USA Obesity Epidemic - how fast it happened!!! 25 years!

[laurence]

Something that people on this board often say is that a lower carb meal plan finds them hungry less often.
Ha

This a very good point, and a very good reason to evaluate diet plans and choose the one best for you. A nutrition plan cannot be effective if you can't stick to it.

 

[MRG]

That's the key! Most posters here recognize this, I believe.

A large chicken egg has 78 calories. An 8-oz glass of soda has 80 calories.

I know for sure 2 eggs will keep me satiated for a while. Two glasses of soda? Pfttt...

+1

I am not a low carb eater, but I eat less. I've cut bread in half, when I eat it. I simply use one piece(of whole grain) for two.

Dinner I often don't make a starch, opting for more veggies and fats. My macro profile has switched as well. Carbs did provide 50% of my calories, now it's 25%.

 

[audreyh1]

If there is a difference based on macronutrients it is more likely to be due to the diets' effects on one's ability to limit calorie intake. .

Ha

Exactly - and that's really a huge point!

If eating certain foods makes you hungrier, then eating those foods while trying to lose weight is self defeating.

 

[Amethyst]

Well, I guess I would rather be fat and die in my 70's, than live to my 90's with Alzheimer's. Which, unfortunately, is what all my aunts and uncles have done.

So maybe I'd better start putting on weight.

Amethyst

 

[NW-Bound]

One has other ways of avoiding longevity to 90, and it does not have to involve gaining weight. One can drink more, and smoke again, for example. If a person has to die young, might as well die pretty.

 

[donheff]

Cut out carbs? Nah, they cut out calories: Why Do Low-Carb Diets Cause Weight Loss?

If you read the study carefully you will see that it is consistent with my belief that a change in what you eat helps the body achieve a proper homeostatsis. This study, like many others, shows that low carb diets result in weight loss because the dieters ate less calories. As this study says, "way less." I monitored my calories when I was doing low carb and I found the same. But the important factor in this study is that the subjects "...followed the low-carb diet for the next two weeks, limiting carbohydrates to just 20 grams a day but eating unlimited amounts of protein and fat." No calorie counting, no hunger. The body takes over and drives towards it's optimal set point. For many, like me, once you get to your ideal wieght you can slowly add carbs back and get to a normal diet, as long as you stay with whole foods and avoid lots of sugars and highly processed carbs.

I have read reviews of lots of these comparative studies. almost all of which reach the same conclusion using a similar approach. In many cases the low fat arm of the diet involves carefully constructed calorie limited portions (with all the concomitant hunger and stress) while the LCHF arm allows unlimited eating except for carbs.

I think it's unfortunate that the major point the authors typically come away with is that Taubes et al are wrong about their theory that some calories are different from a CICO perspective. So what, the point they should focus on is the fact that some calories are different with respect to their impact on overall eating (i.e. appetite).

 

[Nemo2]

One can drink more, and smoke again, for example. If a person has to die young, might as well die pretty.

Or...do that and die young & ugly.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, I guess for many of us it's too late to die young (and pretty). What I had in mind was like this, but we are all past 36.

 

[HFWR]

One problem with studies of human diets is the tendency to over-report activity and under-report consumption. And sequestering test subjects for weeks/months is impractical. Add in some feel-good pseudoscience for good measure, and we've created a generation of neurotic dieters...

Recently I've had the "pleasure" of eating a few breakfasts "out", including at both a local hole-in-the-wall, and a Cracker Barrel. A typical breakfast platter included two, three, and even four starchy carbs in one meal: grits, potatoes, biscuits/gravy, and pancakes... Throw in a couple eggs and some bacon or sausage, and the calories add up fast. Granted, you could also order fruit, oatmeal, veggie omelets, and such, but those aren't the big sellers...

"We" eat too much, and move to little. And we eat way more starch and sugar than required for our activity levels.

 

[athena53]

I had another thought on this: snacking. It's out of control. Look at the number of products meant to fit into a car's cupholder: mini-cookies, Soup at Hand, candy, just about anything you want. Then there's Go-Gurt (yogurt in a squeeze envelope), juice boxes, Cheerios containers, granola bars that are candy in disguise, snack-size bags of chips and pretzels that are really more than you should eat if you read the label and calculate the nutritional content of an entire bag. I remember when people didn't eat on the streets or in their cars and when eating an ice cream cone in winter was unusual. That was a summer snack. When did it become child abuse to take your kid on a 4-mile drive without sustenance in the cupholder?

Nutritionists have said that people tend to eat more when they're combining eating with something else- reading, watching TV, driving- because they don't really enjoy the food. (Look up "mindful eating".)

I confess to being a constant eater; I get away with it because I work out every day and most of my snacks are fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

[Danmar]

Well, I guess I would rather be fat and die in my 70's, than live to my 90's with Alzheimer's. Which, unfortunately, is what all my aunts and uncles have done.

So maybe I'd better start putting on weight.

Amethyst

Is there a relationship between obesity and Alzheimer's? If not you may die obese in your 70's with Alzheimer's

 

[aja8888]

Recently I've had the "pleasure" of eating a few breakfasts "out", including at both a local hole-in-the-wall, and a Cracker Barrel. A typical breakfast platter included two, three, and even four starchy carbs in one meal: grits, potatoes, biscuits/gravy, and pancakes... Throw in a couple eggs and some bacon or sausage, and the calories add up fast. Granted, you could also order fruit, oatmeal, veggie omelets, and such, but those aren't the big sellers...

DW and I "go to breakfast" pretty often and frequent a Denny's (I know, laugh at me) nearby. I am shocked at the heavyweights that I routinely see in there. I mean, grossly obese.... I don't know if it's just a Denny's "thing" or IHop and other carb factories are the same.

My order usually consists of two eggs scrambled, two eggs over medium, crisp bacon and two sausage links. (Low carb, no bread)

 

[sengsational]

I'm probably in the minority here in saying that the changes in lifestyle and food availability are not the driving force; the argument that just because we have cheaper "fattening" food and don't get enough exercise doesn't cut it.

All that the stuff about more expensive and more difficult to prepare "healthy" food and watching too much TV, and not going outside to play as much, all of that might be true, but I just don't think those factors are the driving cause of the obesity epidemic. I don't think it has to do with having less self-control now than in the previous generation. Yes, I'm letting all the fat people off the hook...it's not their fault. It's not evil food companies that make food "too good" either. There was Coke, milkshakes, pancakes with syrup, all that stuff, before the obesity epidemic and after.

This is what convinces me that the people who suggest that something in our diet throws off homeostasis - just a bit - are right.

I'll generalize even further. Something in or not in our diet throws off homeostasis.

It's all about appetite.

You can argue 'till you're blue in the face about what macro-nutrient profile should be, but if whatever you do doesn't satisfy you, you'll either struggle and quickly fail, or struggle and eventually fail. This is why you can't get a straight answer out of the human diet studies; if they are properly controlled, they're too short to be meaningful.

Which brings me back to my idea of what DID change, and change significantly, between before and after the obesity epidemic. Karen picked up on one of the studies that helps substantiate the idea:

... it also touched on the study I saw from the UK where they took gut bacteria from a skinny mouse and put it in a fat mouse, and the fat mouse lost weight.

There has been discussion of bowel bacteria transplants. (Assuming they can figure out which ones are the desired ones)

That's a huge question that needs answering. There's work being done at a company called uBiome where you can get your gut microbiome sequenced. You won't get back any actionable information, but you can optionally let them use your de-personalized / aggregated information to help figure out the puzzle. There's a thread I started a while back that talks about what's in us and on us, and how it affects our well being. It's already a big topic in that prebiotics and probiotics are showing up everywhere, but mark my words, discoveries in the area of the human microflora are going to be the next big health revolution.

 

[tinlizzy]

We have many medical doctors onboard. Time to them to chime in.

I have not seen an obese doctor in my life, in fact many are skinny, but then I do not see a lot of doctors. On the other hand, I have seen more nurses on the heavy side, but of course nobody was to the point of morbid obesity.

When I had my gallbladder out I was the thinnest person in the OR and I'm at the upper end of a healthy BMI (not that thin).

There are obese doctors, anesthesiologists, nurses out there.

 

[Nemo2]

My 'feeling', (without knowing diddly), is that this is not simply an either/or situation, i.e. diet vs microbes vs....ad infinitum, but rather one from column 'A' and one from column 'B'. It's systemic, like an ecosystem, and any overall change will **** it up.

At the present time, (undergoing physio and still attempting to shake the sciatica, etc), I'm using the elliptical daily, rather than doing the hour or so stair climbing and the elliptical, as I was doing ~18 months back.

I'm 6' and was wearing 33" pants.....now it's 34"....diet hasn't changed that much, although we are eating less meat, but the activity level has dropped substantially.

I recall, (on single status back in Saudi, where an all-you-can-devour cafeteria was included in our benefits), when we were marathon training, (and I ate a lot more meat back then), a buddy and I would gorge, (we were always hungry), only to find that, at our weekly weigh-in, we'd each dropped 1 lb.

Therefore, from my limited experience, calories in/calories out does play a major role, but not the only role.

 

[JoeWras]

I had another thought on this: snacking. It's out of control. Look at the number of products meant to fit into a car's cupholder: mini-cookies, Soup at Hand, candy, just about anything you want. Then there's Go-Gurt (yogurt in a squeeze envelope), juice boxes, Cheerios containers, granola bars that are candy in disguise,

Bingo. There has been a huge sea-change in the way we think about snacking. Very few of us had a constant cheerio bag at hand. Today, I see kids eating all the time!

And don't get me started on yogurt. It isn't what it used to be. It is now some sort of manufactured pudding. And then there are the sweeteners. Gogurt/Yogurt, it is all crap. I need to learn how to make my own.

Which leads to the next topic below, and probiotics...

My 'feeling', (without knowing diddly), is that this is not simply an either/or situation, i.e. diet vs microbes vs....ad infinitum, but rather one from column 'A' and one from column 'B'. It's systemic, like an ecosystem, and any overall change will **** it up.

Agree too. It is a complex problem. I don't completely disagree with Sengsational. I think the human biome is part of it. Not just antibiotics, but our soap and food. Everything is now sanitized, even our yogurt. The cultures in yogurt are just the ones to make the fake pudding set fastest. They are not necessarily the ones good for us.

 

[Amethyst]

Every one of the Alzheimer's ancestors was thin. I figure that is why they lived so long, including with Alz. (average time from diagnosis to death was 11 years). So in a way, they really only made it to their late 70's before entering living death. The last one - my favorite uncle - is still inhabiting his body, but does not know his 4 sons any more.

Is there a relationship between obesity and Alzheimer's? If not you may die obese in your 70's with Alzheimer's

 

[kcowan]

Yes I have had 3 out of 12. cousins die from Alzheimers. 78, 85, 96

 

[Scuba]

It's a very American thing. Other countries are starting to fatten up, but travelling in the rest of the world, you just don't see the amount of obesity that truly is epidemic in the US.

One thing I noticed is that portion sizes are dramatically bigger in the US vs other countries we've been to. Also the pacing of the meal is much faster in the US so one's stomach has less opportunity to feel full until after the meal is over in the US. Also the US population in general is much less active. In many European countries, we saw loads of bikes and pedestrians, many more than I typically see even in relatively active Southern CA.

 

[JohnnyBGoode]

One thing I noticed is that portion sizes are dramatically bigger in the US vs other countries we've been to. Also the pacing of the meal is much faster in the US so one's stomach has less opportunity to feel full until after the meal is over in the US. Also the US population in general is much less active. In many European countries, we saw loads of bikes and pedestrians, many more than I typically see even in relatively active Southern CA.

+1 on the portion sizing. The sizes of servings at most restaurants (including but not limited to fast food - e.g. McDonalds - and sit-down casual dining - e.g. Cheesecake Factory) is amazing. I know it was simple economics that drove the introduction of the first "Super-Size" meal at McDonalds but now it seems like an arms race between restaurants who can serve the biggest portions.

 

[brewer12345]

And don't get me started on yogurt. It isn't what it used to be. It is now some sort of manufactured pudding. And then there are the sweeteners. Gogurt/Yogurt, it is all crap. I need to learn how to make my own.

Trivially easy. Scald the milk, let it cool to 100F or so, mix in some of your favorite plain yogurt as a starter, keep it warm for 12 to 18 hours.

 

[audreyh1]

Trivially easy. Scald the milk, let it cool to 100F or so, mix in some of your favorite plain yogurt as a starter, keep it warm for 12 to 18 hours.

Or make kefir which doesn't require heating or cooling and has more probiotics. This is what DH makes for himself. The starter sits at room temp (refrigerated only when we travel). And to make a new batch strain out most of the liquid, and pour regular pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) milk back into the jar and leave out. DH puts the strained kefir into the fridge before drinking.

 

[JoeWras]

Or make kefir which doesn't require heating or cooling and has more probiotics. This is what DH makes for himself. The starter sits at room temp (refrigerated only when we travel). And to make a new batch strain out most of the liquid, and pour regular pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) milk back into the jar and leave out. DH puts the strained kefir into the fridge before drinking.

I thought that was the stuff they hang in burlap bags somewhere in the Caucasus region? It didn't sound appetizing to me.

I will give the yogurt a try. Sounds pretty easy.

 

[Marita40]

Kefir's pretty popular these days due to the interest in fermented foods. I've been making it for at least 5 years now. No burlap bags needed! I love it.

 

[JoeWras]

Kefir's pretty popular these days due to the interest in fermented foods. I've been making it for at least 5 years now. No burlap bags needed! I love it.

OK, just did a search. I guess it used to be goat skin bags. Too much history! Yes, it is easier to make without all the fuss of skin bags, I see.

Is this stuff around in the store so I can give it a try first?