United States of OBESITY

[zigoat]

kudos to whoever started the soapbox .

went shopping for pants yesterday after the ride. could not find a pair of pants that fit. I'm 5' 10" 136lb. (1.78 m 61.7 kilo) not exactly a strange size. everyone is so fat now that the stores will not even stock pants with a smaller waist than inseam. it makes me sick that they don't have 28x32 but they do have 42x30.

 

[Eden]

Amen brother - my husband (6'4" -185) could use at least a 32/34, which pretty much doesn't exist and I (5'even -102) am reduced to shopping for 0's which rarely exist, or girls size 14's....., which at 35 makes it fairly hard to find clothing that is well, age appropriate.

(oh and guys don't have any waist/hip difference to speak of for the most part, so pants that are too big tend to fall down.....)

 

[bkaapcke]

Around here, if you sit on a bench in the mall for more than 15 minutes, you can count over 30 people that are over 300 lbs. Many will be in their late teens of early twenties. There will be a few over 400 lbs. It's a real shame. It is the main reason large SUV's are so popular. They are the car for the big and wide. bk

 

[Cycler6n]

Around here, if you sit on a bench in the mall for more than 15 minutes, you can count over 30 people that are over 300 lbs. Many will be in their late teens of early twenties. There will be a few over 400 lbs. It's a real shame. It is the main reason large SUV's are so popular. They are the car for the big and wide. bk

AMEN! I notice that too, its sad.

 

[Bro Deal]

AMEN! I notice that too, its sad.

What is really sad is going to a place like Walmart and seeing kids who are ten or twelve years old and have the physique of John Wayne--including the girls. You can sort of understand their parents. who are in their mid thirties and took fifteen years to pack on that extra fifty or seventy pounds, but their kids will be their same size before they are out of their teens. This sort of thing has got to border on child abuse.

Then there are the teenage girls wearing mid drifts and sporting pot bellies. Have they no shame? Wear a moo moo or something. What is the world coming to when an older dude cannot even ogle the young girls without thinking about making a large investment in Nutrisystem stock?

A good read on the subject is the book "Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World." "Fast Food Nation" is a pretty good read also.

 

[Eden]

The documentary "Supersize Me" is great too - it'll put you off ever wanting to visit a MickyD's again and doesn't even have to go into how they process the animals, the profound impact of just eating the food on the filmmaker is enough!

 

[Piotr]

Haven't you heard? People in the U.S. are fat because they are poor. Just look at Mmiissiissiippii (out of respect I double-sized the name ). Apparently, steaming veggies is more expensive than driving to KFC. The only other option is that there's a serious problem with our definition of poverty.

 

[Bro Deal]

Haven't you heard? People in the U.S. are fat because they are poor. Just look at Mmiissiissiippii (out of respect I double-sized the name ). Apparently, steaming veggies is more expensive than driving to KFC. The only other option is that there's a serious problem with our definition of poverty.

From the article:

Also, there is a ban on selling of full-calorie soft drinks to students. Coming 2008, elementary and middle schools will allow only water, juice and milk, while high schools will allow only water, juice, sports drinks and diet soft drinks, the Associated Press reports.

Idiots. It's not like they cannot get something else somewhere else. It looks like they went out of their way to disallow "full-calorie" soft drinks while still selling overpriced water, higher calorie juice, bogus sports drinks, and diet (carbonated acid) soft drinks. How about drilling it into people that you don't need a freakin' snack every hour?

Allowing sports drinks reminds me of the movie Idiocracy, where everyone drinks Brawndo (The Thirst Mutilator), because "It's got electrolytes." even though no one knows what an electrolyte is.

 

[zigoat]

+1 on the mu mu's
and if you don't have a spare tire around your waist they call you skinny and tell you that you need to eat more.
I think sumo wrestling will soon become very popular in the US.

 

[Piotr]

+1 on the mu mu's
and if you don't have a spare tire around your waist they call you skinny and tell you that you need to eat more.
I think sumo wrestling will soon become very popular in the US.

Sumo wrestling is already very popular. It's mostly practiced at store fronts nationwide during grand sale events or electronic product launches, notably on Black Friday.

 

[Bro Deal]

and if you don't have a spare tire around your waist they call you skinny and tell you that you need to eat more.

I know a doctor who is a marathon runner and thin. When he first went into practice he kept getting nurses and such asking him he was sick because of his thinness. It then dawned on him that he probably had patients thinking the same thing and it might affect his practice because who wants to see a doctor who cannot keep himself well. Yup, if you are not chunky, you must be sick.

 

[zigoat]

Sumo wrestling is already very popular. It's mostly practiced at store fronts nationwide during grand sale events or electronic product launches, notably on Black Friday.

I have to get my friends to go to those things for me because they don't make those white sumo thong things in my size. (maybe I should buy one of those suits)

 

[zigoat]

I It then dawned on him that he probably had patients thinking the same thing and it might affect his practice because who wants to see a doctor who cannot keep himself well. Yup, if you are not chunky, you must be sick.

he should get a sumo suit as well

 

[Cycler6n]

What is really sad is going to a place like Walmart and seeing kids who are ten or twelve years old and have the physique of John Wayne--including the girls. You can sort of understand their parents. who are in their mid thirties and took fifteen years to pack on that extra fifty or seventy pounds, but their kids will be their same size before they are out of their teens. This sort of thing has got to border on child abuse.

Then there are the teenage girls wearing mid drifts and sporting pot bellies. Have they no shame? Wear a moo moo or something. What is the world coming to when an older dude cannot even ogle the young girls without thinking about making a large investment in Nutrisystem stock?

A good read on the subject is the book "Fatland: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World." "Fast Food Nation" is a pretty good read also.

yeah, I'm 5'7", I weigh like 120, I have 13 year old cousin who are almost as tall as me who weigh like 150, its crazy.

 

[jhuskey]

It is disgusting to observe the general public in the US. It is absolutely scary at buffets watching oversized people loading up plates to the maxinum load limit. I often wonder if the ones in the little electric carts are there becuase they developed a disability and got fat or if they got fat as a disability.
I,as an individual, do comply well within the accepted BMI standards and I am considered in good shape,at least for my age.
I agree that healthy food is more expensive than KFC but you can always eat one less bucket full.
Nancy Reagan started the "just say no" phrase for the war on drugs so maybe it is time to start the "just say I am full" campaign.
Of course the "just say no' thing apparently didn't work.
BTW: Some of you guys are very thin IMO, but consider it does get harder to maintain the body as you age.
So get ready to sweat,it ain't gonna get any easier!

 

[nns1400]

From the article:



Allowing sports drinks reminds me of the movie Idiocracy, where everyone drinks Brawndo (The Thirst Mutilator), because "It's got electrolytes." even though no one knows what an electrolyte is.

You mean they's supposed to drink water? Like out da toilet?

 

[nns1400]

Okay, here's an interesting conundrum. My kids are heavily involved in sports. Which means there are lots of times (more than i would like) that we are stuck eating at concession stands. Every sports club, be it soccer, baseball or football, bans you bringing in your own food and drink. But they only sell popcorn, hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, soft pretzels (with "cheese"!), ice cream, beer, soda and gatorade. And water. And candy.

Four nights a week, I leave work, we change and go straight to practice or games. I also admit to feeding my family QuikTrip taquitos in a pinch. So the kids are getting lots of exercise AND eating lots of ****. It sucks. I wish I was better organized and we always had wonderful fresh food packed along, but it is very hard.

I would also like to add that one of my sons eats very well compared to his friends, but is 20 pounds overweight no matter what he does (he's the football player). He has some very skinny friends that drink soda all day long, eat fruit loops and pop tarts and probably have 20 cavities, but they are still thin. For now....

 

[MountainPro]

kudos to whoever started the soapbox .

went shopping for pants yesterday after the ride. could not find a pair of pants that fit. I'm 5' 10" 136lb. (1.78 m 61.7 kilo) not exactly a strange size. everyone is so fat now that the stores will not even stock pants with a smaller waist than inseam. it makes me sick that they don't have 28x32 but they do have 42x30.

stranger still, i wear a 32 in waist, but over the past few years have always had to buy a 34 in shops cos they fit better. I have a tape measure it says 32" bang on....

and even more recently, i have bought 32" cammos from Asda, they are actually too big...what the ferk is going on?

i blame the Chinese...

 

[parawolf]

After recent travels to the USA I made some very interesting observations.

Go to a national park like Grand Canyon, Yosemite, etc.. no overweight/obese people to be seen (well I didn't see any).

Go to the city centers, all over the place - in scary proportions too. I needed to buy a pair of black pants for a formal night out, so I just ran into a Walmart attempting to find something suitable. I'm a 34 waist requiring 34 legs.

Couldn't find anything.

Stubled across a store called Lululemon Athletica.

Bought a pair of these in charcoal and are very comfortable. Nice material - very suitable for work or going casual and a predicable fit. Slightly close around the thigh for a cyclist, but going to get that regardless.

 

[Eden]

stranger still, i wear a 32 in waist, but over the past few years have always had to buy a 34 in shops cos they fit better. I have a tape measure it says 32" bang on....

and even more recently, i have bought 32" cammos from Asda, they are actually too big...what the ferk is going on?

i blame the Chinese...

Hmmmmm sounds like men are getting a welcome to the world of women's vanity sizing....I used to wear a 5, now I'm lucky if a 0 isn't too big and oh, depending on the store (especially if its a high end store where vanity sizing can be worse) maybe a 2 will fit, pehaps a 1, could it be a 0, maybe everything will just be too big. I HATE clothes shopping.