Fat Americans: Victims or Targets?

woai ^

[chance33_98]

Fat Americans: Victims or Targets?

LAST UPDATE: 12/10/2002 9:41:32 AM

Here's something to chew on: according to CDC obesity rankings, San Antonio has dropped to number-two behind Memphis. News 4 WOAI's Medical Expert, Doctor Bill Lloyd, explains how overeating is good for the food industry.

It's becoming an embarrassment - San Antonians are super-sized. If we're not careful, we may not be able to fit inside those new Toyotas!

While San Antonians digest the findings in Sunday's paper regarding obesity in the Alamo City, other reports put the blame on the food industry.

Is it possible that the overweight are victims of a conspiracy?

It's a blame game. Society points the finger at our fatty diet, lack of exercise, and sedentary lifestyle. Too many french fries - not enough walking. Too many video games - not enough salads.

Some think it's more than that - that it's a conspiracy. The companies that market the food we eat want us to become fat! Think about it. The fatter you get, the more you eat, the more they sell.

Like Oreos? They're made by the same company that sells Camels! Who knows better about marketing addiction than a tobacco company?

The next time you hear, “Do you want to supersize that?” Ask yourself, "Do I want to make myself a bigger target?"

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

The hard work and exercise point is quite valid. Overeating of anything will cause obesity.

However, the carbs people ingest today are really little more than varieties of sugar, disguised as something else. Eating these processed carbos(sugar) causes the hormones to become unbalanced, irritates the stomache and makes people feel unsated. Therefore they eat more because their bodies don't believe they have eaten sufficiently. It's a viscious circle.

Combine this with inactivity and you have disaster.

But the fat free, low protein diet is in itself dangerous and unhealthy. Ever notice that people diagnosed as high cholesteral never improve on the low fat diets?
They almost always end up on medicine. (Chemical additives to counteract the chemical additives in their food.(Sugar)

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

The colder the climate the more fat required to maintain body temp. Eskimos eat almost all fat.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

If one realizes that the so-called Food Pyramid that the gubmnt and health care and Nutrition "experts" pushes on the population is totally upside down and in fact dangerous to one's health, one could accept the theory of a conspiracy.

I don't know that it's upside down, so much as people don't understand the concept of PORTION SIZING. You need carbs. You need fats. You need proteins. You need all of these things in moderation.
Increase in vegetables and fruits help dramatically. Overdoing ANYTHING is not good. Giving up ANYTHING is not good.
Most don't realize what a serving of grain is or they're eating white bread and consider it a 'grain' (which it isn't.)
Much better stuff from the conspiracists themselves here: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/index.htm

[E. Pluribus Unum]

But who's behind it and what is their aim?

They want to make sure that each of us dies some day. < /sarcasm>

[Xenalyte]

I do blame the food industry to a point. It wasn't too long ago that the fast food places started coming out with Super Sized KIDS meals. Like our kids need anything in the world super-sized.

McD's and BK have yet to hold a gun to one child's head to force him to eat a big meal. Take it up with the parents who just can't say no to little Dakota or Cheyenne or Paris.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

You're right on the sedentary lifestyle. Without movement or activity, you won't lose an ounce.
The other thing is processing. How many steps are between you and the food source? What happens in those steps?
Like it or not, that gram or two of fiber in whole grain bread is important. It's not the white bread is a culprit because it's a 'carb', it's a culprit because it doesn't provide nutrition. (I know this isn't your point, but bear with me.)
But this still gets back to the requirement of a balance between nutrition and exercise. If you eat more than you burn, you gain weight (regardless of what you eat.) If you have a negative caloric intake, you lose weight.
I'm dealing with this right now. And it sucks. But I've lost 10 pounds in almost two weeks.
Just whole grains, fruits, vegetables, light dairy and occasional fats.
Oh, and I'm rowing my butt off every morning.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

Fat does not make fat.

Nice try. Bodies make fat from unused energy. If you have an overabundance of energy (i.e. food) your body will try to store the excess.
Regardless of what you may have read, your body doesn't ask if you only ate carbs or fats or proteins.
Caloric surplus => fat production.
Caloric deficit => fat burning.

It's really that simple.

[Sungirl]

It's a blame game. Society points the finger at our fatty diet, lack of exercise, and sedentary lifestyle. Too many french fries - not enough walking. Too many video games - not enough salads.

This is true. But the blame should be on yourself. Kids are sitting playing video games instead of playing kickball outside with their friends. Fast foods are a families main meals now.
Getting excercise and eating right should be a priority for everyone.

[hunter112]

I handle this by asking antifat "activists" : If you wouldn't be prejudiced against me for the color of my skin, why are you so upset about the amount of my skin?

Here's to a live and let live world, where you don't make an issue of my size, and I don't try to sue your butt off for my lifestyle choices.

[muggs]

The one overarching factor which can be seen is the lack of physical activity. Occam's razor would seem to indicate that the sedentary lifestyle is what leads to obesity, not necessarily what you eat. Clearly there are isolated medical cases which are out of scope here.

BUMP!

[Barney Gumble]

There's a difference between color of skin and amount below your skin. Being fat is not heathly. When someone is fat and they are 20, it mainly only "looks bad." However, when the same person is 40 they start to have health problems. They have trouble climbing stairs. They increased chances of cholestrol problems, heart problems, diabetes. Their knees and ankles go quicker. Do you know a fat guy that is 90? It's not a matter of skin color or religious preference. It's a matter of health. Europeans are a lot thinner because they walk much more, they don't eat any better. It's just they burn a lot of their calories.

Forget kooky diets. It's simplely the first law of thermodynamics. Energy in=energy out....or in this case Food intake - Energy spent = what's left over. A negative number and you'll loose weight. So either eat less or walk more or both. 1 lbs equals roughly 3500 calories. Since the "average" diet is 2500 calories, you have to eat 500 less calories per day for a week to loose one pound.

It's time to stop feeling sorry for yourselves and start being pro-active.

[fogarty]

BWAHAHAHAHA!

Beautiful. "Dakota or Cheyenne or Paris"

[fogarty]

Exercise is key. Rowing is a great sport. Don't forget to cross-train though. Not many people can take 7-days a week rowing intensively and not suffer injuries without changing up the workout some. Maybe you're a machine and can handle it though.

My exercise program is: 3-4 runs a week (slow distance and also the occasional workout of 4-5 400m sprints) and once a week strength training. Of course I also do the Marine Corps daily 7!

[johnb838]

People up north are MUCH fatter than people here in Texas. I don't know where CDC gets its data but I'm not buying it.

[Johnny Gage]

If one realizes that the so-called Food Pyramid that the gubmnt and health care and Nutrition "experts" pushes on the population is totally upside down

I agree. Check this out, that I found in an article on on "The Zone" website.

Here's the article if you want to read the story behind it.
Lesson 9:Why do we eat like pigs (and cattle)?

[kaktuskid]

Not carbs like Twinkies, white bread, and colas..they've only been around since 1900..the carbs we ate before were mostly whole grain.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Be careful. You are eating the diet of death.

[Billthedrill]

Man, it's gettin' so you can't work up a decent prejudice against anybody any more. Yeppers, poking that HoHo down yer piehole makes you fat, and fat people are better targets. But some of 'em shoot back. Dang it.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

You are eating the diet of death.

Fruits and vegetables are dangerous how? Balance and moderation is bad in what way?
You can't make a statement like that without credentials. Or can you?
Oh, you're a troll. Sorry. I bit.

nevermind

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

I may be a troll but I've been here forever.

A diet lacking in fat and protein is often deadly. Particularly to people who are seriously obese and out of shape. It's not the veggies, or the fruits so much, although fruit has been modified to about ten times the sugar content of a couple generations ago.

It's not the fat, it's the sugar that is killing people.
Don't take my word for it, do your own research.

Balance is indeed the key, however most doctors hospitals and nutritionists are still peddling the "food pyramid" whose portions are in reverse of what is a healthy balance.

Good luck with your diet.

Oh, and if I should happen to spot an out of control taxi heading your way, I'll be sure not to mention it since I am so lacking in credentials.