The obesity epidemic

[haha]

You're welcome, HaHa, but I'm not to be confused with the charming Carolyn...   

Caroline

Whoops, my apologies. You are both lovely beyond compare, but each in your own way.

ha

 

[HFWR]

I'm genetically of slim build, and so I've heard the comment "I could eat anything I want" most of my life. And, until I turned 40 or so, that was for the most part accurate. It is, er ah, less accurate now... However, I've been fairly active as an adult -jogging, bicycling, and weight training - and I'm cognizant of both how much I eat and what I eat. Definitely can't eat ice cream or chocolate chip cookies like I used to...

I see my more portly cow-orkers eat good ol' biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs, and cheese, sometimes mixed together in a "mess", for breakfast, and a cheeseburger and fries lunch, day after day... Loaded with starches and sat fat, and not a vegetable in sight...

Brain chemicals, or character flaw? Sometimes one, sometimes the other, but probably a complex brew of both...

Tobacco addiction, however, is entirely the fault of the tobacco companies; but for for a meisly few million, I could be convinced otherwise...

 

[mathjak107]

There was this huge woman on the tread mill at the gym wearing this sweat shirt that said GUESS.

I wanted to go "THYROID?"

 

[jeff2006]

Wow! -- Talk about an epidemic! This thread is an outpouring of self-righteous nastiness. Know-it-alls on parade . . .

 

[ladelfina]

I hafta take issue a bit with the comments about "overeating". For folks with a presumably decent grasp of numbers I'm surprised at some of the statements above.

If 3500 extra calories translates into one pound, then all it takes to gain one extra pound per month is (roughly) one extra tablespoon of fat (100 calories) or one extra apple (100 calories) every day. Not much.

Now I'll state right now that I weigh more than I should. More than I would like.  I'm utterly indifferent towards ice cream and cookies, but I lead a pretty sedentary life. And I weighed exactly the same at age 17 as I do now.

If I had been "over" eating during the last 29 years... let's say that one extra tablespoon of fat per day (just 100 calories, remember.. not a bag of french fries or a Big Mac's worth...).. well, by now I would weigh ((12*29)+180)= 528 pounds.

Conversely, if I were to have eaten one less tablespoon of fat each day than I normally do (or the equivalent of a little more than 100 calories in whatever form), in theory I would be long dead by now, having reached less than 80 pounds in the late 1980s!

There is something more subtle and complex at work here than just willpower or lack thereof. Setpoint theory? Evolution?

mathjak, some others on this thread have shown little compassion for those who struggle with weight problems.. I'm surprised that you've taken this to its nadir by ridiculing a fat lady who is exercising! 

I think some people were just made to store fat more efficiently which, in evolutionary terms, is a good thing. In our society of plenty, an historical aberration, this turns out to have some downside.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Tobacco addiction, however, is entirely the fault of the tobacco companies;
(quote)

This statement is not true.

JG

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I think the answer may be in the general availability of food, mostly the wrong type of food.  Just look what's availabile at your typical gas station and convenience store.  Nothing but mega calories in the ever present disposable package ready to go.  It's just too easy to stuff your face these days and it takes no time to do it.

It's all in the marketing and packaging, whatever you want, it's available and you don't even need to cook. 

One drive thru Mickey D's and in less than three minutes you can get sack with more calories then you need for the whole day.

Just too easy to get food these days and not have to work for it.

Those conveniencve stores are murder (although some truck stops
have fresh fruit). Can't tell you how many times I've been on the road and
wanted to pick up "something" to eat.........then, after walking the aisles
leaving with nothing. Read the labels folks. It's scary stuff.

JG

 

[lets-retire]

Tawny--You'll see in my original post that I admitted I was a smoker.  I dumped on nobody.  I simply stated until the person decides to make a change no amount of education, taxpayer funded or other, is going to make a difference.  My families demons are not mine.  If I took all of their demons to be mine I would be locked up someplace in a mental hospital.  Here's an excerpt form my original post in this thread:

Until the person decides to do something about their problem no amount of "education" is going to help them. they must be willing to do what is necessary to change.  You did when you quit smoking, I did when I quit smoking.  I bet if you think back nobody made you quit you decided that you've had enough of whatever was the worst part of smoking for you and you decided to quit. 

Ladelfina--You're exactly correct with your calorie assessment.  However, if you found a weight you were comfortable at then you could have a little extra calories as long as you do what is necessary to take them off again.  You found your set point and sound like you're comfortable with it, if you weren't you would have done something to eat 100 calories less or burn off 100 calories.   I know mine is much higher than I currently weigh, so I must workout, otherwise I gain a lot of weight.  I love to eat. 

I normally compare weight loss/gain to running a business.  Anybody can run a business.  To make it successful you have to constantly monitor it and make adjustments.  If you constantly monitor your weight you can put yourself back on track by adjusting caloric intake and exercise.  It is much easier to lose/gain 5 lbs than 50 lbs.  If you want to weigh anything other than your set point you have to monitor it, otherwise you will gain or lose the weight you did not want to.

 

[haha]

I don't remember the exact numbers on obesity, but I believe that something which affects in the neighborhood of 25% of any population can't be explained purely by people's personal failings. Pretty much everything is on a bell curve. Some people will conserve weight better than others. Some people will appreciate food more than others, or will hate "exercise" more. Some people will have more of whatever it is that we call willpower.

But this isn't Lake Wobegone - some really do have to be both above and below mean on whatever dimension is being studied.

In 1930 there were fewer overweight people in America, and probably in most of the world, than there are now. Have individuals made this difference?

I doubt it. Although our family had a car, my Dad never took it to work. He walked to a bus stop and rode downtown, and then walked to his work. If he had more time, he might walk the whole way.

Some people can still do that, but many others can't or won't given that there are easily available other means for getting where you want to go.

More and more it seems to me that almost everything that people think in the area of personal behavior or social policy is nothing more than attitudes. We think we are basing our opinions on “evidence”. But that evidence is always changing, or at least the part of it that society is attending to at any time changes.

Right now I believe that we place many things in the area of personal responsibility that should maybe be at least partly the responsibility of the larger society.


Ha

 

[jeff2006]

Anybody can run a business. 

Ever run one yourself? 

 

[lets-retire]

Ever run one yourself? 

Yup. As I stated anyone can run a business. You have to be skillful to run a successful one. I unfortunately am not skilled in running a business.

 

[jeff2006]

Didn't want to be successful? Character flaw?

 

[Eagle43]

Right now I believe that we place many things in the area of personal responsibility that should maybe be at least partly the responsibility of the larger society.
Ha

From:Nathaniel Branden's web site.

One of the most important ingredients in your personal development is taking real responsibility for your actions. This requires that you consciously become the cause of the results that you want. Refuse to behave like a victim … or to wait for someone to save you from life’s problems.

and...

Self-responsibility. To be self-responsible is to recognize that we are the author of our choices and actions; that we must be the ultimate source of our own fulfillment; that no one is coming to make our life right for us, or make us happy, or give us self-esteem.

Unquote

Yeah, I know society made you eat that burger and your Mommy raised you wrong, so you smoke a lot and GWB sucks so you toke more than usual, and you were born poor, so it's General Motors' fault.  But, we make choices every day and some make choices to pig out.  

So Ha, maybe you have it right with your "partly the responsiblity of the larger society." but I believe we have leaned too much the other way and blame everything on somebody else.  I'm in fairly good health, exercise every day and probably underweight (by no means even close to fat).  I have siblings who are not quite the same.  They have the same genes and were raised under the same roof, but alas, made different choices. 

 

[lets-retire]

Didn't want to be successful?  Character flaw? 

Not enough time to develop the skills to run it successfully.

 

[jeff2006]

From:Nathaniel Branden's web site.

I'm in fairly good health, exercise every day and probably underweight (by no means even close to fat).  I have siblings who are not quite the same.  They have the same genes and were raised under the same roof, but alas, made different choices. 

Identical twins? If not, they don't have the same genes. Did you not know this?

 

[jeff2006]

Not enough time to develop the skills to run it successfully.

Someone with self discipline would find the time.

 

[haha]

From:Nathaniel Branden's web site.

So Ha, maybe you have it right with your "partly the responsiblity of the larger society." but I believe we have leaned too much the other way and blame everything on somebody else.  I'm in fairly good health, exercise every day and probably underweight (by no means even close to fat).  I have siblings who are not quite the same.  They have the same genes and were raised under the same roof, but alas, made different choices.  

Since you addressed this personally to me I will answer it personally. First congratulations, you are obviously doing very well. Second, I do not myself have a weight problem, do not have trouble making myself exercise, don't drink too much or smoke, so I am not being personally protective here.

Another thing I should mention is that you actually do not have the same genes as your siblings, and although you were raised under the same roof there is abundant evidence that no two children get the same experience in childhood.

So you may be just a tower of power, and personally superior to your sibs, but some of your superiority may be either your genes, or something about your exact trip. Random events can prejudice what follows, for better or worse.

Anyway, something to consider!

Ha

 

[jeff2006]

For a real laugh, look up Branden's background . . . he might have a lot of problems himself because of things his mommy (Ayn Rand) evidently made him do.

 

[lets-retire]

Someone with self discipline would find the time. 

Your right I didn't need that three hours of sleep at night. : I chose to close the business, because I didn't have the time to devote to everything on my plate and that was the least important.

 

[jeff2006]

Your right I didn't need that three hours of sleep at night. :  I chose to close the business, because I didn't have the time to devote to everything on my plate and that was the least important.

You seem to have enough time now, what with the postings here. Try again?

 

[lets-retire]

You seem to have enough time now, what with the postings here.  Try again?

Everything in time.

 

[grumpy]

Just some idle speculation:

If the scientists are right about global warming and climate change might not we be facing food shortages sometime in the near future? In that case those who are carrying around a lot of extra pounds now may well have a survival advantage. I guess that would be the last laugh.


Grumpy

 

[HFWR]

Tobacco addiction, however, is entirely the fault of the tobacco companies; but for for a meisly few million, I could be convinced otherwise...

That was sarcasm... 

 

[donheff]

Another thing I should mention is that you actually do not have the same genes as your siblings, and although you were raised under the same roof there is abundant evidence that no two children get the same experience in childhood.

Ha has it right. My brother is an "Irish Twin" 11 months older than me. We grew up in the same house, same parents. He loves vegetables, I hate them. He could always put his legs into the lotus position without using his hands -- still can. If you tried to put my legs into a lotus position it would break my knees.

Some of you will say my lack of flexibility is my fault -- I just don't have sufficient self discipline to do what it takes. And you would be right. I could improve myself with sufficient effort. But it might be impossible to get to the point my brother is at. And he is gifted with flexibilty without any effort on his part.

I, on the other hand, was always skinny. I eat what I want and still maintain a pretty decent physique (deteriorated a bit from age 30 to 58 but I had room to spare). I probably eat an average of 4 ounces of chocolate per day, bacon and eggs several days a week, pasta and other carbs regularly. Other people eating my diet would be obese. I don't even have to pay attention.

Most overweight people I know work a lot harder at trying to control their diet than I devote to flexibility. They also don't blame society or other people for their weight problems.

People to whom success comes easily (in any endeavor) should not be self righteous about how they compare to others who struggle and fail. They haven't earned that right.

 

[jeff2006]

I'm surprised that Rush Limbaugh hasn't weighed in (so to speak) on this topic. He's always been a great advocate of personal responsibility, and making the right choices.