Why do Europeans make fun of Americans for our obesity epidemic when they themselves also have an obesity epidemic?
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That’s the truth for sure. I weight train heavily so I’m “overweight” on the total joke of a scale BMI, but I’m under 15% body fat (5’10” 178, but 31 inch waist) and I quit drinking 2.5 years ago. Ever since then, I can eat whatever I want and not gain a pound. It’s amazing what a difference not drinking makes. I eat fast food now and then, I eat IHOP sometimes, BBQ food, burgers sometimes. Most of my diet is healthy, protein shakes and protein bars and low calorie frozen dinners, low sugar cereal, that kinda thing. But if I don’t eat some large unhealthy meals I actually start losing weight. It’s amazing, I can throw whatever I want at my body and never count calories but working out hard and not drinking alcohol means I never gain a pound. I’ve eaten an entire birthday cake almost by myself one week and ate out that week 5 times because of two birthdays and four birthday celebrations (friends and family dinners)... I lost a pound that week.
The true male privilege in this world is if you’re in great shape and muscular, you can eat whatever you want without a care in the world.
Ha true! Many guys but few women can pull that off. The alcohol you don’t drink leaves room for other calories. I’m on a diet, and limit myself to one glass of wine, or skip wine and have desert. On a trip to the islands years ago, I met some Brits at the resort. They started drinking during lunch, spent the afternoon in the pool or beach drinking, (all inclusive resort) gathered at the bar for before dinner cocktails and there was always wine with dinner. One of the ladies barely reached my shoulder and could drink me under the table. Wow. Not a person in the group was overweight.
Ha true! Many guys but few women can pull that off. The alcohol you don’t drink leaves room for other calories. I’m on a diet, and limit myself to one glass of wine, or skip wine and have desert. On a trip to the islands years ago, I met some Brits at the resort. They started drinking during lunch, spent the afternoon in the pool or beach drinking, (all inclusive resort) gathered at the bar for before dinner cocktails and there was always wine with dinner. One of the ladies barely reached my shoulder and could drink me under the table. Wow. Not a person in the group was overweight.
My English relatives could drink me under the table--and twice on Saturday. Same thing in Germany. Sunday brunch came with a beer. Everything came with a beer.
I don't remember seeing any morbidly obese people, but plenty who were overweight.
My English relatives could drink me under the table--and twice on Saturday. Same thing in Germany. Sunday brunch came with a beer. Everything came with a beer.
I don't remember seeing any morbidly obese people, but plenty who were overweight.
Agreed, European tourists can put it away! When I’ve traveled solo and noticed at dinner, single Europeans always order a bottle of wine to drink with their meal. Just thinking about it makes me queasy, wouldn’t be able to function the next day.
Pffft. I was in Paris last year. Every time I saw an obese person, sure enough, when they started speaking....American. Every time.
Thank you. I was over in Ireland and the UK a few months ago, saw very few obese people. I have one relative over there who is heavy, the rest are slim and trim, and no they don't smoke. They eat their heaviest meal at lunch time.
And like you EVERY time I saw a VERY heavy person, guess what? American tourist. Met lots of people from France, Holland, Germany and Austria who were all tourists in Ireland, older people for the most part all normal size weight.
Food in Ireland is also much fresher and less processed, unlike here.
But still, America is the land of the obese. You look at film footage of crowds from the 60s and 70s and you don't see many fat people. They're the oddity not the norm.
Pffft. I was in Paris last year. Every time I saw an obese person, sure enough, when they started speaking....American. Every time.
My relatives in Europe have refrigerators about 1/3 of the size of mine (and no, they aren't poor). They do most of their shopping in local markets and usually buy enough food at one time to fill one cloth bag, I've yet to see them pull out a bag of Oreos or Lays potato chips. None are overweight and they eat well, they just get more exercise and eat less garbage than we do. In Japan the only overweight people I saw were teenagers hanging out around McDonalds and other American fast food restaurants.
Thank you. I was over in Ireland and the UK a few months ago, saw very few obese people. .
I've been there many times and there are lots of overweight and obese people, all over the UK. Eating lots of ice cream, biscuits, lots of pastry shops everywhere, too.
I know someone who just returned from 3 different countries in Europe last week and mentioned that she didn't see any fat people. I think we have a sugar & portion control problem. Plus kids don't play outside as much anymore in America.
I've been there many times and there are lots of overweight and obese people, all over the UK. Eating lots of ice cream, biscuits, lots of pastry shops everywhere, too.
I have been there a few times myself, the last time I purposely took notice. While there are some of course, it's not like here.
I live in Southern CA which is more health conscious than may other parts of the US, and I notice more and more obesity here, especially in younger people.
You really notice it when you're out of the US for awhile, come back and out and about, it's hard not to see the difference.
Yes, there are all those shops, but it's called moderation.
I also mentioned earlier all my relatives in Ireland eat the heaviest meal at lunchtime.
60 Minutes did a segment on French women several years ago, and how do they eat things like pastries and stay slim, again moderation.
I haven't been to Europe for a few years now, (Germany, Italy and Austria)-not England, but I certainly didn't find that many of them were obese at ALL. McD's and other fast food joints are far and few between if not totally absent from most cities and towns. Maybe in touristy spots where Americans (and Canadians) can get their "biggie it" fixes.
The difference too, is that Europeans walk a LOT or ride their bikes. Americans drive their cars 1/4 mile to the corner store.
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Not a person in the group was overweight.
