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Bill Marr’s show last night had segment on obesity as health risk
He is pretty vicious about people over indulging
Showed film from one of the Apollo launches with the crowd that was watching
It did look like a totally different physical genus compared with crowds at today’s large gatherings
I am sure there were overweight people in the 80s but not to the extent there is now
Certainly none of the children that were in the newsreel were overweight like you see a lot of today
Eating habits have changed—activity/behavioral habits certainly have changed
And drinking habits surely have with al the flavored drinks, including water, that have all kinds of artificial sugars and flavors
He takes about the number of deaths from obesity and its complications
It really is a greater health risk now than the ones faced in the 80s
Sure. I point that out to black women. Comb through old photographs available on Google--street scenes, Civil Rights protests, et cetera. All those people back then were slim. Black beauty queens and pin-up models were slim. People on the street were slim.
I was at a little get together last night and ended up sitting outside on the patio talking with a group of women who ranged in age from about 35 to about 50. I am 57 so I was the oldest out there.
WITHOUT EXCEPTION, every single woman on that patio was on multiple prescriptions - hormones, thyroid, depression, etc etc etc. My gosh, they sounded like a group of old women talking about doctors, prescriptions, what their kids are taking, etc. etc. One mentioned some sort of symptom she's having and another popped up with "It sounds like you have POTS. My 21 year old cousin has that. Google it - don't you have a lot of these symptoms? Ask your doctor about (she named some prescription drug)."
Like I said, I'm 57. I don't take any prescription drugs. I felt like a misfit!
Unfortunately, it's beginning way younger than 35. My twins just graduated high school & to see what has happened with some of their friends is so sad.
One had complications from the HPV vac that caused sleep disturbances & severe migraines. Had to be put on a 504 that allowed her to miss 3/4 of their senior year. She was on a never ending trial & error cycle of up to 5 different psychotropics that caused rapid weight gain & she is now well over 200 lbs. She had been a happy, bouncy, star tennis player ... not any more.
Another one had been their friend since kindergarten & over at our house for sleepovers throughout the years. I've known her since she was 5 & she had always been a tiny girl. She walked right up to me at the graduation & she was so heavy I didn't even recognize her. Her mom had her put on birth control shots & they said she put on 60 lbs in 3 months. Her mom was beside herself. Stopping the shots did not reverse the weight gain.
These are not isolated cases among their peers & it's very sad to see these kids today.
I agree with many of the points here. I graduated from HS in 1971 and I remember only a few obese classmates. (And one of the most obese is now at a close-to-normal weight.) My top 5 causes:
1. Easy availability of junk food. Someone mentioned the french fry example, and I was going to use that: when we had french fries at home, Mom MADE them. Same with doughnuts. Now there are franchises on every street and microwaveable versions of every junk food imaginable.
2. Restaurants. McDonald's was a rare treat for us, not an every-week occurrence.
3. Portion sizes- not just restaurants. If you actually weigh the average pork chop or chicken breast it's usually double what the nutritionists consider a reasonable serving. Bags of chips, pretzels, etc. that appear to be an individual serving are pretty horrifying when you multiply the fat, carb, calories in a "serving" by the number of servings in the bag (usually some inconvenient number such as 2.5 to complicate the math).
4. Less cooking done from scratch at home, for many reasons. People don't know how, don't think they have the time, think fast food is cheaper, etc. And now with the drive-throughs and the food delivery services it takes very little physical effort to get ready-to-eat meals.
5. "Engineered" food- scary stuff like high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners in "low-sugar" or sugar-free" foods, processes that scientifically incorporate whatever is needed to hit the "Bliss point" and make some foods almost addictive. Have you ever wanted to eat more of a sweet food because you get an aftertaste from the last bite that can be dispelled by eating another bite? That's an example. I see the word "craveable" used a lot in food marketing.
I loved the phrase "food monk" used in an earlier post- that would describe me. I avoid most of the junk and weigh less than I did in HS.
And, if I can add a sixth- overweight is "the new normal". I can find more size 48 DDD bras on the racks than 34As (my size). When I get blood drawn, I'm ushered to a special chair that will accomodate someone about 3 X my width. I'm beginning to feel that being skinny is a new status symbol.
There weren't microwavable junk foods, but there were frozen French fries, and all manner of frozen treats, as there are now. I think the 50's and 60's was the era of the food industry catering to "convenience" for the housewife, to make food prep easier, so French fries, all manner of donuts and other sweets were easily available in packages. Individual bags of chips or pretzels were a mainstay of some kids' lunches back then; lunches packed by their moms. As often as not, potatoes in some form would be served again at dinner. Nutritional science was very basic back then, with "starch" considered to be one of the 4 main food groups. This was the era of the basic meat-and-potatoes diet, with something green--a boiled vegetable or a salad, thrown in. Starchy casseroles were popular as well. This was also the Wonderbread era; cheap empty calories for filling the stomach, not for providing nutrition.
So much has improved since then! Whole grains became popular, organic foods, advances in nutritional science and a better understanding of how food affects the endocrine system leading to a shift from counting calories to cutting back on carbs. Consumer awareness of nutritional needs, including the benefits of whole grains, the deleterious effects of pesticides on foods and chemical additives in processed foods, etc. all came about in the 70's and 80's.
For sure some people have been left behind in the food and nutrition revolution, but it's not because it was "easier to be skinny" in the 80's, IMO. Part of the problem is probably due to increased poverty, as the bottom has dropped out of middle-class wages, industries have shut down. and unions have been weakened. Studies have shown that poor food choices, high junk food consumption, correlates to a large extent with low income and low educational attainment. Sedentarism is part of the package, contributing to weight gain. It was easier to be employed at a middle-class wage, and to get a leg up via college education in 80's and earlier, that's for sure.
I take amitriptyline for my PN and it doesn't not effect my appetite. Maybe I am lucky.
I have Hashimotos and take levoxyl. I have PN and I take amitriptyline and Cymbalta. No effects on my appetite or my ability to lose weight or maintain my weight. I have been on Prozac and Celexa in the past and they did not interfere either.
While I believe that these medications can cause appetite problems in SOME people, I also believe people use these medications as excuses.
Of course they do! They don't cause a problem for you therefore it must be their fault, no other possible explanation. Oh, unless you're just "lucky" (by way of genetics, physiology, environmental interactions, etc.) but that doesn't count - still THEIR fault if they can't maintain their weight.
Of course, rich people are still skinnier than poor people, but they are fatter than they were 30 years ago.
It is hard to imagine anyone 30 years ago who was skinnier than 70-year-old Elizabeth Warren is today. If you look at Bernie Sanders, Lindsey Graham, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Bill Clinton....it's obvious that these people of means, all in their seventies, are getting better info on food than most of us.
If anyone here feels they have a weight problem, and may not be able to exercise as much as in their youth, here is something that may help. Eat 2 meals a day. Just have black coffee or plain tea for breakfast, then a normal lunch and dinner. Millions of people do this already, not realizing they are doing intermittent fasting. This allows you to go 16-18 hours (counting sleep time) producing zero insulin. Painless.
The weight will melt off, and your energy and mental clarity will improve.
It is hard to imagine anyone 30 years ago who was skinnier than 70-year-old Elizabeth Warren is today. If you look at Bernie Sanders, Lindsey Graham, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Bill Clinton....it's obvious that these people of means, all in their seventies, are getting better info on food than most of us.
If anyone here feels they have a weight problem, and may not be able to exercise as much as in their youth, here is something that may help. Eat 2 meals a day. Just have black coffee or plain tea for breakfast, then a normal lunch and dinner. Millions of people do this already, not realizing they are doing intermittent fasting. This allows you to go 16-18 hours (counting sleep time) producing zero insulin. Painless.
The weight will melt off, and your energy and mental clarity will improve.
As I mentioned earlier, I think the very biggest problem is that people eat/snack/drink calories too many times during the day. Many people barely go more than an hour between taking in calories, so they keep their insulin level high all the waking day.
Intermittent fasting does work. I personally skip both breakfast and lunch. My eating window is 6 pm to 10 pm, in which I'll eat a big dinner and latter a smaller snack.
The main difference in my diet is: No grains or grain products, no roots (such as potatoes), only certain fruit and nuts. No nitrates, no sugar. I eat lots of leaves and stalks, red meat, poultry, some fish, but as much organic and home-prepared as possible. Lots of water (four-stage filtered to remove both lead and pharmaceuticals ) and a little apple cider vinegar.
I do calisthenics, weight training, and wind-sprints in the mornings.
Fortunately my wife is an excellent cook, cooking is her hobby, and is all-in for this kind of diet.
There weren't microwavable junk foods, but there were frozen French fries, and all manner of frozen treats, as there are now.
Except they were real potatoes. Just plain cut and frozen potatoes.
Quote:
I think the 50's and 60's was the era of the food industry catering to "convenience" for the housewife, to make food prep easier, so French fries, all manner of donuts and other sweets were easily available in packages. Individual bags of chips or pretzels were a mainstay of some kids' lunches back then; lunches packed by their moms.
Available but not eaten as frequently as today. Chemical preservation wasn't nearly as perfected as it is now--Hostess Twinkies actually went stale fairly quickly back then. There might have been some moms packing such things in lunches, but not often--they were expensive.
And, again, mothers still cooked back then. Most lunches were leftovers from the previous night's dinner.
Quote:
As often as not, potatoes in some form would be served again at dinner. Nutritional science was very basic back then, with "starch" considered to be one of the 4 main food groups. This was the era of the basic meat-and-potatoes diet, with something green--a boiled vegetable or a salad, thrown in. Starchy casseroles were popular as well. This was also the Wonderbread era; cheap empty calories for filling the stomach, not for providing nutrition.
Real food, though, with far fewer chemical additives.
Quote:
So much has improved since then! Whole grains became popular, organic foods, advances in nutritional science and a better understanding of how food affects the endocrine system leading to a shift from counting calories to cutting back on carbs. Consumer awareness of nutritional needs, including the benefits of whole grains, the deleterious effects of pesticides on foods and chemical additives in processed foods, etc. all came about in the 70's and 80's.
Which relatively few people take advantage of. That kind of food is expensive and requires kitchen preparation.
Quote:
For sure some people have been left behind in the food and nutrition revolution, but it's not because it was "easier to be skinny" in the 80's, IMO. Part of the problem is probably due to increased poverty, as the bottom has dropped out of middle-class wages, industries have shut down. and unions have been weakened.
Studies have shown that poor food choices, high junk food consumption, correlates to a large extent with low income and low educational attainment. Sedentarism is part of the package, contributing to weight gain. It was easier to be employed at a middle-class wage, and to get a leg up via college education in 80's and earlier, that's for sure.
Of course they do! They don't cause a problem for you therefore it must be their fault, no other possible explanation. Oh, unless you're just "lucky" (by way of genetics, physiology, environmental interactions, etc.) but that doesn't count - still THEIR fault if they can't maintain their weight.
I highlighted 'some'. I did not say all. No need to flip out. And if you don't think that some people will use any excuse they can than I have some swamp land to sell you. I am just pointing out that not ALL people gain weight on those types of drugs.
That’s not quite accurate. There were not as many fast food restaurants in every corner back in the 80s you would have to drive out a bit to get to the next fast food joint now there are all types of fast food places everywhere they are all crammed together.
As the 4th largest city in the United States there weren’t even any McDonald's or other fast food places anywhere in Houston Texas suburbs you would have to drive 20 miles to get to a McDonald’s somewhere in downtown. Fast food didn’t start appearing until the 90s
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Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk
I don't know about the statistics, but there wa s only one McDonald's in the third largest city in the state--which I didn't visit until I was in high school, and then only once. I had never had a pizza until high school (there was one Pizza Hut in the city).
It's not true to say "fast food was everywhere"--nowhere close to the extent that it exists today. Nor was eating fast food a daily event.
Your memories of McDonald's are not very accurate. I went to McDonald's many times in the 1960s. We had one of the oldest McDonald"s in Uniontown, PA and I used to visit my aunt in Youngstown, OH were we would go to McDonald"s and many other fast food restaurants in Boardman and Austintown Ohio.
According to Wikipedia, McDonald"s opened its 1,000th restaurant in 1968. After that it hit the following milestones:
I've made the comment many times that I grew up in a town that was so small we didn't get a McDonald's until the late-70s. I'm sure Houston had scores of McDonald's in the 1980s.
It is also hard to believe that anyone could grow up in America and not eat pizza. We had many mom and pop pizza shops in the 1960s and I remember Pizza Hut and other chains opening in the early 1970s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
There weren't microwavable junk foods, but there were frozen French fries, and all manner of frozen treats, as there are now. I think the 50's and 60's was the era of the food industry catering to "convenience" for the housewife, to make food prep easier, so French fries, all manner of donuts and other sweets were easily available in packages. Individual bags of chips or pretzels were a mainstay of some kids' lunches back then; lunches packed by their moms. As often as not, potatoes in some form would be served again at dinner. Nutritional science was very basic back then, with "starch" considered to be one of the 4 main food groups. This was the era of the basic meat-and-potatoes diet, with something green--a boiled vegetable or a salad, thrown in. Starchy casseroles were popular as well. This was also the Wonderbread era; cheap empty calories for filling the stomach, not for providing nutrition.
I packed my lunch everyday in junior high from 1967 to 1970. We didn't have a cafeteria and ate lunch at our desk in homeroom. It was rare that I didn't take potato chips and some kind of pastry. My friends and I usually went to a local bakery before school and we would buy cream puffs, doughnuts, eclairs, cupcakes, etc. After school we often hung out at a local corner store where we drank Mountain Dew and ate those fruit pies with glazed sugar. Candy bars were also popular for lunches and after school snacks.
So what are the differences between then and now that contribute to the obesity problem. One is the McDonald's and other fast food drive-thrus. According to Wikipedia, "In 1975, McDonald's opened its first drive-thru window in Sierra Vista, Arizona, following Wendy's lead. I have recently noticed how busy McDonald's drive-thrus are around dinner time. I think the trend of drive-through dinners have gotten to be very common with many families. Also the proportion sizes have increased drastically. We would drink a 12 oz. can of soda in the 1970s. Now people get a 32 oz. soft drink because it is the same price as a smaller size. I also remember when a McDonald's meal could be purchased with the advertisement of getting change back from your dollar. We would get a regular hamburger or cheeseburger, what is now a small fries, because there was no other size, and a regular Coke, all for less than a dollar. Now I see people ordering a couple of Big Macs or Quarter pounders with cheese, and a supersized fries and drink.
Another thing that has changed, as a few others have pointed out, is the constant snacking throughout the day. My wife works with a woman who is trying to get approval for gastric bypass. She snacks continuously all day at her desk with big bags of potato chips, cookies, candy, and 32 oz. soft drinks.
It is obviously not just one thing but a combination of many changes in our society.
Chemical preservation wasn't nearly as perfected as it is now--Hostess Twinkies actually went stale fairly quickly back then. There might have been some moms packing such things in lunches, but not often--they were expensive.
Ah, I remember being jealous of the kids who had Hostess Twinkies as I was eating the cookies and brownies my mother made from scratch. Well, maybe she used mixes for cakes and brownies, but there was no frosting from cans. And I remember when we actually had some leftovers from a bag of Fritos and I got THOSE in my lunch. Heaven.
I have since apologized to my mother.
And I'll add one more factor that affects only women: doctors used to err on the side of being too strict about weight gain during pregnancy. One woman who had her babies in the 1950s was put on diet pills (resulting baby was very cranky- poor little thing was pretty much born addicted); another told me that the main OB in town would yell at you if you gained more than 2 lbs/month.
When I was pregnant in 1984, they didn't care if you gained 30 or 40 or 50 lbs. (I gained 30; my mother said she never wore maternity clothes home from the hospital but I still needed maternity pants.) So- you gain 50 lbs., you lose maybe 20 after the baby is born, you may have another kid or two around and have zero time for a nice, long cardio workout.... rinse and repeat for subsequent kids. I think that's what happened to so many of the women I knew in HS.
Last edited by athena53; 09-07-2019 at 05:34 PM..
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