Americans and obesity

MIN2511

Do you think Americans are obese because they feel guilty about Hiromisha, so they have embraced the sumo culture?

AARRRGH

Yes.

Terry

I feel guilty for being an arsehole. That's why I'm obese.
It has nothing to do with my bad diet and lack of exercise.

Reku

Maybe it's due to guilt over consuming more than their fair share of the world's resources, e.g. food.:p

togster

They are all fat båstards...yes

ejmaztec

It's because of the arms race. Their elbows move faster than anybody else's, so they can get more down their necks. However, with certain exceptions, this doesn't explain why the rest of the world's population is also fat.

baztard

Report in the papers today that half of Irish adults are over wieght. Take the piss out of the yanks for being obese while we still have the chance, as in a few years time we'll be just as bad as them

ScumLord

Ireland picked up all Americas bad habits awful quickly even though we knew going in how bad these habits are. We're greedy, fat, arrogant, loud, we have no respect for the environment. If it wasn't for the fact we're in Europe I'd say we'd be much worse than we are.

We have no excuses, the Americans where the first to live that lifestyle and can say they didn't know any better but we did and dove in head first regardless.

Lux23

I heard it was something like 70% of Irish men are overweight and 50% of irish women are the same and something like 1 in 4 children are overweight or obese. Slag off the americans all you want but we are heading in the same direction. Its sounds horrible but go to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and sit at the entrance for 30 minutes and the amount of obese people you will see is shocking!!

Kur4mA

MIN2511 wrote: »

Do you think Americans are obese because they feel guilty about Hiromisha, so they have embraced the sumo culture?

Is that some dodgy food dish they created? I reckon it's because a lot of them don't exercise enough and eat a lot of junk food. That's like saying you're a fat **** because you kicked someone in the face one time. Your statement is completely stupid really...

gillyfromlyre

My cousin Jethro lives in Oklahoma and he says that its not a problem in the south,he says its all "em paie eautin folks out roun da eaust coast n em rich layabouts thats a hangin roun california ways thats a stuffin food dawn der gobs four want a doin thangs"

Reku

Lux23 wrote: »

I heard it was something like 70% of Irish men are overweight and 50% of irish women are the same

Damn, our honesty on the topic of weight is making males look bad, whereas at least the women know to answer:
(real weight/2) + 4 = weight to answer when someone asks.:p

You Suck!

If the Americans feel guilty about a Japanese dish, then just what is it that modern Ireland feels guilty about?

I blame McDonalds. We should all sue them for making us fat.

RedPlanet

gillyfromlyre wrote: »

My cousin Jethro lives in Oklahoma and he says that its not a problem in the south,he says its all "em paie eautin folks out roun da eaust coast n em rich layabouts thats a hangin roun california ways thats a stuffin food dawn der gobs four want a doin thangs"

Then he is dumb too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4436638.stm
Most the fattest states in America are all along the south

18AD

I think they're getting fat because they're preparing to become a space migrating civilisation. So they increase their fat stores to handle the incredibly long journeys. Being fat poses no limitations when there's no gravity.

Everyone else is just stupidly following suit.

Yeah...
AD.

Dragan

RedPlanet wrote: »

Then he is dumb too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4436638.stm
Most the fattest states in America are all along the south

It's all those deep fried foods they keep eating see.

Lux23

farohar wrote: »

Damn, our honesty on the topic of weight is making males look bad, whereas at least the women know to answer:
(real weight/2) + 4 = weight to answer when someone asks.:p

That study was based on something where people were actually weighed as opposed to ask their weight. Im assuming that I look at men far more than you do and they are on average all a bit chubby, not unattractive though.

The Real B-man

Take a good luck at Ireland we are just as bad

gillyfromlyre

RedPlanet wrote: »

Then he is dumb too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4436638.stm
Most the fattest states in America are all along the south

Yes, he is a real dummy, he thinks hes mr slim but hes a porky sack of crap, funny accent tho

wasabi

Dragan wrote: »

It's all those deep fried foods they keep eating see.

I recently ate a meal out in the sticks in Tennessee (i.e. the South). It consisted of fried catfish and three types of fried carbohydrate - chips, onion rings, and hush puppies.

Hush puppies, for the uninitiated, are when they take all the little bits of batter that fall off the other things they're frying and mold them into a ball.

Most of the customers in this particular establishment were hugely overweight, no surprise there!

Dudess

kyub wrote: »

Is that some dodgy food dish they created? I reckon it's because a lot of them don't exercise enough and eat a lot of junk food. That's like saying you're a fat **** because you kicked someone in the face one time. Your statement is completely stupid really...

You Suck! wrote: »

If the Americans feel guilty about a Japanese dish, then just what is it that modern Ireland feels guilty about?

Lol! You're both taking the piss aren't you?!

RedPlanet wrote: »

Then he is dumb too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4436638.stm
Most the fattest states in America are all along the south

America's fattest city (as of three or four years ago anyway) is in Texas - Houston I think. Designed in a way that's very difficult for pedestrians (lack of footpaths, freeways rather than streets), too hot to go outside a lot of the time, insane junk-food culture - all-you-can-eat restaurants, massive portions, eating competitions! I was watching a documentary about this and there was a guy showing off his collection of eating trophies - one for polishing off a steak the size of a small cow etc. Sad really. None of the above are excuses for such unhealthy lifestyles but they are offered as explanations over there.
There was an item on the news recently about a 900lb woman over there who was going for a gastric bypass. I find it so bizarre that she LET herself get to 900lbs - why not get alarmed by, say, 300lbs?!

RonMexico

Ireland is just as bad. Look at all the muffin tops wobbling along the streets, its like being trapped in Willy Wonkas Flesh Factory.

Jesus Wept

Reminds me of 'All you can eat - Pete', a legend in these parts.
If you can eat the 72oz steak and the extras etc in an hour, you eat for free.
Pete did it in 12 minutes.
Not an American. Canadian though eh.

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8W18qeyQ0A

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyCqy4Rbi4Q

Dudess

RonMexico wrote: »

Ireland is just as bad. Look at all the muffin tops wobbling along the streets, its like being trapped in Willy Wonkas Flesh Factory.

No way is Ireland just as bad. A lot of people are overweight here, but there are barely any human mountains like those in the States.

Lux23

Dudess wrote: »

No way is Ireland just as bad. A lot of people are overweight here, but there are barely any human mountains like those in the States.

But we are starting to see them more and more. I remember when I was at school obese kids were a rarity now if you see ten kids walking down the street 3-4 of them are overweight or obese. It doesn't look like its going to change for the better either. Irish People feed their children muck and then blame the government when they are fat for not building enough playgrounds.

ejmaztec

Dudess wrote: »

No way is Ireland just as bad. A lot of people are overweight here, but there are barely any human mountains like those in the States.

When the weather heats up a bit, visit Belly - sorry - Ballybunion on the Kerry coast. It's hard to pick out whether there are sunbathers or washed up Minky whales on the beach:)

RonMexico

Irish mountains are always going to be inferior to American ones. I have seen plenty of grossly overweight people in Ireland. Maybe not in the 900Ib category but it won't be long.

Reku

Lux23 wrote: »

That study was based on something where people were actually weighed as opposed to ask their weight. Im assuming that I look at men far more than you do and they are on average all a bit chubby, not unattractive though.

Clearly my attempt to poke fun at the archaic stereotype of a woman never admitting to a shoe size larger than 4, an age higher than 27, how many sex-partners she's really had and her actual weight was a complete failure....
*hangs head in shame*:(

ejmaztec

Are any of those "Speak Your Weight" machines still around?

"One at a time please"

MIN2511

ejmaztec wrote: »

Are any of those "Speak Your Weight" machines still around?

"One at a time please"

Very funny...
I haven't seen them around now

Overheal

Alright as long as we're asking the question and not jumping into the racial genralities

Theres a lot of factors why America is the fattest nation but like others have said they are only the first warning sign and Nobody seems to be picking up on it. Most every country is getting fatter and fatter.

Its all down to lifestyle changes. For example if you go most places in the United States you quickly realise your fairly screwed without a car. There are paths everywhere but the distance between locations is a lot greater too: because of the popularity of cars there is no incentive to build things in congregations anymore. And depending on the weather people are more inclined to use a treadmill over walk the dog. I went to the doctor over christmas and instead of ask my mom to get off work to lift me home she freaked when I walked all of 25 minutes to get back. Nobody walks. I spent 25 minutes walking down a road populated only by cars. Never once saw another pedestrian that wasn't 15 feet from the gas pump.

And oh god, the food. Its too cheap. If we were smart we'd tax food based on its fat content. As it is such foods tend to be ridiculously cheap. If i go down the road and around the corner I can eat at the chinese buffet for $9 ... and it aint too bad either. I can only imagine what people who were never trained on common sense and willpower would do with such things. For the same amount of food I ate that day in there I would have paid close to 50 euro here: totally worth it. Sesame Chicken is supreme. They get away with it through bulk purchase and preparation. Made to order food like here, obviously adds a fair bit of cost.
The thing is, if youre in the states you notice almost immediately that the healthy choices almost always out-cost the unhealthy choices. Being americans: we go for the cheap choice.

Then of course there are dozens of other factors. More and more, the things you used to go out to get and do are being brought to you so you can spend more time at home or at work. Nobody goes to the video store anymore: its all available on your sattelite dish - pay per view baby. Pizza? http://www.pizzahut.com you dont even have to pick up that 4 ounce phone anymore. Need something from best buy, wal mart, the local grocery store? They all deliver. They all have websites.

To be honest, I just dont see how Americans that are healthy and slim are staying healthy and slim.

The same thing will sneak in here though make no joke about it. It starts with Tesco deliveries and then The World. Next thing you know your local hospital keeps a fleet of super-heavy ambulances for those 'special needs'.

MIN2511

There are a lot of factors to consider... Europeans are generally more conscious of their weight than American counterparts. We are more aware of what we eat and where it comes from, Americans couldn't care less if their burgers are from Mars. Food is also very cheap there, as Overheal said a Chinese buffet would cost you 9dollars:eek: where there hell would you get Chinese buffet in Dublin for 6euro?:mad:
Ireland may end up like America; we seem to copy their move(except invading Iraq):D



Generalising here, not based on facts. Feel free to disagree

Manic Moran

Dudess wrote: »

eating competitions

The kicker is that if you look at those competetive eaters (I kid you not, it's a televised sport around these parts), they're generally not overweight. Takeru Kobayashi is 5'8" and 75kg. Sonya Thomas comes in at about 50kg.

(Both weights are presumably starting weights, not after eating 7kg of Cheesecake in 9 minutes)

NTM

You can't overestimate the effect of utter laziness either.
I've had a perfectly ablebodied American customer cause a fuss because I told her what she wanted was down stairs, and she was upset that she had walk 30 steps out of her way. She went on for five minutes! Her husband had to ask her to stop making a scene.

I had a similar reaction when I asked a taxi driver in Ohio to help me lift my bag, he was utterly disgusted that he had to walk around the vechile.
I had to take the cab, because I'd been waiting for it forever, he didn't shut up cribbing and moaning about the walk the whole way.

btw anyone who think Irish obese is an anyway comparable to that in middle america hasn't the foggiest.
Their waistlines have more in common with prize cattle than us, I never ceased to be amazed at how these people managed to function.

metaoblivia

Every time my mother goes to visit her parents and sister in Kansas, she always comes back amazed at how they do nothing but sit, talk, and eat. And she says they have no fruits or vegetables - just fried foods and starches.
Some people just don't think about what they put into their bodies. They just eat whatever's easiest or cheapest. A lot of people just don't know when to stop. They go to buffets and eat and eat and eat, and I don't know how they can possibly fit so much into their stomachs.

Reku

Considering the amount of people who will drive to their local newsagent or get the bus/luas for one stop, people who will never use the stairs if there is an escalator/elevator, etc... I have no doubts that we will soon be in the exact same boat as in the US.
TBH I don't think cheap food over there is so much the issue as the availability of convenient (i.e. fast) food, there are few meals you can prepare in under 20minutes that would be unprocessed and healthy, why put in the extra effort to cook a healthy meal when you can have an unhealthy meal and use the extra time to relax?
As Overheal has also pointed out; why go out to play soccer, chasing, etc... when you can stay in and play a virtual form of it on your games console?

It's all down to laziness, in the general sense, IMO in that the "why take the healthier route when there's an easier one available" philosophy tends to be encroaching on all aspects of our lives. We want everything easily and readily available so we don't have to work as much to get it, as such we expend less energy getting things and because we can get food more easily we consume more energy than we used to.
More energy intake + less energy expended in getting the energy intake = more energy to be stored as fat.

Overheal

Its so unbearably true. Even when im over there im a lazy ****. Sleep late, watch TV, do the interweb. I laugh at the poor dogs sitting in the corner hoping i will get off my ass and play with them or take them for a walk in this damned heat and humidity. I dont know what it is about the place. Probably has to do with the monster TV and the leather sofa.

Though in fairness I also dont eat anything when I'm over there. Typically I'll eat a snack item and one meal a day: it really gives you everything you need and more. Thats the only reason my family stays slim too - its coffee in the morning, **** all for lunch and a small dinner.

But not everyone gets that. More and more some people are coming around. If you look at my family theres probably about 20% of the family that is overweight; maybe 2% you would call obese. For the most part people manage to stay slender and some still manage to be built. Only 1 or 2 kids are overweight and most of it comes from the oldies.

Its a stupidity thing as much as everything else for those people who still think youre unhealthy if youre not eating 3 squares a day. If youre not educated on eating well you pass that onto your kids. I've used this example before: an obese woman in the all you can eat pizzeria giving out to her kids because they arent packing enough in - the kids obese too, and fair play to him he didnt want to eat anymore. Obesity should be regarded as child neglect... one guy my sister hangs out with just walks into people's houses and eats right out of their fridge: kid doesnt even have a belt, let alone clothes that fit, and - yeah its just disgusting.

It'll come here too though - all these ready made foods: none of its really that healthy for you. Take stock in what youre eating folks and think about walking before taking the car.

Manic Moran

If the Good Lord intended for us to walk, he wouldn't have invented the internal combustion engine.

NTM

rubadub

Overheal wrote: »

To be honest, I just dont see how Americans that are healthy and slim are staying healthy and slim.

By simply ingesting the calories they need.

I have no real problem with laziness and do not equate it with being fat. I know extremely lazy skinny blokes. It all comes down to energy in and energy out. If you want to sit around all day and do nothing, fine, then lower your food intake. If you used to use 10L of petrol a week driving to the job and shops and are now in a job closer to home you simply put less petrol in the car. If you used to walk to work and are now closer put less fuel/food in your system. If you continue to eat the same amount then you are a stupid idiot, just like a lad who would have petrol pouring out the side of his car going "eh, duh, I used to put 10L in a week".

Nobody walks

People are stupid snobs, functional exercise is frowned up by many arseholes. They will pay a gardener, a window cleaner, a maid, a delivery man, and then pay overpriced memberships to gyms for the privelege of burning calories, and then moan all fuc king day about how crap their gym is- idiots.

"Physical Education" is a utter farce. I know realise my PE teacher didnt have a clue about fitness, and was never taught anything about nutrition or physicality by him. My "education" was running around a field, disgraceful.

If the Good Lord intended for us to walk, he wouldn't have invented the internal combustion engine.

Schwarzenegger said something like "man is was not designed to be sedentary, he was meant to run 40km a day and hunt wooly mammoth".

Ignorance is the main cause of obesity IMO, many know exactly how much fuel and what quality of fuel to put in their car, but couldnt give a sh!te about figuring out how to fuel themselves.

SteveS

RedPlanet wrote: »

Then he is dumb too!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4436638.stm
Most the fattest states in America are all along the south

He is also dumb if he thinks Oklahoma is part of the "South". Most people from Oklahoma consider themselves part of the West.

To be honest, I just dont see how Americans that are healthy and slim are staying healthy and slim.

Because some of us have some self-control. Unless you eat out all the time, it isn't really that hard to find plenty of food that is good for you.

FatherTed

It's a combination of people being lazy and food being cheap. It's cheap to prepare your own food but people are lazy to do so, and end up buying the cheap fast food.

As tempting as they are I don't frequent the buffets. But last year when I was in FL, we went to a Golden Coral. There was this one massive guy who instead of putting a small amount of food on the plate, finishing that and perhaps going up for a second, kept piling a huge amount of food on the plate, probably enough for 3 dinners. Sure enough when he finished, he was up again for more. It was one of the sickest things I've seen.

SteveS

SteveS wrote: »

Unless you eat out all the time, it isn't really that hard to find plenty of food that is good for you.

Not if you live in Shíthole City in Kentucky it isn't.
Everything seems to be based on High Corn Fructose Syrup.

Naos

Was in Florida on holidays last year. In some Buffet place called "Ponta Rosas".

For 8 or 9 dollars, you go in, choose your meal (Steak & Chips/Burger & Chips etc.), they give you a plate and direct you to the buffet part saying your main meal will be served in X amount of time.

I seen a really fat family there, going up and loading their plates, getting ice-cream etc before they had their main meal.

They bring it on themselves.

rubadub

Moonbaby wrote: »

Not if you live in Shíthole City in Kentucky it isn't.
Everything seems to be based on High Corn Fructose Syrup.

I was going to say make your own, but I remember being in NY and I couldnt get an apple in a supermarket. Got some bread (no brown either) and went to get some cheese, all I could get was spray on cheese!
Was a big enough supermarket too, you would konw the name, I can remember it though. I was feeling sick from all the junk but couldnt get anything I usually eat even in a supermarket.

To be honest, I just dont see how Americans that are healthy and slim are staying healthy and slim.

Maybe they are going to the buffets and eating the right food too. I couldnt find any buffets in NY. I like them though since I can eat only meat & some veg. I have the way many places force meals upon you. Like chineses here where chips/rice/noodles are included in the price. I dont eat them and would perfer not to be forced to pay for crap I dont want. Same in some restaurants here, you just do without them, but get no more of the food you do like.

po0k

Corn Syrup

Archeron

Its well and good to blame the availability of cheap fatty foods, takeaways, car cultures and so on, which is obviously a big part of the problem in countries like the US and Ireland.

But the highest proportion of fat people in the world come from IMO more surprising places such as Nauru, Micronesia and Samoa.
I've never been to these countries, so I dont know, but do they have massive car cultures, highways everywhere, KFC on every corner, or do they simply just eat way too much?

This is a list of the worlds fattiest fatties, I'm surprised Ireland is so low down at no. 103

http://people.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1264808.php/Forbes_annual_Worlds_Fattest_People_list

I've no idea who that website above is by either so it could be all rubbish, I just read yesterday in an old National Geographic mag that those islands are suffering an epidemic of obesity, and mother google threw the above as the first valid link.,

ejmaztec

I blame Desperate Dan and all of those people who make pies:p

Kernel32

I love the little stories people tell about all the junk food in America. They obviously don't get out very much when they are visiting.

I live in a small city. There are two large supermarkets within 15 minutes of me that are entirely dedicated to natural healthy and organic food. Not a bit of high fructose corn syrup in sight. Each are easily as big as any Tesco's in Ireland and offer huge variety. In the summer there is a farmers market in town every week where I can buy organically grown very reasonably priced fruit and vegetables. A lot of local organic farms here offer a service whereby you pay a flat fee, say $300 and for the entire growing season you can do a weekly pickup at the farm of whats available. We have done this before and you can get enough vegetables to feed a large family every week.

I'm not saying that there aren't a lot of over weight Americans. I am saying the stories about lack of availability of good food is complete BS.

Overheal

Archeron wrote: »

Its well and good to blame the availability of cheap fatty foods, takeaways, car cultures and so on, which is obviously a big part of the problem in countries like the US and Ireland.

But the highest proportion of fat people in the world come from IMO more surprising places such as Nauru, Micronesia and Samoa.
I've never been to these countries, so I dont know, but do they have massive car cultures, highways everywhere, KFC on every corner, or do they simply just eat way too much?

This is a list of the worlds fattiest fatties, I'm surprised Ireland is so low down at no. 103

http://people.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1264808.php/Forbes_annual_Worlds_Fattest_People_list

I've no idea who that website above is by either so it could be all rubbish, I just read yesterday in an old National Geographic mag that those islands are suffering an epidemic of obesity, and mother google threw the above as the first valid link.,

with a name like Micronesia did you even bother to wiki that? The population is close to around 100,000 anyway. Dont know what they get up to but it is crazy to think about. Still not exactly weighing in around the same magnitude of the USA; population in excess of 300 million to date.

Also more alarmingly: 1.6 Billion People are Overweight.

Archeron

Overheal wrote: »

with a name like Micronesia did you even bother to wiki that? The population is close to around 100,000 anyway. Dont know what they get up to but it is crazy to think about. Still not exactly weighing in around the same magnitude of the USA; population in excess of 300 million to date.

Also more alarmingly: 1.6 Billion People are Overweight.

Fair point about the population size, but still, how the hell could that proportion of people be overweight in any country?
I thought maybe the nature of the country being lots of little islands means you cant run or walk too far before you fall into the sea, so people are more stationary :rolleyes: