33% of Americans obese ... 63% overweight

[Darius11 12]

Quote

Quote

All i have to say is people are lazy fucks....

I work out six days a week (three of them with a trainer), every week, and skydive on the weekends.

I walk to work every day (about a mile each way).

I eat primarily whole foods, lean meats, whole grains, lots of fruit and vegetables, in moderate portions.

Socioeconomically I'm upper middle class, and I'm white.

According to the BMI charts, I'm obese.

Still want to call me a lazy fuck and stereotype me? Good luck with that.

I know the feeling.
I am FAT but can play with the best of them and other then being fat have no health issuies.


I find the obsession with body image more disturbing.

I think people who are obsessed with their body and spend a significant amount of their time, energy, and money on looking good have issues. Unless of course you are a pro athlete or you are training for something.

I think what’s key is being healthy and that does not necessarily mean the photo shop images you see in magazines.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[Icon134 0]

by the BMI I'm considered overweight... but I ride my bike most days to work and part of the reason I'm overweight according to the BMI is because I lift enough to have a bit of muscle mass.

I am begining to notice that more cities are becoming more bike commuter friendly... (Columbus, OH, suprisingly is suppoed to be one of the best bike friendly cities in the country... and has only become as such recently.)

I hope more cities go that direction...

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[aardvarkeater 0]

Sorry what? I couldn't hear over my blender which I was using to liquify pizza so I can drink it at the same time as my beer while sitting in front of my computer for the whole day and play on dz.com

Muff Brother #4026
Loco Zapatos Rodriguez
SCR #14793

[SpeedRacer 1]

Those statistics come from BMI figures, which are, frankly, BS.

But yes, there are a lot of overly-fat people in the USA.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[SpeedRacer 1]

Quote

Quote

Anyhow.... Between the car culture of North America (no one walks anywhere)..

Did you actually try walking somewhere? The naive Swiss that I am, the first day at work I tried to get some lunch by walking. I had to return and get my car. No sidewalks, no way for pedestrians to cross the street etc.

This has been my comlaint all along: The US obesity epidemic is due to poor city planning and stupid zoning laws.

You ought to be able to step outside your door and WALK to most places to get your daily errands/entertainment done.

But so many places in the USA are designed for you to keep your fat ass in the car. In so many places, there is ZERO respect for pedestrians.

I chose my house because it was a few blocks from the downtown historic district, so I could walk to things. Most people aren't so lucky.


In other countries, people also eat a lot of high-fat foods & crap, but they at least can WALK as God intended. Humans were meant to walk. We aren't evolved for this sedentary car-driving bullshit.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

You ought to be able to step outside your door and WALK to most places to get your daily errands/entertainment done.

And people have adapted their life such that even when the opportunity is there, they don't take it.

I live in one of the most pedestrian-friendly areas of Oakland; I live in a safe neighborhood (yes, they exist in Oakland) and walk to my job downtown, about a mile away. There are sidewalks, crosswalks, crosswalk signals, etc., the entire way there, and always lots of people out and about walking. The weather is typically favorable for walking.

I was chatting with a coworker of mine and discovered that she lives maybe 1/2 mile from me (farther away from the office). I asked her how she gets to work and she told me she drives. "I should probably walk or take a bike..." she said. Or take a bus ...but she drives, and pays at least $10/day, probably more, to park downtown and saves maybe 20 minutes of time. And complains about not having time to exercise. Sigh.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[SuFantasma 0]

Quote

All I have to do is look around to know that we as Americans are in the midst of an epidemic … but reading those statistics in a news article yesterday still sounded unbelievable.

In this age (and country) of 50lb toddles and 700lb adults, how do you personaly avoid being part of that statistic? And why is it that Europe (and the rest of the world for that matter) doesn't have this same problem?

O

Because in this country we have transitioned from honest, body-shaping hard work (which actually burns calories), to opportunistic, non-healthy sedentary work. Everyone wants to retire at 50 and then do nothing. Everyone wants to very little after a sedentary day at the office. But wait, there is more, if you buy that burger right now, we will DOUBLE-SIZE it for you !!!!, Yes, that's right , just pay S&H (that's short for Surgery & Hospital).

Consider the notion of the activity "workout". It usually begins with a drive to the local "Health Club", where the average person spends 10 minutes driving around the parking lot to find a parking space close to the "Health Club". After taking the escalator the front door of the "Health Club", the person heading for a workout enters a fully air-conditioned room and some time later will proceed to run a few miles on AN ELECTRIC TREADMILL !!!!!

Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo".
- Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia"

[davjohns 1]

Mmmm....gonna kick in here.

BMI is an indicator. Weight is an indicator. Bodyfat is an indicator. Etc.

My BMI indicates I am overweight and danger close to obese. The Army has deemed me overweight for as long as I can remember. I am 5'11" and 200lbs. I also have a 29in waist and a six pack. I am preparing for a bodybuilding competiiton when I get back to the states.

I think better indicators for an individual are such things as; Can you do the activities you want to do? Do see in the mirror what you want to see?

But looking around me, I do believe fitness is an issue in our country. I see both a lack of exercise and poor nutrition as joint culprits.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[OlympiaStoica 0]

According to the BMI chart, I'm at the upper limit of the "normal weight" category - 24.8 ...

I better get my (BIG) ass moving ...

O

[SpeedRacer 1]

Quote

I also have a 29in waist and a six pack.

I have six-pack abs, but in a different sense of the expression.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[JohnDeere 0]

Quote

I find the obsession with body image more disturbing.

+1 I have 3 girls and i hate the way people are today. Thinking that you should look like a crack hore on a mag. cover. I am doing my best to make them understand that its not the norm to look like alot of those people.

Nothing opens like a Deere!

You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers!

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

I was chatting with a coworker of mine and discovered that she lives maybe 1/2 mile from me (farther away from the office).

I once had a job where I found an apartment in a complex next door to the company.
There was only a chain-link fence separating the company's parking lot from the apartment parking lot,
and there was a open gate in it.
It was great! I could walk from my front door to my desk in two minutes!

One day I learned that a woman I worked with, also live in the same complex, and she drove to work.
Every day she would start her car and move it about 150 feet.
And yes, she was about 5' 6", and probably weighed 275.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[shah269 0]

According to the BMI I'm at the upper edge as well.
But....when we do the fat test and the foat test and the take a deep breath test and the run on this machine till you are blue in the face while we attach stickers to your nipples......I'm not only healthy I'm really freaking healthy! So much so that my life insurance went down by $20 a month!
But that being said two years ago I was a bit bigger, a 36in gut at 5'9" which wasn't good. I started taking Yoga classes twice a week and I stopped drinking high fructose corn syrup, and now I'm down to a 33in gut! Weight is the same but I feel better, I sleep better and well the insuarance thing was nice too,
But it's not cheap! Yoga sets me back about $100 a month and well eating well and drinking well isn't cheap either. But it's well worth it. For the first time in my life I have a two pack gut :-)

So long story short, perhaps this isn't so much a measure of Americans over eating, rather its a measure of Americans now being able to afford to eat well!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[guppie01 0]

According to the BMI charts I'm am overweight & borderline obese.

I've struggled with my weight for the past 7 years since I was diagnosed with a low thyroid... prior to that even with my 5'1" frame @ 120 lbs I would have been considered overweight by the charts (size 4).

Yep, that's right, I'm a fat lazy cow!

g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[skydiver30960 0]

Best part for me is that when I clicked on this link it was just above the "How do you like your bacon?" poll.

Elvisio "extra crispy" Rodriguez

[wmw999 2,452]

150 years ago most people had a lot more physical labor just to do everyday living. Bankers were fat, however -- no exercise, and plenty to eat.

With the raising of the general standard of living (labor-saving appliances, enough food for everyone, and now the internet), it's not the least bit surprising that more people are eating more than they expend. It's human nature to store a little away for a rainy day.

100 years of increasing convenience requiring discipline is unlikely to overcome a whole lot more time when fat years were likely to be followed by lean ones.

And we expect more from our lifespans, too. 100 years ago, 60 was old. It's not really any more (and that's not only because I'm getting closer and closer).

Not everyone can have above average discipline.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[TomAiello 26]

Quote

According to the BMI charts, I'm obese.

Ditto. I work out between 60 and 90 minutes most days, some days as much as 2 hours.

BMI has had me obese since age 16, when I was an All American swimmer working out about 5 hours a day. At that point I was so stupidly fit that I had no doubt I could continue swimming continuously until I fell asleep. Still, I was obese.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[incendium 0]

My inspiration comes from knowing that all the great sports we enjoy aka skydiving require us to be a shape other than round.....

That and being able to walk around with your shirt off to catch the rays.....without feeling embarrased cause you might look like a blue whale away from the water.

v/r
Paul
"Never argue with an idiot, they will only bring you down to their level and beat you!"

[AllisonH 0]

Quote

eating well and drinking well isn't cheap either.

Ok, I can get with you on the eating will costing more than eating poorly, but how in the world is drinking well expensive?? Try water.

[simplyputsi 0]

You know I didn't read all the responses but I'll just add this.

The average american gains 3-5 pounds of weight a year. So at age 18 you could weight 160 and then at age 28 you could now be 210. 10 years of weight gain will not come off overnight. The good news is it doesn't take 10 years at least. However, it does take a very long time, and most people stop trying after 2 months when it becomes "hard" to lose weight.

It's all about prevention and paying attention. Neither of which is happening in most cases.

Skymama's #2 stalker -

[format 1]

Quote

And why is it that Europe (and the rest of the world for that matter) doesn't have this same problem?

We drink more, no time for eating.
Beer drinking Europeans look like American tourists.

By the way, McDonald's I consider as very healthy, controlled food input - what's wrong with fast or for that matter any kind of food? As long as you can control your limits.

Parents should help their children. How?
Who cares, as long as children get away from obese influence.

What goes around, comes later.

[ntrprnr 0]

Quote

All I have to do is look around to know that we as Americans are in the midst of an epidemic … but reading those statistics in a news article yesterday still sounded unbelievable.

In this age (and country) of 50lb toddles and 700lb adults, how do you personaly avoid being part of that statistic? And why is it that Europe (and the rest of the world for that matter) doesn't have this same problem?

O

Couplea points...

1) The rest of the world is slowly getting the same problem. Studies show that when fast food restaurants open in other countries, those countries experience weight gain. We're seeing it in Asia and Europe right now.

2) The BMI charts put out by the government are for bullshit. I'd have to weigh no more than 163 pounds at my height to be "in the range of healthy" and "not overweight" according to them. at 190, I look emaciated. At 163, I'd look like an Auschwitz victim.

3) In NYC, we don't notice it as much for a few reasons. Everyone walks about 14x the daily average, and everyone is a wanna-be model. But even there, we're starting to see it more.

4) The big, big thing though, is that a few weeks ago, I was traveling somewhere for business (don't remember where, they all just blur) and we went to a chain - Cheesecake Factory, I think. I ordered a Chinese Chicken salad. I kid you not, It was enough to feed three people. That blew my mind - I don't normally eat at chains - I'm used to restaurants in major cities, where cleaning your plate doesn't mean eating for three. It was mindblowing to see how much food was in this salad! It could have seriously fed me all day. Insanity.

5) Finally, we're becoming more of a sedentary nation, as mentioned above. But the facts speak for themselves. Losing some weight drops risks of virtually every disease, and cures a ton of what already ails ya. It also makes you happier, gets you laid more, and apparently, according to Krisanne's blog, makes your mobility and skydiving much, much better.


I've been fighting the twenty-pound fight since I was 14. I still do. But working out, staying in shape, and looking good, are all worth it. And let's face it - in the end, it doesn't matter how much healthier we are. For 99.9% of us, it's the looking good part that makes us sweat our asses off.

Thanks for listening.

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[shah269 0]

Quote

Quote

eating well and drinking well isn't cheap either.

Ok, I can get with you on the eating will costing more than eating poorly, but how in the world is drinking well expensive?? Try water.

Figure of speech.
But yeah crap food will last ages and pennies to buy.
Good food? A week at best and 5X the price!
And as such, crap goes in crap stays in and people get fat.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[ntrprnr 0]

Quote

by the BMI I'm considered overweight... but I ride my bike most days to work and part of the reason I'm overweight according to the BMI is because I lift enough to have a bit of muscle mass.

I am begining to notice that more cities are becoming more bike commuter friendly... (Columbus, OH, suprisingly is suppoed to be one of the best bike friendly cities in the country... and has only become as such recently.)

I hope more cities go that direction...

I've run a 3:58 NYC Marathon, and am still considered "overweight." I've given up. I now only work out to lose weight so I feel better about myself, because my entire self-image is based on how thin I am and how many Twitter followers I have.

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[wmw999 2,452]

Depends on your definition of "good food." Beans and rice are dirt cheap most places; veggies that are in season are less expensive than more exotic ones that are "cooler." There are a number of varieties of beans. Right now, where I am, zucchini, cucumbers, onions and broccoli are not too expensive. Iceberg lettuce, boring though it might be, isn't a bad way to get some greens in.

A serving of meat is about 3 oz. That's less than a quarter pounder. An average small steak is two servings.

It takes more effort to make a good nutritious diet out of exclusively cheap foods, but it's possible. Stir fries and spices make a whole lot of meals more interesting.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)