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I hate the all the PC crap that we use around fat people now. They're fat and obese, end of story. It's not healthy, and it's making the rest of us suffer. Yes, some people have a thyroid problem or some other disease that is preventing them from losing weight, but I believe the last stat I read on the number of people who truly have that condition is less than 3%. I don't care what Europe's or Mexico's or freaking Tajikistan's obesity rate is; we shouldn't be pointing fingers and saying they have obesity too, so it's ok for us.
Now when I see a obese person chowing down on a large meal with hamburgers, soda, and ice cream, I'm gonna be a little judgemental. But when I see a obese person hitting the gym making a significant effort to lose the pounds, I have a lot of respect for that person. They've realized the situation they are in and are taking steps to help themselves.
Why is there such a high percentage of Americans that are obese? Because the dominant lifestyle in America promotes it. Cars, suburbs far from jobs and amenities, fast food joints on every corner, HFCS and fattening preservatives, neighborhoods with few grocery stores and more fast food chains, etc. I'm not saying that people shouldn't be allowed to do any of this; hell I eat some of this stuff myself and drive almost everywhere. But every morning I see people walking, jogging, biking as I go to work, and they live a similar lifestyle as me. The difference is you need to make the proper choices to leading a healthier lifestyle and take responsibility for your own health. There is a balance between fast food and healthy food, exercise and driving.
FWIW, I have found that Europeans are better mannered than Americans.
I was on a plane just last week sat next to this 300lb guy whose fat was literally leaking over the arm-rest onto me.
He sweated profusely the entire long-haul trip.
Naturally you feel some sympathy but that soon evaporated as the FA's wore a groove in the carpet bringing him a never-ending supply of beer and food.
It was gross.
As for manners it's easy to generalise.There's good and bad in both Americans and Europeans though I do find the French totally lacking in manners.
The diet industries that sell us all kinds of weight loss products want to make sure those who are might not be overweight are. Back in the 60's Metrecal, the first to come out with a diet drink showed an advertisement on TV in which a woman was lamenting as to how she wanted to slim down to a size 12. Marilyn Monroe was a size 12-14. Those were considered normal sizes. Today those are plus sizes.
Now when I see ads on TV for weight loss products I see most bragging about how the losers are now in the 4-6 category. Sometimes 6-8 but never above.
As someone who was a health insurance claims adjuster who handled all sorts of medical bills and saw what people died from I can tell you that I saw just as many thin people with medical problems as overweight people. I don't deny that morbid obesity causes diseases and that losing weight can alleviate these diseases but just what is overweight and how it affects an individual's health is something that the diet industry and so-called health industry has played a large role in perpetuating the idea of the "obesity problem" in the US.
As to why Americans are obese, I hear a lot of answers but I don't see actual statistics to back them up. I would like to see some correlations to the reasons given. I am not saying they are not valid, I would just like to see them verified.
And for the judgemental people out there, there are some medications that do cause people to gain a lot of weight. It is not always the fault of the person who is overweight that they are in this condition. Life saving chemotherapy drugs are an example as are antidepressant medications. And it has been proven that some people do have a genetic predisposition for weight gain more rapidly than others. The opposite is also true. Not every overweight person is a glutton.
Depends of the city. For example, here in LA the majority of the people go to the gym, excersise, eat healthy and really take care of themselves. But you wont see that in the South or in some parts of the Mid West.
the food is the problem in the US. Especially when you compare with Europe. Too much sugar, too much fat, too much unhealthy food, fast foods etc. Portions are too big. People no longer know how to cook (in the US). But this is not totally true in the world class cities (NYC, LA, SF ...).
Because we value quantity over quality. Our portions are way too big. We should be eating smaller meals that are better quality instead of eating bigger meals that are less quality meals. It's the bigger is better American mentality that is the problem.
This. Despite being a 'Christian' nation our country seems to have absolutely no problem with gluttony. Our culture glorifies eating until your stomach is on the verge on exploding like a balloon. See: Nathan's eating contests, Man vs Food, Epic meal time, etc.
The diet industries that sell us all kinds of weight loss products want to make sure those who are might not be overweight are. Back in the 60's Metrecal, the first to come out with a diet drink showed an advertisement on TV in which a woman was lamenting as to how she wanted to slim down to a size 12. Marilyn Monroe was a size 12-14. Those were considered normal sizes. Today those are plus sizes.
Now when I see ads on TV for weight loss products I see most bragging about how the losers are now in the 4-6 category. Sometimes 6-8 but never above.
As someone who was a health insurance claims adjuster who handled all sorts of medical bills and saw what people died from I can tell you that I saw just as many thin people with medical problems as overweight people. I don't deny that morbid obesity causes diseases and that losing weight can alleviate these diseases but just what is overweight and how it affects an individual's health is something that the diet industry and so-called health industry has played a large role in perpetuating the idea of the "obesity problem" in the US.
As to why Americans are obese, I hear a lot of answers but I don't see actual statistics to back them up. I would like to see some correlations to the reasons given. I am not saying they are not valid, I would just like to see them verified.
And for the judgemental people out there, there are some medications that do cause people to gain a lot of weight. It is not always the fault of the person who is overweight that they are in this condition. Life saving chemotherapy drugs are an example as are antidepressant medications. And it has been proven that some people do have a genetic predisposition for weight gain more rapidly than others. The opposite is also true. Not every overweight person is a glutton.
She was NOT a 12-14 in today's sizes. Link That's a myth people use to make themselves feel better on some level.
Depends of the city. For example, here in LA the majority of the people go to the gym, excersise, eat healthy and really take care of themselves. But you wont see that in the South or in some parts of the Mid West.
You might want to look into your theory. The stats I found show a 25% obesity rate for LA.
She was NOT a 12-14 in today's sizes. Link That's a myth people use to make themselves feel better on some level.
I was going to point this out myself, but I figure that people are so delusional why bother. MM was about size 2 to 4 by today's standards. This is very easy to verify, as many of her dresses are still around and can easily be measured. If you're a size 12 in today's America, you don't look like Marilyn. She did not have rolls of fat spilling out of her as you do.
Actually, higher obesity rates are associated with poverty: Higher Obesity Rates Linked to Lower Incomes in US | LiveScience. In this world of cheap fast food, healthy diets are more expensive. Also, it costs more to join health clubs and see medical professionals.
As for all the nonsense about EU countries being obese, simply stating something doesn't make it true (though that doesn't stop many posters on CD). Statistics tell us that the US has much higher obesity rates than most European countries, in most cases double or more: Obesity statistics - Countries Compared - NationMaster. These data would support my anecdotal evidence. As someone who has travelled frequently across Europe on business and pleasure, I simply don't observe the number of obese people I do walking around American streets and malls.
Last edited by Pine to Vine; 08-03-2013 at 09:25 AM..
Reason: correct typo
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