M-13 - Obesity in America

[DarlingChild]

Earlier this week in my American Studies class, during the current events part of our class, my teacher had us read an article about obesity in America, and the overwhelming rise in obesity especially in young people. Obesity in America's youth has jumped to a startling 13%. The government will be proposing some plans to pretty much "put America on a diet." They will be asking schools to get rid of soda/pop machines and vending machines that sell sugary snacks in the cafeteria. They also pointed out that only 1 in every 10 Americans eat the recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, etc. on the food pyramid. I think they might even demand that all schools add a mandatory nutrition course. I forget what else they're doing, but it's things to that effect.

The only problem I have with this is that I really don't want anyone telling me what to eat. Otherwise, I think it's fine! America does need to slim down, if you know what I mean.

Also, I might as well bring this up here. Have you ever watched a talk show like Jenny Jones, and seen the 'fat babies?' Did it not break your heart? It makes me sick to think that a mother could let her two-year-old baby weigh 90 pounds. In my honest opinion, mothers with obese children (granted it's not inherited) should have their children taken away from them until they complete some kind of child-nutrition course, and the child loses at least 20 pounds. To me, this is a form of child abuse. It's just as bad as parents who [i]don't feed their children, who beat their children, who neglect their children. If a child can be taken away from it's parents for the above reasons, why should un-inherited obesity be ruled out as a form of abuse?! Until the child is able to know what is best for them, the parent is held responsible for everything they eat. Shoving Happy Meals down your kids throat because they scream at you for it isn't a form of love. If a parent loves a child they will do what is best for the child. I don't think it's in the child's best interest to have a heart attack by the time they're 14, do you?

Anwyay, here are some questions to answer:

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?

[Auror Williamson]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

Americans are getting Large. The creation of thousands of fast food restaurants doting the country and the culmination of American families fast becoming a kind of people who rarely cook at home, but almost always eat out, though not necissarily at fast food joints. There has been evidence showing that obesity contributes to forms of cancer and is also the leading cause of Diabetis (sp?).

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

I propose that we keep the way that Americans are going, that is, until they face the reality that obesity is the wrong way to go. I would not propose shutting down fast food places, for even I enjoy an occasional burger from McDonald's or a taco from Taco Bell.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

If mothers can start to notie their children becoming big, they should emmediately take action to quell their shild from getting any bigger. The child's health could faulter and cause problem in his future.

Will America ever slim down?

I'll wager that in several years, we'll be thinner than we are now. Advances in food processing and breakthroughs in dieting and nutrition will help in the fight against obesity. Americans, in my opinion will get thin again.

Other comments

Don't close the fast food restaurants! I like my burgers and fries!

[BubbazGirl]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

That it's getting out of control! I think exercise needs to be a big focus, because you can eat right all you want, but exercise is key to keeping healthy.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

Offering nutrition class in school would certainly help, although many colleges offer this course as a general education credit. I don't have any problem with the portion sizes or the fast food chains, because it's all about self control. You can choose to not finish that Big Mac and fries, and you can also choose not to eat it altogether.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Much like Petunia didn't want to hear her Dudley-kins was obsese, many mother's don't want to admit that fact. I'm all for children who eat heartily, but again, it all depends on the physical activity the child gets. Parent's need to monitor that as well as how much food they are taking in. I know I won't let my child eat heartily if I know that afterwards he's going to play an exhausting round of Play Station. I shove the kid outside and tell him to start running laps.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Make them exercise with their kids, until the children slim down. Ha! If that were the case, Petunia would wittle away to nothing before Dudley shed half his weight.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

Absolutely. Prime example here, is that my mother let me drink soda at a very young age (I think 5). My stepmother thought this was obsurd, and refused to let me have any soda when I was in my father's home. I see her point now, because I absolutely have to have soda with my meals. I am so addicted to caffeine. Back in high school, I averaged 3-4 sodas a day. And that stuff is horribly damaging to young bodies. So yeah, parents need to always keep an eye on what their kids eat, at least until they are teenagers.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

Depends on if they ever get active!

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?

Yeah, on the schools taking out the soda and snack machines. If this is really going to happen, then I'm hoping that the government has taken into consideration the money they will have to give the schools make up for the loss. The soda machines aren't about the quarters the students push in, it's all about the advertising money the districts get. Schools get money for putting Pepsi machines on their campus. For example, you never see a Coca-Cola vending machine on the same campus that has Pepsi-Cola vending machines, unless there's been a mistake. The schools can't have both companies products out there, because Pepsi-Cola or Coca-Cola is paying the school district money to make sure all the sodas are their own products, therefore, no competition. I remember in high school, we had all Coca-Cola machines and I was in hog heaven, until they switched all the machines to Pepsi-Cola, which isn't like the Classic. So, without this extra money from the soda companies, what is going to fill the void?

[hesdead-dealwithit]

Will Americans ever slim down

Not until they make a pill or biologically engineer us or something like that so that we don't get fat. Americans have money, and like to enjoy what it brings them. We like to eat fattening food, and that's not going to change.

[Tarawyn]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It's in bad shape. I read an article awhile ago about obesity in my area, which is comparatively low to the rest of the country.... And still very high.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
Limiting portion sizes is a good idea - that's actually one of the points the article makes, that the cheapsakes over here serve very small portions. Promoting nutrition could work, but I don't think it will. I took a course with a big focus on nutrition last year, and no one was really listening, and if they did, they said it didn't really matter. Then again, no one in my class was obese. But that's relative. I try to keep a balanced diet, but it doesn't work out as well as I'd like it to.

Better gym classes in school might help, but there's hardly funding for what's already in school to begin with. And some people wouldn't try anyway.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I agree with Katze - the parents set the example. I'm not sure what else to say. Some of these people are obese because of price... It's cheaper to get some fast food than to worry about nutrition. And you have to admit they're right on that count.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I don't know. What can you do, especially if the parents are obese themselves?

. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
I don't think so. You can't really make that a legal responsibility.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
I don't know. I doubt it, for now. Lifestyles are harder to change than diet, and that's more or less the real problem.

[Dark Fallen Pride]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It may be high, but it's their desision to be fat they should be, I am and I am perfectly comfortable with it.


2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
Different things work for different people, I am a vegan and I run and stuff in P.E. and I have lost maybe 2 pounds. This diet could probably work for alot of people, just like any other.


3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese? Well if a parent forces her child to become obese then I can understand having a real problem with them, but if the kid really doesn't care and still gets out and have fun, then I have no problem with it.


4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese
Well if the parent wants her child obese, then she should be forced to make the kid start exercising and eating better, but if it was all the kids' decision, then nothing.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
They should be held responsible untill about 8ish.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?
No, but there might be a better chance if the government kicks in or something, like ban fast food or something...


7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Obesity is a person's choice, they shouldn't be bugged about it by everyone, alot of people are happy being overweight and don't really care.

[JofpGallagher]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

I’m not an American, but the first time I came here for studies, it caught my attention that every time I have a class people are snacking. There is not a class where there is someone eating or drinking something. Back in my country (Venezuela) it was rare to find people eating or drinking sodas during any class at any level (school, college or university). Therefore, I have the idea that Americans like to do desk-work eating something, and that is one of the principal reason of the obesity in the U.S. Can they work, study, or take class without the need of eat all the time?

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

I don’t think it will help, but it is better to have schools without vending machines. I read an article that was talking about the damage of nicotine and the burden that people with health problems related to smoking was bringing to tax-payers. Hence, people were debating to increase taxes for the cigarettes (which I agree!). However, the amount of money taxpayers are paying to treat health issues due to obesity or health problems related to bad eating habits is increasing and it’s even greater than that for the cigarettes. So, why not to increase taxes for fast food or food that is not healthy? I mean, we are paying the same taxes for good food than for bad food. I think that is wrong! I’d strongly support to tax McDonalds like it was a cigarette company. Food like McDonalds and alikes are selling are causing the same damage to U.S. people than cigarettes.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Well, they are likely obese too, so they see it like “normal”. I think that is wrong, and schools should be granted powers to meet with parents with obese children and some kind of enforcement laws to make those parents to make their children less obese. I wouldn’t treat that as child abuse, maybe it’s about child negligence.


5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

Yes, parents should be held responsible. Children eat what they parents make them to eat until certain age.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

I don’t know. I have my doubts for now. Maybe when the country will be not longer a world potency that can change, but I’m not going to see the light of that day.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Paranoia is very important to mention in here. In my childhood my parents allowed me to be “out” all the time. So I played until I got really tired on camp fields, playgrounds etc. Soccer, invented games, running, bicycling, and many many other activities were among my favorites. Nowadays, parents hide their children because they are afraid they can get kidnapped, raped, or receiving illegal drugs from bad people. I’m not saying that that is not true, but also a bit of paranoia plays its role in here. Many parents see a potential kidnapper in everybody or a bad influence in their kids’ patio friends. That is not necessary true. Parents therefore, prefer to hide their children at home with PS2, computers and Nintendos. Also, parents enroll their children in activities like swimming or soccer thinking they are putting their children to do sport. I just read that that is good indeed, but it can’t be compared to “Free” activities outside like the ones I used to do in my childhood. Unfortunately, and not without a reason, that paranoia is likely to increase.

[rotsiepots]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

America is a society of excess and it's starting to show. I can't exactly talk because Australians are the second only to America in the obesity stakes, but I think the phenomenon can be attributed to the evolution of fast food as an alternate to "proper meals" and the advent of the "television generation".

I've spent quite a bit of time in America and I think I can reasonably say that the quality of food is quite low. I couldn't find a decent loaf of bread (other than high sugar, white bread), cheese (other than processed cheddar or cheese in a can) and other simple staples that are available where I'm from. All my American friends are amazed when I take them to Woolies.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

Teaching people the value of good food is always a good start. I'm sure some people don't realise that eating McDonald's three times a day isn't good for you.

Similarly, promoting excercise as an excellent alternative to PlayStations, X-Boxes and television in general is a good start.

Is it true that America doesn't have a club system of sports? If so, introducing a sporting structure similar to that in England and Australia might help.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Well, it's not exactly an ideal start to life. I think we have to differentiate between "chubby" babies and obese babies. It's not fair to have a child that's obese when they have no control over what they're being fed.

I believe there have been cases where children have been removed from their parents because of their weight. In extreme cases, I support this notion.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

See above.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

I think so. Parents are responsible for what their children eat. Children don't have the revenue to buy their own food and it's usually the parents who bring the fattening foods into the home, or give children money to purchase fast food. So yes, they are responsible.

Whatever happened to parents giving their children packed lunches, anyway? This way parents can have even tighter control of their children's eating habits, rather than giving them $10 and hoping they purchase something healthy.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

It's hard to say. Probably not.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?[/QUOTE]

No.

[ArmachiA]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It's defiantly something that we shouldn't take lightly. I'm not obess, but I'm not my proper weight either and it's sad to see how big our meals are! I mean, a Super Size fry from McDonalds is big enough for two people or more! It's definatly something we need to watch out for.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
I think we need to limit size portions. It's not the fast food places fault that millions of people go to them, but the size of their portions are just huge. But, that probably won't help. People have to want to help themselves first... and I really beleive that Obessity is a mental desease. People use food to replace something they are missing or to hide something. We need to work on people's minds before we work on their bodies.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I don't know WHY a mother would do this to their child. I don't know if I blame them completely though, as they always seem to be so guilt ridden. It makes me wonder if their is something in their minds that makes them think that doing this to their child is okay. Maybe this problem is a mental thing too. I don't know, but I think that a child should be controled more. Letting your child get obese is only setting them up for a fall later on in life.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I have no idea, taking away a child for FEEDING them seems to be harsh... maybe it's another mental issue that needs to be dealed with.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
I thought they were?? I know my mom was responsible for everything I ate until I was old enough to choose for myself. Children aren't capable of knowing what to eat and when to eat it.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
Hopefully....

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Nope, I've said my peace ^_^


(Offtopic: DarlingChild, You have the same birthday as me!!!! Except I'm turning 22! 5 days whoot whoot!!)

[Ares'Fury]

1. Its really becoming an embarressment to our country. I was talkin to some French guys online last night and even they were making fun of Americas weight problem.

2. All the government can really do is raise awareness. Like offering free health classes or cooking classes. And in case you are wondering why I said cooking classes, its because many of the overweight people can't cook properly so they eat fast food instead.

3. It depends on how old the child is when he/she becomes obese. A mother/father should be responsible until about the age of 12. Once 13 hits the kid should be smart enough to know how to slim down. Though the parent should still incourage the child to lose weight.

4.They need to learn how to use a belt. If a kid is screaming for a happy meal, smack em until they learn some manners. They need to learn that discipline is a must and to not give into the child even if it is in public.

5. Already touched on this topic.

6. Not unless the govenment does something. As much as I really don't want something to happen in school cafe. it may be nessisary(yes I know I spelled it wrong).

7. Not really. Its up to americans to decide their fate.

[Phenraven]

The first thing that hit me when I visited America was the size of the portions everywhere. Vast quantities of food were piled on plates sometimes 2 or 3 times what I would expect at home.

The urge of course is to empty the plate but I quickly learned to just eat until I'd had enough and send most of it back( a terrible waste).

Even if you just want a snack the typical bag of crisps(chips) was several times larger than at home.

The large number of larger people was very noticable but what hit me as well was the number of large children still eating huge portions. I mean is it any wonder?. I just would not allow my kids (if I had them) to eat like that.

We get Jenny Jones and Maury Povich over here and some of the fat kids programmes are just vile. How can a responsable parent let a baby or child get like that.

Will it change -- I can't see it. It would need a real culture change.

[The Oracle]

[QUOTE=Ares'Fury]4.They need to learn how to use a belt. If a kid is screaming for a happy meal, smack em until they learn some manners. They need to learn that discipline is a must and to not give into the child even if it is in public.
QUOTE]

Real quick... I hope you never have any responsibility towards any child or another human being in general.
On the "in public" remark; once when I was younger, my brother, dad and I went to the mall and my brother was maybe 6. He freaked out because my dad refused to get him something and had to carry him out over his shoulder, kicking and screaming. Bystanders thought my dad was kidnapping him, called security and stopped my dad at the door. Of course, it was straitened out but dealing with your children in public is not as easy as it seems. Dealing with your children in private is not as easy at it seems either, especially with a belt or even your bare hands. That's called child abuse. :P

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
I think it's a symptom of guilt, laziness and pure arrogance. I know that sounds harsh but I'm not referring to every single case or the ones where people honestly struggle to maintain a healthy body the best they can. The guilt though, I think is a big factor. If you're not skinny, you're ugly. Because weight is a controllable thing, it's "your fault" that you're ugly. So, people eat more to feel better. This is a much bigger topic that I can go on about, but maybe I'll expand later. ;)

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
Promoting nutrition and maybe if we weren't such jerks to people we didn't feel were "pretty".

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I think they're too afraid to stand up to their child. Too afraid to disappoint them if they ever tell them no. Unfortunately, that's something that's not easily fixed after it has begun. This should be addressed before having kids, with parenting classes that also continue during childhood.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
See above.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Uh, at home sure. But once a child become independant and old enough to go over to friend's houses then it's out of your hands. Once he/she understands the concept of money, all they have to do is scrape a few cents together and buy candy bars. There should be a balance at home. Having only healthy food at home can backfire by having your kids rebel and eat junk away from home.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
I doubt it. We're too obsessed with being pretty, modelesque and perfect. We rely too much on what people think of us. :P

[Auror Williamson]

4.They need to learn how to use a belt. If a kid is screaming for a happy meal, smack em until they learn some manners. They need to learn that discipline is a must and to not give into the child even if it is in public.


Dear God. If that is how you would deal with children of your own, I am worried for the safety of your kids.

It is one thing for a parent to discipline a child at home with physical force, but it is another thing for a parent to pull out a belt and start whipping a child in public for such a minor offense as wanting a Happy Meal.

[HannahStarr]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
- Well, for most people, it's their fault that they're large. Granted, for some people, obescity is inherited, but for others it's not. People are getting large, but it's their problem, and I really don't think the government should interfere.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
- As long as the fast food chains stay open, I don't think this plan will work. Mind you, I don't want McD's or Burger King to close, but some people need to learn self-control and stay away from these places, and as long as they stay open people are just going to get larger.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
- They shouldn't even have children if they can't say "no" to a kid when he wants a Big Mac. It's disgusting.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
- The children should be taken away from their parents and put in someone else's care. Someone who knows how to say "no"

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
- Yes, until the kids can think for themselves. The parents need to teach their kids what foods are good for them and which ones aren't. I'd say the kids can think for themselves at age 10.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
- No.

[Ares'Fury]

Dear God. If that is how you would deal with children of your own, I am worried for the safety of your kids.

It is one thing for a parent to discipline a child at home with physical force, but it is another thing for a parent to pull out a belt and start whipping a child in public for such a minor offense as wanting a Happy Meal.

Alright, it IS NOT abusive to spank a child in public. Also I was using "happy meal" because we are talking about obesity. And if you don't want to do it in the eye of public, then take the child to the restroom. And I don't consider using a belt "whipping". You see "whipping" actually hurts a person. Smacking a child on the bottom with a belt does not. Some of you people need to toughen up unless you like spoiled children.

[Auror Williamson]

Don't get me wrong, I am all for physical punishment, just not in public. If you feel the urge to punish your child for something that has happened in public, take the kid home and then take care of it.

Spanking and whipping with a belt a child's bottom still causes pain, and can hurt a person if performed hard enough.

My point is, don't resort to physical force when dealing with childhood obesity.

[PrtVeela]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
I think its definatley something that needs to be thought about more seriously not only by the nations media outlets but by the parents and the food they are feeding their children and by the schools who offer anything but a nutrtionally sound diet.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
I think a lot of it has to do with the amount of preservatives in everything we eat, in other countries preservatives are not used nearly as much because they are proven to contribute to health risks such as the ones listed here. Hardly anything we eat is fresh, and most of it is all prepackaged junk.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I think its more then just saying no to a child, with working parents its hard to find time to make a nutrional meal every day for your child.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Firstly i don't think this should be referred to as mother/parents, but more or less just parent's because when you put mothers first it makes it seem like they are the only ones responsiable. But in the sense of what should be done, I'm not sure I don't think it should be anything that should be punishable by law.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age?
what kind of accountability are we talking about here?

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
If we decrease portions and preservatives in our diet

[Ares'Fury]

Don't get me wrong, I am all for physical punishment, just not in public. If you feel the urge to punish your child for something that has happened in public, take the kid home and then take care of it.

Spanking and whipping with a belt a child's bottom still causes pain, and can hurt a person if performed hard enough.

My point is, don't resort to physical force when dealing with childhood obesity.


On this, I completly agree with you except on the "just not in public". I think that public humiliation for the child would be quite good for him or her.

And I do agree with you on not to spank a child just because he/she is obese.

[Bee]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

It's pretty gross. People need to make sure they don't get like that, unless they want to be obese.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

You know, it's the own person's choice. I don't think the government should be responsible for people getting fat. It's their own problem to deal with. I know that fast food is lovely, but if it's gonna make you fat, DON'T EAT IT. Don't blame McDonalds. They're doing their job, it doesn't mean you have to eat there.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

It's called putting your kid in sports and not ordering pizza every night.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

It's their choice. You want your kid to be fat, keep doing what you're doing. Maybe take some initiative and make a salad instead of KFC.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

When the kid hits their teens, they better know what makes them gain weight and what doesn't. And it's their choice not to eat the stuff that does. There's not much else to say. It's all about smart choices.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

No.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?

I know kids who are obese, but eat very healthy. There's nothing that can be done. But if you're going to be irresponsible and eat gross food every day, you're asking for it. CHOICES.

[WeasleyIsOurKing]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America? I think it's sad, but there's nothing I can do about it but make sure I don't get obese myself.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)? They might work, but you're never going to be able to get rid of fast food chains or tell people they can't eat this much or whatever. I mean, not everyone who eats a fast food chain is going to get fat. I have a friend who I've seen shove three Whoppers in her mouth, and she's a complete twig. Then again, she is more active than most people...

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese? I think it's upsetting. As a parent, you have an obligation to keep your child healthy, and by allowing them to hit well over 100 pounds before they've even started kindergarten is ridiculous. Don't feed them junk food; if they don't like what's good for them, too bad! You have to teach kids good habits. They aren't going to learn by themselves.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese? Well, it depends on the situation.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think? You should moniter what they eat up until a certain point, but you can't really give an 8 year old free reign on what they eat when they don't even know what's good for them.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?' It's hard to say.

[rotsiepots]

On this, I completly agree with you except on the "just not in public". I think that public humiliation for the child would be quite good for him or her.

And I do agree with you on not to spank a child just because he/she is obese.

How is belting a child in public going to prevent them from becoming obese? I also don't understand how "public humiliation" can be "good" for anyone. In all likelihood if a child is screaming for a Happy Meal it's because the parent (or parents) have given in once too often when it comes to giving them what they want. The child learns to associate "screaming" with "getting what they want" (in this case a Happy Meal). In reality it's the parents fault for conditioning their children in this manner, so perhaps parents should start belting themselves?

What you're suggesting violates the basic concepts of conditioning, whether through reward or punishment. If you want to stop people eating McDonald's then, technically, speaking you should attach electrodes, or other negative stimulus, to their burgers and shock them whenever they take a bite. This would be effective, but it's also completely unethical. The same principal applies to belting a child until they stop asking. You're not teaching them anything except maladaptive coping techniques and fear of the parents bearing the belt.

[vickygirl4]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It's sickening! When 13% of just the youth in the country is obese, that is a definate signal that something is wrong. When people weigh 400, 500, or more pounds, it becomes a major health risk. This just isn't normal!

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
I don't agree with implementing government plans to help Americans loose weight. Many Americans should loose weight, but the government should not be allowed to tell us what to eat and what not to eat. That's an infringement on a personal liberty. People have to make the decision to start dieting and exercising on their own. Even if the governmnet did implement these programs, I don't think it would help. There are fast food places, candy, and soda in most other countries, but the obesity rate is much smaller. The American lifestyle (eating out a lot, always driving rather than walking) is ideal for obesity. I think that the best way to lower obesity is to stop depending on cars so much. Whenever I go to Europe, I have to walk or use pblic transportation, and I always come back about 15 pounds lighter. When I'm on vacation I eat more than I do at home, but I still loose weight because of the walking. Since most people don't have time to go to the gym, if they just walked to work, or school, they could get a daily dose of exercise and loose weight.


3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Those poor poor children. Their parents are ruining their lives. Even if the condition is hereditary, the paretns should still try to feed their children nutritious food because they may be able to prevent the obesity.


4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I have no idea, but I don't think the children should be taken away from their parents. THat would be even worse for the children.


5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Yes. Probably until 13 or 14. Personally, I didn't care about nutrition until I was in high school. If it hadn't been for my parents, I probably would have only eaten junk food and become obese myself. Now, however, I am obsesed with nutrition and eating healthy. I haven't eaten candy, fast food, chips, etc. in years.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
I hope so, I really really hope so, but somehow I doubt it.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Although nutrition and eating healthy is very important, people have to remember not to go overboard. A large number of girls at my school have become so obsessed with loosing weight that they have developed eating disorders. This is just as dangerous as obesity. So although Americans should try to loose weight, they have to remember to do it in a healthy fashion because America's problem with eating disorders is just as serious as it's problem with obesity. I'm not sure if this is exact, but I believe I read somewhere that 1/3 of all teenage girls are anorexic.

[Sarmi]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

Well, considering that I am obese myself. Something does need to be done. But no one can force someone to do such things. They have to decide for themselves. We are the land of the free and we will do whatever the heck we want to do. I do want to lose weight, and I do eat healthy, but for those that are predisposed to be obese, it is harder to get and keep off the weight.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

The best thing to do is through education. Educate today's children to promote better nutrition. Fast food chain can provide healthier choices. If they intend to make smaller portion, then reduce the price of the food to not pay an exorbant amount. Even in some school cafeteria's the food isn't healthy.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

It's not that we let them. I don't think any mother wants to see their child obese. But what happens is that sometimes mom's think the only way they can repair their child's feelings is with food, and that's where we need to repair the problem. Find another solution.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Again, we just don't let them become obese. Parents can only do so much. If the child is intent on not eating healthy and not exercising, then they will find a way. Plus, it's not smart to punish those who just "let" it happen.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

A parent is responsible to provide for their child until their 18th year. They do whatever it takes. Plus, a child can begin work at age 15, they can start to provide for themselves at that age.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

I sure hope we do. I know that I am trying.

Sarmi

[DarlingChild]

How is belting a child in public going to prevent them from becoming obese? I also don't understand how "public humiliation" can be "good" for anyone. In all likelihood if a child is screaming for a Happy Meal it's because the parent (or parents) have given in once too often when it comes to giving them what they want. The child learns to associate "screaming" with "getting what they want" (in this case a Happy Meal). In reality it's the parents fault for conditioning their children in this manner, so perhaps parents should start belting themselves?

I so agree with this! Whenever I watch the talk shows with the obese children the parents always reply to the question: "Why do you let them eat so much?" with, "Because it's what they want, and they scream if the don't get it."

My solution: parents should not even introduce fast food to children until a much later age, and even when they do, explain to them that while it tastes very good, you shouldn't eat a lot of it because it's bad for you.

The answer to obesity in America needs to be addressed with the up and coming generations. If they don't start life on soda, fast food, cookies, cakes, etc., then they will most likely know how to better balance their diets once they get older.

However, I agree with everyone who said that it really is a persons choice what to eat. Food is used for comfort. Girls go to school and see the "pretty, skinnyA" girls, who in turn make fun of the "not so, pretty not as skinny" girls. The "not so pretty, not as skinny girls" go home and cry and eat. It's a vicious cycle. But that's the way society is.

[Emmaleigh]

I'm going to go all pychy on you people. Okay, first of all, I'm not the smallest person on the block. I just think that people are obsessed with the perfect body. So what if people are obese. Now I understand when people are in those 'fatfarms' which are like for people who can't get out of bed because of their weight. I'm generally healthy, I can work, I can't run because I hate it. I can but yeah. People just rely on the perfect body. The world has become a real sucker for perfection, and it bugs me. Some people see a obese person and say things like eww!!! They're dirty or they take up to much space. Those are some of the things I've heard, I know there are billions more. I'm not going to answer those questions, but I think it's a persons choice to eat what they eat.

[Weatherby]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
Yes it's a problem. But I see more anexoric girls in tank tops where I'm from. It's really only the older people who have cellulite.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
I don't think getting rid of fast food chains is the answer. It would be cruel to deprive so many people of their jobs even if we were better off without them.
Long-term that's a good goal. But the government shouldn't govern people's bodies. They should just keep the educational reading matter available to the public and hope it works.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Well there's different answers for this. There's the parents who wrongly deprive their children of nutrition because they are following a weight chart instead.
The parents who let their kids eat nothing but junk aren't helping their kids either.
Those are different extremes but it happens.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I really don't know. I don't see a clear-cut solution to this.
I grew up with kids whose parents would try to keep their kids eating and my grandmother is one of those types as well. They are doing this for manipulation. But child-care is such an enormous problem. I don't see the goverment pulling a kid out for eating sugary cereal, pancakes, bacon and eggs for breakfast every morning when they weren't hungry.
They couldn't do anything until the situtation really went out of hand.
The best solution is to approach the parent with friendly advice.
Or quote Lovely and Amazing to the kid if you're really concerned.
"It sucks to be a fat kid but it sucks even more to be a fat teenager."
I'm paraphrasing.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think? They are already responsible. Do you mean legally accountable?

6. Will America ever 'slim down?' I don't know.

[JofpGallagher]

I'm going to go all pychy on you people. Okay, first of all, I'm not the smallest person on the block. I just think that people are obsessed with the perfect body. So what if people are obese. Now I understand when people are in those 'fatfarms' which are like for people who can't get out of bed because of their weight. I'm generally healthy, I can work, I can't run because I hate it. I can but yeah. People just rely on the perfect body. The world has become a real sucker for perfection, and it bugs me. Some people see a obese person and say things like eww!!! They're dirty or they take up to much space. Those are some of the things I've heard, I know there are billions more. I'm not going to answer those questions, but I think it's a persons choice to eat what they eat.
I think it's not a problem of having a world full of "perfect bodies". That is not the topic (I guess). One of the big issues is health concerns. I read an article in Business Week in which obesity causes even more chronic health problems than smoking, hence large amount of taxpayers money is going to deal with those problems. At least we see people demanding tobacco companies for the damages to the society (Economically - well, I'm not very sure about this one) - and in terms of health). I don't see the government impossing huge taxes to McDonald's products (Just to name an example), and I don't see people suing McDonald's neither... :shrug:

[jedily]

Well, actually, someone did sue McDonald's.

abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/fatsuit020725.html

[JofpGallagher]

Well, actually, someone did sue McDonald's.

abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/fatsuit020725.html

Oh thanks Jedily...that was interesting, specially this portion that talks about what I mentioned before:

Fast Food on the Run?

Still, nutrition advocates and some doctors' groups insist that the food industry, which spends billions of dollars each year on advertising for junk foods and sugary drinks, should at least share some blame for the creeping problem of obesity.

The U.S. surgeon general said in a report last December that obesity kills an estimated 300,000 Americans each year and costs $117 billion in health-related costs.

Lawyers have been working on strategies to hold the food industry at least partly responsible for obesity, just as plaintiff's attorneys have successfully sued tobacco companies for smoking-related illnesses.

"This lawsuit has the potential to put the fast food companies on the run," said John Banzhaf, a professor at George Washington University Law School, who has worked on tobacco litigation and will serve as an adviser to Barber.

There have been at least three previous, narrower lawsuits alleging negligent or misleading practices in the food industry.

McDonald's just settled a $12 million lawsuit and apologized for wrongly describing its French fries as vegetarian. A similar lawsuit was filed against Pizza Hut for allegedly using beef fat in its Veggie Lovers' Pizza.

Another class action law suit claims that the makers of the corn and rice puff snack food "Pirates' Booty" under-represented its fat content by more than 340 percent

[vickygirl4]

That law suit is insane!!! The fast food vendors aren't responsible for obesity. Yes, their food is unhealthy and if eaten in large amounts can lead to obesity, but then again, almost anything eaten in very large amounts can lead to obesity.

"They never explained to me what I was eating," Barber said on ABC's Good Morning America.


Everyone understands that hamburgers and fries are fattening and unhealthy and the fast food chains aren't trying to hide this. It's a commonly known fact. I've never heard of a fast food chain (other than subway) who claims that burgers are good for you, they simply advertise that fast food is tasty (which is true). Yet many people manage to eat in these restaurants occasionally and not become obese. Obesity is the fault of the person, not the producers of fattening foods.

I like this quote from the article:
"He must be aware that fully two-thirds of all foods consumed in America are consumed in people's homes. Is he proposing that we sue America's moms?" said John Doyle, co-founder of Center for Consumer Freedom, a restaurant industry group.

Personally, I think this law suit is just a stupid get rich quick scheme.

[Animagi rock!]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

I think it's a sad thing that there are people who can barely move because they weigh so much. I can't see these people being happy the way they are and they'll have some major health problems later. I think one thing you could do to help, is to get these people to move a bit more often. Here in europe, there are actually people who survive without a car, because they walk or ride their bikes everywhere. When I told some of my american friends this, they couldn't believe it because it's just not common there. I know that my parents almost got arrested once because they decided to take a walk after dinner (quite a common thing here) but the police couldn't believe that two innocent people would go out on the streets at night for no reason. Americans seem to have a weird relationship to sports. On one hand, all the sport stars are really popular, on the other hand, nobody else ever moves a finger.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

I don't think it's possible to get rid of fast food chains, nor is it a good idea. You can get fat without eating lots of fast food, just like you can eat at McDonalds once in a while without getting fat. I do that too once in a while and I'm happy to say that I'm pretty thin. I think it's more a question of self-control. It may be easier to go to McDonalds every day, especially if you have a stressful job, but you just have to tell yourself that it's for you're own good and I'm sure it'll make you feel really good if you can pull it through.
Promoting nutrition might be a good idea, because many peopel just don't know what foods are helthy or not, but I don't think it will solve the problem. Most people are too lazy to eat healthy.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

I think it's sad that these kids are getting fat so early. It's proven that if you're obese as a child the chances you'll be obese as an adult are very high, and the health risks are bigger the earlier it starts.
I think a lot of these parents are giving their kids fast food because they have a bad conscience for working all day and never being there for their kids, so they don't have the heart to tell them no if they want anything. They think giving their kids the food they want shows them that they love them even though they can't be there for them a lot.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

I don't think that you can take the kids away from them. That would be too harsh. You might want to ofer them programs where they can learn to cook healthy food for themselves and their children and that helps the kids loose weight (and the parents too, if they're also obese)

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

I think it is the parent's responsibility, but I don't think they should be legally punished for feeding them wrongly.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

I can't say. They'd have to change their lifestyle, and that's pretty hard.

[JofpGallagher]

That law suit is insane!!! The fast food vendors aren't responsible for obesity.

I wouldn't blame fast food vendors as the cause of obesity. Not in 100%, but they have their toll in this issue in my opinion. I would support a heavy tax increment for unhealthy food. For me, the government can tax them 300%, I wouldn't mind since I practically never eat at fast food chains. I would also support the idea to make fast food companies to clearly state that their food can seriously damage the health of its consumers.
Following your idea, then you may consider insane that smokers lawsuit tobacco companies because on every cigarette package there is a warning about the damages of smoking! You said this Barber guy should have known that fast food is unhealthy. The same happens with smokers, they know that smoking damages their health, but they lawsuit, and they get millions. Nobody complains except tobacco companies of course.

[Animagi rock!]

I think with the tobacco companies it's slightly a different issue, though I do think that those lawsuits were a bit over the top too. Smoking will make you addicted, while fast food does not (at least not physically) and for a long time the smokers didn't know that smoking was bad for your health. The tobacco companies even tried to hide it from the public as long as possible. Mc Donalds, as far as I know, never denied that fast food makes you fat and people have known for ages that too much fat is bad for you, so I don't give them as much blame for their clients' situation as the tobacco companies.
But I don't think anyone that started smoking after it became general knowledge that smoking was bad for you should be suing the tobacco companies. I think these people are just after the money.

[vickygirl4]

Following your idea, then you may consider insane that smokers lawsuit tobacco companies because on every cigarette package there is a warning about the damages of smoking! You said this Barber guy should have known that fast food is unhealthy. The same happens with smokers, they know that smoking damages their health, but they lawsuit, and they get millions. Nobody complains except tobacco companies of course.

But I do think that lawsuits against tobacco companies are insane! Those law suits are just as stupid (well, maybe not as stupid, but really close) as the lawsuit against McDonald's. It is a little different with tobacco, because the true effects of smoking only became know recently, but now that they are out in the open, people have no right to blame the tobacco companies for lung cancer and death. The negative effects of fast food have been known to the public for a long time, however. It's just common sense that fattening food, in large amounts, gives you health problems.

I don't think it's right to raise the taxes on fast food. If the government did that, then it should also tax candy bar producers, chip companies, soda companies, cookie companies, donut companies, and pretty much every other food producer because those foods can be just as harmful as fast food. But then no one could afford to buy anything except for lettuce! The only plausible solution to obesity is for people to make wise, health conscious decisions in their eating habits. Until people change their eating habits, then no amount of taxes or governmnet intervention will be able to lower the obesity rate significantly.

[wicca_gurl]

God... five years ago everyone in America must have been slim... *rolls eyes* Here, in Astralia, one third of the population of pre-teens/teenagers are overwieght. So, I'm just letting you know, America isn't all that bad.

[PhoenixUK]

Indeed, Wicca Gurl, but they still have the largest proportion of obese and overweight people in the world. The problem is, it's a vicious circle: the more people get fat, the more socially accepted it is, so more people get fat etc.

It's a problem in the UK now as well: they reckon 20% of children are now overweight or obese, which is a hell of a lot. And the strange thing is, from in the past where rich people got fat because they could afford the food, in the UK at least, it's poor people, who buy cheap fatty convienience food and can't afford gym memberships.

Still however, obesity is still generally seen as unacceptable here in the UK... I remember seeing a guy in town the other day who really was morbidly obese, and I could see people looking away from him... I felt really sorry. He had to keep stopping at the benches to sit down.

Though seriously, unless you have some medical problem, how could you let yourself get that big?

[haycheng]

But I do think that lawsuits against tobacco companies are insane! Those law suits are just as stupid (well, maybe not as stupid, but really close) as the lawsuit against McDonald's. It is a little different with tobacco, because the true effects of smoking only became know recently, but now that they are out in the open, people have no right to blame the tobacco companies for lung cancer and death. The negative effects of fast food have been known to the public for a long time, however. It's just common sense that fattening food, in large amounts, gives you health problems.

I don't think it's right to raise the taxes on fast food. If the government did that, then it should also tax candy bar producers, chip companies, soda companies, cookie companies, donut companies, and pretty much every other food producer because those foods can be just as harmful as fast food. But then no one could afford to buy anything except for lettuce! The only plausible solution to obesity is for people to make wise, health conscious decisions in their eating habits. Until people change their eating habits, then no amount of taxes or governmnet intervention will be able to lower the obesity rate significantly.

I have no trouble if the government want to raise tax on more unhealth food. Of course there is a limit. For intance, meat should be fine, so do fishs. A more education on health food will help too. I am slim personally, and I am not a big fan for junk food or fast food. Therefore, it wont affect me in anyways.

As for smoking. I though the tobacco companies have done some research in the 70s or 80s and found out the effect of smoking back then. However, they choose to lie about it. There is a TV Ad. that in US about anti-smoking mention about it. It does not affect me personally much either. I only have one uncle and couple of friends who smoke. They do not ever carry tobacco with them. My Uncle only smoke among his friends, and my friends only smoke during stress. I can not ever smell smoke from them. I do wish for a tougher law to prevent second smoking though.

I am not a big supporter for lawsuit. If the fact is out and people choose to do it anyway, they should not have the right to suit. I do not mind the government to raise tax though. It may help. In california, the school boards have taken step to imporve the health of the kids. soda is banned from elemental school now. I agree there is freedom but as a school I think they should have a right to teach kid good habit.

[JofpGallagher]

I don't think it's right to raise the taxes on fast food. If the government did that, then it should also tax candy bar producers, chip companies, soda companies, cookie companies, donut companies, and pretty much every other food producer because those foods can be just as harmful as fast food. But then no one could afford to buy anything except for lettuce! The only plausible solution to obesity is for people to make wise, health conscious decisions in their eating habits. Until people change their eating habits, then no amount of taxes or governmnet intervention will be able to lower the obesity rate significantly.
That's my point. I would agree to tax more those "value" meals (In my opinion "un-valued"). Let me make it clear my point.
A value meal in those fast food chains has about 2,000 calories in total. A normal human being needs about 2,000 calories per day. So, unless you eat only the value meal you are done for the day in terms of calories!
If you eat in those places, everything you eat later will become in fat.
A candy bar has on average 150 calories. I would not tax candy bars, but food that overpass certain limit in calories (More than the necessary) for just one meal. I know that it sounds a hard thing to do...well...that's my general idea. If the goal is taxing higher things that are unhealthy (cigarettes, alcohol), well I'm pro to include unhealthey food.

[koli]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
Obesity happens to be a problem in America and hopefully wont be for too long. It effects peoples lives more than just health wise. Childrent hat are heavier will be made fun for it. Americas society should make a good attempt to try and get to a healthier state.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
Plans will work, but getting rid of fast food chains is like eliminating a way of life. It just wouldnt' be fair to the people who dont have weight problems, people with those weight problems (dangerous problems) should contorl themselves nad if not seek help (i.e nutritionist;trainer etc) Limiting portion sizes (kinda like weight watchers) definately will help.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I personally feel when the mothers let their chidren become obese its just mean. Most of htem say they cant take the food away, but peopel just dont have an apetite liekt hat to begin with. They had to be feeding babies a lot from the start. Also this will have an efect on this childs life for who knows how long.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Parents should notice they're mistake and try to help fix it, maybe put the whole family on a diet so there is not junk food laying around screaming EAT ME! i knwo that i like it htat my parents are on diets, it helps me not just pick at things when im bored.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
I think parents should always be concerned with the nutrition of their children and want to help them eat healthy. It doesn't matter what age (of course kids eventually grow up and not care) but if parents are always eating healthy kids will pick up those habits.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
I think they will, there are many ways to loose weight, there are more gyms around, better eating plans available, numerous amounts of fitness machines and even surgeries to help you loose weight. The new "trend" is to be healthy and people are getting sick of being overweight.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Being healthy weight is one thing, however some people just aren't built to be a perfect body. Personally i feel it is a huge issue in America on young girls to have the ideal body of models, movie stars, pop icons, etc. Some people just dont take into account everyone is different. For instance some peopel just have slow metabolism, making them slightly heavier. ANother is some girls are just bigger than normal (wider backs, broader shoulders.) I feel that loosing weight for health reasons is one thing, but just to achieve an ideal "look" to satisfy someone else is just ridiculous, peopel must learn to love themselves for who they are, not what they look like.

[Potterphile]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America? if people are fat, they deserve it.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)? ...nothing should be done about it. it is the person's own responsibility.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese? the children become responsible at a certain age ...8 or 9 ..but the mothers shouldnt let their children eat so much b/c it is unhealthy.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese? i dont know...takes thought.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think? yes. like i said 8 or 9..maybe even 7.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?' no, and i hope they dont.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
nope.

[JofpGallagher]

If people are fat, they deserve it.
Ahh?? *scratching head now*...

The children become responsible at a certain age ...8 or 9 ..but the mothers shouldnt let their children eat so much b/c it is unhealthy.
Eating too much is unhealthy?? or eating too much unhealthy food is unhealthy

6. Will America ever 'slim down?' no, and i hope they dont.

No??? I wonder why?

and BTW :welcome:

[Benzo]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It is a serious problem related to bad eating habits but most important the lack of physical activity. The social costs for that problem are importants and the individual costs can be high too in terms of self-confidence and quality of life. i agree that some overwieght problems is physiological ,like when glands don't work properly but that is a minority.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?Education is a serious tool, but it can't solve everything.
When things go wrong, people tend to want miraculous solutions but there are none when it is about health. You have to learn good habits, food portions and sports are the keys. However, many obese people have an eating disorder problem and you can preach them good habits but you won't get good results, they need therapeutic support.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I can't get used to it, but I think they don't see the problem because they tell themselves excuses to tolerate the overweight. If the parents are themselves fat, they won't see the problem as quickly as lean people.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?Not much can be done...

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?They are responsible anyway. Of course as the kid gets older you have to do compromise but if you give good food habits when he is young then not everything will be lost, becaue the kids are used to eat good stuff.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Just want to add that this opinion come from my family experience and is not the only valuable point of view on that issue.
__________________

[crookshanksmom]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
I think America is getting fatter not only because of huge portion sizes and the prevolance of fast-food places, but because we are a bunch of couch potatoes. We don't get up and move, we don't exercise, we don't walk to work, we don't work on the farms any more, etc. Everyone drives to work, rides the elevator to their floor, buys a fatty lunch, drives home, picks up pizza or McDonalds for dinner, eats, then plops on the couch until bed time. Of course with years like that you're going to get fat.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?Getting rid of fast food won't work, people will still make burgers and fries at home. Smaller portions might work, but what about people who will buy extra meals just to eat more? Higher insurance premiums for people with a higher body fat would be ideal (not based on weight, some body builders would be seen as obese though they have a very low body fat) but that won't happen because heavy people will start screaming about discrimination.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?I think it's sad. Those kids don't know that what they are eating is bad for them. Sometimes the mothers don't either, but still-once a baby starts packing on pounds, a pediatrician should recommend and child nutrtionist to see the baby/mother and design a healthy meal plan for the entire family.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?A nutrtionist should be brought in first. If the mother ignores what is suggested, then the state should take custody of the child until the parents get their acts together. In general, I think a baby should stay with his or her family, but overfeeding your child is harming their overall health, and I agree, that is abuse.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?Up until age 10 or so, parents should insist that their children eat a balanced diet, including lots of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, little candies and sweets, and very little soda and fats. Past that age, children are going out with their friends more and you can't always monitor their foods, but you should insist on at least a few family healthy dinners a week to ensure your child get the proper nutrtion to grow physically and mentally strong.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
I think so. 50 years ago, most Americans smoked because they didn't know it was bad for you. Now, not as many smoke because they know it's unhealthy. We are just starting to see that being seriously overweight is unhealthy and I think that knowing all the health concerns will cause alot of people to want to lose weight. However, there will always be people who just don't care about their health who will always do what is bad for them.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Americans need to stop getting into fad diets. That is one reason why so many people are fat. Also, the only children who should be allowed to diet are those who are seriously overweight. Any child under the age of 15 or so who says he/she needs to go on a diet and is not overweight should have to see a psychologist, because that child is on the way to serious eating disorders (compulsive overdieting, bulemia, anorexia, or compulsive overeating). Americans need to exercise more. Physical education in school needs to be re-done. I remember gym class-30 minutes of standing around doing nothing and 10 minutes of exercise does not make a heart-healthy child!

[Hufflepuffy]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

I think it's pretty gross, I wish there was something that could motivate everyone to just be healthier. But as someone who could stand to lose some weight, I know how hard it is. As a kid in the suburbs with both parents working, fast food was dinner a couple times a week, and we sat on the couch all day. I think that's the problem for a lot of American families.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

I have no idea.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

I think it's sad. But as a parent, you might not want to tell you kids that they're getting fat, you don't want to hurt their feelings. I really think it is up to the parents to start teaching kids early on how important healthy food and exercise is. If kids don't learn that, the parents should be blamed.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

No idea.

.5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

I think so. At least until the age that kids can buy their own groceries :)

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

I really hope so. I hope people start realizing how bad obesity is for their bodies, their heart, everything. I think it's like crookshanksmom says, about the smoking thing. Hopefully the next generation of people get smarter than us. But they'll probably just be fatter.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?

Enough with the Atkins/ low carb already!

[Kaonashi]

I've noticed that people want to do something about obesity but yet school PE programs are being cut to ridiculousness. When I was in school, we had recess and gym every day in elementary school. I asked my son how much recess and gym he gets and he told me that they don't have recess, and they only get to the gym two days a week! In a lot of schools, sports programs (as well as art) were cut due to "lack of funding" and it seems like the only staple they have in HS is that pizza they serve. A nice salad at McDonalds costs about 4.50, while that Big Mac costs about 2.59. And we wonder why the kids are getting fat. Hmph.

[crookshanksmom]

I've noticed that people want to do something about obesity but yet school PE programs are being cut to ridiculousness. When I was in school, we had recess and gym every day in elementary school. I asked my son how much recess and gym he gets and he told me that they don't have recess, and they only get to the gym two days a week! In a lot of schools, sports programs (as well as art) were cut due to "lack of funding" and it seems like the only staple they have in HS is that pizza they serve. A nice salad at McDonalds costs about 4.50, while that Big Mac costs about 2.59. And we wonder why the kids are getting fat. Hmph.

With fast food, it's just so easy for dual-income families to stop by McDonalds or BurgerKing and pick up a meal, especially when you have a 6 year old and 8 year old in the back saying "I'm hungry!". I cook home every night (it's cheaper and healthier) and some nights we're not eating until 7:30 or 8 because it takes about an hour to cook a healthy meal, and with the streets not being as safe for kids, you can't boot the kids outside to play for an hour before they go to bed the way my parents did with me when I was a kid. Plus, when you've been in an office for 9 hours then had a half hour commute home and have eaten dinner, it's not easy to get motivated to take a walk or ride your bike when you just want to collapse on the couch with a glass of tea and veg out.

[Kirsten]

I remember my Mum spending one weekend a month cooking loads and loads of healthy meals and sticking them in the freezer. We added fresh veg from the allotment, and there they were! Ready meals, with no **** in them!

[crookshanksmom]

I remember my Mum spending one weekend a month cooking loads and loads of healthy meals and sticking them in the freezer. We added fresh veg from the allotment, and there they were! Ready meals, with no **** in them!

They also have vacuum sealers (we have one to store our leftovers so I don't have to cook on weekends) to store food in for freezing. Then, everyone can pick what they like best-speghetti with chicken, brown rice with broccoli and chicken, leftover chineese food, whatever, and boil them in a pot of water. Everyone gets what they want, you're not wasting food, and it's cheaper especially if you're buying in bulk and storing the excess in a freezer.

[red_fairy]

All you need is a bag of frozen veggies and a healthy main dish. It doesn't have to be tofu, it can be like chicken. That is what my family does on nights where we all get in around 6 and don't have much time to cook.

[LewsTherin]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
Well, I'm not American, but here in SA we're having the same problem. Personally, I think it's disgusting. Society is so advanced that young poeple don't need to entertain themselves anymore, but can sit in front of a T.V. or computer and never have to do anything creative. So, naturally, their brains turn to mush and so do their bodies. And then society is so naive that we're actually shocked by all this. We should have seen the warning signs long ago.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything
Putting restrictions on food is silly, almost like putting wieghts on Ferrari cars in Formula 1 because they are so much faster than everyone else. People need to eat healthy, yes, but they also need to exercise. Exercise is critically important to one's health, and that is what should be promoted, not diets and health foods. Sure, exercise is tough, but as the saying goes - no pain, no gain.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
They're blood lazy and irresponsible.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Force the lot of them to go to the gym. Failing that, let them get so obese that they become ashamed of themselves and do something about it.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Yes, certainly. Up until about 10 or 12, a parent has every right to tell their child what to eat, especially if what they want to eat is not healthy. The important thing is that the parents explain to the kid why they should not eat the prohibited foods. If the child can learn, from a young age, to respect and take care of their bodies and their health, then at least that child will not become obese (or at least, that chance will be reduced).

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
America? No. SA? No. It's human nature to be lazy, so, no, neither country will ever slim down.

[RELASHIO Rachel]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

Well.. We can't really blame fast food industries can we?? I mean, sure, advertising is tempting, and the way they prepare the food is disgusting.. (luckily for me I'm a vegetarian, so I steer clear from Fast Food places..), but ultimately.. it is really our choices to eat there, and "Super Size That Meal". Obesity CAN be genetic, but it's usually just poor nutrion and eating habits.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

OO, getting read of Fast Food Chains would weaken our economy. Can't do that.. Limiting portion sizes to what they are in Europe (France is a good place to copy) is good place to start. I also think that they should list all calorie counts, fat counts, carb counts and protein counts, well just nutrional labels in general, on their menu.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Err, well.. It may or may not be their fault. My parents themself never let me eat a lot of sugar or fat as a kid, and I'm not obese.. I think the parents need to just limit their kids, and SOMETIMES reward them with treats.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Nothing.. I suggest they get their child on a better eating plan though..

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

Yes and no. I think Parents should encourage good eating habits, but not have the ultimate say.. I mean, yeah parents can tell their kid, "no you can't have that cookie", but the kid still may do it. I think encouragement is the key, and good eating habits by the Parents is good as well.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

Hopefully, yes. Or we'll all die of Cardiac Disease or something.. :D

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?

Don't eat bad foods ;) noo.. Just kidding.

[crookshanksmom]

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'[/b]
America? No. SA? No. It's human nature to be lazy, so, no, neither country will ever slim down.

People also thought smoking would never reduce, but it has. I think when people start seeing the negitive health effects even an extra 15 lbs can cause, then people will start becoming more serious about eating right. Getting physically fit is another thing though. I honestly think dieting is a lazy person's way to loose weight. It's easy to cut calories and quit buying bad foods. It's hard to get your butt to the gym and put in 45 minutes of exercise.

[LewsTherin]

People also thought smoking would never reduce, but it has. I think when people start seeing the negitive health effects even an extra 15 lbs can cause, then people will start becoming more serious about eating right. Getting physically fit is another thing though. I honestly think dieting is a lazy person's way to loose weight. It's easy to cut calories and quit buying bad foods. It's hard to get your butt to the gym and put in 45 minutes of exercise.
True, smoking reduced, but only because it was banned in public places (at least, it's against the law in SA). I have a friend who smokes, even though she knows all the negative effects it has on her. And yes, it is hard to gym, but once you start going and discipline yourself to keep going, the rewards are there. Exercise helps burn off the wieght and increase your fitness, thus having a far more beneficial effect on your health than a diet alone.

[crookshanksmom]

True, smoking reduced, but only because it was banned in public places (at least, it's against the law in SA). I have a friend who smokes, even though she knows all the negative effects it has on her. And yes, it is hard to gym, but once you start going and discipline yourself to keep going, the rewards are there. Exercise helps burn off the wieght and increase your fitness, thus having a far more beneficial effect on your health than a diet alone.

People with a higher muscle mass also burn more calories while at rest than a couch potato who weighs the same. I know I eat more foods (mostly good foods) than alot of my female friends. I can though, and I need to-you can't starve yourself and expect to keep up with working 90 minutes a day, 6 days a week. Although, I don't go to the gym. I'm ashamed of my body type, especially since all the other girls at the gym are super-skinny whereas I'm built like an Amazon (tall and muscular). I just work out to my exercise tapes at home or spend some time on the stationary bike. I have over 20 exercise tapes so I never get bored with them.

[Elocin4684]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
I think if parents stopped buying their children gobs of video games and made them go play outside and sign up for sports or something to that nature, we wouldn't have this problem. When I was a kid, video games weren't everywhere and we had vending machines in school and you didn't hear anybody complaining about fat kids.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
Like I said, stop buying so many video games and make kids get off their duffs! Also, you shouldn't get rid of fast food chains or sue them over you being fat. Nobody is making you eat there. If you get fat off their food, unless they say you'll lose weight, it's your own fault. Limiting portion size has nothing to do with it, either. I can go to a fast food place and eat a full sized meal and still be hungry. I also am very skinny. I eat a ton of food and I'm not fat. So I really don't think limiting portion size is going to help fat people; it's just going to make me hungry. If the government made nutrition easier to undestand and somehow made healtheir food cheaper, this would be the best way to go. Also, speaking of taking away vending machines, I also heard that some schools aren't allowing cokes, period. If my child wanted a coke for lunch in the lunch I packed them, there would be words and a possible court case. If my kid isn't fat, there's no reason to punish them.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I say that they should make their children get off their duff and play outside. Also, I bet a lot of these parents don't cook at home and take their children out to eat. Too much fast food can't be good for them, so they should also learn how to cook. If I can do it, then so can they.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Well, it's kind of a form of child abuse. They should be made to take classes on how to properly monitor the fat kid's diet. And they should also have to take cooking classes and they should be made to make their kids go outside and play.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Well, as long as their child lives under their roof, the parent is responsible for feeding them atleast dinner. You can't control what a high schooler eats for lunch! But if the parent isn't offereing anything good for the child to eat at dinner, then they should be held responsible for this.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
Yeah, and then they'll all die of a heart attack from the clogged arties of all that red meat they ate on Atkins.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Fat kids, go play outside! And if you're eating at a fast food place and you're not getting any thinner, it's not their fault! You are choosing to eat there, so stop eating there! And you can't complain about not loosing weight if you are not working out.

[Kirsten]

There was a case in Britain recently where a 3 year old girl died of obesity related heart disease. Three years old!

I can't understand why parents who let their children get to that state aren't prosecuted for abuse in the same way they would be if the child was starved.

But several people have raised the very important point of exercise. The UK now eats on average fewer calories every day than we did during World War II (1939-1945) but as a nation we're fatter, and it's all down to exercise. We have dishwashers, automatic washing machines, steam irons, cars, remote controls and vacuum cleaners - loads of labour saving devices which mean we don't burn off enough calories. The US as a whole takes very little exercise, even less than we do, so it's no wonder the population is getting fatter. Exercise more and you can eat more!

[crookshanksmom]

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?[/b]
Like I said, stop buying so many video games and make kids get off their duffs! Also, you shouldn't get rid of fast food chains or sue them over you being fat. Nobody is making you eat there. If you get fat off their food, unless they say you'll lose weight, it's your own fault. Limiting portion size has nothing to do with it, either. I can go to a fast food place and eat a full sized meal and still be hungry. I also am very skinny. I eat a ton of food and I'm not fat. So I really don't think limiting portion size is going to help fat people; it's just going to make me hungry. If the government made nutrition easier to undestand and somehow made healtheir food cheaper, this would be the best way to go. Also, speaking of taking away vending machines, I also heard that some schools aren't allowing cokes, period. If my child wanted a coke for lunch in the lunch I packed them, there would be words and a possible court case. If my kid isn't fat, there's no reason to punish them.

Just because you and your family are lucky enough to be blessed with high metabolisms doesn't mean that you should be eating a bunch of junk food or shoving junk down your kid's throats. It's not healthy, no matter if you weigh 98 lbs or 300 lbs. Limiting portion size is smart, you just don't think so because you're lucky.

[Romy]

It is interesting really, how everyone seems to argue with the fact that junk food, though unhealthy, is tasty. I lived in Texas for some time and I´ve seen double chees pizzas with fat dripping off as well as "meat lover´s pizza" stuffed with all sorts of meat or double-fried extra-crispy fried chicken. You might be able to eat that every once in a while but I can´t understand how people can see this stuff every day. Every time we had lunch in school I was one of the few people eating salats which were, very surprisingly to me, more expensive than burgers. Same went for water and sodas.
What I noticed as the main difference between American and European eating habits is that people in America eat very rushed. They don´t take their time in a streetcafe or in the park to sit down enjoy your cappucino or whatever and just read the paper or watch people go by or have a nice chat with a friend. That´s the entire difference. If you enjoy what you are eating (I mean CONSCIOUSLY enjoy) you eat less and you might start realizing that food that seems to have had a bath in fat is actually pretty disgusting. You can enjoy a nice mediterrenean salat ten times more.

A quick word for the previous posts suggesting physical punishment for children as a way to improve their behaviour (be it eating habits or anything else). Resorting to hitting children (or even "spanking" them) is nothing more than a way to show them that you obviously have not the mental skills to use reason against their arguments. I know of noone who has ever been spanked by their parents and I assure you that all my friends have become decent individuals. Violence is a sign for weakness and stupidity. Even children are human beings who posses reason. Explain to them why their behaviour is wrong. If there is a good reason, they´ll see it.

[SSdraken]

I'm from Britian, and its a kinda running joke among lots of young people that all american portions are extra extra large. For example, if my friend saw someone eating 4 Hamburgers in Macdonalds, they would say to me " That dude is eating American Style " or something similair. When I went to America, on a brief visit to Macdonalds I found that their portions and drinks sizes are HUGE compared to the ones in England. In America, 1/9 people are clinically obese (I think), whereas in England the number is considerably smaller, more like 1/20 (correct me if I am wrong). Its common opinion among my peers that America is a very "fat" country (No offence intended, most of the Americans I met were really nice and friendly).

Fast food restaurants can't be blamed by Obese people. As their name states, they make Fast Food, so they make food as quickly as possibly and as tasty as possible. It just so happens that the quickest, cheapest to make food that is tasty is also very bad for you. Its not the chains fault, its the person that buys the foods fault for not listening in class when the teacher was explaining about fatty foods and their effect on the body.

[Jael]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

Well, we ARE a nation of fat people. When my brother was in the hospital, we watched the people entering the doors on his monitor. About one-fourth of the people who came through the door that day were way over weight.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

I do not think it is the government's responsibility to determine what we eat. Nor can we blame fast food restaurants. This is simply a matter of self-control. In government schools, however, the government does have a right to require nutrition classes, limit portion sizes, take away vending machines. They own the schools. They offer a free service. If you take advantage of it, you follow their rules.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

I think they are unwise to do so. Information on nutrition is widely available in America. Only someone who can't read could possibly be unaware of what constitutes good nutrition. Granted, there are conflicting opinions, but the basics are there. To let your child get way overweight is not a loving thing to do.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

In most cases, nothing. Parents are responsible for their kids, not the government. Only in extreme circumstances should there be intervention in the case of obese kids. These extreme cases result from emotional instability on the part of the parent. Usually the parent is unable to say "No" to the child even for the child's own good. There are bound to be problems beyond obesity in cases this extreme. In other cases, the child would be damaged more by having his or her relationship with a parent or parents disrupted, than by being fat. My husband was a fat kid who had an otherwise happy childhood. He lost weight on his own when he got to college and is of an average weight now in his late thirties.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

Parents are ultimately responsible for what their children eat at any age until adulthood. I don't think this means that government officials need to poke their noses into everyone's private life, however.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

Who knows?

[crookshanksmom]

It is interesting really, how everyone seems to argue with the fact that junk food, though unhealthy, is tasty. I lived in Texas for some time and I´ve seen double chees pizzas with fat dripping off as well as "meat lover´s pizza" stuffed with all sorts of meat or double-fried extra-crispy fried chicken. You might be able to eat that every once in a while but I can´t understand how people can see this stuff every day. Every time we had lunch in school I was one of the few people eating salats which were, very surprisingly to me, more expensive than burgers. Same went for water and sodas.
What I noticed as the main difference between American and European eating habits is that people in America eat very rushed. They don´t take their time in a streetcafe or in the park to sit down enjoy your cappucino or whatever and just read the paper or watch people go by or have a nice chat with a friend. That´s the entire difference. If you enjoy what you are eating (I mean CONSCIOUSLY enjoy) you eat less and you might start realizing that food that seems to have had a bath in fat is actually pretty disgusting. You can enjoy a nice mediterrenean salat ten times more.


Eating well does not mean eating salad for every single meal. Yes, a salad is definately more healthy than fried food, but if you eat only salad, you're ignoring plenty of other nutrtious foods that should be included in a part of a healthy diet. Plus, the monotony of eating the same thing day in and day out will likely cause you to gorge on foods not good for you.

About Americans being fatter than other nations-it's not that we just don't take the time to enjoy our food (though that is one factor), but many dieting Americans deny themselves food they like. If you don't let yourself have the stuff you like in limited portions, you'll crave the foods you are not allowed even more. By the time you're fed up enough to eat those foods, you're much more likely to overeat them, leading to weight gain. It's not that we don't diet, it's that we diet wrong.

[Romy]

Eating well does not mean eating salad for every single meal. Yes, a salad is definately more healthy than fried food, but if you eat only salad, you're ignoring plenty of other nutrtious foods that should be included in a part of a healthy diet. Plus, the monotony of eating the same thing day in and day out will likely cause you to gorge on foods not good for you.

About Americans being fatter than other nations-it's not that we just don't take the time to enjoy our food (though that is one factor), but many dieting Americans deny themselves food they like. If you don't let yourself have the stuff you like in limited portions, you'll crave the foods you are not allowed even more. By the time you're fed up enough to eat those foods, you're much more likely to overeat them, leading to weight gain. It's not that we don't diet, it's that we diet wrong.

Oh, I never said people should eat salad every day! :lol: I was merely stating my surprise that, as most posts imply and I´ve seen from experience, most obese Americans eat fast foot almost every day in some way or another. I, myself, am hooked on milk for one thing, so I won´t have to worry about calcium shortage. :p Same goes for pasta. Still, your diet should be based on veggies and (even tastier) fruits. I would never say I don´t eat unhealthy food but I don´t eat it every day and if I do it´s mostly (as you said) within limits. What I wanted to lay the emphasis on was the "enjoy your food" statement. I saw my host-brother gawk at his playstation the entire time stuffing candy in his mouth and I´m not sure he even realized he was eating at all. I tried to replace his Snickers Bar with a carrot but the movement must have startled him out of his trance. :lol:

[Elocin4684]

Just because you and your family are lucky enough to be blessed with high metabolisms doesn't mean that you should be eating a bunch of junk food or shoving junk down your kid's throats. It's not healthy, no matter if you weigh 98 lbs or 300 lbs. Limiting portion size is smart, you just don't think so because you're lucky.

That's not the reason why. I eat a lot of food. I only eat at fast food restaurants once every 2 weeks, on average. When I do, I'm always hungry afterwards. When I do eat at home, which is ofter, I eat healthy food, a lot of fish, and I always eat a lot of food. And, FYI, I'm the only one in my family like that.



I also think that if you're overweight, stop eating at fast food places. It's as simple as that. Make a nice sandwhich for lunch or something. Stop using them as an exscuse. If somebody that eats a lot and is overweight is forced to order off a smaller portioned menu, they are just going to order more food to get full, like I do a lot.

[crookshanksmom]

Actually, if you eat the proper balance of foods, you don't need huge portions. It's all about getting the right balance of fats (healthy fats, monounsaturated and such), fiber, carbs, and sugars (those found in fruits and milk). If you eat the right balance, providing you're not very active, smaller portions can satify you more than a super-sized meal at the McDs or Burger King.

[Discordia]

When my mom went to Beijing their tour guide was showing them this stadium and he said it could fit 40,000 Chinese but only 20,000 Americans

I think that our problem with obesity comes from a couple of main reasons:
1. There's a fastfood restaurant every 2 miles
2. The need to eat humoungous portions at every meal
3. Lack of excersise and the control of tv on our youth.

You don't have to live off of carrot sticks and water and to stay healthy or lose wait. When I lived in Japan it was a rarity to see anyone who was truly over weight except for sumo wrestlers.

When people start suing Mcdonalds becasue they're overweight and than win the case than something is seriously wrong with people. If I was that judge I'd have kicked everyone out of the court room and than told that person to go on a diet. If you don't have the will power to abstain from stuffing your face with potato chips and twinkies than it's no one's fault but your own. It's not Mcdonalds fault if they serve good food but it's your own if you stuff your face with it every five seconds.

[crookshanksmom]

When people start suing Mcdonalds becasue they're overweight and than win the case than something is seriously wrong with people. If I was that judge I'd have kicked everyone out of the court room and than told that person to go on a diet. If you don't have the will power to abstain from stuffing your face with potato chips and twinkies than it's no one's fault but your own. It's not Mcdonalds fault if they serve good food but it's your own if you stuff your face with it every five seconds.

I agree with this 100%. People need to start taking responsibility for themselves and what they eat. We (as Americans) are very well-informed about what is good for us and what is not, due to television, school education, and the internet. When someone gets fat, they are to blame, not food companies. You want to sue someone, sue yourself for not taking care of your body.

[Spew Member]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

I think it's terrible, and there aren't nearly enough things being done about it and the sad thing is that there won't get fixed until we get rid of all of the lobbyists in Washington who are fighting for their companies so that they can make money off of our poor health. They aren't looking out for anyone but themselves and their wallets.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

There are so many different factors that need to be looked at here. The first problem is that we are conditioned to crave food. Our instincts tell us that we should stock up and eat as much as we can so that we will be ready for the day that there will be no food-but that day is never going to come. Our instincts also tell us to conserve as much energy as we can, so of course we're going to pick the drive thru over having to make a meal in the kitchen. Food can be just as addictive as cigarettes, the only difference is that when you quit smoking no one offers you a cigarette-but when you start a diet there are always people around to offer you food.

The other problem is advertising. Children alone see a commercial for food every five minutes on a Saturday morning. Grocery store food for kids are purposely placed at eye level with children. They put children's favorite characters on the cover of food, and the food industry puts favorite children's characters on the covers to make kids want them more. They make food interactive so that children will want to buy it so they can play with it, and they make it as colorful as they can. There are food ads for children everywhere, even in schools. What's really sad about this is that physiologists have shown that kids do not understand the difference between persuasive advertising and the truth. They just assume that a TV ad would never tell them lies or exist for the sole purpose of trying to get them to buy their product. The Atkins people recently paid the school system tons of money to promote their diet and to teach kids about health. Why don't we just teach kids about eating healthy fruits and vegetables? The Atkins diet is not what i want my children learning about.

Healthy food is more expensive. That's why there are so many lower income families that are overweight. Food stamps that are offered are for junk, and fast food and unhealthy food are cheap. Our government gives people food stamps for food that is unhealthy. How does that make sense?

Don't even get me started on fast food, I could go on and on here, but for fear of making this post to long I will move on.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

I don't think it's always the mothers fault. People put too much blame on the individuals-but if you look around you'll notice that one in four kids are overweight. Is it really possible for all of these mothers to be negligent? Advertisers have something they like to call the "nag factor." This is when your child nags you into buying something. In a recent study they found that the "nag factor" resulted in an average of 78% of the total grocery purchases that parents bought, and one out of every three trips to a fast food restaurant. Advertisers have more influence on children than we think, and children have more influence on their parents than we think.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese? We need to stop looking at the parents and begin to look at the other factors that come into play with obesity. Parents are fighting a loosing battle here.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think? If parents are held responsible, then so should the school system, which gives kids shabby food, )like a kid is really going to pick an apple over French fries) :rolleyes: and we should also begin to hold advertisers responsible, and the fast food restaurants, (once again, I could go on and on.)

6. Will America ever 'slim down?' Let's hope so. Obesity is a very serious life threatening problem.

[~Tonks~]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America? I think it's disgusting, and disappointing, and also embarassing. I think 98% of it is brought on by the person themselves, too. I realize some (some) people have glandular disorders or problems with obesity in their heredity, but even then, I think that's making excuses. I'm sure not all of the people who have to deal with that issue are like this, but the ones I've met will look at me and say, "I just can't help it, I have a glandular problem/it's in my blood" and then wolf down three times as much food as any normal person could. I'm sure their glandular disorders aren't helped at all by that sort of eating habit.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)? With the exception of promoting nutrition, I think the suggested plans are a lazy bypass for being personally responsible and I think it unduly punishes those who can control their eating habits and who make sure they exercise and eat right. I eat at fast food restaurants maybe once or twice a month. I'll be perfectly honest - when you're PMSing, a chocolate shake and a carton of hot, greasy, salty fries tastes fantastic. Nor is there anything wrong with occassionally enjoying a burrito or a cheeseburger to go. But eating those things all the time is nothing more than a lack of responsibility and total laziness.

I may get a bad reaction for saying this, but I also think on the whole, Americans are becoming less and less intelligent, or at least they use less common sense. So many people will drink a certain beverage or eat at a certain restaurant because celebrity-x is portrayed enjoying a meal there, or that the hip, socialite in-crowd can always be found patroning the establishment, or that if you consume drink-x or eat a certain meal, you will be just like celebrity-x. The one that comes to mind the quickest is when Michael Jordan did McDonald's commercials. I can assure you, he didn't become the greatest basketball player of all time because he ate at McDonald's. I know a lot of complex marteting strategy goes into all of this, and I know because I majored in marketing, but long before I pursued a business degree, I was sharp enough to figure it out. There's a reason athletes train for years and years and years. If eating fast food made all of us Olympic gold medalists the United States would have an all around dream team. And, any kid who spent $4.99 to purchase x-ray specs on a cut out order form from the back of a comic book and eagerly waited 6-8 weeks for them to arrive in the mail, only to put them on and realize that they wouldn't be able to see through walls or look at their teacher's undergarments, should have figured it out that advertising stretches the truth. Adults have even less of an excuse, as children are more easily influenced.

As for limiting portion sizes, I think that has more of an implication of the greed of the restaurants, and less about how much Americans actually want to eat. Maybe it's just because I am a petite person, but I hate going into any restaurant and having huge portions served to me, because I can't eat it all, and it never tastes as good the next day, so I have to throw it out, and I always feel bad about throwing out food. When I'm in the city I carry it around until I find a homeless person to hand it to, but sometimes that isn't even as successful as I'd like it to be. It's a justification for charging more for the meal, but I don't want that much food; I don't feel that I am getting a good deal for the money I paid, because I got twice as much as I can actually eat.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

In my honest opinion, mothers with obese children (granted it's not inherited) should have their children taken away from them until they complete some kind of child-nutrition course, and the child loses at least 20 pounds. To me, this is a form of child abuse. It's just as bad as parents who don't feed their children, who beat their children, who neglect their children. If a child can be taken away from it's parents for the above reasons, why should un-inherited obesity be ruled out as a form of abuse?! Until the child is able to know what is best for them, the parent is held responsible for everything they eat. Shoving Happy Meals down your kids throat because they scream at you for it isn't a form of love. If a parent loves a child they will do what is best for the child. I don't think it's in the child's best interest to have a heart attack by the time they're 14, do you?

I agree. I know a lot of people would gasp in shock and horror at the idea of yanking kids away for them being obese, but surely one would support the removal of children from a home if they were being starved, no? This has some dangerous implications attached to it, however. If two incredibly obese people have a child, the odds are in favor of that child inevitably becoming fat. So what do you do? Is it just a matter of anticipation and time before the kid is taken away? Surely you can't tell these people they can't have kids, or not to have them. It's not a cut and dry issue.

However to be fair I have seen healthy parents with obese children, and someone earlier brought up the "nag factor." Kids these days (I know, I sound old by saying that, but there is a 17 year gap between myself and the very little ones) seem to be insanely spoiled in all sorts of ways. They get what they want with toys, clothing, recreational activities, technology, and especially food. It's about telling your children "no." It's about not always giving in and not giving them what they want just to shut them up or get them off your back. It's about devoting the time it takes to be a responsible parent. This issue bleeds into the much larger epidemic of Americans trying to have it all (being selfish) by having three or four kids, but both working eight, ten, twelve hour a day jobs, so whatever is a quick fix is a good solution - easy meals and snacky treats are two examples. But I digress, and if I go off on a rant I'll never stop.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese? See above. It would also be idealistic to say that obese women who become pregnant should be encouraged by their OB-GYN to pursue some sort of weight loss program, but since people usually tend to gain weight while pregnant, that seems counter productive. I could see promotional campaigns for people considering having kids to lose weight, or for people to lose weight for their kids and maintain a healthy diet for themselves and their kids. It's done with smoking, why not obesity? But then, seldom do people listen to the smoking campaigns, either.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think? I hate answering this because I want to say "yes," but when I say yes, I say yes implying that the parents themselves should step up and actually BE responsible to begin with. Our country is in a pretty sorry state when the government has to slap a couple on the wrist for not making sure their children eat right.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?' America will have to slim down when people start dropping like flies from complications associated with obesity. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a trend in the slow decline of life expectancy, even though it's been steadily rising over the decades. When was the last time you saw an obese eighty year old? You don't see too many. I also think it will become an issue of productivity. And I think the courts will get sick of the lawsuits. I agree with Crookshanksmom and Discordia. If you don't have the will power to abstain from stuffing your face with potato chips and twinkies than it's no one's fault but your own and suing the company, regardless of whatever marketing ploy they may use, is ridiculous and nothing more than a scam. When someone gets fat, they are to blame, not food companies.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?[/QUOTE]

I think a health and "culinary arts" class in high school (call it home ec and fewer people will take it) and more in college would be a good idea, as it would least present an opportunity for people to learn how to eat right, but how to cook as well. You can have the best intentions for wanting to eat right, but if you don't know how to cook it then you are going to have a bit of a problem. Of course, not knowing how to cook should not be used as an excuse...

[GryffindorGr]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
Sad. I partly blame it for the continuous advertisements of food and when they give you a plate of food at a restaurant, it’s for four people! Taking doggy bags home is a common thing while mostly in areas of Europe it’s not so common. You get just the right amount of food on your plate, unless you go to a Japanese cuisine where you know what you’re getting and what kind of portions. (they cook it in front of you).
What’s even sadder is that they spend thousands on diet programs and then just go and gain it back again if they get off the expensive agenda due to will power, which in the first place they didn’t have. If you’re not able to be taught to eat healthy and with limited portions, enough to satisfy you, then how can they learn? Sometimes it’s a learned trait. To over eat.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
You can’t get rid of fast food chains, or any of that unless they are shut down for getting a grade C or below. The only way to make a good suggestion is to limit portion sizes in restaurants. But that’s really nothing because people will eat a lot at home or take midnight snacks. Even showing exercise videos on television isn’t enough. They spend lots of money on the products and sometimes it works but it’s either temporary or they change diet plans, which costs money. The best thing is to start giving good advice and nutritional information to children. It’ll stick to their minds forever.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
They both need therapy, or that the government should give them free therapy, because obesity is a health problem. I know the government can be stingy when it comes to certain things (like cutting social security,etc) but if enough people complain it might work. It’s not my place to say that the mothers are bad because they can’t handle their own obesity problem in the first place and their kids become obese. As for the mothers who aren’t obese but their children are, well, it’s that therapy suggestion again. Something is wrong psychologically with the child, trouble with him/herself so they need communication.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
I really really hope so! I know some poor countries that think America is so rich because they have obese people by the hundreds, well, that’s just not right. Obesity kills. Not only in the breakdown of health but in one’s self esteem.

by ~Tonks~
As for limiting portion sizes, I think that has more of an implication of the greed of the restaurants, and less about how much Americans actually want to eat. Maybe it's just because I am a petite person, but I hate going into any restaurant and having huge portions served to me, because I can't eat it all, and it never tastes as good the next day, so I have to throw it out, and I always feel bad about throwing out food.
I know what you mean! I feel so guilty when I can’t finish it and they give you so much and the food is delicious. What do they think? That we can stuff it all down?

Seriously, just thinking about this makes me also remember how the farming vs. factory animals situation is evidently clear; factory animals are becoming more and more in demand, therefore we have an inhumane situation of producing more food for people who have a huge appetite when all that can be eliminated. God, that just makes me angry when I think of what happens to the animals in factories. Farming is so much more healthier and humane for animals.
by Discordia
I think that our problem with obesity comes from a couple of main reasons:
1. There's a fastfood restaurant every 2 miles
2. The need to eat humoungous portions at every meal
3. Lack of excersise and the control of tv on our youth.
Not only that, there are 24 hours convenient stores and cafes too which serve food. No one can ever go hungry. Even the homeless are a bit overweight (they have food shelters that give a lot of food).

[~Tonks~]

Something is wrong psychologically with the child, trouble with him/herself so they need communication.



I'm sure in some cases that's true, but I think it's more an exception to the rule. If you're talking about older kids, in their early or mid teens, I would agree, as eating and weight can have a lot to do with psychology as well as self image, but I don't think it applies the same way to younger children. Children that are infants, to a certain age, need their parents to give them food, whether it involves the parents handing it directly to them, or just stocking it in the house so they can raid the cupboards, and many kids are spoiled or simply not told no. Also, younger children, while they can still ridicule each other based on details of appearance, also aren't as aware of themselves or the external factors that influence their lives, as older kids are. Think back to when you were young and small. Did you ever look in the mirror and go, "Oh my god, I am so ugly"? or think, "life is terrible, the world is going to hell, I need a cookie"? I didn't, even when I was upset about something I didn't have the urge to eat. But if you are talking about when parents comfort their children with food ("oh honey have some ice cream and feel better" or "you're such a good boy, here's a cookie") then yes I agree, it builds a psychology of food = reassurance, and that's a dangerous thing to do.

[DougJohnston]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
Its really too bad, people need to take better care of themselves.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
No, not at all. I think that will make people just want it more and anger them. You can't just get rid of a Wendy's etc.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Once again, its really sad. Those children deserve a better style of life and need help and someone to guide them into making the right choices.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I think they need to be involved in programs to help lose weight and gain a better understand.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Yes but not an exact age or something but just when they know how to properly take care of themselves. You can't get a proper meal out of a 15 microwaving hot pockets every night for dinner.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
To a certain extent maybe but nothing significant.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
Nope

[Romy]

Healthy food is more expensive. That's why there are so many lower income families that are overweight.Is it? As I´m buying my groceries on my own lately I can tell that you can have a cucumber for 50 Euro-Cents, two pounds worth of carrots for 1 Euro, about 3-4 apples for 1 Euro and a loaf of bread ( the German kind not the nasty sandwhich kind :p ) for about 2 Euros at discount bakeries for less than 1 Euro. A McDonanld´s meal comes in at about 5 Euros. So you have healthy food for two or three days for less than one McDonald´s meal. Are things in the US so much different?

[DougJohnston]

In the US the healthy versions of frozen meals and things like that are very expensive and taste horrible. I have tried them and haven't bother finishing them. The vegtables and things like that are pretty cheap where I live but you can't make a whole meal out of vegtables though... Fruits are also pretty expensive for us in Arizona, things like pineapples and strawberries. :shrug:

[Ana-Magus]

I was at a family event a few months ago - I have a huge family. If you lined up all of the children under the age of 16, you would see the following: All of the boys are tall and skinny as a rail. All of the girls are overweight. All of them. These relatives are skattered throughout the country, some of these kids had never met eachother before that day. I think it's safe to say, it's genetic in my family.

I have been overweight all of my life. I have spent my whole life fighting obesity and winning for the most part.

It has gotten out of control in the past few years but am doing the best I can with my physical limitations. You may think that is just an excuse, but how good would you look 5 years after being run over by a car??.... If you lived to tell the tale.

From the other side of the spectrum, I feel like I'm alone. Like I'm the only person in the world with this problem. I don't see an entire nation of obese people, I see an entire nation of skinny people.

My point is this. Fighting a weight problem is a life long, uphill battle. In my case, it never goes away.

I went through this thread and pulled some quotes from various members.

Hearing/reading these comments doesn't motivate a person to lose weight. It depresses a person to the point where they just give up and start to believe it.

I invite people to take a 3 second pause the next time you see an obese person. Those thoughts that go through your mind need to be added to the list of why America is obese.

It's just like growing up in an environment where you are told "You're Ugly" everyday. You start to believe it. That's verbal abuse, right?

Take a look at your words:

It's sickening! When 13% of just the youth in the country is obese, that is a definate signal that something is wrong. When people weigh 400, 500, or more pounds, it becomes a major health risk. This just isn't normal!

Sick and abnormal

I think it's sad that these kids are getting fat so early. It's proven that if you're obese as a child the chances you'll be obese as an adult are very high, and the health risks are bigger the earlier it starts.

next to no chance that I will ever be thin

if people are fat, they deserve it.

I deserve it

I think it's pretty gross

I'm gross

Personally, I think it's disgusting.

I'm disgusting

They're bloody lazy and irresponsible.

I'm lazy and irresponsible

Obesity CAN be genetic, but it's usually just poor nutrion and eating habits.

I have poor habits

If I was that judge I'd have kicked everyone out of the court room and than told that person to go on a diet. If you don't have the will power to abstain from stuffing your face with potato chips and twinkies than it's no one's fault but your own.

I can't even comment on this one

When someone gets fat, they are to blame

It's all my fault

I think it's disgusting, and disappointing, and also embarassing. I think 98% of it is brought on by the person themselves, too.

Sorry to have embarrassed you

They both need therapy

I need therapy

Something is wrong psychologically with the child

I have a mental problem

[~Tonks~]

Actually I find that healthy food is not only cheap, but quite affordable, especially when you cut your budget in other needless areas, like buying every DVD that comes out, paying for premium cable channels you don't need, cosmetic expenses like getting your nails done once every two or three weeks... I don't mean to be harsh but regardless of where I've lived I've watched people go to the grocery store and use food stamps to purchase unhealthy foods, while wearing name brand, label splattered, designer clothes, then leave the store and get into a tricked out coupe. This is not only paired with poor food items in their grocery bags, but also kids that are often filthy dirty and most likely invisible to the mother. I know that this is not how it is across the board - not all poor people waste the money they do have, nor are they bad parents, but it happens a lot. Anyway I digress. To me, healthy food is not expensive, because I also don't attempt to buy premade healthy cuisine. Knowing how to cook is a useful trick as well. Both my mother and I know how to make large quantities of healthy foods that can be frozen for later use, so the money is spent efficiently on ingrediants. I can buy several salad items for the price of a so-called "value" meal at McDonalds, that will last longer than that value meal, as I can make several salads from it, and also use the vegetables for cooking in other meals.

Edit: Ana, you got hit by a car. The same thing happened to my mother when she trashed her knee. And the point that you are making an effort to battle obesity says a lot. There's always a different story to be taken into consideration.

But not everyone has a disability, and not everyone even tries to lose weight. I once even had one very obese woman tell me she didn't want to lose weight! And that if she ever had any problems, good thing she had health insurance! That's abuse of the system and laziness. No one should want to be fat, and I think a lot of the animosity from people posting on these boards comes from the fact that frivolous lawsuits and ridiculous accomodations in the workplace stem from, of many things, obesity. And it is totally irresponsible of the parents to not only allow to continue, but willingly perpetuate, the cycle.

However, I am sorry if I hurt your feelings in any way with my post, as that was not my intention, and if I did I hope you can forgive me, as we are friends and I would not want to upset you or do anything to damage that.

[GryffindorGr]

by ~Tonks~
I'm sure in some cases that's true, but I think it's more an exception to the rule. If you're talking about older kids, in their early or mid teens, I would agree, as eating and weight can have a lot to do with psychology as well as self image, but I don't think it applies the same way to younger children. Children that are infants, to a certain age, need their parents to give them food, whether it involves the parents handing it directly to them, or just stocking it in the house so they can raid the cupboards, and many kids are spoiled or simply not told no. Also, younger children, while they can still ridicule each other based on details of appearance, also aren't as aware of themselves or the external factors that influence their lives, as older kids are. Think back to when you were young and small. Did you ever look in the mirror and go, "Oh my god, I am so ugly"? or think, "life is terrible, the world is going to hell, I need a cookie"? I didn't, even when I was upset about something I didn't have the urge to eat.


Hmm, if I think back and recall myself young and small, all I can remember is that my mother thought me too skinny and that I didn’t eat enough. Food made me want to gag. But I never said no to sugary fruits (ie, pineapples, oranges, coconuts, kiwi, mangoes, even sugar canes) nor to chocolates and cakes. I think at that age, even my mother was subconsciously telling me that to eat is to be healthy and grow.
I do think that there are several ways to look at this. One, is that good food is a scarcity in a household, (if one comes from a poor background and therefore they eat the wrong things), and what you mentioned above, they have been told no! don’t eat the food (but I find problems with this analogy too) or here’s another factor…genetics can also play a part. http://home.comcast.net/~bkrentzman/obesity/gen-mol.biol/genetics.html
I’m not very familiar with the “fat gene” theory but they seem to believe that as of “As of 1995 about 40 neurotransmitters have been discovered. 12 neurotransmitters are known to act on the way in which we eat. The amount of these chemicals in our blood or brain fluids causes us to do more or less of some act. 2 control our eating of proteins. 2 more control our eating of carbohydrates. Another 2 control how much fat we eat.”

But if you are talking about when parents comfort their children with food ("oh honey have some ice cream and feel better" or "you're such a good boy, here's a cookie") then yes I agree, it builds a psychology of food = reassurance, and that's a dangerous thing to do

This reminds me of Petunia and how she treats Dudley. I think like one of the points you mentioned, it comes down to spoiling.
by DougJohnston
No, not at all. I think that will make people just want it more and anger them. You can't just get rid of a Wendy's etc.
Exactly. Going to congress about their freedom of choice, etc.
byRomy
Is it? As I´m buying my groceries on my own lately I can tell that you can have a cucumber for 50 Euro-Cents, two pounds worth of carrots for 1 Euro, about 3-4 apples for 1 Euro and a loaf of bread ( the German kind not the nasty sandwhich kind ) for about 2 Euros at discount bakeries for less than 1 Euro. A McDonanld´s meal comes in at about 5 Euros. So you have healthy food for two or three days for less than one McDonald´s meal. Are things in the US so much different?

You know that’s another thing about America. For a couple of weeks, I volunteered part time for distributing food for single mothers, people who are unemployed for too long, have lack of funds, etc. They are allowed tons of cakes, cookies, pies, donuts by the boxes, and huge canned foods along with dry foods. Then they are also allowed to have packages of hamburger meat, sausages, ham and I’ve never seen chicken or fish as part of the distribution deal. But generally, the food isn’t very healthy because they don’t get enough fruit and vegetables and too much canned food, saturated fatty meats, over abundance of bread (which is good to have but bread, like potatoes are filling) and packaged dry food. Then if you go to the supermarkets, healthier foods, which are delightfully more delicious, are (if you compare) more expensive. They even have a store separate from your normal grocery store that focuses on healthy foods. The bottom line is, people aren’t very conscientious about eating right. They should have a huge poster on their kitchen wall with the pyramid food group. The U.S. is very different, not only in the way food is distributed and advertised, but in restaurants the portions are too much. I’m sure some of your friends and yourself would be surprised at the food that is given on your plate. It’s that mentality, “the more the better.”

ETA:

by Ana-Magus
I need therapy
QUOTE by me:
Something is wrong psychologically with the child
Quote by you:
I have a mental problem
Oh, I just saw your post, Ana-Magus. I tried to make my post less offensive as it can be but maybe I should explain it better. There's nothing wrong with therapy for some people if this is what can help. I even suggested the government should pay for it. If diet plans and fad diets, pills, excercising is difficult, etc, then maybe as part of that nutritional planning/schedule, talking to a professional on nutrition and what's bothering them can really really help. If a child or adult cannot speak what's on their mind to their families, how are they to open up if they keep it within themselves?
The something is wrong psychologically with the child above is my quick thought on children who hide food in their bedrooms and they seriously have a problem with something that is going on in school, someone picking on them, or they feel that they are not good enough, perhaps their family is subconsciously making them feel not worthy. Maybe all they need is counseling or someone to talk to. All these factors are open.
So with that said, like ~Tonks~ above, my words were not meant to be cruel or to hurt but to explain that this might provide some insight and help. My view on obesity is that it's unhealthy and it shortens the life of people and that concerns me. I hope I explained it better because if you're hurt by this, then my apologies as well for not being able to clarify better. This is a very sensitive subject. *hugs*

[Ana-Magus]

No one should want to be fat, and I think a lot of the animosity from people posting on these boards comes from the fact that frivolous lawsuits and ridiculous accomodations in the workplace stem from, of many things, obesity. And it is totally irresponsible of the parents to not only allow to continue, but willingly perpetuate, the cycle.

However, I am sorry if I hurt your feelings in any way with my post, as that was not my intention, and if I did I hope you can forgive me, as we are friends and I would not want to upset you or do anything to damage that.

All I'm saying is that words can be stronger than brick walls sometimes. ESPECIALLY for children. If these words keep bombarding the mind of an obese child, the effects can be devsitating. All the dietitians in the world couldn't help a child who feels defective and feels there is no hope for them.

The lawsuits against fast food chains are silly, I agree. But you have to see that as a desperate measure from a desperate person who is sick being seen as less that normal because of their weight.

People who say they have no problem with their weight are using that as a defense mechanism. They are trying to get it out of your head that they are any less of a person because of their size. It's extremely despressing and most people do not want others to see that vulerable side.

Obesity is now being viewed as a disease. Along with that comes protection under The Americans with Disabilities Act. You need to be extremely careful in your professional world when you say "ridiculous accomodations in the workplace." That is a realistic lawsuit waiting to happen.

~Tonks~ - are my feelings hurt? Of course, but that happens to me all the time. As an adult, I have learned to use these moments as life lessons that make me stronger. As a child, I didn't have that power.

Does this hurt our friendship? No Way.

If I turned my back on everyone who has made a weight comment (directed toward me or not) I honestly would have no friends at all. Just goes to show that everyone I have ever known has said something negative (in my presence) about obesity.

Honestly, If I could take all of the negative comments I've heard over the years and turn them into positive motivation to help me lose weight, I would be anorexic by now. :)

[Spirit]

What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the food commercial's only point is having, "Only 10 Carbs." I think that the reason so many people are overweight is because everyone is constantly eating, and they're constantly eating fast-food.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
Maybe. It probably all depends on the person. But I don't see why everything we get has to be enough food for two or three people. "Would you like to supersize that?"

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I think that it's really foolish of them for not being more careful of what they give their kid to eat.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I have no idea. I guess we should make them go to nutrition classes for children or something.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Of course they should, they're the ones who are legally responsible for it. I think that parents should be responsible for what they're kids eat (mostly) until they're sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
Yes, I think that it will. Part of the reason I think that everyone is overweight is because a lot of people's lives are more stressful, so they're eating more as a comfort.

[~Tonks~]

Words can cut, of course, Ana-Magus. And kids can be cruel. I can remember in elementary school how so many people razzed "the fat kid." It happens and it's sad as it doesn't accomplish anything. I dunno, maybe sometimes it does. I was sick of being teased about my crooked teeth so I got retainers, and even that was purely cosmetic, not a health threat. Course that went out the window when I had my wisdom teeth pulled and things shifted a bit. Anyway, teasing isn't never a good motivation and I'm drifting... But as with all things there is a way to talk to kids about it. Dieticians should be gentle, but also help the kids.

You need to be extremely careful in your professional world when you say "ridiculous accomodations in the workplace." That is a realistic lawsuit waiting to happen.

I know, but if someone is disabled because they lost both their legs in an accident, or they were born paralyzed from the waist down, I'm going to be a lot more willing to accomodate them than if they ate too much and have difficulty walking because they are so obese. But I know we know what each other are talking about.

I'm glad our friendship isn't hurt by this :) I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings.

Spirit, I love your signature!!! Kitties are so cute!

and GriffindorGr...

Hmm, if I think back and recall myself young and small, all I can remember is that my mother thought me too skinny and that I didn’t eat enough. Food made me want to gag. But I never said no to sugary fruits (ie, pineapples, oranges, coconuts, kiwi, mangoes, even sugar canes) nor to chocolates and cakes. I think at that age, even my mother was subconsciously telling me that to eat is to be healthy and grow.

Everyone else told my mother I was too skinny but she knew better. And that is something that is the other side of the spectrum. Thin people get harassed a lot. I absolutely hate it when people (and they tend to be older people) tell me I need to eat more, and that I'm so skinny. I am proportionate for my height and I am not sickly or pale or undernourished. My mother taught me that to be healthy and grow you have to eat, but that you have to eat healthy foods. Of course any kid is going to find sugary sweets more tasteful over healthy foods, but the parents should be sure to limit those sorts of things and feed their children healthy meals.

[GryffindorGr]

by ~Tonks~
Everyone else told my mother I was too skinny but she knew better. And that is something that is the other side of the spectrum. Thin people get harassed a lot. I absolutely hate it when people (and they tend to be older people) tell me I need to eat more, and that I'm so skinny. I am proportionate for my height and I am not sickly or pale or undernourished. My mother taught me that to be healthy and grow you have to eat, but that you have to eat healthy foods. Of course any kid is going to find sugary sweets more tasteful over healthy foods, but the parents should be sure to limit those sorts of things and feed their children healthy meals.

Definitely. Any child would take sweets any time of the day. Lol. I really was too skinny when I was little that I became anemic and sick a lot, thus why she was very concerned. I just simply hated to eat meals then. (thank god that didn’t last) But I understand too that thin people get harassed as well. Got this mostly from acquaintances but my closest friends thought I was fine. Plus knew from measuring my weight/height/fat intake from the charts, I was okay. Another good suggestion for anyone is when making a health fitness plan, they can create a schedule/daily planner and go to the gym, measure how much fat has accumulated and lost. I know that eating healthy and buying the healthiest foods are time consuming, an effort and a change from the old habits, but in time it will be well worth it. The progress itself is satisfying.

[Barney]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

Obesity will lead to a massive drain on your already overstretched national health service.
Here in Australia there seems to be an obesity problem developing but I think that our obsession with good food and sport is counteracting it a little.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

Funding sports at school, community sports facilities, funding nutrition classes in schools and adult education colleges (do you Americans have such a thing?), encouraging people to eat healthy and exercise (its not that hard - eat well and exercise!!) Fast food chains have their place and should not be targeted by the government for the failure of people to use their common sense.

If you teach people about nutrition and exercise they will then teach their children

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Ok, this is not just the role of mothers - fathers should be involved as well. parents who let their children become obese are just as unfit to be parents as those who starve their children.
4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

If parents let their children starve, the children would be removed by the state. Obesity is just as dangerous (long term) than lack of nutrition so children should be removed by the state from parents who are not capable of caring for them. Of course social services should try intervention first - like requiring the family to go to nutrition classes and participate in sports together. May be more money needs to be spent on community sports centres.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

Parents are responsibile for their children until their children either reach majority or leave home. Children cannot be held responsible for the food that is put in front of them but should be encouraged to help prepare healthy meals - otherwise how will they learn to do it for themselves when they do leave home?
6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

America (and the rest of the Western world) will have to otherwise the health systems will grind to a halt trying to cope with the increases in heart disease, diabetes, joint problems etc etc
7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?

When we were kids we were not allowed to watch TV during the day - even if it was raining we were encouraged to do something constructive inside. We weren't allowed to watch much TV at night either! We all played netball, basketball and tennis and we swam and surfed all summer - of course we are all now really worried about skin cancer!!!

Both my parents are great cooks and made very healthy and tasty meals and we were encouraged to experiment with cooking healthy food ourselves. Dinner time was a time when the family sat down and ate and talked. After dinner we all went for a walk with the dog (and sometimes the cat - he thought he was a dog as well)

We also were encouraged to help grow veges in the vege garden - there is nothing more exciting for a kid than eating beans that you have sown yourself!

These habits I have taken into my adult life - I go to the gym, I play soccer, my husband plays soccer, golf and squash, we cook good food together, we eat dinner together and talk, we swim, take the dog for a walk (he is an Australian Kelpie so we have to walk him a lot or he gets very bored and naughty) I couldn't not think of anything more boring than sitting all night in front of the TV. We watch some TV but it has to be really good to tempt us. A person must have a very lonely and isolating life to have to watch TV all night!

[Kaonashi]

I've noticed at places like Whole Foods (where the food is considered "healthier") the food is like 3x more expensive than other shops. Bad food IS cheaper. I bought a gallon of milk the other day and it was close to 4 bucks! Fruit and vegetable prices are on the rise as well.

Not sure how it is in the rest of the world, but in the US it's more expensive to eat junk than to eat healthy. And I don't agree with the idea of seizing people's children from them becasue htey are too fat either. What would be the criteria for such a thing? Some people can look overweight, but actually have an acceptable BMI. I'm for teaching people how to fix healthy meals inexpensively than to seize people's children. Ethnic foods also come into play. If you have a family who has immigrated here, the kids are fat and the parents serve traditional dishes because that's what they have learned how to cook are you honestly going to take away their kids for that?

It's easy for someone who is thin to say "Look, you're too fat. Lose weight." In practice, it's hard to do. Some people who are heavy actually eat LESS than a think person but will still pack on the pounds, same as a thin person who is trying to GAIN weight has problems.

[Spew Member]

It's easy for someone who is thin to say "Look, you're too fat. Lose weight." In practice, it's hard to do.

:agree: Everyone has faults, obesity is just a visible one. This is kind of a strange story, but when I was in high school I had a tumor that grew to be bigger than a basketball. I was a size 18 and when they removed it I was a size 8. I went from being overweight to being skinny in one day. It took them five years of me being overweight to figure out what was wrong and I was constantly on diets. My Mom taught me to eat healthy and was the best Mom that anyone could have and was always supportive even though I was constantly discouraged because I felt (and looked) overweight. I wouldn't have made it through without her and when I hear people suggest that children that are obese should be taken away from their parents it makes me cringe. I wonder if I would have been placed in that category, even though my "weight problem" wasn't really a weight problem after all. Since then I've been skinny, but I know how hard it is to feel fat. You just don't feel good about yourself.

Children pick up habits early on, a lot of you put the blame on parents-but I think it is important to look at the other factors involved as well. We need to have healthy programs in schools, not programs run by the meat/dairy and atkins industry. Children should learn how to prepare healthy food, they should learn to eat vegetables and fruits and they should not have unhealthy choices in the cafeteria. If they aren't learning healthy habits from their parents, where will they learn it from if they do not learn it at school? America is one of the only countries that hasn't started to regulate advertising food for children. When are we going to step up and stop doing what's best for the companies, and instead do what's best for the children? Australia has banned advertising to children during childrens programming, and England has banned using popular childrens characters on food boxes. America has done nothing except say, "oh well, it's their own fault."

[Kaonashi]

They probaly would have taken you away, Spew. And after they figureed out that you had a tumor and correct it you might have went back to your parents, but the damage would have been done. taking children out of homes where they probably have well-intentioned but uninformed parents and put them in a group home or worse, a foster home where anything might happen to them is a hideous idea. I doubt that anyone who actually thinks this is a good idea has any clue as to what generally happens to "wards of the state" because if they did they would NEVER think this is a good idea. There are WAAAY too many foul-ups with the Department of Children and Family Services.

On the one hand, the government is screaming about the obesity problem with children but on the other they don't want to reinstate physical education to where it once was by giving it more funding. Health clubs won't legally take a child on until they are 18, and everyone doesn't live near a Y (besides that, not every Y has a workout room). Eating smaller, healthier meals is not enough to lose weight and keep it off...you have to have the exercise in the mix as well. All the workout tapes I've seen are geared towards adults, not 8 year olds that have a weight problem.

[rotsiepots]

I've noticed at places like Whole Foods (where the food is considered "healthier") the food is like 3x more expensive than other shops. Bad food IS cheaper. I bought a gallon of milk the other day and it was close to 4 bucks! Fruit and vegetable prices are on the rise as well.

Not sure how it is in the rest of the world, but in the US it's more expensive to eat junk than to eat healthy.
The quality of food in America is shocking. I had to visit health food shops to find foods that would be readily available at the most run-of-the-mill supermarket where I'm from. I constantly complain about the variety here, but most supermarkets stock at least five different types of apples, oranges, beans, wholegrain breads, cheeses that aren't processed etc etc.

The American public should really kick up more of a stink about the quality of food you're forced to put in your bodies because there aren't viable alternatives. I suppose most people are used to it and think that's the way food is, but I can't assure you it isn't.

Healthier food will always be more expensive, but ultimately nothing can buy your health.

[Romy]

About healthy food- just to clarify, are we talking about all the Bio-food that is also more expensive over here or just plain old veggies and fruit? I remember during my stay in Texas that you could have a large watermelon :drool: for 80 cents per pound. Seemed like a more or less reasonable price to me.
I know Germany has comparatively low living costs but I did not think you would really have to cut your budget in other places just to get a hand-full of vitamins :huh: .

Apart from that perhaps somebody could fill me in about food-stamps and dietricians, as I only have a distant idea of what that could be. :)

Did anyone happen to watch the movie "Supersize me", by the way? There were some facts in it that were quite informative, like the budget fast-food companies spend on advertising.

[busy91]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It has recently come to my attention that it is out of control. They did a study last year in my city. They just did the 5 boroughs, and I was surprised to see that there was a difference in the sizes of its inhabitants. They say that it is due to the number of fast food restaurants in each borough.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
There is no solution. Getting rid of fast food chains at this point will never happen. Better nutrition has been promoted all along, people just refuse to listen or don't care enough.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I will not rant on about this....however,

I was watching Montel yesterday, and it was about triplets who were seperated at birth. Two of them stayed with one mother and the third went with another mother. They were reunited on the show (they were about 11 or so). The two that stayed together were rail thin, and the mother was pretty thin, the one that was alone was overweight and his mother was overweight. I found it interesting that it is not always genetics that cause weight gain, but lifestyle.


4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
What can you do? I know a woman whose children are obese, and the doctors have told her this. She and her husband are not obese, but they are borderline. They both have illnesses that come from being overweight and they still do nothing about their children's weight problem. I know it is not due to lack of information and education, so I think it is laziness. What do you do when a mother or father is too lazy to take proper care of their kids. Some people think that Child welfare should be called on them, but how can you make the claim of 'neglect'?


5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
YES! I am able to control most of what both of my children eat. Moreso my 5 year old than my 13 year old, but until they are 15 or 16 I think parents have more control over their diet.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
No I don't see it. Fad diets come along and they fade quickly. Everyone wants a quick fix, but no one wants to get to the root of the problem.

[Spew Member]

About healthy food- just to clarify, are we talking about all the Bio-food that is also more expensive over here or just plain old veggies and fruit? I remember during my stay in Texas that you could have a large watermelon :drool: for 80 cents per pound. Seemed like a more or less reasonable price to me.
The organic fruits and vegetables are a lot more expensive here. I live in an agricultural town where we grow a our own produce, but it's wierd because we ship our vegetables and fruits to L.A. and then we take what they don't want back. So unless you get organic veggies (which are more expensive) then the quality is going to be bad. Even if it's not organic the price of fruit and veggies is growing. I bought an orange the other day and it cost me over a dolllar-for a single orange. I spend less money on my groceries than I would if I ate meat and dairy, but I cook all of my food. One of the biggest problem with the US diet is that nobody wants to cook so they'll buy whatever is easiest. If you want to get healthy food that you don't have to prepare, then it's really expensive. (I hope that helped. :shrug:)

Apart from that perhaps somebody could fill me in about food-stamps and dietricians, as I only have a distant idea of what that could be. :) A food-stamp is a government program that helps people pay for their groceries if they are low income. http://websearch.cs.com/cs/boomframe.jsp?query=what+are+food+stamps&page=1&offset=1&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3Da0adf721616e5350%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3Dwhat%2Bare%2Bfood%2Bstamps%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.fns.usda.gov%252Ffsp%252F%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DCSroll%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fns.usda.gov%2Ffsp%2F
A nutritionist is someone that individually works with a person to help them loose
weight or have a healthy diet. (Like the lady in Supersize Me who weighed the main guy all of the time.)

Did anyone happen to watch the movie "Supersize me", by the way? There were some facts in it that were quite informative, like the budget fast-food companies spend on advertising.

Yes, and anyone who hasn't seen it should! It really sheds some light on how we try to teach kids to love fast food! It's very eye-opening.

[busy91]

The organic fruits and vegetables are a lot more expensive here. I live in an agricultural town where we grow a our own produce, but it's wierd because we ship our vegetables and fruits to L.A. and then we take what they don't want back. So unless you get organic veggies (which are more expensive) then the quality is going to be bad. Even if it's not organic the price of fruit and veggies is growing. I bought an orange the other day and it cost me over a dolllar-for a single orange. I spend less money on my groceries than I would if I ate meat and dairy, but I cook all of my food. One of the biggest problem with the US diet is that nobody wants to cook so they'll buy whatever is easiest.

Raises hand in shame. :blush: I'm guilty of the easy route. But in my defense...Being a single mom who works 8 hours a day, I'd be darned if I'm going to come home every day and cook a meal. I try to cook on Sunday's but sometimes a pizza just seems so easy.

Also here in NY, organic fruit is very expensive, and we can only get them in a health food store. I either buy my produce in the supermarket or at the farm. Well, at least my kids are eating it.



A food-stamp is a government program that helps people pay for their groceries if they are low income.

Yeah, but you have to be real low income. My mom was on food stamps when I was about 10, and it doesn't really pay for much. And now a days, I see people on line who use the Benefits card (that's what it is called nowadays), and all they have is fast and easy junk in their carts. No fruits, no real meat, no real juice. Just frozen foods, potato chips, fruit punch and all kinds of garbage, and that is a months worth of groceries. I struggle to pay for my food, so I'm going to buy the healthiest stuff I can.

[~Tonks~]

They probaly would have taken you away, Spew. And after they figureed out that you had a tumor and correct it you might have went back to your parents, but the damage would have been done. taking children out of homes where they probably have well-intentioned but uninformed parents and put them in a group home or worse, a foster home where anything might happen to them is a hideous idea. I doubt that anyone who actually thinks this is a good idea has any clue as to what generally happens to "wards of the state" because if they did they would NEVER think this is a good idea. There are WAAAY too many foul-ups with the Department of Children and Family Services.

This is why I said what I did on the subject. Ideally you would look at the flip side and say, "We'd take them away for starving them, it makes sense on the opposite end of the spectrum," but it's not as simple or as easy, and it turns into a huge gray area, because while they aren't making sure they're eating healthy, they are feeding them, at least. :shrug: Not to mention the already impotent system of child removal in much worse cases and the horrible homes they end up in, if they even go. In Hawaii we lived in an apartment complex where this four year old little girl ran around, alone, all day, four or five blocks from her own home, filthy dirty, covered in bruises, ran whenever anyone tried to ask her where her parents were, thin as a piece of paper... one time one of the ladies that lived a few doors down from us managed to catch her (not "catch" as in grab, but get her to trust her) and one day she even had red ants crawling all over her. :sad: She lived in the apartments that were well known for having drug problems. CPS as well as the police were called a dozen times and nothing was ever done. :no: It always broke my heart. But I agree, the Dept. of Children and Family Services is pretty screwed.


On the one hand, the government is screaming about the obesity problem with children but on the other they don't want to reinstate physical education to where it once was by giving it more funding. Health clubs won't legally take a child on until they are 18, and everyone doesn't live near a Y (besides that, not every Y has a workout room). Eating smaller, healthier meals is not enough to lose weight and keep it off...you have to have the exercise in the mix as well. All the workout tapes I've seen are geared towards adults, not 8 year olds that have a weight problem.

I agree with you, physical education should get more funding (as well as fine arts programs that they keep cutting, but that's my gripe for a different issue) but there's also a problem at home. I doubt kids are going to be enthused to pop in a work out video and do some aerobics when they could sit down on the couch and play videogames nonstop. And that's where parental intervention needs to happen. (NOTE: I am not blaming video games or other idle entertainment forms for this since I think that's laziness and passing off the responsibility on an inanimate object.) If all I did was laze around for extended periods of time my mom shooed me out of the house and made me go outside.

It's amazing to think about really, because the health of one's kids is becoming increasingly overlooked as an important detail in raising them. Almost like, "Oops, we forgot to keep an eye on this with all the other vital elements." :shrug:

[Spew Member]

I doubt kids are going to be enthused to pop in a work out video and do some aerobics when they could sit down on the couch and play videogames nonstop.

I don't know about that, I used to wake up every morning and "Mousersize," :rotfl: :rotfl: and does anyone remember Get in Shape Girl?

Parents have a lot of misguided information. Everyone is into the "Atkins Craze" right now, it's everywhere. The Atkins diet is terrible, and is not healthy but the majority of America thinks that it is. The government needs to take action by informing people, getting the nutritional information out there. Having healthy programs in our schools, putting healthy ads on TV. Right now we are relying on diet pills and fad diets, we need the system to step up and make it clear that those diets don't work, that you need to eat less and excersize more.

[~Tonks~]

I don't know about that, I used to wake up every morning and "Mousersize," :rotfl: :rotfl: and does anyone remember Get in Shape Girl?


OH MY GOD MOUSERSIZE!!! *hugs* You're too cool :tu: :D I did that too! Hahaha! Yes, they should bring back mousersize. You rule. But then, kids today seem different from us, or maybe I just have no idea what kids are like now.


Parents have a lot of misguided information. Everyone is into the "Atkins Craze" right now, it's everywhere. The Atkins diet is terrible, and is not healthy but the majority of America thinks that it is. The government needs to take action by informing people, getting the nutritional information out there. Having healthy programs in our schools, putting healthy ads on TV. Right now we are relying on diet pills and fad diets, we need the system to step up and make it clear that those diets don't work, that you need to eat less and excersize more.

The atkins diet drives me crazy. It basically says you can eat all the bacon you want, but don't touch that apple, it has carbs! :rolleyes: It would have been interesting to see an autopsy on Dr. Atkins. I wonder what his arteries looked like? :huh:

As grueling and meticulous and painstaking as a healthy balanced diet and exercise can be, it's probably what's most effective. Granted, there are some people with injuries or other exceptions that make this almost impossible, but I'd say that's more of an exception than the majority.

[Romy]

One of the biggest problem with the US diet is that nobody wants to cook so they'll buy whatever is easiest. If you want to get healthy food that you don't have to prepare, then it's really expensive.Thanks for the link and info Spew Member.
I know about the cooking problem as I´m not good at it myself (thank god for the uni cafeteria :p ) but I noticed little bags in American groceries stores which contained different parts of a salad (lettuce in one, tiny carrots in the next) so all you´d have to do would be to put them together. You wouldn´t even need to chop them. Pasta with tomato sauce is also very quick and easy to make (about the only thing I can cook so I would know :p ) and if you wanted it really easy even Germany has take-aways for healthy Asian food by now. Wouldn´t that be just as good as pizza or mac-and-cheese?

Atkins- the name came up a few times in this thread. Isn´t that the guy who died of his own diet? Heart failure or something? Why would someone want to clogg their arteries by eating only fat food :huh: ?

[Spew Member]

OH MY GOD MOUSERSIZE!!! *hugs* You're too cool :tu: :D I did that too! Hahaha! Yes, they should bring back mousersize. You rule. But then, kids today seem different from us, or maybe I just have no idea what kids are like now. Hooray! Another Mousersizer! :rotfl: Perhaps if they invented some sort of interactive playstation game in which you had to excersize to get the control panels to work kids would begin to excersize more? :lol:
I'm sure they could think of something that could get kids moving, they just have to do it.


The atkins diet drives me crazy. It basically says you can eat all the bacon you want, but don't touch that apple, it has carbs! :rolleyes: It would have been interesting to see an autopsy on Dr. Atkins. I wonder what his arteries looked like? :huh: I actually know the guy who said that Atkins was overweight when he died. :evil: He said that Atkins always had a weight problem, and that when they would go to health conventions to debate their diets Atkins would never stand up to give his information because he didn't want a photo taken of him showing how overweight he was.

As grueling and meticulous and painstaking as a healthy balanced diet and exercise can be, it's probably what's most effective. Granted, there are some people with injuries or other exceptions that make this almost impossible, but I'd say that's more of an exception than the majority. People need to excersize, it's amazing what great lengths we go to when we are parking our cars, trying to park as close to our destination as possible-even if it takes us more time than it would have taken to just park and walk, I mean come on, we're not that busy. I'm amazed at how many people park in the no parking zone at our bank to use the option teller because they can't take the 15 extra steps that it would take if they were to park their cars in an actual parking space. It's my biggest pet peeve. :grumble:

I know about the cooking problem as I´m not good at it myself (thank god for the uni cafeteria ) but I noticed little bags in American groceries stores which contained different parts of a salad (lettuce in one, tiny carrots in the next) so all you´d have to do would be to put them together. You wouldn´t even need to chop them. Pasta with tomato sauce is also very quick and easy to make (about the only thing I can cook so I would know ) and if you wanted it really easy even Germany has take-aways for healthy Asian food by now. Wouldn´t that be just as good as pizza or mac-and-cheese? Those bags are more expensive than just buying the lettuce and chopping it yourself. You're right though, there are tons of healthy inexpensive items out there. That's why I think that we need to educate people on how to make them and what to buy. People don't think it's a meal if it doesn't come with hamburgers and french fries. :rolleyes: As for the healthy asian food, there are some items that you can get that are healthy but most are soaked in oil. (Even the vegetables.) I have the hardest time finding things to eat that are healthy when I go out. Everything is drenched in oil or cheese. I recently went out to eat and all I wanted was a baked potato and a salad. The waitress was amazed at my selection. She couldn't understand why I didn't want any more food and was constantly asking if I wanted more to eat...and we wonder why we are overweight? :sigh:

Atkins- the name came up a few times in this thread. Isn´t that the guy who died of his own diet? Heart failure or something? Why would someone want to clogg their arteries by eating only fat food ? Yep that's him, he suggests a low carb diet. If you were to walk through an American grocery store right now you would be astonished at all of the "low carb" food. The sad thing is that these food companies aren't allowed to put low carb on their packages, but they get around it by putting things on that say "carb smart." I even saw low carb dog food. His diet hasn't had nearly enough testing on it, and the testing that has been done has shown an increase in kidney stones and heart failure. (Among other things.) His company just gave the school system a lot of money to teach children about good health-which means that they will really be teaching them about the Atkins diet. It's a pretty bad situation and it makes me sad. :sad:

[~Tonks~]

Hooray! Another Mousersizer! :rotfl: Perhaps if they invented some sort of interactive playstation game in which you had to excersize to get the control panels to work kids would begin to excersize more? :lol:
I'm sure they could think of something that could get kids moving, they just have to do it.

Dance Dance Revolution Baby. :rotfl: That's where it's at. :tu: And I've seen the kids who have become pros at that. They're lean mean dancing machines. :rotfl:


I actually know the guy who said that Atkins was overweight when he died. :evil: He said that Atkins always had a weight problem, and that when they would go to health conventions to debate their diets Atkins would never stand up to give his information because he didn't want a photo taken of him showing how overweight he was.

I know. I believe the guy was a quack, no better than people who push those herbal suppliments and diet pills. I can't believe any respectable doctor would reccomend the atkins diet. It's sad they'll be teaching it in schools. Really sad.

People need to excersize, it's amazing what great lengths we go to when we are parking our cars, trying to park as close to our destination as possible-even if it takes us more time than it would have taken to just park and walk, I mean come on, we're not that busy. I'm amazed at how many people park in the no parking zone at our bank to use the option teller because they can't take the 15 extra steps that it would take if they were to park their cars in an actual parking space. It's my biggest pet peeve. :grumble:
Those bags are more expensive than just buying the lettuce and chopping it yourself. You're right though, there are tons of healthy inexpensive items out there. That's why I think that we need to educate people on how to make them and what to buy. People don't think it's a meal if it doesn't come with hamburgers and french fries. :rolleyes: As for the healthy asian food, there are some items that you can get that are healthy but most are soaked in oil. (Even the vegetables.) I have the hardest time finding things to eat that are healthy when I go out. Everything is drenched in oil or cheese. I recently went out to eat and all I wanted was a baked potato and a salad. The waitress was amazed at my selection. She couldn't understand why I didn't want any more food and was constantly asking if I wanted more to eat...and we wonder why we are overweight? :sigh:

I park my car in the middle of nowhere in the lot so some toss spot doesn't ding it. :rotfl: Or how about people who drive to the gym? :rolleyes: Especially people who live within close proximity to a gym. Jog to the gym, work out a bit, jog back. I used to buy the bagged salad when I was in college, only because a bag of baby carrots, a whole head of lettuce, a bunch of tomatos, and a cucumber were too much for me to eat by myself and it would all spoil before I could use it all up. My roommate and I would go to Costco and get a huge bag of salad and share it. It was quite economical. :tu:

Last night my mom and I got french onion soup for dinner at a restaurant. You know, it's almost like they act offended if you don't order more food, and it's a waste of time for them to serve you. It's so rude. I'm sure they'd rather have some money spent in their restaurant than none at all. Not everyone wants a giant 3 lb burger with fries and a shake you know? Respect the customer and their selection of eating habits, don't try to push off every item on the menu on the table.

[Spew Member]

Dance Dance Revolution Baby. :rotfl: That's where it's at. :tu: And I've seen the kids who have become pros at that. They're lean mean dancing machines. :rotfl: I love watching people play that! :rotfl: I love watching my b-friend play that more because he looks like he is riverdancing, (although he thinks he is a pro.) :rotfl:

I park my car in the middle of nowhere in the lot so some toss spot doesn't ding it. :rotfl: Or how about people who drive to the gym? :rolleyes: Especially people who live within close proximity to a gym. Jog to the gym, work out a bit, jog back. I used to buy the bagged salad when I was in college, only because a bag of baby carrots, a whole head of lettuce, a bunch of tomatos, and a cucumber were too much for me to eat by myself and it would all spoil before I could use it all up. My roommate and I would go to Costco and get a huge bag of salad and share it. It was quite economical. :tu: I used to run to the gym, but on my way back I would have a cigarette. (I have quit since then.) It sort of defeated the purpose of getting healthy. :lol: I buy the pre-packaged veggies as well. I cook a lot on Sundays to prepare for the rest of the week and since I'm cooking multiple things the packaged food is easier. (Guilty as charged.)

Last night my mom and I got french onion soup for dinner at a restaurant. You know, it's almost like they act offended if you don't order more food, and it's a waste of time for them to serve you. It's so rude. I'm sure they'd rather have some money spent in their restaurant than none at all. Not everyone wants a giant 3 lb burger with fries and a shake you know? Respect the customer and their selection of eating habits, don't try to push off every item on the menu on the table.

Whenever I go out to breakfast I will just order oatmeal, you would think I had just commited some sort of federal offense with the way that servers act. Since when did it become normal for people to start feasting for every meal? To me, eating eggs and bacon and sausage and pancakes is not normal, it's way too much. I eat a lot on Christmas, and Thanksgiving-but some people have Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas splurges for every meal of the day.
I get so annoyed when people try to get you to eat more food (supersizing). When I worked at a coffee shop I refused to try to get people to order larges (which is what we were told to do) because I didn't want to persuade people into eating/drinking more than they intended to. We weren't trying to get them to drink a large for any other reason than we wanted their money.

I hope that all made sense, I have to rush off to work now. (CoS makes me late again-:lol:)

[Kaonashi]

I know people who have lost loads of weight off Dance Dance Revolution because it's fun! I bought it but my PS2 is having problems right now, so no DDR or Silent Hill 4 for me right now. One woman lost 50+ pounds playing it, and I think it's idea for kida who are trying to lose weight.

[~Tonks~]

I know people who have lost loads of weight off Dance Dance Revolution because it's fun! I bought it but my PS2 is having problems right now, so no DDR or Silent Hill 4 for me right now. One woman lost 50+ pounds playing it, and I think it's idea for kida who are trying to lose weight.


That is so hilarious :rotfl:

Imagine if video games could actually help kids be healthy! That would be wonderful...

[~oSiRiS~]

It doesn't take much to lose weight. I was getting to be one fat monster back in highschool. I love food and will eat anything. I don't care if I die of a heart attack or whatever. I will never go on a diet. I am not going to eat food that tastes like saw dust.
But anyhoo. I have lost alot of weight. I am almost to the point where I could be considered slim. All I do is work out for like 20 minutes a day. That is nothing at all. Its easy. I still eat all the good fatness I want and I still lose weight. All these people that try these diets are lazy and want the easy way out. Like all these subway morons. They don't realize how much that guy exercised to lose all that weight. It wasn't the subway that did it.

[Kaonashi]

It depends. If you are a teen then it's easier to lose weight. Someone in their late 30s or early 40s whose metabolism has slowed down even more will have a harder time of it.

[Chrysalis]

I lost loads of weight by just being sick. Wow.

I hate excercise. Hate it hate it hate it. I like going for walks or cycling a bit but that's where it ends. I drop out of every sport I join. I even quite aerobics because I didn't like it.

It's also annoying to hear from my best friends all the time that they are too fat and that they really need to work out a lot and stop eating sugar.

[Kimmetje]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
-I think that people should just eat healthy during the week and eat junk food once a week. We do have the same problem in Holland well at least we are getting that problem as like most kids in Holland that are younger think it is usual to go to McDonald's every week mainly.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
-I think it are people's own choices and maybe they should try themselves to not be addicted and start like a diet. I do think that getting rid of food chains will not solve the problem and might even cuase people to get real angry and terrible things might happen.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
-I think that that should not have happened in the first place as if they just like question 1 have sticked to a healthy diet all would have gone well.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
-Maybe at school there should be a sort of shop for parents on how to feed their children heatlhy though letting them have fun.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
-Yes, I think they should as they feed their children. I think that when the child has left the house than it's not their responsibility any more.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
-I actually don't know, but ofcourse I do hope so.

[Romy]

All these people that try these diets are lazy and want the easy way out. Like all these subway morons. They don't realize how much that guy exercised to lose all that weight. It wasn't the subway that did it.The Subway-diet is simply changing your fast-food habits to something slightly healthier, is that correct? I´ve seen something like that in my local Subway, although that still counts for me as fast-food.

[Spew Member]

The Subway-diet is simply changing your fast-food habits to something slightly healthier, is that correct? I´ve seen something like that in my local Subway, although that still counts for me as fast-food.

The Subway diet started because of a man who was really obese. He started eating at Subway for breakfast, lunch and dinner and lost a lot of weight. I think he would just order a turkey sandwich without the cheese and Mayo, so he did change his fast food habits so that they would be healthier. Before he started doing the Subway thing, he would eat a whole pizza by himself for dinner with breadsticks and a large soda. He really ate an insane amount of food.

Maybe what we need is a healthy fast food restaurant that serves lots of yummy, healthy food. I'm shocked that no one has picked up on that yet. What is misleading about the "healthy food" in a fast food restaurant it that people think they should order salads. With the dressing and the croutons and the chicken and cheese that they add to them, they are anything but healthy.

[Romy]

The Subway diet started because of a man who was really obese. He started eating at Subway for breakfast, lunch and dinner and lost a lot of weight.You can have Subway breakfast? I hope that isn´t just cookies and muffins? (I´ve just recently found out that a muffin has about 400 calories and was slightly shocked :wow: ).
I think he would just order a turkey sandwich without the cheese and Mayo, so he did change his fast food habits so that they would be healthier.He paid three bucks for a small baguette, a few veggies and two slices of turkey? :huh:
Before he started doing the Subway thing, he would eat a whole pizza by himself for dinner with breadsticks and a large soda. He really ate an insane amount of food. I have only just remembered that you´re most likely talking about one of the large American pizzas not the small kind you get here. Everyone eats a whole pizza as slized pizza isn´t as popular.

Maybe what we need is a healthy fast food restaurant that serves lots of yummy, healthy food. I'm shocked that no one has picked up on that yet. What is misleading about the "healthy food" in a fast food restaurant it that people think they should order salads. With the dressing and the croutons and the chicken and cheese that they add to them, they are anything but healthy.I noticed that, too. Since McDonald´s has included calorie information to their meals I noticed that only the plain salads are really low calorie. Everything that contains meat, cheese or dressing is almost as high in calories as fries (although healthier). Thankfully, I hate any kind of heavy dressing on salads.

The mention of the Atkins diet has made me rather curious. What exactly is bad about eating carbs? They are calories but opposed to fat they are the "good" calories that you can get rid of by exercise. Surely noone could actually think that apples make you gain more weight than bacon :huh: ?

[Spew Member]

Here's a great link that will tell you all about the Atkins diet:

http://www.drmcdougall.com/protein_diets.html

Yes, people do think that carbs make you gain more weight than bacon. It's crazy and it doesn't make any sense. Right now the hip thing in America is the low carb buger. It's a hamburger patty with bacon wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun. How on earth can that be considered healthy?

The pizza that the Subway guy ate daily was something like 12 slices. (It's very big.)He would also eat around 5 hamburgers a day. :wow: No wonder he lost weight eating sandwiches.

[Romy]

Thanks for the link. I´m really glad that tide hasn´t swept to Germany, yet. Although I doubt a low-carbs diet would be very popular here as Germans base their daily food very much on bread (whole grains, mostly) and potatoes.
Apart from that I think the real culprit lies in the lack of exercise instead of food. People have been eating what is nowadays called unhealthy forever but the weight problems have mainly come up in the last century (apart from when being over-weight was considered fashionable among aristocrates). The majority of people were thin. Granted not always willingly, but I think mostly it was because they ate many veggies and fruit and had to work out more.

[rotsiepots]

You can have Subway breakfast? I hope that isn´t just cookies and muffins? (I´ve just recently found out that a muffin has about 400 calories and was slightly shocked :wow: ).
Subway serves a variety of sandwich fillings for breakfast; bacon and egg, ham and egg, cheese and egg etc. Incidentally, if you visit the Subway website (http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/MenuNutrition/FeatureProduct/salads.aspx) you'll notice a link to "Atkins Friendly" salads. :rolleyes:

Doesn't it make you want to gag?

I noticed that, too. Since McDonald´s has included calorie information to their meals I noticed that only the plain salads are really low calorie. Everything that contains meat, cheese or dressing is almost as high in calories as fries (although healthier). Thankfully, I hate any kind of heavy dressing on salads.
Most of the Salads Plus menu is relatively low in fat (I think all items have 9 grams of fat or less, which is quite impressive).

The mention of the Atkins diet has made me rather curious. What exactly is bad about eating carbs? They are calories but opposed to fat they are the "good" calories that you can get rid of by exercise. Surely noone could actually think that apples make you gain more weight than bacon :huh: ?
There's nothing wrong with eating carbohydrates. Personally I think the Atkins "diet" is comparable to an enormous pile of Doxy droppings (and that's putting it mildly). According to the Atkins diet, bacon is preferable to an apple. Go figure.

The reason why the diet is so "successful" is that it eliminates an enormous food group from people's diets. Of course people are going to eat less -- they have less to pick and choose from! I know I'd much rather have a piece of fruit, or a sandwich, to bacon and double cream.

[Taleeya]

HA! I loved my get-in-shape girl stuff! I had a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon and some other stuff. And Atkins is such a joke. You need protein, carbs and a bit of fat. I think lowering some intake of cereal/bread/pasta is okay if you eat too much. But leave the Fruits and Veggies!

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
Ewwww it is so disgusting! My mother's new boyfriend is American and he pretty much ONLY goes out to eat when its all-you-can-eat. Yuck. Just because you can eat alot, doesn't mean you should. Im not sure what the PC-way of putting this is... but so many people (I find americans to be particularily bad at this) want to get a "deal" that they just want HUGE quantities of cheap food, whether they need it or not. Its just so satisfiying to them to get their money's worth.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help ?
Its up to individuals. Unfortunately. If people would make good decisions, they would be fine. They don't have to eat right all the time, and every once in a while just slobbing around on the sofa watching TV is okay. There are lots of little solutions communities can do, they just need to get creative. For example, lots of parents drive their kids 1 or 2 blocks to school for safety reasons. They could do a program with a local high school to have a student volunteer to walk a group of younger students to school (for course credit, or work experience, or something). I don't think that the mousercize stuff would work now. Except on the really young. 6-year olds want to do "adult stuff" now. its really sad. Actually, they say being obese is one of the causes for so many girls going through early puberty now as well.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I get so sick when I see those 80 lb two--year olds on Maury, like this one where the kid drank 6 cans of pop per day! This parents are forcing so many health and emotional problems onto these kids, it truly is child abuse. Some of them can't even walk or breath properly. Parents are too wussy to act like the authority figure and set rules down. Also, parents drive their kids 2 blocks to and from school. Bodies are meant to be active and move around....


4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Well, there isn't alot. In a perfect world there wouldn't be abused kids clogging up these systems in the first place. Otherwise I would suggest the parents be disciplined. If there were public funds available, the child could be put in an after-school program with fun (NOT GYM-TYPE SPORTS! I Hated those!) games to play.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Of course, until they are in their teens, etc. If kids don't like apples and oranges, find some more exotic fruits or other healthy snacks that they do like.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
No, if anything they will just balloon like Aunt Marge :) I heard that statistic about americans not getting their minimum 5 servings a day of F & V. But I also heard that of the ones that do, their main sources are: apples, french fries, orange juice, tomato sauce and iceberg lettuce

[Romy]

Subway serves a variety of sandwich fillings for breakfast; bacon and egg, ham and egg, cheese and egg etc. Incidentally, if you visit the Subway website (http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/MenuNutrition/FeatureProduct/salads.aspx) you'll notice a link to "Atkins Friendly" salads. :rolleyes:Hehe, right. Maybe I should just acknowledge that non-sweet things can serve as breakfast for some people, too. Me and my sweet tooth :blush: .
The reason why the diet is so "successful" is that it eliminates an enormous food group from people's diets. Of course people are going to eat less -- they have less to pick and choose from! I know I'd much rather have a piece of fruit, or a sandwich, to bacon and double cream. :agree:
Although, does it really eliminate such a big food grop? From my experience the offer on meat-based, rather fatty things isn´t exactly very limited in the US.

[Spew Member]

Here is what the Atkins restrictions are:

* Sets few limits on the amount of food you eat but instead severely restricts the kinds of food allowed on your plate: no refined sugar, milk, white rice, or white flour
* Allows you to eat foods traditionally regarded as "rich": meat, eggs, cheese, and more
* Claims to reduce your appetite in the process.
* On the Atkins diet, you're eating almost pure protein and fat. You can consume red meat, fish (including shellfish), fowl, and regular cheese (not "diet" cheese, cheese spreads, or whey cheeses). You can cook with butter, have mayo with your tuna, and put olive oil on your salads.

On the other hand, carbs are severely restricted (less than 20 grams per day) in the first two weeks, which translates to no more than three cups of loosely packed salad or two cups of salad with two-thirds cup of certain cooked vegetables each day.

There are no exceptions to these rules during the first two weeks because low-carb consumption (no fruits and only a few leafy green vegetables) is supposed to jump-start the weight-loss biochemical activity of the diet. You're not counting calories (in fact, you may be eating more calories than you were before).

Here's the page link for the article above: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/92/101976.htm

I like how it mentions you loose your appetite after a few days on Atkins. My younger brother lost his appetite on the Atkins, but only because he got really sick, then he became a vegetarian. :elaugh: The other problem is that there are so many foods now that claim to be low carb when they aren't. Kind of like when we had the fat-free craze and everything came with the label "fat-free." It didn't matter that the food was fat free because it had so many calories in it that it would be impossible to loose weight. The other problem is that people would see fat free and think they could eat the whole box. They have all of this low carb food, but it's not really very "low carb" at all. Most people aren't label readers and will buy it anyway without realizing that there are tons of carbs. I mean, come on-how can you take the carbohydrates out of bagels? The atkins diet works because it puts your body into a state of ketosis, which is a diebetic condition. It's like faking your body into thinking it's really sick so that your body goes into panic mode. How can making your body think it's sick be healthy? :rolleyes:

Here's some info on ketosis:
http://websearch.cs.com/cs/boomframe.jsp?query=ketosis&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D47985647e590050e%26clickedItemRank%3D2%26userQuery%3Dketosis%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.nhsdirect.nhs.uk%252Fen.asp%253FTopicID%253D274%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DCSroll%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nhsdirect.nhs.uk%2Fen.asp%253FTopicID%253D274
Ketosis is the presence in the blood of abnormally high levels of acidic substances called ketones. The normal body fuel is glucose. Ketones are produced when there isn?t enough glucose in the bloodstream, and fats have to be used. When fats are used excessively as fuels, they are eventually converted to ketones. The real danger in ketosis is that ketones are acidic, and high levels of ketones make the blood abnormally acid.

Normally the blood ketone levels are low, but in starvation, untreated diabetes and when the diet is very high in fats and low in carbohydrates, the levels rise. Ironically, in diabetes, the blood contains large quantities of sugar, but because of the shortage of insulin, this glucose can?t be used as fuel.

Mild ketosis may be a feature of excessive morning sickness in pregnancy and crash diets.

[Kaonashi]

Cutting out small things helps too. I looked at the nutrition content on the Starbucks site and was truly horrified by some of the fat and calorie content of some of the drinks. Some of those drinks are 1000+ calories! Even things like smoothies (which are touted as being "low-fat" have an extremely high sugar and calorie content at times.

[rotsiepots]

:agree:
Although, does it really eliminate such a big food grop? From my experience the offer on meat-based, rather fatty things isn´t exactly very limited in the US.
The carbohydrate food group is most definitely the largest and is the one that we've been encouraged to eat the most from in the past. It includes, but isn't restricted to, breads (of all kinds, sweet and savoury etc), pasta, corn, potato, rice, cereals, anything wheat-based and corn-based (eg tortillas, knoedel etc), dairy products, fruits, vegetables, legumes, as well as sugary sweets and drinks.

Now think about how many of those you consume every day. If I cut those out, I wouldn't have anything to eat!

[Tane]

I know this thread seems to be about obesity in America but this is on the increase in the UK too. The medical profession is beginning to take this very seriously over here in the UK and will suggest seeing a dietician if you are obese regardless of whether that was what you went to see the local doctor about. Fast food joints are being told by law to include health alternatives or they may loose there license and school meals are being looked into and about time if you ask me because they are awful.

The UK government is thinking about adding a tax onto unhealthy foods which is a step in the right direction but I also think that there should be a cut in the prices of health food alternatives too. Perhaps a good move would be to tax bad foods and use that tax to bring down the price of healthy foods, this might work in an ideal world but where not living in one I am afraid.

Why did nature make all the good tasting food so bad for us?

[Kirsten]

You can have Subway breakfast? I hope that isn´t just cookies and muffins? (I´ve just recently found out that a muffin has about 400 calories and was slightly shocked :wow: ).

The mention of the Atkins diet has made me rather curious. What exactly is bad about eating carbs? They are calories but opposed to fat they are the "good" calories that you can get rid of by exercise. Surely noone could actually think that apples make you gain more weight than bacon :huh: ?
Not laughing at you Romy, but your remarks about muffins made me laugh. I once heard muffins described as a word invented to justify eating cake for breakfast. I don't know how anyone could ever think they were a healthy option - muffins are cake.

As for Atkins, I don't know how anyone can trust a diet that lets you eat pork scratchings but minimises your broccoli intake.

[Spew Member]

I know this thread seems to be about obesity in America but this is on the increase in the UK too. The medical profession is beginning to take this very seriously over here in the UK and will suggest seeing a dietician if you are obese regardless of whether that was what you went to see the local doctor about. Fast food joints are being told by law to include health alternatives or they may loose there license and school meals are being looked into and about time if you ask me because they are awful.

The UK government is thinking about adding a tax onto unhealthy foods which is a step in the right direction but I also think that there should be a cut in the prices of health food alternatives too. Perhaps a good move would be to tax bad foods and use that tax to bring down the price of healthy foods, this might work in an ideal world but where not living in one I am afraid.

Why did nature make all the good tasting food so bad for us?


At least they are trying to do something about it. Here in the US they are pretty much ignoring the problem. Sure McDonalds got rid of their supersize menu (only after the movie Supersize Me came out) but besides that all the government is doing is saying, "we need to do something about obesity." :rolleyes: Actions speak louder than words.

Kirsten Now I feel silly, because I never looked at muffins as cakes before. :lol: You're right!

[rotsiepots]

Baked sweet muffins definitely resemble cakes, but what about English muffins, or savoury muffins? I think muffins are technically defined as a "quick bread" -- what you put in them, and how closely they resemble cake is up to the chef.

[MagicalMaeve]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

And the UK. It's getting worse

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

Personal responsibility. The propsed fat tax in the UK really winds me up..why should I have to pay more tax for a packet of biscuits.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

Child abuse. they have to learn to say no. And before anyone jumps down my throat and says but kids are 'so demanding'; Yes I have two children..one of whom is like Max Wilde (UK posters will get this!) and the other is like a biscuit monster but I have to endure the tantrums and say no.It's not easy but it's right.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese? Impossible to legislate for.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think? Hard to say but roughlly about ten.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

And the UK..doubt it.Ingrained habits and all that.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?

Yes. I walk my daughter to nursery a few times a week.It's a two mile walk each way and I pop her in the pushchair and walk myself. Today one of the other parents, a very nice chap who lives close to me offered me a lift home and I declined. He was baffled and couldn't understand why I would choose a twenty minute walk through glorious English countryside in the autumn sunshine over a two minute ride in an air conditioned BMW. This dependence on the car is one of the reasons we are getting lazy....

(Of course I did mention to him that when the weather turns I may be more ameanable to a lift..I'm not perfect after all :eyebrows: )

[Nickel]

Sorry these are from a few posts back but my computer wasn't allowing me to post when I tried to so I gave up and just went back to lurking.

I park my car in the middle of nowhere in the lot so some toss spot doesn't ding it. :rotfl: Or how about people who drive to the gym? :rolleyes: Especially people who live within close proximity to a gym. Jog to the gym, work out a bit, jog back.

I can't walk/jog to the gym, it's just too far. When I get there i park wherever i find a spot, none of that driving around nonsense. But I absolutely love watching people park in the FIRE LANE, so that they don't have to walk to far to get into the gym. Give me a break.


Last night my mom and I got french onion soup for dinner at a restaurant. You know, it's almost like they act offended if you don't order more food, and it's a waste of time for them to serve you. It's so rude. I'm sure they'd rather have some money spent in their restaurant than none at all. Not everyone wants a giant 3 lb burger with fries and a shake you know? Respect the customer and their selection of eating habits, don't try to push off every item on the menu on the table.

Whenever I go out to breakfast I will just order oatmeal, you would think I had just commited some sort of federal offense with the way that servers act. Since when did it become normal for people to start feasting for every meal? To me, eating eggs and bacon and sausage and pancakes is not normal, it's way too much. I eat a lot on Christmas, and Thanksgiving-but some people have Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas splurges for every meal of the day.

This I can actually explain, as I unfortunately have the joy of being a server (thank god for graduation in May). More or less the problem for the server is the less you order the smaller the bill is and therefore smaller the tip is. I would honestly rather wait on a table that gets soups, salads, dinners, and desserts, rather than a table that just came in for coffee because unfortunately the hourly rate for a server is $2.83. There are a few regular customers I have that just come in and grab something quick, but still leave a good tip, so I'm not implying that you were only leaving them a shiny quarter, but that was their initial impression.

[~Tonks~]

This I can actually explain, as I unfortunately have the joy of being a server (thank god for graduation in May). More or less the problem for the server is the less you order the smaller the bill is and therefore smaller the tip is. I would honestly rather wait on a table that gets soups, salads, dinners, and desserts, rather than a table that just came in for coffee because unfortunately the hourly rate for a server is $2.83. There are a few regular customers I have that just come in and grab something quick, but still leave a good tip, so I'm not implying that you were only leaving them a shiny quarter, but that was their initial impression.

Where the heck do you live, cheapskateville? That's ludicrous, I'm sorry to hear that. I've never been a server but I've had friends who have been servers and they got paid minimum wage plus tips, and minimum wage at the time was $6.25. Here where I am now in Washington I think it's $7.15.

Regardless of what I order I always leave at least a $2.00 tip. I think the highest I've ever tipped one person is $15.00.

Still it doesn't matter. When two people sit down in a restaurant and order an appetizer, two drinks, and two bowls of soup, all of which total $25, you don't try to force them to order more food. I'm not taking this out on you so please understand that, and it's a shame people don't tip well regardless of what they order, and it's also kind of stupid for someone to go into a sit down dining restaurant and just order a cup of coffee (go to starbucks!) but I hate it when people try to push more food off on me. It leads to wastefulness, it hurts my budget, and it's not good to cram that much in.

[Ana-Magus]

Where the heck do you live, cheapskateville? That's ludicrous, I'm sorry to hear that. I've never been a server but I've had friends who have been servers and they got paid minimum wage plus tips, and minimum wage at the time was $6.25. Here where I am now in Washington I think it's $7.15.

Generally, jobs that include tips are paid below minimum wage. If you can find a job that pays minimum wage PLUS tips - you got lucky!

Here's the thing. Servers are still taxed for minimum wage, eventhough they aren't paid that much. So you have to subtract the servers payrate from the minimum wage rate and multiply that by the number of hours worked. Servers have to make at least that much in tips to cover themselves. Anything above and beyond that is the actual tip. I hope that made sense...

It's to the servers advantage to push a little to make more money.

[Spew Member]

This I can actually explain, as I unfortunately have the joy of being a server (thank god for graduation in May). More or less the problem for the server is the less you order the smaller the bill is and therefore smaller the tip is. I would honestly rather wait on a table that gets soups, salads, dinners, and desserts, rather than a table that just came in for coffee because unfortunately the hourly rate for a server is $2.83. There are a few regular customers I have that just come in and grab something quick, but still leave a good tip, so I'm not implying that you were only leaving them a shiny quarter, but that was their initial impression.

I know that not everyone does this, but I tip someone strictly based upon the service that I'm provided. (Isn't that what tips are for anyway?) Most of the time, especially since I don't eat out very often, I will tip a waiter well above the 20% cost of my meal. If a server is rude then I'm not going to be giving them a great tip. I don't like to be bothered about what I order, because obviously I want it-I ordered it. I don't like waiters to try and persuade me to eat more food. We eat enough food here, and most people go out several times a week. The portion sizes in America are already ridiculous, we don't need to be adding french fries and salad and potato salad and all that comes with it to our meals as well.

[Ana-Magus]

I know that not everyone does this, but I tip someone strictly based upon the service that I'm provided. (Isn't that what tips are for anyway?) Most of the time, especially since I don't eat out very often, I will tip a waiter well above the 20% cost of my meal. If a server is rude then I'm not going to be giving them a great tip. I don't like to be bothered about what I order, because obviously I want it-I ordered it. I don't like waiters to try and persuade me to eat more food. We eat enough food here, and most people go out several times a week. The portion sizes in America are already ridiculous, we don't need to be adding french fries and salad and potato salad and all that comes with it to our meals as well.

I never tip based on the level of service, unless it increases the tip amount. I never "punish" the server. This is why:

In my job, I get paid the same whether I'm polite and productive or not. If I have an off day (for whatever reason) and I don't perform to the best of my ability, my payrate doesn't decrease.

A server should not be punished monetarily (see my previous post for the reason why). If you receive bad service, there are other ways to get your point across. Fill out a comment card, or speak to a manager.

[MagicalMaeve]

Do you have a fixed minimum wage in the US?

What really annoys me is that our minimum wage is related to age and I work with some great sixteen year olds who get paid less than some over eighteens. In my opinion you shoukd get paid fpr the job you do not the age you are.

[Ana-Magus]

Do you have a fixed minimum wage in the US?

What really annoys me is that our minimum wage is related to age and I work with some great sixteen year olds who get paid less than some over eighteens. In my opinion you shoukd get paid fpr the job you do not the age you are.


This is totally getting off topic, but here is a site that will answer your questions:

Minimum Wage Rates in America (http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm)

To give you a quick answer... The Federal Government has a set minimum wage ($5.15 right now) and each of the 50 states (+ Territories) can either use that rate, establish their own rate or not have one at all.

Wages are never based on age in the US.

[MagicalMaeve]

I know we are drifiting off topic here and maybe this is the subject of a different thread but our wage laws really annoy me.

The minumum wage for sixteen year olds here is £3 (approx $5). this really annoys me because I don't belive it should be anything to do with age. Because of the hours I work I mainly work with sixteen to eighteen year olds and their pay just bugs me because I would far rather work with them than the older memeber of our 'team'. The pay laws in this country automatically assumes they will be achieve a worse performance than their 'of age' counterparts.

Just to stay in topic I don't work with any overweight teens....obesity is not a problem. :cool:

[Amadeus]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It is pretty serious. McD, TV, and cars are to blame.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
People should just get up and move their... butt. People take cars to anywhere that takes more than 5 minutes to walk, and I think that is a serious problem. Another reason is the lack of public transportation, forcing people to use cars to get everywhere. If public transportation were more widely available, people would walk to stations, etc. since it would obviously cost them less money. I think that many people barely walk even 10 minutes per day, unless they put the effort in to be involved in some kind of sports, exercise, etc. Another would be the fast food. I do understand it's cheap and tastes good. I too love junk food and fast food. It is OK if it is a once-a-while thing, but if fast food, especially if it is super sized, becomes a daily meal, then there's a problem. Another reason: Cable TV/Internet. When I was in elementary school (which is not too long ago, compared to other members at this forum), internet wasn't really a huge thing, and kids were more active. Nowadays, it's just video games and TVs.
Promoting better nutrition doesn't really do much. I have had to listen to numerous hours of how much servings of carb, protein, etc. you need per day, but it never had any sort of effect on me.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
That is child abuse in my opinion. Most children who are obese, have parents who are also obese. It is the environment at home that encourages eating junk food, and not exercise. Parents who leave their kids to become obese at such a young age do not care about their children as much as they are supposed to.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I really have no clue, since most parents who have kids who are obese, are also obese.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
You can't guard the children 24/7. Parents should set an example as for what to eat, and what to cotrol though. Also, they should not stock their entire pantry & fridge with junk food.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
Noo... Unless some sort of magic diet pill is invented with no side effects, etc. America won't improve much.

[Nickel]

Spew Member and ~Tonks~, that wasn't directed at you, it was more of a sweeping general observation. I don't always order a ton of food when I go out, but I always tip well, because I know what it's like and alot of people (again not you) don't realize that. Plus there are times that you get a better tip off people with smaller checks. I was just attempting to explain why some servers are snotty when you don't order a ton. More or less I try to be pleasant either way, because that's the only way I've found to make a consistent profit.

And the server minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $2.83. Which is really sad.

[Sineed]

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
That is child abuse in my opinion. Most children who are obese, have parents who are also obese. It is the environment at home that encourages eating junk food, and not exercise. Parents who leave their kids to become obese at such a young age do not care about their children as much as they are supposed to.

I see kids in the park, running around and playing happily, and then a mom calls to her child and gives him food. Some of these kids are so fat they have breasts at age 5 or so. Then the kid goes back to playing happily, and the mom again calls the kid over to feed him some more. I have seen this repeated many times over years of taking my kids to parks. Some parents have a need to pathologically overfeed their kids. It's their way of showing love, or something. Anyway, I think it's a little strong to call it child abuse, but these parents definitely have some sort of psychological problem, and their kids will pay for it their whole lives.

I have a relative who did this. As a result, her daughter, my cousin, struggles with a significant weight problem as an adult.

[Spew Member]

Spew Member and ~Tonks~, that wasn't directed at you, it was more of a sweeping general observation. I don't always order a ton of food when I go out, but I always tip well, because I know what it's like and alot of people (again not you) don't realize that. Plus there are times that you get a better tip off people with smaller checks. I was just attempting to explain why some servers are snotty when you don't order a ton. More or less I try to be pleasant either way, because that's the only way I've found to make a consistent profit.

And the server minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $2.83. Which is really sad.

That's okay Nickel. :) I understand what you're saying. Food service is not an easy job and I had no idea that servers were paid so poorly. It doesn't seem right to pay them below minimum wage.

I also want to make it clear that I don't go around punishing waiters all of the time, I was just saying that I don't tip a waiter based on how much food I order, because I never order a lot of food and I think that they should get a good tip regardless of how much I order.

Getting back to topic, Americans don't think they are getting their money worth unless they get a lot of food when they go out to eat. I've heard that the portion size for pasta should be the size of a deck of cards. Can you imagine what people would say if a server brought out a plate of pasta that was the size of a deck of cards? People would riot. It's not just the serving size that is the problem, with your pasta you get unlimited amounts of bread and salad and soda. It's too much, but I don't see that really changing any time soon.

[morgiana]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
FAT is still a bad word. There are a lot of FAT adults and kids in USA. It is so out of control it is almost the norm.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
Lots of people eat to soothe their emotions. Closing fast food won't help, limit portions - buy 2, promoting nutrition starting in pre-school maybe.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
As a child you are a victim of your mom's food choices. A mother who allows her child to become obese has problems of her own.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Nutrition classes, therapy, medical check up to see if metabolic problem for child.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
No! How can you police your child all the time? A candy bar , a burger and fries or ice cream is not the real problem.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
We are a very hedonistic society. FOOD is easy to come by and we love to eat. We also go on crazy diets and lose lots of weight. We look great, we feel great and 1 hot fudge sundae won't hurt. NO we will never slim down in this generation.

[rotsiepots]

I've heard that the portion size for pasta should be the size of a deck of cards. Can you imagine what people would say if a server brought out a plate of pasta that was the size of a deck of cards? People would riot. It's not just the serving size that is the problem, with your pasta you get unlimited amounts of bread and salad and soda. It's too much, but I don't see that really changing any time soon.
It's actually the serving size of meat that is supposed to be roughly the size of a deck of cards, not pasta. Eating an enormous serving of noodles isn't anywhere near as problematic as eating 1kg+ of meat.

[Kobila]

It doesnt seem fair to blame the restaurants for over eating americans. You dont have to eat the bread or have that third refill on soda. I work at a grocery store that caters to poeple who dont eat persevatives or fattie foods, so I would just like to say not all americans have no impulse control:) some actually eat pretty healthy. I think were all over weight because we have so many new high tech devices that make it unncessary for us to get up and move..

[Spew Member]

It's actually the serving size of meat that is supposed to be roughly the size of a deck of cards, not pasta. Eating an enormous serving of noodles isn't anywhere near as problematic as eating 1kg+ of meat.

I stand corrected! Thanks Rotsiepots. :)

It doesnt seem fair to blame the restaurants for over eating americans. You dont have to eat the bread or have that third refill on soda. I work at a grocery store that caters to poeple who dont eat persevatives or fattie foods, so I would just like to say not all americans have no impulse control some actually eat pretty healthy. I think were all over weight because we have so many new high tech devices that make it unncessary for us to get up and move..

Some Americans do have impulse control, but obviously a lot of them don't. If they did then we wouldn't have a problem (the only thing that causes more deaths than obesity is smoking.) I believe you're right when you say that new high tech devices make us lazy-

Here is a thread on exactly what you are talking about:
http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=34851&highlight=is+technology+making+us+lazy+antisocial

but I also think that restaurants need to begin to monitor their portion sizes and have the nutritional information on the menus. Even if they did do this most people probably wouldn't care, but at least they would know what they are eating.

[hermione525]

Thank you so much for bringing this topic up and not feeling guilty or embarrassed to leave any details out. it's a factor that plays into all of lives and should not be overlooked.


1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America? i think it is a big problem and when i look in the halls at school and see all the obese people, it hurts me and i wonder what happend....obesity is both and inherited problem and a self-consious one. most people either eat for nutrition, or to hide from problems and they don't ever realize that they're doing it. Nobody can force anyone to do anything, but i garuntee you that if you were to ask someone obese if they would like to shed some pounds they'd be all over it. Society today is sort of brain-washing us. all we see on t.v. are weight loss suplements, extreme make-overs, apperance is everything shows, and i heard once that someone looking in a magazine for even 10 minutes increases self-consiousness and depression. obesity is something that cannot be overlooked. america is becomming one of the fattest countries in the world.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)? no i don't, it may make a very small dent but if people want to eat something bad enough they will find a way. so what if there are no snack machines in school, kids will bring it from home. smaller portions....well people will just order more and so on an so forth. they only thing i know of that will help is that person themselves. if they want the weight gone it will be gone, even if it so bad they have to resort to medical procedures.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese? i think it is sick, but at the same time makes perfect since. mothers today are in the work field and don't have as much time to focus on good healthy meals. they themselves probably don't even notice what is happening.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese? the parent or mother should attend nutrition classes with the child and form some type of plan. otherwise, i really don't know what to do.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think? yes; till they are old enough to know how to cook over a stove, probably around age 8.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?' eventually, maybe not in my lifetime.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general? no.

[Romy]

Not laughing at you Romy, but your remarks about muffins made me laugh. I once heard muffins described as a word invented to justify eating cake for breakfast. I don't know how anyone could ever think they were a healthy option - muffins are cake. :D Even though they are unhealthy I never thought they´d have that many calories :blush: . But then again a liter of milk has about 650 calories as well. The world´s a frightening place :scared: .

Edit: Mmmmmhh, cake for breakfast.... :drool:

[LuvHP_001]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
I think obesity in any country is just sad.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)? I don't know but we can only hope. It would only work if they completely closed it instead of reducing the portion sizes because old habit don't die.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
It's terrible! They should take care of their children and letting them become obsese and eat anything they wan't isn't doing that.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I don't know what can be DONE but they should really stop it!

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
I think until 18 is a appropriate age but a parent should never stop caring and helping. They shouldn't however restrict the child from being vegatarian ect.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
Will any country ever slim down? As long as McDonalds,KFC ect. is running,it won't.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
I think people should just take care of themselves and help those who need help in doing that.

[Kaonashi]

One thing I've noticed is that if a fat person is trying to work out to lose some weight (like jogging, at a health club, etc) thin people don't hesitate to make fun of them. Oh, tht's nice, talking about fat people but at the same time making jokes about them or saying completely negative things while they are trying to work out!

[LuvHP_001]

One thing I've noticed is that if a fat person is trying to work out to lose some weight (like jogging, at a health club, etc) thin people don't hesitate to make fun of them. Oh, tht's nice, talking about fat people but at the same time making jokes about them or saying completely negative things while they are trying to work out!

Oh yes,that's just wrong and mean! Dang those people!! :upset: :upset:

[Taleeya]

[b]5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
I think until 18 is a appropriate age but a parent should never stop caring and helping. They shouldn't however restrict the child from being vegatarian ect.

How can parents be responsible for what a teenager does? Especially if they are say, 16 years old and have a job and a driver's license? In high school I ate EVERYDAY from the school vending machine: 1 bag of chips, 1 chocolate bar and about 2 litres of coke. Not to mention the chicken strips or hamburgers I got at the cafeteria. And that was before I got a job.

[Romy]

How can parents be responsible for what a teenager does? Especially if they are say, 16 years old and have a job and a driver's license? In high school I ate EVERYDAY from the school vending machine: 1 bag of chips, 1 chocolate bar and about 2 litres of coke. Not to mention the chicken strips or hamburgers I got at the cafeteria. And that was before I got a job.Parents can be held responsible in a way since what a person eats as a teenager does have to do with what he ate as a child. Teenagers are probably more likely to eat and drink large amounts of junk food if that is what they are used to. However, I think the main responsibility in that respect lies with the school. I remember we wanted a coke machine in my German school and didn´t get one. Our school only sold juice and milk in our cafeteria. I think it´s a pity that vending machines hardly contain anything healthy. Of course people are more likely to eat pizza, french fries and drink coke if that is available and perhaps an cheap alternative to healthy food. In my American high school the queues before the pizza and burger stands were ten times longer than the ones in front of the healthy food. I remember not having to queue up at all for getting salad.

[Spew Member]

Parents can be held responsible in a way since what a person eats as a teenager does have to do with what he ate as a child. Teenagers are probably more likely to eat and drink large amounts of junk food if that is what they are used to.

This isn't always true. My Mom and my Step-dad are vegans and we grew up on healthy food. When my younger brother got his drivers license and started going to high school he would eat fast food and 2 liters of soda every day. My Mom tried to get him to eat healthy but she couldn't really monitor the food he ate when he left the house, he had his own job and made his own money so he paid for everything on his own. It wasn't until he met his wife (who happened to also be a vegan) that she cracked the whip and curbed my brothers fast food habits. I think it's true that if you are never introduced to a certain kind of food (no one in my family likes eggplant :sad: ) then you probably won't like it later-but I don't think I've ever met anyone that doesn't enjoy french fries and greasy food, so of course most (not all) teenagers would prefer fast food to healthy meals.

However, I think the main responsibility in that respect lies with the school. I remember we wanted a coke machine in my German school and didn´t get one. Our school only sold juice and milk in our cafeteria. I think it´s a pity that vending machines hardly contain anything healthy. Of course people are more likely to eat pizza, french fries and drink coke if that is available and perhaps an cheap alternative to healthy food. In my American high school the queues before the pizza and burger stands were ten times longer than the ones in front of the healthy food. I remember not having to queue up at all for getting salad.

They need to put healthy food in schools, and they need to teach children how to eat healthy. Unfortunately no one gives the schools money so that they can teach children about good health.
Instead we have the meat and dairy industry (and now the Atkins company) teaching children how to eat right, what a joke. We might as well go out to the playground and start handing children packs of cigarettes to go with their meals.

[Romy]

This isn't always true.No, of course not. It involves a choice, so naturally, it can´t be valid for all cases. But what you eat as a child really determines to a certain point what you like to eat later in life. But then your culture influences you, as well. If your primary school already serves you french fries and you eat them every day because everyone else does, there is little your parents can do about it. Unless, give you a lunch bag instead of lunch money.

[Wab]

Will any country ever slim down? As long as McDonalds,KFC ect. is running,it won't.


The dangers of a fat-saturated diet are well-known so anyone who falls foul has only themselves (or their parents if they are kids) to blame.

[Spew Member]

I thought some of you might find this interesting:

The government released a report done by The National Center for Health Statistics on Wednesday, it said that American adults on the average are nearly 25 pounds heavier than they were in the 1960's. It stated that in 1960 the average man weighed 166.3 pounds, by 1999-2002 the average man is at 191. Women rose from 140.2 to 164.3, and the average 10 year old weighed 11 pounds more than they did 40 years ago. They were particularly worried about the future of children who are already bordering the obesity line. The average BMI for adults ages 20-74 has increased from 25-28. A BMI of 25 and up is considered overweight, and anything above 30 would be considered obese. They also noted (although it's been said before) that obesity is threatening to overtake tobacco use as the leading preventable cause of death. Which makes me think that our government needs to be a little more pro-active and begin to do something about it. :grumble:

[Wab]

Which makes me think that our government needs to be a little more pro-active and begin to do something about it. :grumble:

Makes me think some people should get of their fat butts and do something about it.

[Cuthbert]

No kidding, why is it that things are always up to the government? I don't understand why people feel this way. Everything starts in the family and that includes good eating habits.

[Kaonashi]

Well, for one thing they can STOP cutting PE in elementary school. That would help. As I mentioned before, when I was in school, we had PE every day, and that was on top of recess. These days the children are lucky if they get PE once a week.

[Cuthbert]

True to that, although I don't think it will solve all of obesity, it sure might help though. The other problem is that some doctors are too quick to write out PE releases when asked. So many kids try to get out not because of medical problems, but because they are lazy.

[Barney]

One thing I've noticed is that if a fat person is trying to work out to lose some weight (like jogging, at a health club, etc) thin people don't hesitate to make fun of them. Oh, tht's nice, talking about fat people but at the same time making jokes about them or saying completely negative things while they are trying to work out!

That is terrible!!! :upset: Doesn't happen at the gym I go to!
The best thing i did to help me keep trim was buy a puppy! He tends to eat our house if we don't take him for lots of walks!

[Spew Member]

No kidding, why is it that things are always up to the government? I don't understand why people feel this way. Everything starts in the family and that includes good eating habits.


It's true that good eating habits start in the family, but at the same time if the country is seeing a trend in people dying because of a very specific problem I think it's their responsibility to educate people and help them become more aware of it. (I.E., smoking cigarettes.) Parents don't have control over their children when they walk out of the door, the state does. The state shouldn't provide them with soda machines and unhealthy school food and then at the same time take away the PE programs. The schools should also educate children on how to make healthy choices, because if they don't learn it from their parents and they don't learn it at school then they will never learn. Every other country except America has put restrictions on advertising food to children. We need to follow that example and stop putting popular children's characters on food packages and stop having commercials advertising food to children. Right now the government isn't doing anything to help children even though there have been numerous studies showing that children can't decipher the difference between persuasive advertising and the truth. We have all of these laws protecting minors because we don't think they are always capable of making the best decisions, and yet we let them decide what they are going to eat at schools? Of course a kid is going to pick fries over an apple. They aren't going to care about how healthy it is. The government should also have restaurants place the nutritional information on the menu. At least the information is there if an adult wants to see it. Now no one has any idea what the nutritional value of their restaurant food is. I'm not saying it's the governments fault for people becoming obese, I am saying that there are a lot of little things they can do to help the problem. It's the governments job to regulate, I really doubt that restaurants will start fixing their menus and that schools will start serving better food on their own and that's where the government comes into play.

That is terrible!!! :upset: Doesn't happen at the gym I go to!
The best thing i did to help me keep trim was buy a puppy! He tends to eat our house if we don't take him for lots of walks!

Now there's an idea! We should all have to go buy puppies. :lol:

[Cuthbert]

It's true that good eating habits start in the family, but at the same time if the country is seeing a trend in people dying because of a very specific problem I think it's their responsibility to educate people and help them become more aware of it. (I.E., smoking cigarettes.)

I totally agree. I'm just tired of our children not being educated by their parents. It's really sad what the breakdown of the family (here in america at least) has resulted in.

[Romy]

I totally agree. I'm just tired of our children not being educated by their parents. It's really sad what the breakdown of the family (here in america at least) has resulted in.But isn´t it so that most obese children come from a family in which most people have the same problem? Parents can´t teach their children things which they might not know themselves very well. So education in school would be the next step to take. Also, parents trying to tell children that sweets are unhealthy might be seen by the child as "nagging" whereas most primary school children believe that they learn important things in school.

[maryfinn]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

I think that obesity is a problem, however, i don't think that it is going to do anyone any good by freaking out about it.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
I really don't understand what the big deal is, obesity is bad for you, obviously, so is smoking, so is using drugs, so are a number of things. It is GOOD to be a healthy weight, but i don't think there is any need for public programs to be put into place. Even if you aren't educated, it's not very hard to make the connection between certain foods and weight gain. If people want to be able to rest easy at night, knowing that they're saving children from becoming morbidly obese, then let them institute some stupid program in our schools. The truth is, children know, they just don't care. If watching TV is one of the main factors of obesity, then children watching TV 12 hours a day, know what is good food, and what is junk food. But you see, junk food just tastes so much better.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
It depends. Young children should be taught about good nutrition at any early age, moderation, that sort of thing. But at a certain point you need to let go and let your kid make their own decisions. Parents shouldn't have to tell their fifteen year old what to eat.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Nothing.
5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Obviously when your kid is a baby, and maybe to some extent until their about 8, then i'd say their old enough to make most of their choices.
6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
Eh, probably not.
7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
I think people need to chill out. Its not going to be obesity that kills off all the Americans okay, its going to be nucleur winter or something like that. Obesity is not a good thing, obviously, and its worth some thought to prevent it. But i think there is too much media coverage of this "epidemic". Put less focus on this, relatively small problem and onto other problems in our society and lives.

[Maestoso47]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It's a huge problem and it's ramifications lead to more risk for disease and shortened life spans.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)? Quantity is the biggest factor I would say. But it's not the only thing that should be taken into consideration. I believe that food in the US can be fresh and nutritious, but the problem is that it's much more cheaper to make processed foods, ie canned food, instant macaroni, already prepackaged items. The lack of fresh food: bread, veggies, even meat is a damaging propenent of why people are gaining weight. The amount of hydrogenated fat in any processed item is ludicrous. With all these additional preservatives and modified substances added, it's no wonder that we are getting more serious health conditions. Another huge factor is the limitations on getting exercise. Unlike most of the world, America is vastly spaced between residential areas and business districts. Most people hardly have a chance to walk to where they want to go, then they have of getting scheduled exercise into their schedules. The major cause is practicality over health. What's more practical is taking your car out and driving to places, which seems to be the common mentality of most Americans, it's too much of a hassle to walk anywhere because locals are far away. Also, the amount of time spent outside the home is progressively increasing as more people choose to work long hours in order to make adequate incomes. This all cuts down on time for people to MAKE time to exercise. If there was public transportation, I believe it could help reduce car travel...but in rural areas of America, public transport is incredibly expensive and not worth the trouble of building because the population level is so low. If you go to college campuses, you'll see more walking than anywhere else in the country, due to forced limitations on accessibilities to cars.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I believe that it has to be partly the mother's fault and partly society's image of raising children today. If you see other mothers giving "yummy" food to their children, you're more likely to do the same. It's not only the mother's role, but also society in general that promotes giving kids what they want to eat.
4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Nothing can be done, it's the individual that has the most power in feeding their children...but government can play a role in changing the mindset of parents and kids.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Yes, parents should be held responsible when the children are young in order to teach nutritional values and instill making healthy decisions, not only in what they eat but how they lead their lives. This is in hopes of keeping the values as they grow up.
After a certain age, kids will have more accessibility to junk food, this is when government should step in and make sure that nutritional food is being offered. Measures in getting rid of more appealing, unhealthy food plus changing the image of the healthy food should be taken and targeted to younger children and enforced as they grow up.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
Maybe, but it's all in terms of being bette informed and making room for exercise.

[Spew Member]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

I think that obesity is a problem, however, i don't think that it is going to do anyone any good by freaking out about it. So should we just ignore it?

I really don't understand what the big deal is, obesity is bad for you, obviously, so is smoking, so is using drugs, so are a number of things. It is GOOD to be a healthy weight, but i don't think there is any need for public programs to be put into place. Even if you aren't educated, it's not very hard to make the connection between certain foods and weight gain. If people want to be able to rest easy at night, knowing that they're saving children from becoming morbidly obese, then let them institute some stupid program in our schools. The truth is, children know, they just don't care. If watching TV is one of the main factors of obesity, then children watching TV 12 hours a day, know what is good food, and what is junk food. But you see, junk food just tastes so much better. Of course children don't care. If you give a child the choice between a cookie and a carrot he's going to pick the cookie. That's exactly the reason why we should be promoting healthy choices to children. Children don't always know what's good for them, that's why we have laws that protect kids from things like signing a legal document, and dating someone who is the correct age, alcohol and cigarettes. As far as the "stupid programs in our school" go, I'm just wondering how you think people are supposed to ever learn about nutrition? If they don't learn it in school and they don't learn it at home then they'll never learn about it.


I think people need to chill out. Its not going to be obesity that kills off all the Americans okay, its going to be nucleur winter or something like that. Obesity is not a good thing, obviously, and its worth some thought to prevent it. But i think there is too much media coverage of this "epidemic". Put less focus on this, relatively small problem and onto other problems in our society and lives.
Obesity is killing Americans. One out of five children are overweight, and the amount of kids getting type 2 diabetes is growing at a scary rate. Obesity is only topped by cigarettes with the amount of people that it kills. I can assure you that the chances of someone dying because of a nuclear winter are a lot slimer than the chances of someone dying due to an illness caused by obesity. If you look at the statistics linked with obesity you will see that this certainly is not a relatively small problem.

[MoodyHarry]

There is a great article in the recent Discover magazine that analyzed the traditional Eskimo diet. An Eskimo diet is full of fat and meat. They eat whale blubber, seal and seal blubber, raw rish, caribou, etc. They have very little fruits and vegetables in their diet. They also, of course, mentioned that the sustanence style of their life requires them to work for their food. i.e. exercise and physical activity.

What was interesting was the discussion on the protein and fat of the diet. The fat that comes from a free-range, wild animal is different in composition and nutrients then the fat in a animal raised for food only. The 'domestic' animal has a hugh amount of saturated and bad fats, whereas the wild animal does not. They also mentioned that fat must be a part of the diet, but good fats. Diets that are high in protein but virtually zero fat result in a person who loses weight, but not the fat itself in their body. It is an unhealthy way to lose weight.

Basically, the additives and pre-processed food that we have access to is making us obese. And the meat that we eat is raised in a way that causes the fat and meat to be bad for us. It's really interesting read.

[Romy]

There is a great article in the recent Discover magazine that analyzed the traditional Eskimo diet. An Eskimo diet is full of fat and meat. They eat whale blubber, seal and seal blubber, raw rish, caribou, etc. They have very little fruits and vegetables in their diet. They also, of course, mentioned that the sustanence style of their life requires them to work for their food. i.e. exercise and physical activity. That might be a traditional diet. They might have had to eat lots of fat to be able to keep their body heat. Also, I´m not quite sure how many sorts of vegetable grow in such a climate....

What was interesting was the discussion on the protein and fat of the diet. The fat that comes from a free-range, wild animal is different in composition and nutrients then the fat in a animal raised for food only. The 'domestic' animal has a hugh amount of saturated and bad fats, whereas the wild animal does not. They also mentioned that fat must be a part of the diet, but good fats. Diets that are high in protein but virtually zero fat result in a person who loses weight, but not the fat itself in their body. It is an unhealthy way to lose weight.Go for olive-oil or other non-animal fat. It´s the good one.

[PhoenixUK]

For those of you who want the statistics, 8 in 10 American over 25's are overweight, broken down into 58,000,000 overweight, 40,000,000 obese and 3,000,000 morbidly obese. 78% of Americans don't get enough exercise and 25% are totally inactive. 25% of children are overweight, more than six times the amount 20 years ago.

Basically, the problems are too much saturated fat in food and overeliance on cars to get places. You wonder why it's refered to as a "fat timebomb".

[Romy]

For those of you who want the statistics, 8 in 10 American over 25's are overweight, broken down into 58,000,000 overweight, 40,000,000 obese and 3,000,000 morbidly obese. 78% of Americans don't get enough exercise and 25% are totally inactive. 25% of children are overweight, more than six times the amount 20 years ago.

Basically, the problems are too much saturated fat in food and overeliance on cars to get places. You wonder why it's refered to as a "fat timebomb".Where did you get those statistics from? I´ve heard two out of three adults would be overweight but 8 out of 10 is even worse. How are things in the rest of the world, though? The problem has gotten worse in Germany lately but is still nothing compared to these statistics.

[Taleeya]

Things are getting fairly bad in Canada, especially since we are so close to the border, and alot of american processed food gets shipped up here. We always make fun of americans being so fat.... but we are slowly getting there ourselves. On a trip to the US a while ago, we went to a buffet, and there were about 20 empty seats all around the restaurant..... this family come in, every one a MINIMUM of 250 lbs. and they actually made the bus boy clear off the tabel RIGHT BESIDE the buffet, so they could be closer to the food. Has anyone seen the Hungry Man breakfast? now THIS (http://www.swansonmeals.com/WebPortals/Default.aspx?tabid=61) is a breakfast! 64 grams of fat, 2,090 milligrams of sodium and 690 mg cholesterol! Yum!!!

[starxgazer]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
I think that there is way to many obese people in America. I think that the reasdon most people are obese is because that is the way they were taught when they were young.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
I think that making portion sizes smaller and excersizing more often will help alot.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I think that it is the parents responsibility to take care of their kids, and if they are too lazy to feed their children properly, then they will be the one having to deal with an obese child.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I think that they should be taking some nutrition class or something.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Yes. I think that they should be responsible for anything their child consumes while he/she is living under their roof.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
I hope so.

[steph_HPfan]

The government will be proposing some plans to pretty much "put America on a diet." They will be asking schools to get rid of soda/pop machines ~ Darling Child

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :upset:



... guess what I'm eating right now! Cookie Dough out of a big plastic tub... that's pretty ironic! :)

[Silk E Smooth]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America? Clearly a major health problem that could easily be prevented.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)? I think the only think that is realistic is having the parents control nutrition portions. Fast food is here to stay but it's the parents choice of how much food like that they want their children eating.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese? My nephew is over weight for his age and I think because he's only 7 it's not see as a problem yet but it is. How he eats now is a reflection of how he will eat throughout his life. He's always being allowed to eat seconds or third and he eats all night long. It's as simple as saying no and no one ever says no to him.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese? Schools could probably send home information from the nurse about all the health factors like diabetes and heart disease and then maybe if it's cramed down their throats, maybe they'll do something about the problem.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think? No matter what age a person is, their parents should always care about their children's health. And likewise for children watching out for their parent's health.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?' The greedier our nation is, the bigger the waists. No, I don't think America will slim down.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general? For future parents, it's so easy to start your kids off right. As a parent, you get to set the example for what being health is and that's also very important.

[rotsiepots]

Basically, the problems are too much saturated fat in food and overeliance on cars to get places. You wonder why it's refered to as a "fat timebomb".
Australia and America, the world's top two fattest countries, were colonised less than 100 years before industrialisation and the majority of their cities were developed after the invention of the car. In some cases, people have no choice but to get in their car to travel from A to B because there aren't viable alternatives because cities are so spread out. Incidentally, Australia is also home to the world's largest city by area.

[Delving]

Obesity is a huge problem in America. (No pun intended). We tend to eat quick, cheap meals, take our cars everywhere instead of walking, and think of exercise as something you may be forced to do every now and then, instead of something to make a regular habit of. I read recently that obesity is now the second leading preventable cause of health problems in America, behind smoking.

I am an American (although I'm living abroad right now), and about a year and a half ago, I got together with some of my friends and we talked about how overweight we all were. Well, we just talked for a while, but then one of my friends went on the Atkins diet, and had a lot of success with it. I followed her lead and went on Atkins, plus started exercising. She ended up losing about 50 lbs, and I lost almost 90 lbs (that's about 40 kilos.) I've been off Atkins for a few months now, and so far haven't put the weight back on, which can be a problem sometimes.

I saw a lot of criticism of Atkins on here, and I'm not saying it's for everyone -- a couple of my other friends tried it, and weren't able to stick to it for more than a few days. But it worked for me. I discussed it with my physician in advance, and we were both basically in agreement -- it was much, much, healthier than having me continue in my obesity.

By the way, I also ate fast food regularly while I was losing weight, but I ate salads without heavy dressings. (Yes, you can eat salads on Atkins -- it's a myth that you have to stay away from vegetables on that diet.) I think that disproves the idea that weight is McDonald's fault -- these days, you have plenty of choices about what you eat, even if you're eating fast food. Like Dumbledore says, the choices you make are what's most important. (By the way, a McDonald's salad in the United States is much cheaper than a McDonalds salad in Finland, where I'm currently living. I don't know how it is in the rest of Europe.)

One other thing I've noticed here is that Finland doesn't have nearly as many reduced fat and reduced sugar products as the United States does, but it also doesn't have as much of an obesity problem. I think the reasons are more exercise and smaller portions. I guess that shows what the best long-term answers are to the weight situation, and the best way for me to keep my weight off. (I was delighted with Atkins to help me lose weight, but even I would admit it's not the best permanent lifestyle.)

If you have a weight problem (wherever you live) keep plugging away at it -- it took me a few false starts before I found the plan that worked best for me.

[Wab]

Australia and America, the world's top two fattest countries, were colonised less than 100 years before industrialisation and the majority of their cities were developed after the invention of the car.

All of Australia's major cities (with the exception of Canberra) were settled and established before the invention of the car and all (including Canberaa) beofre it was widely adopted.

The public transport woes are due to a lack of interest by post-war governments.

Incidentally, Australia is also home to the world's largest city by area.

Mt Isa's size is somewhat mythical as most of the population is in the town area while the bulk is mining territory.

[Romy]

Australia and America, the world's top two fattest countries, were colonised less than 100 years before industrialisation and the majority of their cities were developed after the invention of the car. In some cases, people have no choice but to get in their car to travel from A to B because there aren't viable alternatives because cities are so spread out. Incidentally, Australia is also home to the world's largest city by area.Perhaps use bikes or walking within the citiy. In most countries you have to rely on cars to get you from one city to another. I think the problem is more that some people use their cars to get their own postbox. Once the world invents Enterprise-like beaming there will be no hope left it seems. People wouldn´t even need to move their foot on the eccelarator and the break anymore.

[Spew Member]

Perhaps use bikes or walking within the citiy. In most countries you have to rely on cars to get you from one city to another. I think the problem is more that some people use their cars to get their own postbox. Once the world invents Enterprise-like beaming there will be no hope left it seems. People wouldn´t even need to move their foot on the eccelarator and the break anymore.

In Supersize Me, they talked about how people are slimmer in cities that have better public transportation. We had some friends visit from England and they were shocked with my brother because he took them to a shopping complex and then tried to drive them across the street to go to another store. It's amazing how much we rely on cars here, and how we will spend forever trying to find a good parking space when we could just park in the back and walk.
I wish the public transportation here was better because you pretty much need a car to get around. If you do decide to take the bus, the times that they pick you up are never reliable, and you have to give yourself at least an extra hour to get to your location. My friend in LA would give himself three hours to get to work, because you never knew what the traffic would be like or if the buses are running late. It amazes me that a city like LA that has such a big traffic problem isn't doing more about it.

[Romy]

Don´t the big cities have underground transportation or streetcars like all major cities in Europe?

[Kirsten]

Not all major European cities have underground trains - Edinburgh doesn't, Manchester doesn't, Birmingham doesn't. I think Manchester has a light railway, and does it have trams? Edinburgh is supposed to be getting trams, even though all that's needed is better buses and more trains to the Borders.

[nerdypants]

I think obesity is a problem in the U.S. I'm actually obese (but just barely over the mark between obese and just overwieght). I'm actually doing something about it, though. I go to the gym, and I try to eat less fattening foods. (P.S. If you want to get your diet motivated, watch the documentery Supersize Me) But I know there are people out there who are worse off than I am. Here's what I have to say to them:

1. It is YOUR fault, not McDonald's, you don't have to eat there
2. Stop complaining and EXERCISE

But it's really such a problem. In my hometown, a man who used to weigh 1,000 pounds has lost about 250 pounds, and hopes to get down to 250 in the end. It will cost him about $20,000. That's ridiculous. I don't see why people let themselves get like that. It must have something to do with self-esteem. It can't all be thyroid problems.

Oh, and good news! I have good cholesterol! My levels are actually about 20 points lower than what's normal for my age group! Plus, that encounter with the scary blood-test needle got me 10 points extra credit in my anatomy class!

[Romy]

Not all major European cities have underground trains - Edinburgh doesn't, Manchester doesn't, Birmingham doesn't. I think Manchester has a light railway, and does it have trams? Edinburgh is supposed to be getting trams, even though all that's needed is better buses and more trains to the Borders.But the ones that don´t have undergrounds do have some other kind of half-way reliable transportation, I think. I´m not sure about the size of the population of the British cities you mentioned but perhaps they are "small" enough to make a bus system work properly. Obviously, in capital cities like Paris or London you do need undergrounds simply due to the mass of people to transport. I think you mentioned that you don´t have a car somewhere on the Forums, so I guess there must be some form of good public transportation in Edinburgh. I live in a 270.000 inhabitants city (roughly) and you can actually walk almost anywhere. I walk to uni, I walk to the city centre, I walk to the pubs, I walk to my friends´s houses, I walk home. Otherwise I use my bike (rumour says we have more than half a million bikes here- we´re the German bike-capital). Very few people here use a car. My point was therefore more to establish good public transportation in general, not necessarily undergrounds.

[Spew Member]

Don´t the big cities have underground transportation or streetcars like all major cities in Europe?

They have a subway in New York and San Francisco has the BART which is a lot like the tube in London, but in LA they don't have anything except buses and the metrolink. It's not very effective like the NY and SF systems because the metrolink in LA just goes in a straight line and the stops are very limited. You have to drive to get to the stations and drive from the closest drop off, while in other places the subways go all over the place.

Oh, and good news! I have good cholesterol! My levels are actually about 20 points lower than what's normal for my age group! Plus, that encounter with the scary blood-test needle got me 10 points extra credit in my anatomy class!
That's great!

I live in a 270.000 inhabitants city (roughly) and you can actually walk almost anywhere. I walk to uni, I walk to the city centre, I walk to the pubs, I walk to my friends´s houses, I walk home. Otherwise I use my bike (rumour says we have more than half a million bikes here- we´re the German bike-capital). Very few people here use a car. My point was therefore more to establish good public transportation in general, not necessarily undergrounds.

:lol: My sister in law was just talking to me about how many bikes there were when she stayed in Germany. She said she did a lot of walking and bike riding, but she liked it. It was good exercise.

[rotsiepots]

All of Australia's major cities (with the exception of Canberra) were settled and established before the invention of the car and all (including Canberaa) beofre it was widely adopted.

The public transport woes are due to a lack of interest by post-war governments.
I think you misunderstand my use of the term 'developed'. I don't necessarily mean established, but simply that the bulk of their populations (perhaps with the exception of Sydney) arrived after 1886; one of the official dates touted for the invention of the car.

Perhaps use bikes or walking within the citiy. In most countries you have to rely on cars to get you from one city to another. I think the problem is more that some people use their cars to get their own postbox. Once the world invents Enterprise-like beaming there will be no hope left it seems. People wouldn´t even need to move their foot on the eccelarator and the break anymore.
In some cases it's physically impossible to walk a distance that would take 10 minutes to drive. I can't even walk to my local shopping centre because there isn't pedestrian access along any of the roads. Oh, and there's no public transportation, so I couldn't even walk to a bus stop.

I'm most definitely not obese or overweight, but this example is just illustrative of the concept that many things are easier said than done.

[Spew Member]

In some cases it's physically impossible to walk a distance that would take 10 minutes to drive. I can't even walk to my local shopping centre because there isn't pedestrian access along any of the roads. Oh, and there's no public transportation, so I couldn't even walk to a bus stop.

That's how it is where I live right now. There aren't any stores close by, just houses. If I wanted to go anywhere the only option is to drive. I see what you're saying about people that don't have any options. I have to drive 20 minutes to get to school, then 20 minutes from there to go to work, then 20 minutes from there to get back home again. There really aren't any alternatives to driving, which isn't just bad for out waistlines, but also the environment.

[MoodyHarry]

That might be a traditional diet. They might have had to eat lots of fat to be able to keep their body heat. Also, I´m not quite sure how many sorts of vegetable grow in such a climate....

Go for olive-oil or other non-animal fat. It´s the good one.That's the thing about the Eskimo diet. The diet has a very low - if non-existant - amounts of vegetables in it. Go figure - it is virtually impossible to grow anything. But they mentioned that the blubber and organ meats of these animals contained enough essential vitamins required to nicely survive. For example, Vitamin C is very important. Sailors in the past has to fight scurvy, a nasty illness caused by deficient Vitamin C consumption. It turns out that penguin meat has enough C in it to fight it off. Who knew?

The worst part about humanity is the fact that thousands of years ago, food was not that plentiful, obviously. Therefore, if you could get it, you would eat as much as possible. Today, food is plentiful, yet our instincts still think like our ancestors. Eat, eat, EAT!!

[Spew Member]

The worst part about humanity is the fact that thousands of years ago, food was not that plentiful, obviously. Therefore, if you could get it, you would eat as much as possible. Today, food is plentiful, yet our instincts still think like our ancestors. Eat, eat, EAT!!

I read a very interesting book called The Pleasure Trap and it was about everything that you just said. The author talks in detail about the very same thing. It's a very good book, it covers how we were made to conserve energy (which is why we are so lazy), reproduce, and survive and how that makes us eat the way we do. The author talks about how we are still preparing ourselves for the day that we'll run out of food, although that day will never come.

I have read about the Eskimo diet before but it wasn't very positive. I believe it said that they had very high cholesterol and some other things that I can't remember. It was a while ago that I read it so it might be inaccurate now. In the article you read what did it say about their overall health?

[MajorBarcalow]

Clearly the problem is too much food. We're too rich, we're fops. We're sitting here wasting time on the internet instead of out there working to gain a few measly scraps of food. I think we all need to move to third world countries.

[MoodyHarry]

I read a very interesting book called The Pleasure Trap and it was about everything that you just said. The author talks in detail about the very same thing. It's a very good book, it covers how we were made to conserve energy (which is why we are so lazy), reproduce, and survive and how that makes us eat the way we do. The author talks about how we are still preparing ourselves for the day that we'll run out of food, although that day will never come.

I have read about the Eskimo diet before but it wasn't very positive. I believe it said that they had very high cholesterol and some other things that I can't remember. It was a while ago that I read it so it might be inaccurate now. In the article you read what did it say about their overall health?The article (Discover Magazine) stated that they decided to analyze the Eskimo diet because - even though it had the high fat content - the incidence of clogged arteries, chloresteral, heart attack and stroke was extremely low.

When you think of how the body stored fat, it is interesting, especially for a woman. Apparently, we woman store more on the hips and thighs because it is supposed to protect the womb. :(

[Spew Member]

The article (Discover Magazine) stated that they decided to analyze the Eskimo diet because - even though it had the high fat content - the incidence of clogged arteries, chloresteral, heart attack and stroke was extremely low.
That does sound very interesting, I'll have to read it. It makes sense that free range animals would have more nutrients than animals grown to be food. Animals that are grown for food get fed whatever we feed them (not sure I even want to think about what's in it :sad:) and so they probably don't get the right amount of nutrition that they would if they lived on their own.


When you think of how the body stored fat, it is interesting, especially for a woman. Apparently, we woman store more on the hips and thighs because it is supposed to protect the womb. :(
:sigh: :sad: Ah well.

[genesis]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
It is a problem. In some areas it is worse than others. Where I grew up, it was not that bad.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
It is up to individual people to make the right decisions. The government should not legislate morality.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Parents should watch what their children eat. Eating a candy bar every so often is not going to hurt a kid. Parents should mind the portions they feed their children. Young children will stop eating when they are full.
4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I would hope someone would encourage them to place their child in sports, or review what is considered to be a good diet.
5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Yes and no. I believe there should be no punishments, but there should be education.
6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
I don't know.
7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
I am from Illinois and my state is the only state which requires to have Physical Education five days a week from K-12. The effectiveness of the program depends on the school.
I am currently living in the near west side of Chicago. (I can see the Sears Tower from where I live.) Having a car is absolutely insane here. I don't really know anyone who owns a car. Public transportation for us is very important. Since I don't have a car, I walk a lot. A half of a mile is just a short walk for me. The fact that I have to walk a lot means I get a fair amount of exercise. Just today, I probably walked at least 2-3 miles.
Also, since I am a full-time student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I qualify for the U-Pass. For a semester fee of $83 I get unlimited rides on the CTA and Pace. CTA is the Chicago Transit Authority and it runs the 'El trains and Chicago buses. Pace is the suburban bus company. Public transportation in Chicago is not bad, but it is not great. I understand why having a car is very appealing to people who have to rely solely on public transportation. I once had to wait 45 minutes for a bus which should run every 15 minutes. This bus route is a fairly popular one, too.

[TheDarkLordSam]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?
I realize that it's there, but I don't think I personally can do anything to help it. Yes, I know that sounds wrong, but whatever.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?
The thing that would really, really work? Having parents raise their kids properly. If they did that, there would be less problems with children.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
I frankly, think it's sick and wrong. I've seen those horrible talk shows that show Brenda (or whomever)'s little Johnny that's only two years old but weighes 120. And it's and wrong.

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?
Two words: Foster homes.

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?
Yes, I think children should be able to be responsible for eating good things at about 7 or 8, I'd say.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'
No. Probably not. We'll never get rid of certain things, this being one of them.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?
I just wonder what is overweight. . . I know I weigh more than I should for my height and age, but that's by the strict regulation the government gives out. Like look at serving sizes on some things. Sometimes it's too goofy, and sometimes it okay. You just have to use your best judgement, I suppose.

[muggledeedee]

First of all - new to this thread - HI!

I know quite e bit about this topic and the health and wellness industry. Obesity is deifinitely a problem but one that I think that we combat with knowledge, not with laws or rules.

Over 50% of America is Overweight, more than 25% are Obese (only one out of four of these people go out in public). This is information I heard from Paul Zane Pilzer. he is economist that has been tracking what obesity has to do with economics. The problem is that the poorer people are the more obese and wealthier people are slimmer and more healthy. Largely in part to the food companies. People of lower income can't afford the healthiest foods. Cheap foods are hig in fat and sugars. Fresh produce and meat is not cheap, fast food, chips, frozen dinners, prepared or boxed food - is failry inexpensive and the main problem in obesity.

I am not at all against people being "overweight", but I know it is very unhealthy. I find it very convincing that half of all Americans are overweight and the leading cause of death (1 in every 2 people) dies from some form of heart Disease.

I think that parents need to take the first step and that healthier habits need to be taught in scholl as well. The food in the cafeterias is abominal. You rarely see fresh fruit or fresh veggies. Everything is high in fat content or loaded with carbohydrates. I worked ina school for a year and ate lunch in the cafeteria almost everyday - I also gained 15 pounds over the course of that year (how telling is that?)

It all starts with education. Children should be taught in school. Even if the parents are implementing good eating habits at home, it is better for them to be reinforsed by an outside source.

Also - people don't exercise enough. Especially kids. Tv and video games are the source, IMO. I love my TV and I even love video games, but they don't promote exercise.

I host clinics to try to help people lose weight. I have battled being overweight before nad it is not easy. It is better to teach people to be healthy from the beginning (as children) than it is to try to change the way a person has been for decades.

[Wab]

Why?

Here's a hint:

"The equivalent of two Big Macs, it costs $7. For around $2 more, you can throw in a medium fries and a soft drink and consume an adult's recommended daily intake of calories at one sitting."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Monster-Thickburger-horror/2004/11/18/1100748126773.html

And practically no nutrition one suspects.

[Spew Member]

Why?

Here's a hint:

"The equivalent of two Big Macs, it costs $7. For around $2 more, you can throw in a medium fries and a soft drink and consume an adult's recommended daily intake of calories at one sitting."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Monster-Thickburger-horror/2004/11/18/1100748126773.html

And practically no nutrition one suspects.

I especially liked the reference to it being a "heart attack in a bun." :lol:

That's terrible, what is Hardees thinking?

[JofpGallagher]

Why?

Here's a hint:

"The equivalent of two Big Macs, it costs $7. For around $2 more, you can throw in a medium fries and a soft drink and consume an adult's recommended daily intake of calories at one sitting."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Monster-Thickburger-horror/2004/11/18/1100748126773.html

And practically no nutrition one suspects.
You know? Sometimes people put obesity very tied up with these fast-foods restaurants, and that's in part true. However, there is also the lack of physical activity! If people likes to eat foods with high content in calories and poor nutritional valeu, then they should burn it out!...What I am saying is that not only the fact some overweight people have bad eating habits, but they do not do anything (Do not move their bodies for anything)...
I usually jog in the mornings (Not now that is so freezing outside at 6:00 AM)...If in a day I ate a lot, then I run more or do something that involves physical activity next day. Where I study, is a building with 5 floors and three elevators. I never use the elevators, and I'm impressed the amount of people or classmates who wait minutes for the elevator to go up (and down!!!!!) one single floor!!! Then, they complaint they need a diet during class while snacking chips and coke!...I say to them, you don't need a diet, you need excercise!!! Culinary pleasure is good and I have nothing against it, but then some people should burn the excess of what they eat!

anyway...I think I'm ranting :p

[muggledeedee]

anyway...I think I'm ranting :p

Rant away...I am really tired of the excuses...People try all these fad diets instead of focusing on a healthy diet and neglect to do any excercise. I have a younger cousin (still in high school) she is far from overweight but has some belly fat. she tried starving herself over the summer to lose her belly. I tried very hard to make her understand that if she starved herself, the body flips a switch to start storing the fat. You need to eat to boost metabolism too. And the only sure fire way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn. And 9 out of ten times this means excercising at least a half hour 4 times a week.

I agree with the elevator thing (unless you a re disbaled of course!)

[Romy]

Where I study, is a building with 5 floors and three elevators. I never use the elevators, and I'm impressed the amount of people or classmates who wait minutes for the elevator to go up (and down!!!!!) one single floor!!! Then, they complaint they need a diet during class while snacking chips and coke!...I say to them, you don't need a diet, you need excercise!!! :agree: My uni is rather old and has a lot of staircases and not always elevators. Also, my dorm room is on the fourth (in American counting fifth) floor. I take about 20 flights of stairs a day just to get to my classes and I never use lifts (unless I´m carrying 10 pounds worth of groceries for the week :evil: ). I always find it funny to look at people who would take two flights of stairs and then stop gasping for air and grabbing their sides while I happily skip by them :evil: .

[busy91]

I finally got to see "Super Size Me" last night. Me and my son (13) were amazed by the changes in Morgan's body (inside and out). The facts that he cited were also very scary, and it made me realize that I eat way too much fast food. It scared me into trying very hard to stay away from McDonalds and the like. Once in a while I'll still go, but knowing that it can cause more damage than just making me 'fat' is what is propelling me into doing this. I already have high cholesterol due to heredity; I don't need to spike it more than it needs to be.

I felt that was a very important film, and I'm glad it was made and I'm glad he actually decided to do his own self study to see the effects first hand.

[i_like_dat]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

I agree that it is, actually, jumping up at an alarmingly high and quick rate. TOO many people are becoming obese, mostly because of Fast-Food Restauraunts like McDonalds and Burger King.

2. Do you think the suggested plans will work? Can you think of anything else that might help (ex: getting rid of fast food chains, limiting portion sizes, promoting nutrition better, etc.)?

It will probably work to get rid of the pop/candy machines in schools, because they won't be getting it nearly as often. 6 or 7 hours of our day is spent at school, where we are tempted to get pop and candy. I don't think they should eliminate the machines completely, just limit the amount of pop/candy they get per day. Or they could just put sugar-free candies and diet pops in the machines.

3. What is your opinion on the topic of mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

I think that it is basically their decision on what their child gets to eat, and just exactly how much of it. Although I do not agree with many of America's parents, I still think it is their right to tell their children how much of something they can eat. But first, they should add a warning label to it!

4. What do you think should be done about mothers/parents who let their children become obese?

N-O-T-H-I-N-G!

5. Should parents be held responsible for what their children eat until a certain age? What age do you think?

They should be held responsible of what they eat until they are maybe 13 or older. By then they should know what foods are less fattening, and which ones have more nutrition to keep you from getting fat.

6. Will America ever 'slim down?'

Most likely not--unless they take out all the Fast-Food Restaurants and replace them with all fruits/veggie restaurants. And that means NO ALL-You-Can-Eat Buffets. Limit he portions.

7. Any other comments on this these topics in general?[/QUOTE]
See Super-Size Me! Great movie...

[Wab]

1. What is your opinion of the obesity in America?

I agree that it is, actually, jumping up at an alarmingly high and quick rate. TOO many people are becoming obese, mostly because of Fast-Food Restauraunts like McDonalds and Burger King.

More to do with people to lazy to find/prepare healthier food options and not exercising.

[crookshanks1177]

More to do with people to lazy to find/prepare healthier food options and not exercising.

That's not always laziness. Some parents lead rather busy lives and don't have the extra time on their hands to find/prepare healthier foods. There for they pick their kid up from daycare or school, pull into McDonalds, Burger King, or other fast food places and get their kid a happy meal and order their dinner. That would be more along the lines of convenience.

See Super-Size Me! Great movie...


Super Size me was very informational don't get me wrong. But what that guy did is also unrealistic. Some people may live like that and eat fast food everyday every meal like he did. But I don't know anyone who has. And everyone's health is different. How his body reacted to it is going to be different from how my body would react to me going through that.

[Wab]

That's not always laziness. Some parents lead rather busy lives and don't have the extra time on their hands to find/prepare healthier foods. There for they pick their kid up from daycare or school, pull into McDonalds, Burger King, or other fast food places and get their kid a happy meal and order their dinner. That would be more along the lines of convenience.


But they are still making that choice. Most people I know are in that situation and still manage to put a decent meal on the table.

[crookshanks1177]

But they are still making that choice. Most people I know are in that situation and still manage to put a decent meal on the table.

Oh I agree with you, but not everyone sees it that way. If everyone saw it that way would this problem be so drastic in our country?

[Spew Member]

But they are still making that choice. Most people I know are in that situation and still manage to put a decent meal on the table.

You're right, people need to excersize and make better choices. The problem is that it's not exactly easy to make the best choices. There's a McDonalds on every street corner and little opportunity for natural excersize. Besides that, dieting is not like quiting smoking. When you quit smoking no one is there trying to give you a cigarette-but if you're on a diet people still constantly offer you food. I get offered food all of the time and get grief because I never accept it. If I had a dollar for every "one bite won't kill you" then I would be a lot richer than I am now. There's also a lot of misinformation out there. People want quick fixes and take diet pills or try the Atkins diet. There are tons of commercials on t.v. for diet pills, but how often do you see a commercial saying "eat less and excersize more." Never. What scares me is children. If they don't learn to be healthy from their parents, and they're not learning it at school-then they will never learn. Obviously there is a problem because the statistics are there, and if we just say "oh well, it's there faults" then it's just going to get worse.

Just my opinion though. :cool:

[Taleeya]

And sometimes you may THINK you are making healthier decisions, and its not true! For example, alot of those salads from fast food places, have so much fat and calories! For example, today I had a bacon ranch salad from McDonalds, and JUST THE DRESSING PACKET is 180 calories! Why do they have that instead of a low-fat type of dressing? I was exercising and not losing weight, I found out that I was snacking on those cheerios snack packs (they are like nuts and bolts) because I thought they were healthier than potato chips... I was totally wrong! I would be getting around 800 calories per night on my SNACK!

I have a new job, it takes me 2 hours each way to commute (I leave at 6:30 AM and get home at 7 PM), So that leaves me little time to unwind at night, plan for healthy food to take to work and workout.... so I expect Im gonna gain a bit of weight.... sigh

[crookshanks1177]

I can't say I eat all that healthy in all honesty. I'm not overweight by anymeans. I'm not skin and bones either. I'm at a happy medium lol. I get so busy during some days I almost forget to eat. Some days that I'm not as busy I may eat more. I work out enough to balance my weight out. I think one problem other then fast food chains are vending machines. I know when I'm in class if I didn't have time to eat before class and my stomach starts growling, between classes I pass atleast two vending machins calling my name so to speak. If I happen to have spare change on me that day, it doesn't take much to convince me to go get a bag of chips or a candy bar. It's not as bad lately. But for a while it seemed like if we didn't have those vending machines, I wouldn't eat that day.

[Romy]

I can't say I eat all that healthy in all honesty. I'm not overweight by anymeans. I'm not skin and bones either. I'm at a happy medium lol. I get so busy during some days I almost forget to eat. Some days that I'm not as busy I may eat more. I work out enough to balance my weight out. I think one problem other then fast food chains are vending machines. I know when I'm in class if I didn't have time to eat before class and my stomach starts growling, between classes I pass atleast two vending machins calling my name so to speak. If I happen to have spare change on me that day, it doesn't take much to convince me to go get a bag of chips or a candy bar. It's not as bad lately. But for a while it seemed like if we didn't have those vending machines, I wouldn't eat that day.I know that problem (replace vending machines with a bakery) and I just made a habit of bringing an apple with me everyday should I get hungry before or after lunch. They´re cheap and easy to transport so I´m saving a lot of money by not buying croissants all the time :p . And if you forget about them they won´t make a mess in your bagpack.

[Spew Member]

And sometimes you may THINK you are making healthier decisions, and its not true! For example, alot of those salads from fast food places, have so much fat and calories! For example, today I had a bacon ranch salad from McDonalds, and JUST THE DRESSING PACKET is 180 calories!

You're right, a lot of people don't know how many calories they are eating. That's why they should be forced to put the nutritional information on menus and in fast-food chains. Here's a suggestion for your work commute, you could always try keeping a few healthy snacks in your car so you won't be tempted to stop and eat fast-food during the long drives. I have a busy schedule too, so I make a lot of food on Sunday to get me through most of the week. It's a pain at first but after a while it becomes a habit.

crookshanks Vending machines are terrible! I had two right next to my office at my old job and they were always filled with most glorious yummy snacks. It took all of my strength to kick my "vending machine habit". :lol: