How do those Europeans do it? (clinic, carbs, gluten, calories)

[yellowsnow]

They are walking, not driving. Their portion sizes are smaller and the food is generally higher quality. It has more flavor.

[Luckyd609]

Originally Posted by Jame22

I just went to Italy, the Italians may not be as obese as us but they sure aren't in shape. Most of the middle aged people are skinny fat, or just overweight but not obese. I wasn't impressed at all..I think the whole thing about Americans being in poor health is blown out of proportion. Walking everywhere may make you lighter but it's not necessarily going to get you in good shape.

Walking everywhere makes you very healthy. And Italy did not make it into the top 30 most obese countries.

[Thoreau424]

A lot has been written by this elsewhere, so it's better to do your own research than reinvent the wheel. But from what I have gathered, it boils down to these differences:

1) Europeans tend to have much higher quality food (less processed, more traditional) that the human body actually recognizes. So much of what is produced in the US is synthesized and re-engineered, which confuses the body.
2) Europeans eat slower, and stop before feeling full. If you stop early, you will actually find that your body starts to catch up after awhile, and you really will fill full and content.
3) Europeans tend to savor their food more, oftentimes because it actually is healthy and traditional in quality. They know their food well, and can respect it. So they can enjoy it more and get more quality rather than quantity.
4) Along the lines of 3, they enjoy their meals more as a communal activity (with friends, with wine, as quality time). In the US, we scarf down food in hurry, in our cars, as almost a inconvenient necessity at times. We stuff our faces and try to quickly resolve a need (get rid of that hunger).
5) Europeans tend to eat a wider range of foods than in the US.
6) Europeans are more informed about their foods and their bodies. In the US, we're all to rely on food "experts" (HAH!) and food gurus and diets (especially those magic formulas we constantly chase after). We're chasing our tales in a new world of foolishness. They're still living with tradition and Old World approaches that have worked for centuries. If it's not broken, why fix it? The US thrives on dietary and nutritional dysfunction. It's a huge and growing industry that wants to keep it that way.

[Jame22]

Originally Posted by Luckyd609

Walking everywhere makes you very healthy. And Italy did not make it into the top 30 most obese countries.

No it doesn't, you can walk all day and still be in bad shape. If you walk all day and have a crap diet you're not in shape. See your local fast food employee, security guard, or really any form of blue collar work where a lot of movement is necessary..most of them aren't in any better shape than white collar workers.

I didn't say Italians were obese..I just mentioned that a lot of the skinny people were skinny-fat and not healthy looking at all

[Luckyd609]

Originally Posted by Jame22

No it doesn't, you can walk all day and still be in bad shape. If you walk all day and have a crap diet you're not in shape. See your local fast food employee, security guard, or really any form of blue collar work where a lot of movement is necessary..most of them aren't in any better shape than white collar workers.

I didn't say Italians were obese..I just mentioned that a lot of the skinny people were skinny-fat and not healthy looking at all

Walking is a great exercise but you also have to eat a healthy diet. They go together.

[charolastra00]

Did you leave the city?

When I lived in London, I probably walked above the recommended 10,000 steps each day on my daily activity alone: commuting to class, my internship, grocery store, etc. I was eating absolute crap because I was so poor, but I was keeping fairly active without even trying. In the US living and working in a suburb with a car commute, I have to actually make a conscious effort to get exercise in.

I also spent a lot of time in the suburbs and country where cars were more popular and necessary, and obesity was much more of an issue. It's probably somewhat similar in France, though even in the suburbs public transit and walking are more common than here.

I grew up in a suburban town with no sidewalks, internal bus system, or even a bus system to get to the nearby major city. That HORRIFIED my European friends when they visited.

[lieqiang]

If the walking lifestyle was the main reason then people who live in places like New York City and San Francisco would have a much lower obesity rate than cities like LA and Phoenix. This might be the case, I have no idea.

Also =

Originally Posted by Luckyd609

Here is a list of the fattest countries:

1 Palau 47.10%
2 Nauru 45.10%
3 Marshall Islands 42.30%
4 Samoa 41.60%
5 Tonga 41.10%

I'm pretty skeptical of this list because I'd wager they used some extremely blunt tool like average BMI to define obesity. Sure there are obese people in this area of the Pacific but overall they've got big frames and carry a lot more mass that isn't necessarily fat. A 5'8 200 lb Tongan will usually be built a hell of a lot differently than a 5'8 200 lb Mexican.

That's why Samoa has historically been so over represented (relative to population) in the NFL, those dudes often trend naturally towards big and athletic.

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by charlygal

There are obese Europeans. Go to YouTube and watch the UK show Fat Doctor. Obesity is growing in UK, Europe, Australia, Middle East, India, etc.

But her point is, American's are more obese.

Here is the list by country: 29 Most Obese Countries In The World - WorldAtlas.com

Edit: sorry! It was already posted

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by Jame22

No it doesn't, you can walk all day and still be in bad shape. If you walk all day and have a crap diet you're not in shape. See your local fast food employee, security guard, or really any form of blue collar work where a lot of movement is necessary..most of them aren't in any better shape than white collar workers.

I didn't say Italians were obese..I just mentioned that a lot of the skinny people were skinny-fat and not healthy looking at all

But at the end of the day, you are guessing. You have no idea if they are healthy or not, unless you are peeking at their doctor files. It is well known that the mere fact of not being obese makes you healthier. Could they be healthier? Maybe. I have not seen any data on Italians health.

[Mikala43]

That's what google is for:

Italy’s Struggling Economy Has World’s Healthiest People

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...lthiest-people