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Not buying it. People have the same range of self-discipline today that they had back in 1950, and obesity was fairly uncommon back then. The difference is the sugar and carb laden food landscape that we have today. The primitive human instinct is to consume these foods as much as possible, because these types of high energy foods were rarely encountered when humans were hunter-gatherers. No amount of self-discipline will overcome that instinctive human drive to consume these foods and store them as body fat.
This is a deliberate plan to generate trillions upon trillions of dollars from consumers by manipulating our bodies and psyches to consume more carb and sugar laden foods, which are dirt cheap to make and incredibly profitable. Remember, here in America - every dollar of profit is a GOOD dollar, right?
Super sized portions on just about everything, and with the wrong foods. Plus sitting around playing video games. As a kid you couldnt find me, I was on my bicycle or skateboard. Or both, me and my friends pulling each other with a rope behind the bike. Made for some great accidents.
I'm in full agreement with all of that except that I don't think that the majority of obese people really "choose" what they put in their body. Sure they THINK they have a choice, but the reality is that the instinct to consume those foods and to store fat is hard wired into our bodies. Sure, some people might be able to overcome that instinct through great and tireless effort, but these will be the outliers. The great majority will become more and more obese regardless, as we are seeing. The food industry understands this innate behavior very well and they will continue to make trillions of dollars of profit at the expense of our health.
It's not that hard.
Skip the Fruit Loops and buy Cheerios instead. Skip the Skippy and buy the Smucker's peanut butter.
Personaly, I do like honey-nut Cheerios better than the regular ones. I just don't buy them as, well, they have 12x the sugar as regular Cheerios. Total effort required is about 15 seconds to look at the box. Anyone not making that minimal effort just doesn't care.
sugars and some carbs are the real food demons not fats not meats.
we reward kids with eating super sugary/fattening foods like ice cream....
the worst foods seem to taste sooooo good - all the grains and sugars keep pumping the insulin...
I cut out sugars in the past year.....more of a keto diet- no grains, very low carbs and no sugar ...ive never felt better - I eat healthy fats and protein... my cholesterol dropped 70 points..
meat got demonized in the 80's …. no one said much about sugars and convenience processed foods... the food pyramid should be turned upside down
sugars and carbs cause inflammation..... the word inflammation we are hearing more and more that causes illnesses.. and cancer cells grow in sugar..
I have quite the sweet tooth so it was difficult to give it up
we also use food for therapy …. we self indulge on special occasions and over eat.
im well over 50 can still bench over 300lbs no medications... no allergies havent called in sick for over 6 yrs at work … compared to my so called "health nut" peers....that seem to be on medications... I have more energy than I did at 30 yrs of age..
the whole "low-fat" and lean b.s. left the country eating more processed and sugary junk..
again watch THE MAGIC PILL on Netflix
why isn't there a mass dumping on sugary and processed foods??? follow the money look at the food companies that pay for advertising and ultimately help pay the huge salaries of news reporters...
im not a veggie fan but so eat spinach leaves..... and again my dr. said he would pay for my blood work results...… he's close to a grass-fed vegan and asked my "secret" I told him my diet and he said more and more research is coming back that we need fats healthy fats not margarine or vegetable oils....but animals fats are not so bad for us.
he asked how often I ate fish...I said maybe once per month but eat steak 3-4 times per week....
exercise .. we aren't made to "work" in an office staring at a computer screen all day- this is part of the formula that makes us obese (if poor food choices)
there's also have been a trend to eat more food outside of the house (restaurants or take out- compared to buying foods at a grocery store and taking home to cook) this is partly why we are bigger...when you go out to eat in a crowd ..people tend to order what they "want" at the moment not what is best for them...….compared to not having crap in the house to not eating crap when at home..
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Originally Posted by Gator Fan 79
Highly recommend the Magic Pill. After watching, I cut out almost all natural and refined sugar and most carbs other than vegetables. In 2 months, I've lost 25+ pounds, my joint aches and pains are gone, and my blood pressure is now under 120/80 without the medication I've been taking for the last 5 years. I've come to believe that "low fat" foods are a scam to get you to eat more sugar. HFCS started appearing in foods in the mid 70's and that's when the obesity epidemic exploded.
My new lifestyle closely mimics both of you. The vast majority of my carbs come from fruit and vegetables. I do eat a small amount of bread for homemade burgers and sandwiches. After 18 months I am down 45 lbs. I'm within 5 pounds of my college weight and my body is showing no signs of slowing down the weight loss. I am a little concerned what I will do once my stores of accumulated body fat are entirely gone. One interesting side effect of my dietary changes is that my appetite has changed and if I need to eat more carbs at some point in the future I don't know how I will go about doing it, I guess I will increase the peanuts, pecans and walnuts that I consume.
Don't have time to wade through several pages of responses so....
Number one culprit in the rise of American obesity is excess sugar consumption.
What begins as infants and children ( packaged infant formulas/food, cereals, etc.... are full of various forms of sugar), continues well into teens and adulthood (ditto).
Adding more insult to that injury was the rise and vast growth of high fructose corn syrup which is nearly found in all sorts of foods.
Humans (among other animals) are hard wired to love sugar/sweets. Breast milk is rich in fats and sugars for a reason. However too much of the sugar (in any form) is just not good.
Prior to Europeans spanning out and colonizing South America, Africa, the Caribbean, and yes the southern USA sugar was expensive. It mainly came as honey, beets or other locally available sources. However once (relatively) cheap sugar came (helped along by the salve trade used to work land/produce all that sugar cane), diets changed, especially for the wealthy.
Two things began to happen at once, for those who could afford sugar the great amounts lead to obesity and other diseases. Ever wonder why so few portraits painted back then show people smiling? That was because many of the well off from royalty on down (who could afford to have their portraits painted) had mouths full of rotted teeth. This was partly due to lack of dental hygiene, but also caused by consuming large amounts of sugar.
Empress Josephine for example grew up on a sugar plantation in the French Caribbean. She loved chewing on sugar cane so much that by early adulthood all her teeth had rotted.
Sugar once was something doled out as treat. Hence the word "sweets" being used for candy or anything else given as a reward. Sugar was also expensive so many couldn't afford large amounts of it anyway.
This has all changed and we are now seeing the results.
Americans now consume vast amounts of sugar even when compared to just the 1970's. We also take far less exercise and are becoming vastly more sedentary as lifestyles and labor/employment has changed.
In my day (growing up in the 1970's) we kids had plenty of activity. Recess breaks at school, mothers who constantly admonished us to "turn off that TV and go outside and play".
it is interesting that most everywhere the "American" diet is exported, obesity rates begin to increase. Vis-à-vis that unique American thing; fast food.
Western companies like Nestle are fast and quickly exploiting developing countries like Brazil. Pushing high fat and sugar products on local populace which replaces more healthy and traditional diets. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...ty-nestle.html
One of the most cruelest things is the push to get mothers in developing countries to stop breast feeding and use infant formulas loaded with sugar.
For those who claim to eat lots of carbs and grains and still lose weight: are you younger than 45 to 50? Because your metabolism will change as you get older. As a young man, I was able to enjoy bread, pasta, cereal and sweets, and could never gain an ounce. At 71, I never touch those things.
Often, people will gain just a pound or two a year. It isn't noticeable at first, but after 30 to 40 years, that weight adds up! So those of you who are young might want to give that some thought.
I personslly think that the consumprtion of soda and fruit juices has a lot to do with weight gain. Nothing quite as easy to get down as liquid sugar!
For me, the proof is in the eating -- a low carb, low sugar diet will melt the pounds off faster and easier than any other method. It just works. No exercise required. Yes, some exercise is always good, but none is required to lose weight. The "eat less, move more" mantra sounds good, but it does not work for losing weight. Same for the "calories in = calories out" model. It doesn't work.
I think there's more of an "I want it all now" mentality than there used to be, and food is part of that.
Look at the women's magazines at the grocery store checkout. Half of the covers show a luscious dessert and offer the latest diet. "Eat whatever you want, you can diet it off later."
It also shows up with people refinancing their homes to buy nonessentials like boats and vacations. Used to be, the goal was to pay off the house, now it's used like a piggy bank.
For those who claim to eat lots of carbs and grains and still lose weight: are you younger than 45 to 50? Because your metabolism will change as you get older. As a young man, I was able to enjoy bread, pasta, cereal and sweets, and could never gain an ounce. At 71, I never touch those things.
Often, people will gain just a pound or two a year. It isn't noticeable at first, but after 30 to 40 years, that weight adds up! So those of you who are young might want to give that some thought.
I personslly think that the consumprtion of soda and fruit juices has a lot to do with weight gain. Nothing quite as easy to get down as liquid sugar!
For me, the proof is in the eating -- a low carb, low sugar diet will melt the pounds off faster and easier than any other method. It just works. No exercise required. Yes, some exercise is always good, but none is required to lose weight. The "eat less, move more" mantra sounds good, but it does not work for losing weight. Same for the "calories in = calories out" model. It doesn't work.
I'm 51. 5'5 and 120
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For those who claim to eat lots of carbs and grains and still lose weight: are you younger than 45 to 50? Because your metabolism will change as you get older. As a young man, I was able to enjoy bread, pasta, cereal and sweets, and could never gain an ounce. At 71, I never touch those things.
Often, people will gain just a pound or two a year. It isn't noticeable at first, but after 30 to 40 years, that weight adds up! So those of you who are young might want to give that some thought.
I personslly think that the consumprtion of soda and fruit juices has a lot to do with weight gain. Nothing quite as easy to get down as liquid sugar!
For me, the proof is in the eating -- a low carb, low sugar diet will melt the pounds off faster and easier than any other method. It just works. No exercise required. Yes, some exercise is always good, but none is required to lose weight. The "eat less, move more" mantra sounds good, but it does not work for losing weight. Same for the "calories in = calories out" model. It doesn't work.
I guess it’s all relative. To someone 71 I guess at 42 I’m “young”. Actually my metabolism took a nosedive at 40. Unlike men, we middle aged women hit weight loss walls earlier. If you think my loss was easier in my 40s, well again compared to a 70 year old, maybe. But it sure as heck wasn’t easy and my body wasn’t some fat burning machine like a 20 or 30 year old.
As for gaining each year due to age I’m not worrying about that because i do exercise. I also lift weights four times per week. See exercise is required for what I wanted.. I wanted to not just lose, I wanted to be in great shape. I’m in fabulous shape now at 42...soon to 43....and I’m still going strong. I don’t just stroll on a treadmill at this point in my fitness life so no again I’m not worried about my metabolism tanking. That’s why you work out to counter what aging does to you..,
And I am not going to give up what I enjoy because I don’t (and won’t) have to. As you said proof is in the eating. I eat 150g of carbs per day. Somehow I still lost body fat and inches. I did it by doing what you said doesn’t work...I cut calories (eat less) and moved more. I eat complex fiber rich carb sources mostly but yeah I eat dessert daily. Until proven otherwise I’m gonna keep giving myself a daily treat. I’d rather have a 170 calorie daily treat than scarf down an entire box of cookies due to food obsession because I denied myself. took a dexa scan last year, an accurate body fat test, and was 22.6 percent fat. Not bad considering I was over 40 and I was 37 percent before I embarked on my journey to not only lose weight but improve fitness. All those who preach little to no physical activity, you’re just cheating yourselves.
Your DD is probably in the southern portion of the USA. Remember, this is an enormous country with varied cuisines. We don't have ribs, corn breads, or beans with BBQ sauces where I live (you could probably find it but you'd have to look hard.) Of course we have our own "poisons": grilled hamburgers, lobsters, cheddar cheese, blueberry muffins, Boston cream pie, clam chowder, pot roast with gravy, chicken pot pie, and very good pizza.
If you go to a restaurant in my part of the country, the foods are different but the portions are still usually huge. When a plate arrives with that amount of food, the person probably feels as though they're expected to eat it. Then they get used to eating huge portions. Then they start going to these "all you can eat" buffets where they stuff themselves.
Over eating becomes a bad habit that's hard to break. At the root of it is the greed of the big food corporations and probably the fast food/chain restaurants. Everyone wants to make money at the expense of the American consumer who falls for the ploy.
Chain restaurants offer lighter fare and places like Panera offer half sandwiches. It’s not restaurants fault for why people overeat. They serve what the public wants. People need to feel they are getting their money’s worth and demand bigger portions. That’s what gave rise to the prevalence of buffets. For many, there’s the need to feel stuffed-not just full-stuffed. Whether it’s conditioning or not who knows but we can’t keep blaming industries and restaurants. Often this conditioning you speak of starts at home, with parents encouraging their kids to finish everything on the plate or constantly plying kids with food. Kids often self regulate and stop eating when they’re full but somehow well meaning adults disable this. I never made my kids keep eating. And you touched on it but I’m going to expound... kids and adults moved more years ago. My kids love to play outside. Now we have a couch potato generation that doesn’t burn off the food it eats and somehow other things are to blame. Did the corn syrup somehow cause people to stop moving? I was fat because I ate too much and ate out way too much. I could bring out the violin of being a working mom with two kids and little time but I won’t. I was fat due to my own behaviors and I stopped being fat when I decided my health mattered to me and I wanted to be there for my kids. I was 220 maybe 230 lbs at 510. I’m now 150, 149. I’m open about my former weight because I want to show that it is possible to break free of the monkey that is being obese.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GearHeadDave
Not buying it. People have the same range of self-discipline today that they had back in 1950, and obesity was fairly uncommon back then. The difference is the sugar and carb laden food landscape that we have today. The primitive human instinct is to consume these foods as much as possible, because these types of high energy foods were rarely encountered when humans were hunter-gatherers. No amount of self-discipline will overcome that instinctive human drive to consume these foods and store them as body fat.
This is a deliberate plan to generate trillions upon trillions of dollars from consumers by manipulating our bodies and psyches to consume more carb and sugar laden foods, which are dirt cheap to make and incredibly profitable. Remember, here in America - every dollar of profit is a GOOD dollar, right?
Hunter gatherers eat carbs including sweets. They gather wild tubers and consume wild obtained sugar sources like honey and fruit with relish. In fact for many hunter gatherers protein and fat isnt easy to come by and subsistence is in the form of starches for days at a time until they can procure meat. Sweets and bread were common back then as well. The difference is that people weren’t sedentary and yes they ate less. My grandmother ate like a bird....probably due to vanity. She regularly walked.
Skip the Fruit Loops and buy Cheerios instead. Skip the Skippy and buy the Smucker's peanut butter.
Personaly, I do like honey-nut Cheerios better than the regular ones. I just don't buy them as, well, they have 12x the sugar as regular Cheerios. Total effort required is about 15 seconds to look at the box. Anyone not making that minimal effort just doesn't care.
Maybe you are one of the outliers that I mentioned, one of the people that will beat the odds. If you can beat those odds, more power to you. But in the long run, over time, across the entire population of average people - the completely unregulated flood of processed carb and sugar laden foods WILL produce an obese population. If we are really serious about reducing obesity in the USA (which I don't think we are) - you have to regulate the food supply. In the USA, no one wants to do that, the food industry is making way too much money pushing their crack.
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