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I usually walk around a bit after my bathroom breaks when I'm at the office. About half the time someone will stop me and try to have a conversation with me about how I'm walking around. I feel like I'm supposed to smile and nod and be okay with my active time being cut short. People will look at me like I have three heads when I skip the bread basket or talk about going to the gym later.
Changing family dynamics are a big factor IMO. = single parent households
No father figure= kids don't have much family time outings/hiking/biking/canoeing/fishing/camping/playing ball, etc.
Working mothers who have no time to cook= fast food for supper most nights or K.dinner and hotdogs
Less family outings involving physical fitness
living in low rent areas that aren't safe for even old kids to play alone at a nearby park
the push for technology in school rather than schooling for jobs requiring being physically fit
school drop-outs=no jobs= welfare= sitting on a couch in front of a TV or computer all day
- Too much sugar
- Too much processed foods
- Too little fresh vegetables and too little other unprocessed foods
- Too little exercise
- Portions sizes far too large
I'd also like to add portion distortion. You'd be surprised at how few people understand a meat serving is 3-4 oz. A split chicken breast is two portions. One large breast can be 6-8 oz of meat. 1 Serving of pasta, rice, etc. is 1/2 cup. A cup is two servings (which is the amount I eat). Each slice of bread is 90+ cals.
People really need to pay attention to serving size and more people should measure their food, not just dieters. those two heaping spoonfuls of rice can easily be a cup.
You do realize that some random person deciding that 3-4 oz. of meat is going to be called a 'serving' in no makes it a standard meal size, no more than 28 grams is a legitimate size for a 'serving' of Kellogg's Corn Flakes, regardless of the numbers on the box. The concept of serving size is only useful to discern the nutritional value of an certain amount of food.
I can somewhat understand why it's hard to be in shape nowadays. Our lives revolve around electronics, time is stretched thin and restaurants serving tasty high calorie foods are convenient/everywhere. Fitness isn't always fun and it's the one thing you can keep putting off. By the time problems arise people are usually too set in their ways to make a change.
You do realize that some random person deciding that 3-4 oz. of meat is going to be called a 'serving' in no makes it a standard meal size, no more than 28 grams is a legitimate size for a 'serving' of Kellogg's Corn Flakes, regardless of the numbers on the box. The concept of serving size is only useful to discern the nutritional value of an certain amount of food.
Well I can tell you that from a weight perspective, paying attention to serving sizes has proved beneficial to me.
-Laziness
-large meal sizes
-unhealthy meal choices
-Reaching a point of no return
-Health issues preventing or limiting exercise
-Apathy to health and fitness
What are some more reasons?
High caloric density, enormous meals and portions, food rich environment - all driven by corporate greed. Whether it is the restaurant industry or the food industries overall, they are taking advantage of the natural human instinct to intake calories when available, and to store fat for the hard winter ahead. You will have to go back to a pre-fast food, pre-supermarket, pre-sugar-laden food environment to make any significant change. The things you mention above are factors, but they are minor in comparison.
Trying to get human beings not to over-consume in a food rich environment is akin to telling someone not to breathe. Sure, you can do it for a little while but eventually your body will make the decision for you.
Something to note though; even though we have an "epidemic of obesity", US life expectancy in 2010 was 78.7 and in 1950 it was 68.2. Our health care has improved so much that we are able to overcome the negative aspects of obesity. In fact you could argue that lifespan is not correlated to obesity rates. QUALITY of life is a different matter.
Last edited by GearHeadDave; 08-09-2017 at 04:58 AM..
Here's the deal - as we age, our metabolisms slow down BUT, out appetites do not. I work out hard, 5 days a week, for at least an hour a day. I eat 3 meals a day, usually eggs/avocado for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch (whole grain bread, lots of veggies with some protein) and then for dinner, usually fish, chicken, occasional red meat, with veggies, maybe some rice. I eat very little sugar, occasional slice of pie or a little chocolate, I usually have a glass or two of wine with dinner. I've eaten the same way for 30 years. The only difference is, with age I'm now about 15 pounds overweight. I have tried numerous diets to lose that weight with minimal success. The problem is, I'm as hungry now as I was in my 20s so, the choice is really, feel hungry all the time or, accept that with advanced age, you're gonna gain weight. I'm going to gain weight.
Very true, and I had a doctor confirm that as we get older our metabolisms do slow down and our bodies have a certain weight that they are comfortable at so they hold on to every single calorie. I have been using an awesome weight loss app and working out for an hour each day aerobically and then doing free weights because the more muscle mass we have the more efficiently our bodies burn calories. However, when I get on the scale to weigh in, I am losing maybe a pound a month if I'm lucky. It is so discouraging! I am 52, and I am noticing subtle changes as I get older in how I feel, where my weight is distributed, and just changes in my body overall, and I still get just as hungry as I did when I was thirty.
I don't know what the answer is, but it is very discouraging to keep a food diary, cut back on food and increase exercise accordingly, and not see the results that I would have seen twenty years ago. No wonder so many people my age just give up. And the more people who give up and just accept themselves as "curvy", the easier it is for them to see other people out in public and think, "Oh, well, everyone else is chubby too, I'm not the only one", and give up even more.
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