Obesity among all US adults reaches all-time high

It's not my generalization, pretty much every study done on the economic impacts of the obesity epidemic conclude it puts a strain on the health system and decreases productivity.

I don't even know why you bring up skinny people. Of course thin people can be unhealthy, but the fact is obesity is a symptom, and it's a symptom of the same metabolic condition that puts you at high risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, among other health issues. I don't know why you bring up skinny people - thin people aren't necessarily healthy, their size isn't a good indicator of their health. Some people try to make the case that the same could be said for obese people, but I reckon that's a false equivalence and is like saying someone who is deathly thin is healthy and shouldn't be judged by their weight.

@PernicioEnigma:

Are you fat or have fat relatives/friends?

I'm not fat, and my experience with overweight people is pretty limited, but is consistent with what I've said. I have an aunt who is quite overweight, and while she is intelligent and hardworking (she has well paid job with a lot of responsibility) her weight has impacted on her productivity, especially as she's got older, and this is a direct result of her declining health - some of which is because of her weight (lack of mobility, etc), but most of it is due to the hormonal and metabolic issues which cause the obesity. It really is upsetting how her health has negatively impacted every facet of her life, and it angers me when people deny the fact obesity, and more specifically the condition that causes obesity, doesn't impact people's health and ability to be productive members of society. They CAN be productive people, but the obesity is an obstacle they have to overcome, and when their health inevitably declines it becomes increasingly harder to overcome.

I also work with a girl who is overweight, and my job is quite physical. Her size has an obvious impact on how productive she is. Even though she is young - not even 20, I think - she still gets exhausted and needs to take more breaks than anyone else. Can you honestly tell me if she lost 30kg she wouldn't find it easier standing for long periods?

I take obesity seriously, it is a huge issue here in the US. It almost seems like they want people to be obese. I mean every other commercial is showing you food, and not the healthy kind. Its messed up

Spend money. Why not spend it on food?

I've heard this from overweight people a few times and it drives me nuts:

"But it's not as simple as calories in vs calories out".

Yeah, the first law of thermodynamics begs to differ.

@appariti0n:

So no excuses right?

Well, it really isn't that simple. For me, it is, because I ate less, moved more and lost, but I've known people who biologically can't lose weight just by eating less and moving more. They still retain. There's a myriad number of reasons that could prevent a person from losing weight.

I will agree, though, that many overweight people make up excuses so they just don't have to try hard to lose it.

@JustPlainLucas: Then those people are still taking in as many calories as they burn.

I do concede that some people have very slow metabolisms and have a more difficult time losing weight, but the law of energy conservation is scientific fact. There's a reason why one never sees fat people in places where food scarcity and famine are an every day reality.

My mom is a prime example. She's 60 lbs overweight, and never seems to be able to lose it no matter what she eats. But then I see her eating a plate of pasta for lunch without realizing just how calorically dense it is.

Everyone can lose weight by systematically and accurately counting calories ingested, and continuing to slowly reduce the number until they start losing weight. If you're not losing, you're simply not running a caloric deficit. Simple as that.

There's no two ways about it...if you eat it, you gotta burn it off....simple as that. Don't say fat people are healthy ..they ain't ....if you have a stomach bulge coming out so far infront of you that when you look down, you cannot see your own penis..that's not healthy. :P

Fat people are lazy and they’re slow and they make me sad to look at.

This is bad for healthcare and our natural security as a whole.

We're going to need new laws and regulations to prevent obesity.

The problem are not the adds but the acceptance of highly obese people even on an educational level. What I never understood is how agressive people go against smoking but the moment you go affter obesity you are getting accused of fatshaming.

Fat people are lazy and should be shamed. I am not talking like...direct verbal abuse/harassment...

But it would be nice if we had TV commercials and advertisements to shame them for us.

A simple poster saying: “It’s NOT okay to be fat” and then lists all the diseases they get could be effective in motivating the lazy to do something.

Being fat isn't only about being lazy.

Mostly coming from psychological disorders that has effect on your body.

This is fine. It makes me feel better about myself even.

Sorta wish I had those problems. Its always been really difficult for me to gain weight. Leaving high school, I weighed 120lbs. Manage to get to 150lbs few years ago eating nearly 2000-3000 calories a day and that was with me not being very active. Mostly just set around the house and gamed all day. It actually took me 2 years to gain that 30 ponds. But now that I recently started going to the gym and returned to bike riding to work (36-40 miles a day) with the head gaskets in my car blown, I ended up losing 10 pounds. Now I'm just teetering some days above 140lbs and some below it...

We need fat people for the pharmaceutical industry. Y'all need to hush and start eatin.

Pathetic and unsurprising.

Try to build some muscle. Less cardio and more heavy lifting. Riding the bike to work is enough cardio really. Look up something called 5 x 5 program. It's quite easy to follow. At least to begin with, start low. Doesn't take much time either.

nope, gut bacteria

I'm glad I'm not a fat, disgusting sack of blubber.

Isn't snack food very cheap in the USA compared to cooking or buying healthier food? Could it be a matter of not being able to afford healthy food? Or what else is causing this?

I hear that in Japan obesity is not very high, even illegal I think. You are obligated to follow support groups and counseling if you turn out to be obese. And employers are supposed to maintain a certain standard of waistlines among their employees. But of course, not everyone can help being obese (right?) so that would not be a 100% solution.

But if it's mainly because of money shortages, then it'll be more difficult to solve this situation. I guess the best solution would be to enforce a certain health standard in snack bars. Maybe withdraw their license if the food is too unhealthy. That could result in healthier food, but also less food per buck. If there is a food tax in your state, lowering that could maybe help with this.

Or... people can chose to be Obese if this is what makes them happy. It's a lifestyle choice most of the time, and that's what living in the U.S. is about, being free to make their own choices. I look down on shallow people who judge others openly to shame them (think what you want, everyone is entitled to an opinion) because someone's choice doesn't match up with theirs. Trying to purposely go about hurting someone's feelings, regardless the reason, just shows poor human character IMO. Decent people help those in need when they can and are able, and don't go about trying to make someone feel less about themselves and that there is something wrong with them because they are different or don't make the same choices.

99% of it comes down to self control and disiplin I think. Even McDonald's food doesn't mean you gain weight. It is kcal in vs kcal out. Weighing 100+++ lbs to much? Make a small change in your diet and should begin to lose weight (assuming your weight was stable to begin with).

Also the normal range no matter how tall you are is quite wide. You don't have to be thin enough to have a sixpack.

Bollocks. That goes for every country and on the other side of the oceans obesity is nowhere near as bad as in the US. Your food problem is a cultural one, not an economical one.

This is the kind of advice you should be very cautious in giving.

Losing weight and losing fat are not the same thing. Merely changing your diet won't be enough to lose fat as your metabolism adapts very quickly to permanent, constant caloric changes and in general your body prefers to eat your muscles rather than your fat.

The only way to lose fat quickly is weightlifting AND fixing your diet.

I said losing weight, not fat. Also that is the very basic of it. What works best for you might not work best for me.

In other news scientists have found that the ocean is not actually rising, it's the continents that are falling because of excess weight.

Whether it's McDonalds or the grocery store our food is loaded with disgusting stuff. I won't even buy anything out of the frozen food section other then vegetables. My cousin eats those cheap pizza rolls all the time. I tell him it's cheap because the cheese is made from rats milk and the meat is chicken eyeballs. I can't eat stuff like that. Real food is expensive as hell. Even ground hamburger is disgusting 2/3 of it is ground tendons and other nasty parts. They spray it with ammonia hydroxide to kill any bacteria so it don't make you sick and then they charge and arm and a leg for it. I won't eat any meat out of can either. The meat in chicken soup looks like chicken assholes. I hunt and I fish as often as I can to put real food on the table. 1/2 the time I just eat mac and cheese or packaged noodles.

@jdc6305:"I tell him it's cheap because the cheese is made from rats milk and the meat is chicken eyeballs."

lol, you're stretching with that one.

Overall I agree with your initial statement, and eating healthy, fresh foods is great, but going in the complete opposite direction is not the right move, either. In other words, if you are radically against any foods that are processed at all, you are as bad as people that eat nothing but processed foods. Well, not as bad, but still foolish :P

As for ground beef, it's just ground beef (depending on the % fat you buy, i.e. 85% lean, 99% lean, etc) they do add trimmed fat back in, but that's about it. It's not 1/3 tendons, and they don't spray it with ammonia hydroxide; you're thinking of "pink slime" which is finely-textured beef (or meat) that is essentially worked into a paste, mixed with fillers, chemicals, and other stuff and turned into hot dogs.

With that said, waste not; you gotta use every bit of the animal. As a hunter, you should have some knowledge of that. If pink slime is how we efficiently do that, and make cheap protein for people with small budgets, then so be it. It's either that, or we start seeing cow intestines, tendons, and cartilage in little packages at the store and I think most of us would prefer the pink slime.

If you're not eating ground beef because you think it is as bad as hot dogs (where they put pink slime), you're missing out on wholesome, often-lean protein; if you're eating nothing but meat products derived from pink slime (hot dogs, cheap bologna and lunch meats, chicken nuggets, etc) then you are poisoning your body.

Stop watching Jamie Oliver :D Guy is a tool.

@mrbojangles25: Who is Jamie Oliver?

And yes pink slime is used in ground beef. Some places use it some don't.

I just joke with my cousin about that. I told him they have farms with rows and rows of rats in cages being milked.