Right. But a slow metabolism cannot be used as an excuse for being fat. If a person has a slow metabolism (as I do), they simply need to recognize it, and eat less.
Um…
This is the funniest things I’ve read in a long time. You were joking, right?
Yes. But you can’t deny that it is harder for slower-metabolizing people to eat less. And some people don’t want to baby their condition as much as other people. And yeah, maybe that’s wrong, but it’s not the gross moral failing some of you all are making it out to be.
Like I said, I eat crap. I eat it because I like it. I know that I would eat it even if I had a slower metabolism. So maybe I can see where people like gigi are coming from where they don’t want to spend a lot of time crafting every bite that goes into their mouths. Some people just have different priorities and it doesn’t make them bad people. I agree that they should take responsibility for their children’s diet, though.
Typo: “eat less” should be “lose weight.” And there are some conditions (like Hashimoto’s) where even a standard food pyramid diet can pack on the pounds so they have to be even more careful, which can be difficult in our society of convenience. Such people might not ever be allowed to eat out, or eat other people’s food, because those kinds of things can unbalance them and make them put on like five pounds in a day. I am so glad I don’t have one of those conditions or I would be a 700 lb bed lady by now.
Here we agree. An adult should be able to make an informed decision about their own health. Children can’t, and feeding them crap on a regular basis is 666 kinds of wrong.
That, if anything, limits the damage done by PE, which IMO is a Pavlovian conditioning regimen calculated to induce aversion to exercise.
I have Hashimoto’s. Properly managed it should not have that large an impact on your weight. I had some medication issues that caused my weight to go up, but those have been resolved. I lost some of the weight, but still have a way to go. The real reasons my weight isn’t where is should be are my food choices (long working hours + commute -> poorer food choices " 'cause I’m tired, dammit!") and not enough exercise. For me, it is definitely easier to eat poorly. YMMV
My Endocrinologist hates that people use it an excuse (his wording) to be overweight. He says the only way to lose weight is “eat fewer calories than you burn”. Bottom line, that’s what it’s all about.
It’s interesting that PBS has all these programs on healthy eating. Funny that I’ve never seen one. When are they on? In fact, I can recall only one show that I saw on TV that addressed healthy eating, and that was on 60 Minutes. Fourteen years ago. And all that said was to drink more wine.
As far as getting an education from the internet, good luck with that. Sure, there’s some good stuff out there, if you can sort through all of the ads for diet pills, Amazing Chinese Weight Loss Tea, and Doctor Soo’s Weight Loss Biscuits. When you finally get to real information, it’s often vague, contradictory, or just plain false.
I guess it’s a moral failing that people don’t realize that the 'net has nothing but truthful information.
Got a public library? Isn’t it amazing that most places, the government gives you a place where information is not just free, it’s organized and staffed!
Ah, books! Of course! No misinformation in those.
As well, how does that comment address one single thing in my post? Hint: It doesn’t.
A friend of mine has a 4 year old that’s 4 feet tall and 70 pounds. He eats an assload of hotdogs every day, that’s about all he eats. Some parents just don’t know how to say no to their children.
Frontline had a show on Fat. Not a regular series, but sadly, more people are interested in who gets kicked off a friggin’ island than in gaining the knowledge to make intelligent choices in their own lives.
Newshour and NOW with Bill Moyers have also addressed the issue.
If someone has access to CNN, they have the frequent Health Minutes and the program Fit Nation.
Local news will also occassionally cover the subject.
Sadly, good nutrition isn’t crammed into our daily lives like McDonalds and Pizza Hut (we now make the box out of cheese so you can eat that, too) advertisements.
Davenportavenger, I have been very, very poor so I know what you are saying is bullshit. When I was REALLY poor I lived off potatoes. I learned 2493465 different ways of cooking them so that I wouldn’t get tired of eating them. When I was a step above that, I would steal a cart from the grocery store so that I could shop in bulk. I would go when things were on sale and I bought mostly healthy things because it was cheaper. I did eat a lot of ramen, but I also ate a lot of rice and potatoes. I even learned how to make the ramen healthier by throwing in eggs, chicken, or fresh vegetables when I got lucky. I still don’t have a car and I gotta walk to the market. If I can’t get my friends to drive me, I will take a cart to transport my groceries back. (I live between two markets so I can take a cart that belongs to the other market)
But this whole argument is pointless. Most Americans aren’t that poor. And for those who say that it is due to ignorance, look at a dopefest picture. Either we dopers are ignorant or it’s something else.
I’ve been thin for most of my life and while part of that is due to a medical condition, it is mostly due to diet. I’ve found that I can gain weight quite easily if I do eat the wrong things, but since I was raised by parents that promoted only healthy foods I have no desire to. The idea of eating the largest size at Coldstone is sickening to me. A lot of the time, I can’t even finish the smallest size. The other day, I went to McDonalds with some friends and ordered a salad and a fruit cup for my meal. My friends asked me if I was on a diet because they couldn’t conceive that a person would desire a salad over a hamburger or chicken fingers. If I eat healthily and exercise, then I can eat for hours in one sitting and not gain any weight.
This is a key point. Far from being isolated from food information, we are bombarded with food messages all the time. Care to guess how many of those are health-oriented (and correct at that)?
Here’s a curious thing: Look at a box of Nabisco crackers some time. The food pyramid is printed right on the box. It suggests eating 7-9* servings of grains per day. Now look at how many servings the box contains. Eight*! Ain’t that nifty? Just eat a box of Wheat Thins every day, and you’re on your way to weight loss!
*Numbers from memory. May not be accurate.
Of course it’s difficult. But with enough discipline it can be done.
The bottom line is this: anyone can lose weight regardless of what disease they have. All they have to do is eat less and/or eat better. But they must have the self-discipline to do it, which is where most people fail.
I really think there are two major factors to the obesity problem.
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Most people have sedentary jobs and kids get far less exercises so their calorie requirements are a lot lower than was typical in the past. And portion sizes have gone up so it’s even harder to judge what a properly sized meal is.
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Food is really, really easy to get nowdays. Even just thirty years ago, there weren’t nearly as many convenience foods on the market. Food is available everywhere: gas stations, craft stores, etc. And it’s food you don’t have to do any work to consume. In other time periods, to get something to eat, you’d have to get out the ingredients and actually cook something. So just grabbing random snacks didn’t happen and sugared drinks were a treat, not a staple.
The way to combat these things is education but the powerful food industry fights any suggestion that some foods are inherently less healthy and it’s easier for the average joe to just keep eating what he wants. Even among people who should know better, there’s a lot of willful ignorance. Yeah, I always hear all the excuses from my overweight friends but when we’re eating out, I’m the one that orders the veggie burger, no mayo, and they’re the ones with the burger, fries, and full calorie soda plus dessert.
Give me a break. This isn’t some sort of voodoo,it’s about eating more green vegetables and less hot dogs and ice cream. Do you honestly think that the obesity problem in this country in a result of a bunch of poor saps who just have no idea? Considering the advice you’ve been given by certain professionals, I can maybe see why.
No I wasn’t. It makes me actively unhappy to eat vegetables; they taste bad to me and I get no pleasure from them. Ice cream on the other hand makes me feel good, it tastes good, and it gives me pleasure. The prospect of not getting to eat the things I count on is devastating and intensely uncomfortable to my body and spirit.
I thought for a moment that I was overstating my case to be a devil’s avocado, but I honestly feel this way.
I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I’d like to think I’m not a complete moron. I’ve been wanting to lose weight for more than 20 years. I’ve owned a TV all that time, and I’ve had both cable and internet for half of that time. I’ve purchased countless books on weight loss. I’ve seen a dietician professionally, and consulted another. Unlike most fat people, I’ve tried numerous diets. And yet I’ve hit on something that works for me only in the past few months.
What was my moral failing here? Was it just laziness?
If 60% of the public is failing at something that you think is “just that simple”, perhaps what’s simple is you. (Not directed to anyone in particular.)