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YES.... bibit.... I also saw the two TV shows on the health channel 1/2 Ton Mom and 1/2 Ton Dad - and you have described them very well. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief of those situations.
How appropriate this topic is to what's happening in the real world To simply answer this topic's question: " Is being overweight and unhealthy the norm?"............ I guess it is, sadly - YES
The best thing to do here is to agree to disagree. You say (based on your experience) it's just a matter of personal will, I say (based on the experiences outside of my own) there's way more to it than that.
Fin
What is more to it? Like seriously.
Crazy as in fired up...Dont get all oversensitive about it.
I really want to know what you think is the problem for you that you/others cant get over/around.
Obviously, you are all educated, you all have access to a computer, you all are interested in the topic of health/wellness -- so my question to all (especially those who are overweight (by society's standard) is this ..... "have you ever read a book on nutrition? " -- not diet books, diets don't work.
I'm talking about nutrition -- what foods are actually healthy, the difference between good fats and bad fats, facts about sugar, chemicals, MSG, cholesterol, why IS fast food unhealthy?, ETC. ETC.
The truth is out there, in books and online. It's like I always say.......... "ya gotta wanna" .
The best thing to do here is to agree to disagree. You say (based on your experience) it's just a matter of personal will, I say (based on the experiences outside of my own) there's way more to it than that.
Fin
Alcoholics anonymous is all about personal responsibility, and so is eating. Unless you take responsibility for what you eat, nothing is going to change.
I live in S. Texas and the number of very overweight and obese people is jaw-dropping. There are undoubtedly problems getting healthy food in inner cities, but that's not a problem here. There are plenty of big grocery stores accessible to everyone. And while fresh veggies may cost more than rice, tap water costs virtually nothing. And if you compared the cost of potato chips by the pound with carrots or apples, I think the chips would cost more.
While people may eat because of stress or depression, and may not exercise because of lack of time or safety reasons, the bottom line is that the majority of people are overweight because they eat more calories than they burn. Like an earlier poster said, it's the same mentality that gets people into credit card debt. "I want it and I want it now and I'm not going to think about the consequences."
I feel like an ogre, telling my daughter "No" to about 95% of the junk food she wants. We like to go out for ice cream, but even the smallest cup is huge and probably has 400-500 calories of ice cream in it, so we rarely do that. She wants to stop for an Icee every time we drive by a particular convenience store, but that's 150 calories neither of us needs, so we only do it occasionally. When we do go out for fast food I often, but not always, make her get water instead of a soda. If we've eaten dinner and she's had some sort of dessert I don't let her eat again before bed time. It gets old for both of us, but I hope she's learning healthy habits and I hope I can get her to adulthood without being overweight.
To answer the OP's question--yes, being overweight is becoming the norm. It takes a lot of energy and resolve to stay healthy in today's society.
quote bibit612 -
The cost of healthcare would indeed be impacted if more and more people just turned to $30,000 gastric bypass surgeries to solve their weight problems. I don't know if the hospital featured in these episodes perform these pro bono. I also doubt that all of these people have health insurance to begin with and someone is footing this cost.
it seems that Americans are extremists when it comes to weight issues. On one side, you have these uber-fat people that have let theirselves gone, they eat junk food galore and don't exercise at all. On the other, there are those concerned about their health who eat only light/diet/low in carbs/etc food and spend their free time at the gym
What is more to it? Like seriously.
Crazy as in fired up...Dont get all oversensitive about it.
I really want to know what you think is the problem for you that you/others cant get over/around.
I can read all the articles in the world...
But simple math...
Say a person is overeating by eating 2500-3500 calories as the total intake
If the person were thinner they would and should only eat 1500-2000 calories.
What costs less?
1500 calories or 3500 calories?
And I can read all the articles I want it doesnt change the fact that I can do it.
So why cant everyone else? Because they read articles and give up or use them as excuses. I lived elsewhere in the country including one of the most $$$ cities in the world.
And nitty gritty...If you are fat..you are not that poor and you just need to adjust the balance of your eating habits and spending. Its not like I make oodles of money or something. Not even close! Just doing calorie counting was a wake up to me on how much money I was throwing away to be a fat. You can pull up buzz articles but look at some cold hard facts of nutritional needs and what the fat person is eating. There are no excuses.
The other thing is, it's become acceptable to be overweight. People don't look at their bodies anymore. In France, you would never let yourself get heavy like this.
I fight to keep my weight down, but I'm sadly lacking in exercise. I've really let myself go. What's the problem? I do not look at my naked body in the mirror. I ignore it. And I'm too stressed and busy to go for walks anymore. I'll probably die early because of it. Shame on me.
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To simply answer this topic's question: " Is being overweight and unhealthy the norm?"............ I guess it is, sadly - YES 
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