# Obesity, OK people, we\`re growing out of our clothes, cars, airplanes, theatres.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 19, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077 "2003-11-19T12:53:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![skeptic\_ev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@skeptic\_ev](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skeptic_ev)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077/41 "2003-11-20T15:35:35Z")
I also meant to say that a lot of the food commercials that **ShadiRoxan** mentioned show people eating while doing other things (Gogurt, anyone?), rather than devoting time to eating only. I’ve mostly stopped eating while working because of the extra unneeded food you can mindlessly shove in while sitting at your desk. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077/42 "2003-11-20T16:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by skeptic\_ev \* > \*\*Recent studies have shown that a calorie does not, in fact, equal a calorie, regardless of the makeup of said calorie. (I’m specifically thinking of a study I saw on MSN not too long ago wherein one group got a fairly high-calorie, high-fat diet and the other group got a low-cal, low-fat, high-carb diet. The first group lost more weight. I’ll dig up the cite if I can find it.) Fat, protein, and carbohydrates act in different ways once they get into your body. That’s why diabetics have to be so aware of the glycemic index. \*\* I’m always amazed to see this as news. It’s old–there’s been research in this area going on for over 20 years. See this [article](http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/leaneating_1.htm) ([part 2](http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/leaneating_2.htm)) for information. ---
**Author:** ![Capcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Capcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capcha)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077/43 "2003-11-20T20:36:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by skeptic\_ev \* > [\*Snip] > the extra unneeded food you can mindlessly shove in while sitting at your desk. > [/\*snip] That’s the point i also wanted to highlight. Whenever i want to watch (or during) a movie, i get the munchies. The kinds that would result in being big as meals. I guess i shouldn’t call them the latter). It’ s because i always had a habit of watching a movie while eating dinner. Now, even if i had eaten an hour earlier - to my fill- i tend to “mindlessly shove” more of what i don’t need. Not to mention when i roam these boards for a couple of hours before work, thus _munch_ too much. ---
**Author:** ![Tygr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@Tygr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tygr)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077/44 "2003-11-20T22:22:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \* > **One way to solve it…** _sigh_ **RT** , you know I love ya. Dat’s why I never get tired of coming across your “Whatever problem you can name, there’s a way for the government to fix it” philosophy. Now put the macro-economic calculator down and step away from the Federal budgetary forecasts and let’s think about what might actually work, as opposed to implementing a double-fistful of national taxpayer-funded bureaucratic initiatives. You don’t have to punish business in order to change America (yeah, I can see you from here, with your hands over your ears shouting “LA-LA-LA, I CAN’T HEEEEEAR YOU!” 🙂 ). After all, they are catering to our national feeling that we’ve worked hard to get to this level of comfort, we ought to be able to enjoy it. We just need to be subtly reminded about personal responsibility. After all, that’s what our current level of comfort is a result of. I would think, RT, that _your_ preferred first line of action would be education. The best way to change American’s behavior en masse is to inform them. It worked with drunk driving. It’s working with smoking. It can work with over-eating. It’d require no radical legislative changes. Just earmark some funds for a campaign to encourage all American’s toward a sensible diet and exercise. Because a societal problem actually IS an individual problem multiplied 100,000,000 times. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077/45 "2003-11-20T22:36:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tygr \* > **I would think, RT, that _your_ preferred first line of action would be education. The best way to change American’s behavior en masse is to inform them. It worked with drunk driving. It’s working with smoking. It can work with over-eating.** That’s already been [tried](http://www.gladwell.com/1998/1998_02_02_a_pima.htm) on a small scale, and it’s failed miserably. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077/46 "2003-11-20T23:32:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zoe \* > \*\*Some medications which have been used to treat convulsions have been found to be highly affective in treating compulsive behaviors. I have been taking one for the last two or three months and I have no problems with compulsive eating (or shopping). \*\* Zoe, what kind of anti-convulsant are you taking? And where can I get some. 🙂 Just kidding. I’m epilleptic and am on Lamictal. I understand that it’s one of those medications that’s actually supposed to make you lose weight. Unfortunately, I’m on something else that is supposed to make you gain weight - I guess they kind of cancel each other out since I haven’t lost or gained anything for 2 years. Anyway, I’m curious about what you’ve been perscribed. Oh, and I agree wholeheartedly with those who have said that weight gain is both societal and individual. Also, some people show they love you by feeding you. Take my mom for example. She gets really upset if I don’t hog down at least two large servings of her food whenever I go home to visit. Even if I honestly claim that I’m full (yes, sometimes I lie because she makes really, really fatty food and is hurt that I don’t like it), she takes it personally that I can’t eat any more. It’s very odd, and it took me a long time to realize that I don’t have to clean my plate and go back for seconds every single time I eat. After I moved out, I found that enjoying my food doesn’t mean eating as much of it as possible. Good food is to be savored and not shoveled down in huge quantities. It’s like sex - if it’s over in two minutes, you probably didn’t do it right. ---
**Author:** ![BonoVox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@BonoVox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BonoVox)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077/47 "2003-11-20T23:42:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blonde \* > \*\*I’m of the opinion (which I’m sure will be debated with much vigor) that there are 5 “weight” types of folks: > > 1. Thin, can eat anything they want. Hate those guys. > 2. Thin, watch what they eat very carefully, and exercise. > 3. Overweight, eat anything they want (I won’t say they don’t exercise, because I’m sure many do). > 4. Overweight, due to a thyroid problem. > 5. “Medium” weight - eat high-calorie foods occasionally, exercise a little. (Or perhaps exercise a lot and eat high-calorie foods often.) > > I’m a 2. If I had to guess where the majority of U.S. citizens rank, it’s like this: 3,5,2,1,4. \*\* Since I am a 1, and you admit that you hate me, I’ll just point and laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077/48 "2003-11-21T00:22:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SnoopyFan \* > \*\* > Gee, I dunno. Seems to have worked for me. Changed the way I ate in October of last year and started working out regularly in April. I’ve lost 60 pounds so far. > > **If you do not give up** , yes, eating less and exercising more WILL take off the weight. This is not rocket science! The problem is people don’t want to invest the time and energy to do it and they want 100 pounds gone in a month, and if they don’t get it, they quit. \*\* well its hard to say. I made [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=221258&highlight=national+weight+control+registry) post about the national weight control registry (an org. that collects data on individuals who have lost weight and kept it off) and the average individual there has a metabolism roughly 1/2 the speed of a normal persons. Plus there is a chance their appetite was stronger than normal. So for the ‘success stories’ of diet & exercise as a cure you have individuals who have tried and failed 3, 4, 5, maybe 10 times before, are currently barely succeeding, only need 1400 calories a day but could probably eat 3000 and have metabolic rates that are almost 50% of a normal persons (which in and of itself could be more dangerous than obesity, i dont know). So while the mantra of dieters is ‘exercise (ie burn more calories) and eat less’ the body responds by saying ‘burn less calories and eat more’. Its a struggle and if there was no resistance to it then yes diet & exercise would be perfect solutions. But much like many other body systems pulling in one direction (trying to eat less than you burn) will cause your body to attempt to obtain homeostasis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obesity-ok-people-we-re-growing-out-of-our-clothes-cars-airplanes-theatres/214077.md?page=2)