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

[ExFlyBoy5]

Exercise is actually more popular now, or at least socially more acceptable.

I remember going for long walks for exercise in my teens and 20's, and being jeered and snarked at for it. Now the young people are all, "Sitting is bad for you! Gotta get my 10,000 steps!"

Perhaps but I think as a society we were just more active "back in the day"...I mean you actually had to get up (or make your kid get up) to change the channel. As a kid (not too long ago)....I was always outside. And if the weather was bad, I was in the garage playing.

Not only that, when it was time for dinner, all our veggies were cooked with bacon grease and we ate plenty of red meat; none of us were even close to being overweight.

 

[NW-Bound]

It could just be that you don't recognize the limits of overweight/obese. I'm 6'1" and weigh (currently) ~230 lbs. I am in my height's obese category, but I doubt many people would look at me and think "obese". I've got a belly, but the rest of it is spread out pretty evenly. I would have to get under 189 lbs to not be overweight, with 162 lbs. being my supposed "ideal" weight. That would be pretty thin, IMO. I have a friend who is my height and around 185, and most people call him skinny/scrawny.

I suspect that we've become used to people carrying more weight around, and don't think "obese" unless someone is extremely overweight.

+1

To see how bad things are, I can just go to a public place, and watch passerbys. Oh dear! Many people I see, I do not know how they can shop for clothes. I think factory workers in China, Pakistan, India who sew these pants are terrified that there are people who can fit in these pants.

And even in 3rd world countries, people are getting bigger too. I have not visited any, but watching travel videos on youtube tells me plenty. People in poorer countries are no longer skinny as they used to be.

 

[NW-Bound]

Just don't eat the processed carbs. We don't have to grow veggies like we did in the 1800s, just stop eating so much bread and pasta and rice and cupcakes and such. Have your plate be 70% non starchy veggies, served with plenty of butter or other delicious rich sauces. Some meat, some cheese, pretty much whatever you want as long as it doesn't come from a grain or isn't made with sugar. It's not that hard, but it's not what we've been told to do for the last 30 years or so.

I think people develop an addiction to carb. I have been telling family members that they should eat less carb and more fat and protein.

Nope. They love their carb, even if they are getting pre-diabetic. And they still think their diet is healthy.

 

[brett]

When I look at family members on both my and DW's family, the vast majority of those who are obese are the ones who also have health problems....diabetes, knee and back issues, sleep problems. The list goes on and on. Visits to the physician, specialist, and of course lots of scripts.

They all have something in common. They gorge themselves on sweets, processed foods, and several would not even know how to make a salad. They think it is something you buy in the deli section of the supermarket and it has lots of mayo etc. in it. And vegetables are only a vehicle for cream or cheese sauce. As one said to DW when she brought a fresh fruit tray to a breakfast event...why would you bring this? Then they dived into the cinnamon buns with gusto.

To a person they complain that they have difficulty loosing weight, diets don't work plus all of the other old chestnuts.

DW stopped feeling sorry for them a long time ago. They are robbing themselves of a happy and healthy retirement not to mention falling off their collective perches earlier than most. It simply comes down to lifestyle and choices.

Is it any wonder that our health care costs are increasing?

 

[Elbata]

It's just amazing his beginning of speech. It took millions of years of evolution to get to where man was in 1985. Of course, it could be argued it took billions of years.

Then less than a blink of the evolutionary eye, a mere 30 years, and 70% of US population is overweight. Incredible.

And what now is taught as the solution? Eat more fat. Oil, butter eggs. From my vantage point, we have no hope.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

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.

 

[audreyh1]

Let's face it. Part of it is that bad food is cheap and convenient. DW and I stopped for lunch at the local Earthfare that has a salad bar. Two plates of good food and two waters were about $15. Could have gone to McD's for less than that with nice sugary Cokes and probably even supersized fries, been in and out in less time. Of course would've felt pretty miserable after lunch.

Does obesity decrease as income increases? I get the impression that obesity rates are highest among the lowest income groups. Which leads me to believe that the cheapest food is a culprit, and the cheapest food is usually the highest processed carb stuff. Buying good quality meat and vegetables is expensive.

 

[audreyh1]

It's just amazing his beginning of speech. It took millions of years of evolution to get to where man was in 1985. Of course, it could be argued it took billions of years.

Then less than a blink of the evolutionary eye, a mere 30 years, and 70% of US population is overweight. Incredible.

And what now is taught as the solution? Eat more fat. Oil, butter eggs. From my vantage point, we have no hope.

You think eating more fat will make the situation worse? When eating less fat and more carbs is probably what got us here?

 

[AllDone]

Actually weights and obesity started rising after WWII. There are a lot of factors that have contributed to weight gain; less physical jobs, more cars, more TV, more aggressive advertising, more two-earner families, cheaper and cheaper food. I seriously doubt that it has anything to do with low-fat recommendations since fat intake has risen only slightly less rapidly than protein and carb consumption. Low saturated fat recommendations were most certainly not accompanied by "eat more sugar" recommendations! Total calorie consumption has risen something like 400 kcals, IIRC.

I have plates from the 1950s and plates from 2014. The former are 9.25" in diameter, the later 11".

 

[audreyh1]

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.

I live in a metropolitan area that is has the embarrassment to be labeled the "fattest in America", having the highest obesity rate.

I often joke with DH that it's because people are shorter here. So for the same "wideness" you have a higher BMI.

It's very noticeable when we return home from Europe, especially when we return from Amsterdam where people seem leaner than other European cities we have visited. I did see some heavy people in France, and in southern Germany.

The Dutch are known for their high fat diet. They do eat a huge amount of very good cheese and butter. But they also eat a large amount of bread and potatoes and drink a lot of beer, so it's hard to say they eat a low carb diet.

 

[brewer12345]

Does obesity decrease as income increases? I get the impression that obesity rates are highest among the lowest income groups. Which leads me to believe that the cheapest food is a culprit, and the cheapest food is usually the highest processed carb stuff. Buying good quality meat and vegetables is expensive.

Bingo.

The cheapest food is generally the most processed. The quickest food is generally the most processed. Add a sedentary lifestyle to eating quick, cheap crap and it isn't hard to see the link.

I watch total carb intake, but generally I do not get worked up on it as long as the carbs in question are overwhelmingly whole grain. Have a slice or two of the whole wheat and whole rye bread I made the other day and you will not be hungry at all for quite a while. A couple of slices of white bread from the store is the opposite end of the spectrum.

 

[audreyh1]

And I will add something else, how about the large numbers of folks at those desk jobs smoked? I don't have the statistics, but I do know that most folks that quit smoking complain of weight gain...so is some of that because they snack more instead of smoke?

I think the big thing here is that it isn't any one (or two, or even 10) reasons for the epidemic. I think things are much different today that it was in 1980...even 1990 and one of the downfalls is a bunch of obese folks.

There maybe something here, as around 1985 seems like when the US got serious enough about smoking that it was banned in workplaces, in planes even (1990?), in public spaces.

And it's true that in Europe, where smoking is much more common, obesity rates are lower.

But it doesn't explain the US childhood obesity epidemic.

 

[JohnnyBGoode]

Many good points here. My top three main culprits to the (relatively recent) obesity epidemic are:

- People giving up smoking (e.g. https://www.statnews.com/2016/02/05/are-fewer-smokers-obesity-rate-linked/) The timing seems pretty suspicious: smoking rates going down pretty dramatically and obesity rising dramatically over basically the same time period. If you assume people need to do something to keep from being board - smoking or eating both fit the bill. Not that I think we should go back to smoking more - far from it - but did we trade one deadly vice for another?

- Ubiquity of "Super sized", cheap fast food. (e.g. https://dcheal.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/how-many-calories-in-a-super-size-meal-1960s-2013/) I think this is the deadly trifecta. It isn't that there is a McDonalds or Taco Bell on every corner (which there seems to be) but the sheer volume of food they serve for relatively low cost. Giant burgers, enormous servings of fries, and quart of Coca Cola to wash it down. It is not hard, I presume, to down 1500 calories in one sitting and not really realize it.

- Increase in screen time. It isn't just that there are more TV channels (which there are) but I think it is the combination of cable, YouTube, and Social Media that just makes the screen much more entertaining that anything one could outside. I certainly recall hating to be sick from school at home because there was literally NOTHING interesting on TV during the day. I doubt that is the case now. (e.g. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesit...elevision-and-sedentary-behavior-and-obesity/)

 

[audreyh1]

I think people develop an addiction to carb. I have been telling family members that they should eat less carb and more fat and protein.

Nope. They love their carb, even if they are getting pre-diabetic. And they still think their diet is healthy.

Yes - IMO that is the crux of it. Many people have become addicted to carbs and crave them. And the physiology/metabolism behind it is very well understood even though dietary advice is well behind the curve.

 

[Marita40]

I think the major culprit is sugar. It is in everything now. We eat far more sugar than ever before.

 

[Lsbcal]

I'm just watching one waist line.

 

[imoldernu]

A few things about obesity...
Standard calculations to determine body mass index BMI can be found here:

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

That said, the standards have been questioned and an alternate measure (based on height/weight ratios for taller persons is shown here:

New BMI Calculator

Not that his would be earth shaking information, still the margin between overweight and obesity (29.9) is relatively fine, and an inch or a pound can make a difference of points or tenth of points. For those who use the charts to assess their health and to worry or not the difference could cause alarm.

Morbidly obese #'s:
Morbid Obesity Bulge Gets Bigger

An additional factor that is not taken into consideration, is whether the weight is in fat or muscle, muscle weighing more than fat. Thus looking at two people with the same height and weight one might look trim and fit while the other would look "chubby".

This doesn't really mean anything with regard to the "Epidemic", but for an individual, concerned with personal health the BMI could be important. A matter of an inch in height or 4 lbs in weight could mean the difference between nomal and overweight, or overweight and obese. (clothes on or clothes off).

Insurance companies may/do require doctor's BMI measurements for calculating risk factors.

 

[audreyh1]

I think the major culprit is sugar. It is in everything now. We eat far more sugar than ever before.

Do you make a distinction between sugar and grains/starch?

 

[haha]

Many good points here. My top three main culprits to the (relatively recent) obesity epidemic are:

- People giving up smoking (e.g. https://www.statnews.com/2016/02/05/are-fewer-smokers-obesity-rate-linked/) The timing seems pretty suspicious: smoking rates going down pretty dramatically and obesity rising dramatically over basically the same time period. If you assume people need to do something to keep from being board - smoking or eating both fit the bill. Not that I think we should go back to smoking more - far from it - but did we trade one deadly vice for another?

You might have something here. I remember in high school in the late 50s girls often smoked to help keep their wright down. So common was this that tobacco breath was kind of an aphrodisiac.

Ha

 

[JohnnyBGoode]

Yeah, unfortunately smoking vs obesity is pretty clear. Check this out:

Full article here (now 5 years old, but still...): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...efits-of-less-smoking/?utm_term=.e3de0e069274

 

[Marita40]

I think people crave the simple sugars in carbs, as well as gorge on bakery, sweets, candy, pop, etc. in my family those who have gained significant weight have major sweet tooths. I've lost weight myself by cutting sugar only, except for that naturally found in fruit. Sugar is highly addictive.

Plus we've had our optimal diet information so utterly wrong for so many years. I spent years avoiding healthy fats. Here's to the whole avocado I just ate!

 

[Hyperborea]

Yeah, unfortunately smoking vs obesity is pretty clear. Check this out:
<snip>

Correlation is not causation.

 

[Walt34]

Correlation is not causation.

Well, it looks pretty clear to me that higher temperatures kill pirates!

 

[Fedup]

I wonder if we have taken into account of the Costco effect. I know I resisted the membership of Costco for years and then I gave in. I think sometimes, I'm too lazy to shop at other shops, so Costco is the one stop for everything. I tend to over eat with Costco portion even for fruits and vegetables. And fish too. Can't find a small piece of Ling Cod from New Zealand but around here only Costco carries Ling Cod. So I'm sure this has an effect in the general population.

 

[Ready]

I agree with others that the problem is mainly due to processed foods. If all we could eat was fruits, vegetables, meat, and fat, we would only eat when we are hungry, and our bodies would tell us when it's enough.

Try eating a bag of potato chips, doritos, or any salty/sugary snack, and see how much you can eat before you body tells you to stop. It may never happen. Your brain becomes addicted to these foods and craves more, even when your body has consumed as many calories as it requires.