effects jsut the lungs and th throat, being obese dramatically increases your chances of all kinds of cancers, orthopedic problem, knees and hip joints wearing out faster, increased chances of arthritis below the waist, increased chance of diabetes, heart problems including heart disease and risk of heart attacks and strokes. obesity effects just about everything in your body and if this situatuion isnt at least curbed its going to be number one on a lot of lists as the cause of death among many ailments and diseases.

it is just a person problem, companies are producing more and more products and noone is encouraging consumers to do tihngs in moderation.

my mother in law...oh boy, she's a heart attack waiting to happen. she's about 350 pounds and doesnt seem all that concerned about her weight. she has all kinds of problems, some oh which include cholesterol, knee problems and the inability to walk down the end of the driveway without getting winded. she's been like this for as long as i can remember and drives me insane. i have talked to her and i think i've shown more concern about her problems than she has. its scary but she's not the only one like this. my ex mother in law was like this. but the funny thing is noone else in their familes are like this. i cant figure out why she seems to be trying to kill herself with food. all i know is she needs help and needs to get therapy. but as long as she continues to live the way she does i cant blame anyone but her. she's been thin before, so i know its possible for her to be thin, she just doesnt want to be.

but it does seem our american diet is the problem as other places in the world where mcdonalds shows up so do ever enlarging waistlines, including china.

its a combination of things and blame cant be placed solely on one person but the blame game isnt gonna solve the problem, action and true change might.

I too blame McDonalds

I too blame McDonalds

McDONALD'S and the mass media who are ALWAYS out there bothering you, telling you that "you're lovin' it"....whether you ARE or AREN'T!

it's jesus's fault

it's jesus's fault

What brings you to THAT particular assumption? :|

We want it fast, we want it now, we only care about taste, we don't care about nutrition, we only care about our selfish desires to satiate our taste buds.


People over eat, and it's mostly over-processed nutrient sparse crap, and then they don't exercise, our bodies were not made to be sedentary.

If people just ate healthy, didn't over eat, and exercised regularly we wouldn't have the obesity epidemic that we now do. Of course there are people with genetic or medical disorders that don't have as much control as the rest of us do. Some people that used to be obese have been found to have tumors on their hypothalamus gland which caused them to never feel full, and then lost the excess weight once the tumor was removed.

These charts put into perspective what a huge problem it is!!

http://www.frommnutrition.com/images/cdc_obesity_1985.jpg

http://www.frommnutrition.com/images/cdc_obesity_1990.jpg

http://www.frommnutrition.com/images/cdc_obesity_2000.jpg

Fat people can blame themselves.

Part of the problem is genetics. We evolved to crave meat and fat because they were a rare part of our diet so our instincts made it so we'd go out and seek them. In our current society we get significantly more meat and fat then we were designed to process.

look! i'm in a red state all over again. lol


WTF comes up with these god damn colors for these maps?

Another layer of this is that we have a lot of fat and/or lazy social icons.

- Homer J. Simpson
- Al Bundy
- Peter Griffin
- Drew Carey
- John Goodman

There's dozens of people who we as a society--but especially males--look up to and idolize/respect, and who are overweight.

If American culture started to portray the "ideal" lifestyle as one of physical fitness, things might be easier to change.

I don't know if I completely agree with that....I don't think most people 'idolize' those characters. I'm not quite sure why, but I think it's generally accepted that fat people doing stupid things are funnier than skinny people doing stupid things. All of those people/characters are in comedic roles, so I think that holds true.

Anyway, I think there's probably lots of factors, but the major one is the people themselves. I'm not extremely fat, or by no means obese, but I could lose a few pounds. I'm not blaming anybody else, it's my fault. Which is why I'm going to the gym. ;)

the problem lies partially in things like this. It's like selling heroin at the 7-11 and then telling people that it's all their own fault for being junkies.....

Monster Thickburger horror
November 18, 2004 - 3:38PM

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/11/18/th_monsterburger.jpg

America's appetite for junk food has taken on terrifying new proportions in the form of the highest calorie hamburger ever marketed to a nation already sick from overeating.

The "Monster Thickburger" is nothing less than a "monument to decadence", declares Hardee's, the chain pandering to the country's worst instincts for greed and gluttony.

The burger, which packs a bulging 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat per portion, also bucks the trend of fast-food restaurants offering healthier alternatives.

"It's not a burger for tree-huggers," said a Hardee's executive, rejoicing in their defiance of the fad for salads and "Atkins-friendly" menus.

"It's a lot," one bloated diner said after surviving the challenge of eating one in Pennsylvania. "It tastes better than you might suspect. But I think it's a special treat more than a regular meal."

The Monster Thickburger consists of two slabs of Angus beef (664 calories) and four rashers of bacon (150 calories) with three slices of processed cheese (186 calories), plus mayonnaise (160 calories), sandwiched between a sesame seed bun (230 calories) spread with butter for a final 30.

The equivalent of two Big Macs, it costs $7. For around $2 more, you can throw in a medium fries and a soft drink and consume an adult's recommended daily intake of calories at one sitting.

The burger requires "two hands, a firm grip and a serious appetite", Hardee's boasts. It is also a "heart attack in a bun", say nutritionists.

The company is not as widely spread in America as McDonald's or Burger King. But by gambling on bigger burgers, it is earning notoriety - and market buzz.

However, it also increases the company's exposure to the threat of lawsuits from customers blaming its food for their obesity, diabetes, heart problems or other conditions linked to poor diet.

Attempts to sue McDonald's for health problems have so far failed, but the litigation threat is still taken seriously.

Hardee's previous attempt to seduce big eaters was the plain Thickburger.

"If the old Thickburger was 'food porn', the new Monster Thickburger is the fast-food equivalent of a snuff movie," the Centre for Science in the Public Interest commented.

London Telegraph

Pfft, no one is forced to be a brainless cow; people can take a little responsibility for their own actions. I can walk down the street right now and buy some weed just as easily as I can a bottle of pop and bag of chips but I don't because I choose not to. I am the only one accountable in that equation.

N.B. I want that burger. :drool:

"Every fat person says it's not their fault, that they have gland trouble. You know which gland? The saliva gland. They can't push away from the table." -Jesse Ventura

Some years ago, I developed a new philosophy that made me pass right by ALL of the All-You-Can-Eat affairs that I used to crave...(And STILL dig alot):

Tastes the same TODAY...

as it did

YESTERDAY..

Last WEEK..

Last MOTH..

Last YEAR..

Pretty much gets me THROUGH.... :D

:hmm:

:hmm:

And it's a VALID thought/observation/philosophy, too, effendi....

Thinking about the flavors you crave yet already have HAD and are FAMILIAR with, makes you think.....well.......maybe another time...(Or in MY case once a week or once every two weeks instead of the ONCE-A-DAY gig I was guilty of!)

Remember THIS: Hunger is a NEED, Appetite is a WANT ..

Between the two, the LATTER is...because of being surrounded by TEMPTATION and such....more FREQUENT than the FORMER!

i really, really hate fat people.

i used to feel pity for them. now, they disgust me.

whenever i see a fat person waddling around in their size XXXL sweats, all i can see is them screaming: "i'm a fat, disgusting pig with no self-control. my obesity is driving up your medical costs! ha ha ha! let me have another slice of pizza!"

i really, really hate fat people.

i used to feel pity for them. now, they disgust me.

whenever i see a fat person waddling around in their size XXXL sweats, all i can see is them screaming: "i'm a fat, disgusting pig with no self-control. my obesity is driving up your medical costs! ha ha ha! let me have another slice of pizza!"

the sooner they die, the better.

Well, #1: Have you ever noticed what MOST of the clientele that patronizes All-You-Can-Eat Dining Emporiums like COUNTRY BUFFET, FURR'S, & GOLDEN CORRALL LOOK like? :rolleyes:

And #2: Back in 1998, the ONE sight I saw, that almost made me end up with a permanent stock of nightmares.....was the sight of an OBESE (300 lbs. MINIMUM) blonde female....wearing Hot Pants, a Halter Top, and having a BARED MIDRIFF!!! :P


I cancelled my plans for dinner THAT SECOND! :barf: quintupled

NOW, tell us what YOU REALLY think! :p

I don't hate fat people. I feel sorry for them.

It has to be said that anyone who thinks that obese people shoulder all the blame for their obesity is a very very simple minded person who is allowing an evil system of corporate greed to get off scot free.

who's at fault for this nationwide epidemic? genetics? today's enviroment of fast food/junk food? or a simple lack of exercise during the day?

peoples inability to stop cramming food in their mouths.... that and total lack of physical activity IMO.

Ultimately, us fat Americans are at fault.

Not-so-tall story

Over 25 years ago the Americans were the tallest people in the world, a phenomenon produced by their increasing prosperity. The average US male was 5ft 10in tall while the average male Brit was only 5ft 8in.

However, since then there has been a dramatic change. The average US male is now only 5ft 9in tall while the average British male is nearly 5ft llin and the average Dutchman an astonishing 6ft lin. Why this decline in the American stature? It's down to diet.

The USA is the world leader in junk food, and the average American's diet consists of too much fat and sugar and not enough of the essential nutrients needed to make a healthy body.

Unfortunately for the Americans, this decreasing height has been accompanied by increasing waistlines, all of which leads me to wonder when they will produce the world's first cubic human being.

Printers Workshop November 2004

Fatties. :P

....this decreasing height has been accompanied by increasing waistlines, all of which leads me to wonder when they will produce the world's first cubic human being.


I'm willing to wager within a century or two..

"Whatsoever was the father of a disease, an ill-diet was the mother"...

WHOs fault? IF the us population REALLY enjoyed freedom of choice, they almost cartain would choose healthy and tasty food. Being consumers, their choice is limited to ANYTHING thats available on the market, ie food that someone can produce, wrap in and sell with profit.

Ultimatelly, its a matter of choice and industrial processing. The more the ingredients been processed (purified, destilled, improved, gene-manipulated etc) the less they resemble propper food, that our digestive system could use as nourishment. High-quality food doesnt come cheap. If it does, anytime, anywhere - than its not...

The aboriginal population of America, Australia and Oceania have experienced a change of nutricial patterns in less than one generation. The result is a dramatically increased intake of high-calory food, causing high levels of insulin, insulin-resistence in muscle tissue and, finally, diabetes type II. Theres no doubt what caused that terrifying epidemiology - abandoning the lifestyle of hunter-gatherer and embracing the lifestyle of passive-consumers of low-grade, high-energy, cheap fast-food made insuline-bulging, slowly dying fatsos out of slender masters of survival.

That and widespread alcoholism :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Redshiney/symbols.gif

One thing I've noticed since changing my eating habits. Good food is expensive ! Fruits , veggies, fresh fish , meat etc costs all more than junk foods. Plus you don't get Granny fumbling though her purse looking for that last penny for ten minutes in the drive though.. :hmm:

Good food is expensive ! Fruits , veggies, fresh fish , meat etc costs all more than junk foods.

Less labor, manpower, overall work to process DORITOS Chips, than to grow, harvest, & pack FRESH FRUITS & VEGETABLES and to raise & process MEATS & SEAFOODS.

And look at it THIS way: The cheap prices of said junk foods is proof of the lack of nutritional value & overall quality thereof..

who's at fault? The individual. Why is that so many can't seem to put the blame where it belongs? On themselves. I guess it's easier to blame everyone/everything else for their own weaknesses. It's time they took responsibilty for themselves. :nonono:

one thing: exercise.

i went over-board in my first post about fat people. i think everyone should exercise, though.

since i exercise, i can pretty much eat whatever i want (no soda or candy, tho). i go through about 3,800 calories a day.

That burger looks so gross to me! All that fat and carbohydrates. http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_28_108.gif
Not to mention all the calories!


Give me a nice oriental salad with lots of greens, chicken breast, crunchy noodles and mandarin orange slices. YUM! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/12/12_4_64.gif

Ultimately, us fat Americans are at fault.

You'd think we'd have more sense and more pride.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_122.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_130.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_131.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_129.gif

Cmon, its not that simple. We cannot blame just one individual for something thousands of ppl do. Consider that as a system-failure and understand that its a matter of dependance like any other (alcohol, drugs, sex).
All we ever do is get used to that fast onset, that instant satisfaction of our needs. Once you feel that, youll try to own the source of that particular stimmulus in order to secure the access to it.

Ultimatelly, a single electrode in hypothalamus would save all of us from obesity, but would also make us slaves under the button... ultimate junkies :P

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*press* aaahh! *press* oohhh!

You'd think we'd have more sense and more pride.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_122.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_130.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_131.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_5_129.gifi love those little kids. :D a bit like me.

Obesity is due to the increased laziness of the American populous.

Companies are not to blame, they are just responding to the demand of the people. Big cars - big meals - big beers. This is what people want so why shouldn't companies offer it.

I live in semi-rural, PA, and walk my dog twice a day. I never see anyone out walking, I have actually seen people pull out of their driveways and go 1/4 mile to the neighbors. Once I watched someone drive up to their mailbox get the mail and pull back down the driveway.

If people would actually do something other than sit on their fat a*&^^*& I bet medical costs in the US would drop radically.

Also, parents are lazy, it is easier to buy Micki Dees than take the time to make a good meal. Then again, these are the people who probably barely interact with their kids and have the TV be their replacement.

The rest of the world probably laughs at us......

People in poor countries are thin because there's no food. People in rich countries are fat because there is food. Connection?

Mass produced food is VERY bad for a person's health. I've heard that poorer people stay away from fresh foods and go for packaged, hi carb foods. Their obesity rates are much higher than richer peoples.

National Public Radio did a story about this issue, and when they went around to grocery stores, they found that the poorer the neighborhood, the fewer fresh foods there were. The stores are much smaller in poorer parts of the city, and that means that they can only carry the highest profit margin foods. Fruits, vegetables etc. do not make money for stores. It's the packaged stuff that gets the big markups.

Of course more rich countries have more - isn't that what makes them "rich"? Obesity is in some ways is caused by genetics - but mostly I place the blame on self-control. No one is shoving food down their throats or forcing them which food place to walk into. Time to take responsibity for the person you are looking at in the mirror. :nice:

"Lower class communities in the U.S. are at a high obesity rate because they can only afford 'fast food'." That is a tremendous fallacy.

Believe it or not, but those people are actually enjoying a luxury by purchasing and consuming those tastey, greasy, fatty foods.

It is MUCH more affordable to go to a grocery store and buy the necessary, cheap, healthy foods, to feed a family.

We are talking about canned vegetables people.... some chicken breast or tuna, oatmeal in the morning (eat it with water if money is that big of a problem). Peanuts are an excellent source of fat (healthy fats, as long as you eat them within reason)

I think the problem lies with the family not knowing what the right stuff to buy and eat is, and with them also not restraining their own cravings for fast food. Most of the blame lies on the individual, as when any crime is committed.

You can't really blame it on any one group... there are so many factors to why people are obese: less time, prevalence/availability of fast and prepared food, less exercise/activity, computers, video games, family values, etc. The list goes on but really I agress with Manstein to some degree because even though there are a lot of outside factors, these can all be overcome/avoided by instilling good nutrition and a balanced diet in kids from the time they begin to eat solid food. My theory is that many of those with weight problems or are very obese were picky eaters and their parents gave in (you cannot just eat chicken nuggets all day). And so ends my rant.

I think everyone's to blame - fat people, corporations, government, general populous, etc.
There's no point in pointing fingers, it just ends up going in circles.
Fat people don't stop and look at how they are reacting to temptation, they don't try to understand and correct their behaviour.
Corporations are exploiting it, government is scaring the sh*t out of people with claims of terror and questionable future (who here < 30 thinks superannuation is a sure thing?), the general population supporting ideas like: it's the fat peoples fault, if you're thin - you're in! If you're fat you're...
Each section of society needs to look at what it can do. Each person needs to look at the roles they play and what is in their power to change within that role.
If you're fat or a compulsive eater, or want to try understanding them instead of treating them like unsavable non-humans, trying reading a Suzie Orbach book. There's more to fat than just laziness.

Like most women past their teen years, too many fries and I put on a few pounds.

Eating food that makes you fat is seen as 'bad'. Yet nearly all the guys I know, including my partner eat what they like and don't put on weight, they brag about it.
They seem to forget two men in my life who have always been skinny yet have both had heart attacks. In the case of my stepfather he has had multiple heart attacks and bypass surgery, but he can eat what he wants, he tells me as he liberally shakes salt on his battered prawns.

I think most of the problem non-fat people have with obesity is to do with appearance, not health. It's ok to be full of chemicals cholestrol etc. as long as no one can see it.

If fat posed no health risk, do you think people would be having discussion forums about it? I think we would.

Cookie monster? (http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/07/tv.cookie.lessmonster.ap/index.html)

*sniff* C's not for cookie anymore. :(

Another layer of this is that we have a lot of fat and/or lazy social icons.

- Homer J. Simpson
- Al Bundy
- Peter Griffin
- Drew Carey
- John Goodman

There's dozens of people who we as a society--but especially males--look up to and idolize/respect, and who are overweight.

If American culture started to portray the "ideal" lifestyle as one of physical fitness, things might be easier to change.

IMO, this is a symptom rather than a root cause. These icons were created to appeal, nay pander to an increasingly obese populace. Clever marketing people have decided to present icons which will be comforting to the average man, rather than make him feel inadequate. We also have icons (in advertisements rather than entertainment shows) to make us feel inadequate, but they serve a different purpose: to cojole us into buying products & services that will "magically" transform us into Greek Gods/Barbie Dolls. :nonono: