Who's to Blame? Obesity in America

abcnews.com ^ | 12/08/03 | ABC News

[Roughneck]

You are correct about portion size. Just go to a resaurant and order pasta - you'll get a platter of it. A serving of pasta (using Weight Watcher's old system) is 1/2 cup. You can figure that the platter in front of you could be five servings of pasta. I can feel myelf ballooning up just thinking about that...


No offense, but what ya'll are saying is that restaurants are responsible because they serve large portions. Ya know what? the price of going out I'dd BETTER get more than an 8 oz steak or 2 oz of liquid. 1/2 cup of pasta? I'd starve to death!

The thing is, people are responsible for how much goes in their mouths no matter how much is put in front of them. I aint ashamed to use a "doggy bag", take home what I cant eat - but I by golly best get my $80.00 worth when I pay for a medium-priced meal for two of us.

Those that choose to eat large portions like pigs at a trough...well, dont blame the trough..blame the PIG!

[PISANO]

Who's to blame for America's obesity

GW-GOP-ALL FAST FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS-GROCERIES STORES......take your pick.

The only ones that are IMMUNE from culpability are the OBESE persons themselves.

[Tacos]

It would be nice if restaurants had options of cutting the price in half for getting a smaller portion, or just vigorously use the option of getting a doggie-bag/box for the leftovers (which is what I do), which is often two more meals for me.

[sarasota]

Here's what the processed food industry has done: first they took all nutrition out of our food with high heat processing to make it shelf stable in cans and boxes. Then they started putting vitamins/minerals and various other chemical enhancements in the food when consumer agencies demanded it. Now they are in the process of rebuilding the food chain by making it "nutritional". In other words, they've taken out all the natural elements and put back chemical additives/preservatives. What they are "building" is not "natural". Food is being re-engineered by man. Nature's food is in the organic section at your grocery story/healthfood store. It is full of life-giving properties and will restore you to better health.

[sarasota]

I know. Everyone wants to write a diet book or a cookbook or both. It's easy money.

[sarasota]

Restaurants in my area do offer that option. I only order a full portion when I want to take home leftovers.

[VermiciousKnid]

We warned 'em...

Regards,

[Wolfie]

We warned 'em...

So did we (and we warned you, too).

[.38sw]

I'm not meaning to say that resaurants are responsible for the portion size issue, I was using that as an example. It's part of the "clean your plate" mentality that many of us grew up with. As you do, I get doggie bags and get another meal or two at home. When I go to a restaurant, I prefer that the food be delicious, rather than just a huge pile on my plate. If it isn't better than something I can cook myself, I'm not interested. Oftentimes, servings are huge, and not necessarily delicious. The 1/2 cup of pasta is a Weight Watchers thing, just for comparison. It's also a weight loss tool. I know that many people at the Weight Watchers meetings (yes, I've gone to WW in the past) were shocked to see what a "portion" consisted of. I just think that a lot of people have forgotten what a reasonable portion is. Eating out occasionally and eating more than one normally would on a special occasion isn't going to result in obesity. Overeating and inactivity over a period of time is the culprit.

[SoothingDave]

The 1/2 cup of pasta is a Weight Watchers thing, just for comparison. It's also a weight loss tool. I know that many people at the Weight Watchers meetings (yes, I've gone to WW in the past) were shocked to see what a "portion" consisted of.

I've been to Italy. A half cup is not a "portion" there either. They eat a full heaping plate of pasta and then they have a piece of meat or fish for the "second course." I couldn't keep up with them. I got looked at funny for not finishing the pasta I was given.

And guess what? They're skinny. It's something more than just portion size. Not riding in cars everywhere is one thing.

SD

[brewcrew]

They also eat a lot more tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic per capita than we do. Those are some of the best foods in the world.

[.38sw]

A lot of us can't get away with eating heaping portions of pasta. Inactivity does play a role in a person's weight. When I was a lot younger and extremely active, I could eat anything wanted, and lots of it. And I was skinny. Those days are long gone.

[Rummyfan]

Obesity in America - who's to blame? Why, the people who eat too much and exercise too little! Shove it, Pete-ah!

[Ben Chad]

In my town, Wal*Mart is a magnet for the obese.

[brewcrew]

I find it ironic that his name (Pete-ah) sounds exactly like PETA.

[Fangorn]

I have to agree with you. For the longest time I just blamed genetics, stress, etc, for my weight problem. Eight weeks ago I decided to blame me, and I stopped eating garbage foods, ie chips, fries, bread, sweets, processed sugar.

I eat salads, meat, eggs, and I quit before I'm full, walk away from the table for five or ten minutes, and VOILA, I'm not hungry anymore.

No popcorn in front of the TV set, no chips while surfing the internet, just me and my iced tea (please God, don't take that away ;).

Additionally, I've added 18 flights of stairs to my daily routine, instead of using the elevators.

I'm down from 292 at my April 2003 physical to 258 lb. yesterday, and have a lot more to go.

We have one of those buffets you talk about here, it's called Golden Corral. I go there now to eat the grilled steaks, chicken, and salad, but it's amazing (and after I quit eating all the trash, a little sickening)to watch the number of people whose stomachs are so large they hang to their knees shovelling three or four plates of potatoes, pizza, pasta, into their faces, and following that with a plate of red velvet cake covered in ice cream.

I was (and continue to be, for now), overweight because I made choices that resulted in that inevitable outcome. Now, I try to let my stomach, not my eyes, tell me when I'm full. So far it's working.

[Liberal Classic]

The War On Fat jiggles onward.

[kaktuskid]

They also don't eat hydrogenated fats and high fructose corn sweetners (like we do)

[MEGoody]

"Also consider that Olive Garden just isn't that good."

Hey, some of us like Olive Garden. :)

[GOPJ]

Can't the liberals leave people alone?

If liberals think it wrong to smoke, but OK to abort a baby in the eight month, that's their problem.

If liberals can back a rapist in office and not worry about that rapist hiring PI's to intimidate young women, but are "oh so worried" about 10 extra pounds, do we have to go along with it?

Who cares?

If a citizen wants to spend 6 years less living in a nursing home when their 80 in exchange for a piece of cake, do I really care?

Life is for the living and lots of things aren't "safe" for the body.