How do you feel about the latest stats on obesity?

1. 61

   nightwork4posted 12 years ago

   How do you feel about the latest stats on obesity?
   
   do you think they are accurate and do they bother you?

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2. 76

   DFiducciaposted 12 years ago

   You don’t need statistics to know that obesity is a major problem. All you have to do is to observe in public places such as markets, theaters, restaurants, etc. The problem is an obvious consequence of overeating and laziness.
   I’ve been lifting weights for more years than I care to mention. One interesting thing I’ve noticed is there are always some people at the gym that have problems with obesity. When you are consistent at one gym, you become aware of the people that never lose a significant amount of weight. I’m sure there’re a few that may have a legitimate medical problem such as an underactive thyroid gland, which slows metabolism and causes weight gain. However, hypothyroidism is not the common cause of obesity. The common cause is a simple formula best described as overeating— consuming more calories than you can burn = weight gain.
   I personally know people that work out so that they can eat more. We live in a fast food society that sells food packed with calories and bad kinds of fat. It’s really a matter of self-control when you select what you consume. Bad choices will produce weight gain and eventually, medical problems.

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3. 81

   Georgie Loweryposted 12 years ago

   My weight topped out at 397 pounds in 2006, and I'm 5'3". I'm significantly lower than that now, but I don't know by how much because I refuse to get on a scale. I had to change my whole life, and not just my eating habits.
   
   The obesity statistics bother me for two different reasons. First of all, I know what being obese is like. Not only is it hard to find proper clothing and is difficult to get into certain places (movie theater seats were very difficult and depressing for me), but I know the stares, whispers, laughs and jokes. Some people think that others are whispering about them when they're in public, but it's amplified to the nth degree when you're 'different.' Secondly, though 'fat is beautiful' campaigns are popping up everywhere, fat is NOT HEALTHY. My blood pressure was out of control, I could barely grocery shop without running out of breath, and my feet were painfully swollen every day - not to mention cholesterol problems, and I was pre-diabetic. So we have millions of sick, insecure, depressed people who more often than not drown their sorrows in boxes of Twinkies and Oreos like I did, and occasionally still do.
   
   I'm changing that day by day - and it is a struggle - but what breaks my heart is that we now have 300+ pound NINTH GRADERS in this country, and that they're not a rarity. Something has to be done.

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   1. 76

      DFiducciaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hello George,
      Your personal account of the obesity problem is very moving and sad. You do have the ability to change your life, and I see that you also have an awareness of the severity of the problem. Don’t give up, George— you can do this!
      If you

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   2. 81

      Georgie Loweryposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you, DFiduccia.

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4. 59

   Xenonlitposted 12 years ago

   I think that it is disturbing. Gluttony may or may not be a sin, but it is a form of mental illness and damaged brain physiology. Some people actually destroy their "fullness" centers of the brain and are compelled to eat until they are sick.
   
   Type II diabetes is a scary thing, especially when a person cannot control their eating, even to stay alive.
   
   I feel the worst for the kids. There is no excuse for the kids to be so fat yet still always so hungry.
   
   What surprises me the most is the aggressive behavior that obese people will take on when challenged by doctors and public programs to lose weight.

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   1. 81

      Georgie Loweryposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Xenonlit, I'm not trying to stir a pot, but no one likes to have their flaws pointed out, even if the results of them are already on display. 'You need to lose weight' often sounds like 'you are a failure' to a fat person.

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5. 81

   Ms Deeposted 12 years ago

   The obesity problem is MUCH more complicated than just calorie intake. What bothers me is the simplistic conclusions about the stats, that it just takes counting calories. There are so many additives to our food supply that other countries don't add. An example is artificial hormones that can wreck havoc on some people's ability to lose weight. Also, studies are showing that tissue inflammation is behind a big part of the problem. I'd rather seen more effort made in learning what is behind this inflammation and how to prevent and treat it.

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6. 68

   MikeNVposted 12 years ago

   Obesity is an absolute non issue.  People that can not control their own bodies is the issue.  Food companies are not helping the Ignorant, because they intentionally load up portions to sell more.  They pollute the food supply with Chemical Additives that encourage over consumption.  And the Government recommendations on nutrition is a joke.
   
   But again it comes down to how you want to look and feel.  Quality food choices are available and ONLY YOU can decide what to put into your body.

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      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      A "non issue?" Are you kidding?

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7. 79

   Express10posted 12 years ago

   I think it is accurate and it doesn't bother me unless I end up having to pay financially for the consistent bad choices of others. It should also bother the people who are heading down this path and particularly those with little or no health insurance.

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   1. 60

      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It doesn't bother you? You're only concerned about yourself?

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8. 64

   Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

   I think a lot of it has to do with the cravings for carbs and fat that can come with too much stress, and that make a person feel as if he can't function or think straight if doesn't give in to the craving.  I wrote a Hub on stress-related food cravings.  References to stress-related cravings is all over the Internet.  Adults are stressed for all kinds of reasons.  Kids are stressed because they're growing up too fast when they're not ready.    On top of that, there's a lot of really misguided information (often from sources one might trust) about weight, what's in food, how many carbs a person should have, etc. etc.   I'd think a lot of the inactive life styles a lot of people have probably plays a role too.   Then, too, there are people who don't even know about healthy eating habits and/or who use food for something other than getting nutrition.  Over the last couple of decades I've watched so much bad information being spread around (about a lot of issues), and I think food and the ignorance about the causes of obesity are areas in which a lot of that bad info is accepted.  Then when nothing helps the problem people don't understand why.
   
   Also, worth noting, if babies are not made to feel super secure in infancy their stress response can be "wired incorrectly" and affect them all their life.  It was in the 70's when a lot of mothers decided they wouldn't do with their babies what their own mothers had done.  Those are today's forty-or-so-year old people.  There's at least the chance that people forty and under have higher rates of messed up stress-response systems that are making them have stress-related cravings at a lower threshold.

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9. 68

   Clive Donegalposted 12 years ago

   I don't think that how we feel about statistics is the issue. Visual inspection suggests that the data are accurate. We are prone to gluttony and excess.
   
   That excess strains not only the body, but also on the healthcare system that has to try to offset our lack of self-discipline.

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10. 83

    BlissfulWriterposted 12 years ago

    I believe the stats and that obesity is an epidemic.  The problem is that people are not given the correct information about what causes obesity.  To reduce obesity, one needs to avoid sugar, fructose, and processed carbohydrates.  It is not their fault, because our food supplies has been inundated with these obesity-causing nutrients.  It is not about looking for low-calories labels or low-fat foods.   I explained why sugar and high glycemic processed carbohydrates foods are what causes insulin resistance which leads to diabetes and obesity:  http://blissfulwriter.hubpages.com/hub/ … eight-Gain
    
    Web search and read about "paleolithic diet".

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11. 60

    Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

    If you're talking about this: http://www.ajpmonline.org/webfiles/imag … mped2.pdf, I am not at all surprised. Obesity in this country has reached epidemic proportions. I really dislike that some posters feel this is not their problem and it is an easy problem for those afflicted to correct. It is not or it wouldn't exist! I have never had a problem with obesity but I am a medical professional and understand the human condition. Obesity is multi-faceted and poses serious risks not only for the individuals affected, but for this country's future in several ways - healthcare expenditures, to just name one. Work force productivity is another. The epidemic should concern everyone, not just those affected. These statistics aren't trumped up - look around you!

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12. 0

    Team Leaderposted 12 years ago

    Hello nightwork4,
    
    I agree with DFiduccia just looking around us is enough to realise that a lot of people have an issue with their weight (both ways).
    
    I do believe that people have a right to freely choose how they look and live. There does come a point though where it is no longer a matter of choice. The weight and the eating controls them.
    
    I can see it at work every day. You have got the gorgeous women who eat well, dress well and are at peace with their lives. And then you have the marathon dieters. They always talk about losing weight and going to the gym. Or the underweight ones, who say they are always eating. It is all talk and no results.
    
    And who can blame them for it? We all have our issues. Every single one of us has something in their lives that is haunting them. The difference is that some issues you can see and others you cannot.
    
    I wished that anyone who has an issue with their weight would have the courage to ask for help. This can be a self-help book, a motivational course or a personal trainer. There are many people out there who know how to help.
    
    Your 'Team Leader'

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