God, They're Fat - What Is Wrong With Americans?
- Thread starter MotownBikeBoy
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Your weight is your own resposibility. However I do find that fast food restaurants in the U.S are not helping the cause at all! If you go to Canada the portion size is smaller and the food is more expensive. There is no dollar menu in Canada either. If there was id be obese too! lol
In Mexico, though, aren't heavier women considered more attractive? They represent the higher class who can afford to eat well? I can't remember where or when I heard that, but it made sense to me. I bet I would be a total hottie in Mexico. Or in Japan. I would be a 5'4" "amazon chic" over there.JoanMcWench said:
I don't personally have a problem with obesity in general, because it's not my life. But when someone starts demanding that they be accommodated because they refuse to take care of themselves, I get upset. Tall people shop at stores with longer clothes; fat people need to shop at stores with larger clothes. No company needs to create large clothes if they don't want to.
Cheap mass produced processed food, corn syrup in everything, etc. Not to mention the new trends popping up these days. Dadbod, Meghan Trainor with her videos, HAES. And the US isn't even at the top when it comes to obesity per capita. .
I'm just going to say it because no one else has the courage to: I really enjoyed 'Fat Hungry *****'.
It is easy to judge something that you have absolutely no understanding of. Most of the people you think are 400lbs probably aren't even near it and if they are they are well aware of their situation and choices. You don't know why somebody needs a scooter in a store and you shouldn't judge. I'm a heavy guy. I'm active. I don't eat Twinkies and I don't go around guzzling soda or super sizing things. I had multiple leg surgeries and had to use a scooter in the store for a while because I couldn't walk. It wasn't a weight issue but I'm sure somebody like you would just assume it was. Nevermind that I gained the weight on a special diet in the hospital for almost 8 weeks unable to be active. You are just fat shaming. You aren't part of the solution. Must be nice to sit up there passing out judgement when so ignorant.rotaryrocket said:
Fortunately there a a few establishments backing off on the portion sizes and adding healthier options. Most places still have a value menus that have items in the 1 to 3 dollar range but the dollar menus are going away because they aren't very profitable. Most people I see that utilize the value menus are not just spending less, they are eating smaller portions.katherine25 said:
Something happened to ya brains when you crossed da pond and it made ya only eat mc d's and gluten free 3 month old coarse ground beef on the bbq...
You eat mc d's for 2 days you will smell like a corpse. You go fruity with vegan gluten and vitamin C free ground ostrich you go dead too...
Why don't ya just find a nice butcher's and veggie market?
A f'in home bbq'd burger is probably a 1000 clicks up in taste and nutritional value...
Heck! Use jar pickles too! Ascorbic acid (vit C) is good for you.
You eat mc d's for 2 days you will smell like a corpse. You go fruity with vegan gluten and vitamin C free ground ostrich you go dead too...
Why don't ya just find a nice butcher's and veggie market?
A f'in home bbq'd burger is probably a 1000 clicks up in taste and nutritional value...
Heck! Use jar pickles too! Ascorbic acid (vit C) is good for you.
This is NOT just an American problem, it's a global problem. I'm not even American, but there is a huge bias against "American" problems which are really just first world problems. Just happens to occur first and foremost n the USA
Canada, Britain, Mexico, India, China, Brazil, Russia, Germany and many more are seeing increasing levels of obesity. Ever cheaper calories and cultures that shun physical activities are the primary culprits. Heavy marketing and engineering foods to be addictive also contributes.
Canada, Britain, Mexico, India, China, Brazil, Russia, Germany and many more are seeing increasing levels of obesity. Ever cheaper calories and cultures that shun physical activities are the primary culprits. Heavy marketing and engineering foods to be addictive also contributes.
When you get robbed, don't come running to me.Gelsemium said:
When I get robbed, I have a bone to pick. This fat boy will just fill that idiot with lead from my chocolate gun, and then pedal off on my hunk of iron.
I have noticed for myelf that places like Colorado, where guns are restricted, are less civilized. Have you compared crime rates?
I don't think we can effectively address the problem of obesity by pretending that it's simply a matter of personal responsibility all while ignoring the broader social issues that contribute to obesity. As you said, in the west, poorer people are much more likely to be obese than wealthier people.
You mentioned extreme access to food being a problem, but a lack of access to food can also contribute to obesity. There are people in the United States who live in food deserts, where most residents don't have access to grocery stores. That means the people living in these areas have to rely on fast food restaurants, convenience store snacks, and whatever food the kids get in their school lunches. These are the same school lunches that count things like pizza and ketchup as vegetables. Plus, there's the fact that the government subsidies are helping companies continue to produce junk food at lower costs. There are ads for fast food companies everywhere, but no company is funding commercials for vegetables.
Then there's the problem of different educational opportunities. If your parents didn't have any education on nutrition or exercise, then you are less likely to have the information you need to make healthy choices for yourself and eventually for your own children. Naturally, that's linked to income too. And if you're poor and working multiple jobs to support yourself and your family, you're probably not going to have a lot of time to teach yourself these things. You also won't have a lot of time to exercise. You won't have time to take your kids to soccer or to the park, assuming your community has enough money to provide your kids with access to such activities.
I would totally support public policies that are designed to help the country be healthier overall, but I think there's a danger in focusing too much on personal responsibility. It tends to yield support for policies that ultimately just punish poor people for being poor. Losing weight may be simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy. If unhealthy habits are established in childhood, losing weight and getting healthy may be a lifelong uphill battle. Obese people need real help, not lectures on how irresponsible they are. It just doesn't work like that.
You mentioned extreme access to food being a problem, but a lack of access to food can also contribute to obesity. There are people in the United States who live in food deserts, where most residents don't have access to grocery stores. That means the people living in these areas have to rely on fast food restaurants, convenience store snacks, and whatever food the kids get in their school lunches. These are the same school lunches that count things like pizza and ketchup as vegetables. Plus, there's the fact that the government subsidies are helping companies continue to produce junk food at lower costs. There are ads for fast food companies everywhere, but no company is funding commercials for vegetables.
Then there's the problem of different educational opportunities. If your parents didn't have any education on nutrition or exercise, then you are less likely to have the information you need to make healthy choices for yourself and eventually for your own children. Naturally, that's linked to income too. And if you're poor and working multiple jobs to support yourself and your family, you're probably not going to have a lot of time to teach yourself these things. You also won't have a lot of time to exercise. You won't have time to take your kids to soccer or to the park, assuming your community has enough money to provide your kids with access to such activities.
I would totally support public policies that are designed to help the country be healthier overall, but I think there's a danger in focusing too much on personal responsibility. It tends to yield support for policies that ultimately just punish poor people for being poor. Losing weight may be simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy. If unhealthy habits are established in childhood, losing weight and getting healthy may be a lifelong uphill battle. Obese people need real help, not lectures on how irresponsible they are. It just doesn't work like that.
It does appear that the rest of the world is catching up, Telemundo routinely shows some pretty chunky Latinoamericanos in Mexico, Guatemala and points south, World Cup coverage from Brasil did, too.
BBC and DW news from Europe, Aussie and other parts, ditto.
In the US, the reasons for 60+% being overweight, half of those actually obese (30+ lbs. over) are
a) too much food - US restaurant portions are significantly larger than comparable European ones and between-meal snacking is universal
b) too much **** food - sugar, salt & fat dominate rather heavily and are, on a strict calorie-for-calorie basis, cheaper than healthy foods
c) lack of exercise - it's the car car car for everything everything everything, all the time all the time all the time
In most of America, sidewalks are purely decorational.
BBC and DW news from Europe, Aussie and other parts, ditto.
In the US, the reasons for 60+% being overweight, half of those actually obese (30+ lbs. over) are
a) too much food - US restaurant portions are significantly larger than comparable European ones and between-meal snacking is universal
b) too much **** food - sugar, salt & fat dominate rather heavily and are, on a strict calorie-for-calorie basis, cheaper than healthy foods
c) lack of exercise - it's the car car car for everything everything everything, all the time all the time all the time
In most of America, sidewalks are purely decorational.
There's a McDonald's on what seems like every corner. That's a huge reason why Americans are fat. There is so much fast food all over the place.limerickman said:
Because it is there is a lousy excuse. There is dirt everywhere but you don't see people grabbing spades and dumping it down the hatch. It is a much more complex issue than the abundance of fast food. Those places pop up everywhere because of the consumer demand, not the other way around.
Its ironic that while you're busy grappling with the issue of obesity and high body mass index, there's someone wondering where the next meal will come from. Not that i have any beef with the Americans but i would suggest that they spare a thought to to that hungry child who has gone for days without a decent meal. I think the Americans are truly blessed and have everything to thank God for.
Many do. My mother-in-law is a little Taiwanese lady and she used to use this stuff all the time.Volnix said:That's a looong discussion.
Btw... Would you ever use a "Flavor enhancer" when cooking at home? :wacko:
http://www.accentflavor.com/products/
