Obesity in America revisited

Great Debates
1

Yes, boys and girls, it is time to re-visit our favorite subject.

I recently had a business trip that took me literally around the world: from London, to Tokyo, San Francisco, Seattle, NY and then London. I have been to (and actually lived in) all these cities before, but have never been to all within a two-week time frame. So while it was quite tiring, it was also quite interesting on a number of levels.

Obesity in the US gets a lot of press space in Europe. What I noticed was that people in San Francisco, Seattle and NY were on the whole much slimmer than people I have seen on trips to Mid-west US. NY, I guess I can kind of see, and I San Francisco as well. But Seattle? The only thing I could think of is that the dot.com ‘fad’ has spread (because I could count the number of suits I saw in three days in Seattle probably on one hand). This fad reminds me of the ‘image is everything’ slogan from Canon? Nikon? and Agassi circa 1990 when he still had hair.

Anyway - people in the US still looked far more overweight (on average, mind you) than in Europe or Asia. And I simply don’t see the reason(s) for this. I have seen previous threads on this, and somehow the reasons don’t seem to add up. Some obese people site ‘medical problems’ - which, if true, suggests the US medical institution should be looking at some widespread problem that only impacts people living in the US. Lifestyle? Not fundamentally different than in any other G7 country (or just about any western European country or Japan).

Or am I missing something?

2

Congrats. You have asked this question with much greater style and grace than the last time I remember it being brought up, when webmastr delivered a big-ass slam of the U.S.

3

Sigh…

You asked nicely, 'tis true.

I think the answers are self-evident. Our national diet sucks. We eat huge portions as a matter of course, considering it perfectly normal to eat half-pound muffins with half-gallon “big gulps” soft drinks. We use food to console, reward, entertain and soothe ourselves. We never move our asses. We have more cheap food, readily available, than anywhere else on earth. We are drenched in advertising from cradle to grave. And the topper? We are diet-obsessed. Many of us begin periodically starving ourselves in early childhood, setting up a lifetime pattern of gain/loss that results in morbid obesity that is almost impossible to undo.

It’s not a whole lot more complicated than that.

stoid
knowing whereof she speaks

4

The only part about the above that I see as fundamentally different from other parts of the world is the part about huge portions. More cheap food than anywhere else in the world? I don’t think so – you obviously haven’t been to a Japanese 7-11 lately <g>. <hijack> Did you know that 7-11 is now owned by a Japanese firm? I used to live close to where Japan’s first 7-11 was. </hijack> Drenched in advertising? Ditto Europe, Asia, and probably Neptune, if there is anybody up there. Diet-obsessed? No more or less than in other places I have lived.

Incidentally, the above also does not explain why it seemed to me that the population on average seemed slimmer on the West Coast and in NY. Perhaps just a coincidence, maybe.

5

Yeah, and I’m one of 'em. I didn’t mean to be this way, but there are those hormone pills and a Wendy’s within 500 yards from home…

Britain is as full of fatties as we are, but go to France and it’s instant shame. I look at the women at my lunch table (in the US) and each one is at least 40+ pounds overweight and are always on diets; the goofier the better. Perpetual diets broken by binges that negate all the earlier efforts.

I try; Lord, how I try. An adjustment in the hormone pills adds ten pounds instantly (yes, I’ve tried the ‘natural’ remedies but they don’t work). I eat to assuage the weight gain…

6

Mebbe it’s all the caffeine they drink in the PNW. Or did you not notice that there’s a coffee place on just about every block in Seattle? They could be so wired they end up looking like junkies…

7

Just have to share a related story :smiley:

A friend was watching CNN while I went to get a beer and I asked him what was on because the sound was way down. He said it was some piece on obese people, because they kept showing all these really sad obesity cases walking on the streets.

We turned the volume up and it turns it out it was something to do with the US election system and they were just showing street scenes from California! :wink:

— G. Raven

8

Amazingly enough :slight_smile: I agree with Stoid, and would add one thing.

We want/hire people do everything for us. Mow the lawn, drive the car, work in the garden, watch the kid, shovel the shit, etc.

The US is rapidly moving from a production economy to a service economy ie; "we used to make the shit, now we sit on our asses, and advise you how to use the shit. (steel industry for ex.)

Us Yanks have become LAZY. That’s why we are getting fatter.

9

Thin folks in Seattle? Man, I cross over the 49th parallel and I instantly know I’m in the States because everybody’s ass just got super-sized.
There’s also a specific level of extra-hugeness that is only available in the U.S., which I have never seen anywhere else in the world (and I just came off a tour of Northern Europe+England).

10

I have yet to travel Asia, but I have been in Russia and all over europe.
One social difference I have noticed between the good ol’ USA and the ECU is public transportation and the lack or automobile reliance.
What point is this I bring forward? It seems to me that we here in america live with a high level of conveniance as compared to many other places in the world. WHat proof do I have, only my observations. Is there truth behind this? I do not know, I have never really thought to much about this. I have noticed and agree with the OP that Americans do seem to be larger than others.
I have also noticed, that europeans do have more vacation time in the span of a year than here in the US. When my cousins and others I know in Europe go on vacation, their time away from work is much more active than many I see here in the US.
Of course, I realize these are broad generalizations. Yet, I hope they help steer the topic towards a better understanding of the subject at hand.

Osip

11

You beat me to it, Klaatu. My opinion exactly. I unfortunately have to lump myself in with the masses on this. I am not obese, but I’m overweight by about 15 lbs. In order for me to lose the weight I have to change my lifestyle, and that is something most Americans are not willing to do. Why? Becase, as Klaatu so elegently put it, we are lazy. I believe that it is in part because we’ve had it so good for so long that many of us have forgotten what it was like to go without.

I also think that there are other social implications surrounding this and that obesity is just a symptom of those problems.

12

We ARE lazy.
Our diet as a nation sucks.
We do use food as a reward, or source of comfort.
Then we crash diet like no other.

We Americans live it up, TO THE HILT. That’s what everybody loves about us. Gimme gimmee gimmee! I want more (of everything). Especially food.

Personally, if there is something good in front of me, I eat it until I can’t eat it no more. My friends are the same way —> like ravenous dogs that have come across an unguarded Easter ham.

I eat when I’m watching TV, I snack throughout the day at work. (I do also exercise too, but only cause I like it. Lucky me.) I love food… how can you not?! Admit it, you like it too. I mean, it only stands to reason, right? Below is the american ethic:

GOOD + MORE = BETTER!

Other countries claim to like to eat, but we put’em all to shame. The average american could support a family of 7 from Ethiopia with our caloric intake; that’s just the way we are. Our lifestyle and mindset support the idea of:

DO WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE LIFE WORTHWHILE… NOW. That means indulging in the ultimate form of instant gratification: eating!

With most people, naturally their metabolism is high enough that the extra calories don’t show. For the others, it’s a different story…

13

Some years ago, Newsweek did a piece called “Hunger in America”. I remember being supremely disgusted and offended when all of the supposedly hungry people that they showed were fat. Not grossly obese, but still decidedly overweight.

14

Well, it’s not only the huge portions but also the makeup of the diet…Lots of fat, lots of starch. Very different from the Japanese diet. Admittedly better than the diet in some countries like Denmark (whose diet has a higher precentage of calories from fat than in the U.S.), so it is clearly not the only factor. The exercise factor is, I think, another big one. In particular, the lack of exercise in everyday life. In Denmark, people (of all ages!) walk and bicycle to get places. Here, even those who work out at the health club drive to get there and fight for the closest parking space! The same people probably take the elevator in the office every day and then wonder why they have to go work out on the StairMaster in order to keep the weight off!

As for the population being slimmer on the coasts…I have a few guesses on that. (1) The population in those cities is probably more heavily weighted toward the yuppie age groups that are probably less obese than older folks. (2) In those cities, the diet may have more influences from other cultures [e.g., going out for sushi] and thus be marginally healthier. (3) Those cities are a bit less car-oriented than the rest of the U.S. Many people in NYC actually walk a lot. (4) There may be more cultural pressure in the cities to look your best and to exercise. (5) You may have a rather different sample in other ways when you compare your coastal city folks to others…E.g., in the coastal cities, you may be seeing a higher fraction of well-educated middle-upper class types and there is indeed apparently a correlation of obesity with class (with obesity increasing with decreasing economic class / education level).

Living in Rochester, NY, I certainly notice a big difference in the look of the people from where I lived before [Ithaca, Vancouver, Montreal]…Even a lot of people, especially men, in the studenty/yuppie part of town where I live are already working on a pretty good beer gut. I also notice a big difference in the level of car vs. other forms of transport and a difference in diet (I used to think of myself as having a bad diet, but by Rochester standards, I am practically a health food nut).

15

Hell, I saw an ad for a segment on Inside Edition on obese PETS. Scary…

16

What do you think the human body does as you eat less and less? Elegantly slim down until it achieves the ideal weight? If this were so, we would not have diseases like ricketts, scurvy, etc. I have been both one of America’s obese and America’s hungry AT THE SAME TIME! First, we did not eat junk food. At the time we spent $50-$100 for food each month for two people. We did not eat prepared foods, but rather cooked our own meals from scratch. I did my best to prepare balanced attractive meals that were appetizing. Sometimes we went hungry when there were unexpected expenses and the food budget was the only place we could cut expense. My husband lost his job ( a co-worker pulled a prank that injured him severly) and we suddenly had no money for food. We could not afford as much meat or vegatables and suddenly we are getting most of our calories from rice. The rice available on our budget is polished white rice. Pretty soon I found not only did i feel hungry and light headed nearly all the time, but my gums started to bleed and my tongue was sore. I got lots of head aches. Soon I started to have the dry heaves every morning and no longer got hungry. Instead I was nauseated most of the time. I was slowly starving to death, and I WAS STILL FAT!

17

I agree with Osip. The availability and quality of public transit makes a big difference – when you’re using the subway or bus, you’re walking up and down steps and to and from destinations. When you’re driving, you’re sitting on your ass all the way to wherever you’re going.

I spent a month in Europe and ate whatever the hell I felt like eating. And I lost weight, because for the most part I didn’t have access to a car and had to hoof it everywhere on foot.

Also (and I’m not into America-bashing, but this is a truth I hold self-evident), Americans are obsessed with work. Lots of it. And when you chain yourself to a chair for eight, ten, twelve hours a day, it’s a lot harder to get yourself to the gym or the jogging track. Not to mention the super-size meals we eat at our desks while we’re working ourselves into the ground.

I’ve recently lost quite a bit of weight and am terrified to gain it back. My own obsession, I realize. But living here makes it pretty darn easy to be fat.

18

I’ve been thinking about how some of the social issues play out for me. Lately I’ve gained some weight, mainly for good reasons (I’ve been working out more) and it’s really just brought me up to “normal.” That said, it’s disconcerting as hell, and I’ve realized that since I’m not getting any younger I’ve got to pay more attention to what I’m eating. My diet’s actually pretty decent - I don’t drink soft drinks, I do get my five fruits and vegetables, etc., but I’m not perfect and really have no desire to be. So right now, all I’m trying to do is to notice (a) am I really hungry? and (2) am I really enjoying what I’m eating?

The hardest thing is stopping when both answers are “no.” At the cocktail party, pitching out the rest of that bland, kinda greasy-tasting cookie. At the restaurant, realizing I’ve had enough and don’t have to finish the rice just because it’s there. Or when I’ve accidently let myself go too long without eating, slowing myself down and letting myself feel full (in our rush-rush lifestyle, how often do people overeat just because it’s four o’clock and they haven’t had lunch yet?).

Sometimes it boils down to accepting a bad value. Last night I had a craving for pound cake. I could buy a whole cake for $3.50, or a single slice for $1.00. I knew if I bought the whole cake, I’d eat the damn thing over maybe two days. So I just bought the slice, which took care of the craving.

So here I sit, with decent habits, good genetics and self-awareness, and it’s still damn difficult. (In fact, the genetics are flukey - three of my four grandparents had weight problems. I take after the one who didn’t, and it skipped a generation - my mom and her mom both died young, and my father was recently diagnosed as borderline diabetic.)

I agree that so much of it is simply that Americans don’t ever learn balance. Combine that with sugar that’s been cheap forever (even the poorest of my sharecropping ancestors could buy molasses or sorghum), soft drinks wrapped in a gauzy Coca-colamericana, cheap land (allowing people to buy homes with big yards, rendering walking, bicycling and public transit impracticable), and little cultural support for taking time to enjoy food, and in a modern world demanding little exercise you’ve got a recipe for - large-scale?..widespread?..massive?..help me out, here - obesity.

19

I think it’s the quick, easy availability of fattening foods that is a big culprit, as well as the huge portions we’re used to. My husband and I are both on weight loss plans (lower calorie, low fat, exercise). I am astounded at how much fat and how many calories are in average “portions” of the meals we were eating.

As we’ve scaled down our portions (signifigantly), we’ve realized that you don’t need a 12oz steak to be satisfied. You also don’t need junk like Cinnabons, Auntie Annes pretzels, Dunkin’ Donuts Coolattas, etc. That stuff is nothing but garbage and just adds calories to your diet that you don’t need.

When we actually evaluated what we were eating and how much our bodies really needed to survive and thrive, the groceries got much healthier, we started preparing our meals better, and we have both forever stopped eating that kind of junk as a way of life.

Bingo- I’ve stopped buying ice cream to “make myself feel better”, as I used to do. I also do not encourage my husband and I by setting a good (fattening) meal as a reward for some task accomplished. When I entertain in the home now, my recipes are low fat and still very good. No more junk or “what the heck” stuff going on.

I think that as long as bad eating habits are learned as kids, encouraged as adults, and are cheap and easy to maintain, America will continue to have an overweight population. It’s much more difficult to eat healthy then not.

We’ve adopted the mantra of “eat to live, don’t live to eat”, and so far, so good. I’m down 12lbs and he’s down 40lbs. We both feel great and will never go back to our former selves.

Zette

20

I was at a conference a little while ago where some folks from CDC presented some really interesting facts about obesity in the US. They showed slides of the % of obese people by state over the last 15-20 years and it has essentially reached epidemic proportions. I did a quick search for these maps on the CDC website but couldn’t find them. They’re definitely worth checking out.

They linked a lot of these changes to the city design we have in the US. Suburban sprawl is a big culprit, it’s just as bad for health as it is for the environment. Some of the other interesting facts the CDC folks had:
*85% of US “trips” involve the car (vs biking or walking) compared to 50% in the Netherlands. Of trips less than one mile (25%of all trips) 75% are made by car
*A limited supply of sidewalks, neighborhood schools and local shopping were seen major culprits
*40% of food budget is now spent outside of the home, often high-fat, low nutrition food

What I also found very interesting was the linkage between school siting and childhood obesity. They did a quick “hands-up” survey of how many people walked to school as children (2/3 of the room) and how many today had children/neighborhood children who walked to school (less than 5 in a room of about 60). Many states have rules about the acreage schools must have, making it to expensive to build schools in towns, meaning all the kids have to be bussed to them.