# What's with the American obesity **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 29, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378 "2011-03-29T14:03:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/41 "2011-03-30T16:03:34Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > This is a systemic problem, and it is not going to have a simple solution. The solution is pretty simple, actually. Too many people just don’t want to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/42 "2011-03-30T16:23:27Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > The solution is pretty simple, actually. Too many people just don’t want to hear it. :rolleyes: Okay fine, the basic solution is rather simple. Having a large population implement the solution within a culture that promotes fast cheap calories and a sedentary lifestyle is difficult (and for some people, impossible.) ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/43 "2011-03-30T16:28:14Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > The solution is pretty simple, actually. Too many people just don’t want to hear it. Correct – hence all the clamoring for an obesity “cure.” We already have a cure, folks, and it works for the overwhelming majority of us. The cure works, but people don’t want to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/44 "2011-03-30T16:32:34Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I have lost about 15 kilos in the past six months based purely on eating microwave meals (for portion size control) and moving a bit more. Not a lot more, but a bit. I’ve had to buy pretty much a new wardrobe. Congrats (really). This however does not change the general point I was making. Anyone can lose weight eating most anything. At the end of the day it is calories in and calories out. If you pay attention then frozen dinners may work fine to diet on. I maintain you’d be better off preparing your own meals from scratch as long as you pay at least the same attention to what you are eating as you did with frozen dinners. (This assumes you can cook 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/45 "2011-03-30T16:37:52Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > I remember reading years ago that we go by the BMI and Michael Jordan in his prime was “obese.” I understand you’re not really supposed to use BMI for body builders or elite athletes, but I was [curious](http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/) how some basketball players would turn out: Jordan 6’6 215 = 24.8 LeBron 6’9 260 = 27.9 Kareem 7’4 265 = 24.1 Shaq 7’1 320 = 31.1 So the only one who is technically obese is Shaq, and that weight is from his LA years. When he was young at LSU and Orlando he was pretty [trim](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3619/3447266420_7b59446f41_o.jpg). And supposedly around 2004 he was playing around 350, which is nuts. Guy is going to balloon out like crazy after he retires. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/46 "2011-03-30T17:21:53Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Congrats (really). > > This however does not change the general point I was making. > > Anyone can lose weight eating most anything. At the end of the day it is calories in and calories out. If you pay attention then frozen dinners may work fine to diet on. > > I maintain you’d be better off preparing your own meals from scratch as long as you pay at least the same attention to what you are eating as you did with frozen dinners. > > (This assumes you can cook 😉 ) As I said, it is all about portion size control. I can cook, but often cooked too much and thus ate too much. My point was that it isn’t the processed food on its own that was bad, which is how it looked when they were brought up. And thanks. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/47 "2011-03-30T17:29:15Z")
I have traveled to a lot of different countries and i am always shocked at how much smaller food sizes are every where else. Things like candy bars, plates, servings, everything is a fraction of what it is here. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/48 "2011-03-30T17:35:18Z")
People also snack a hell of a lot more than they used to, for a variety of reasons. Kids snack because they probably need to and it’s pleasurable, especially when you’re given sugary, fatty foods. Adults are often told (sometimes rightly so to maintain blood sugar levels) that they need to graze in order to eat healthier. Unfortunately, those “snacks” can quickly turn into 500-calorie meals if you’re not careful. And it’s so freaking easy to lose all sense of proportion when you snack. “Just a handful of peanuts,” while certainly not terribly bad for you, can turn into an extra 400-500 calories if you have a few handfuls, and it just doesn’t feel like you’re eating that much. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/49 "2011-03-30T17:44:51Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > I think this is a huge factor that’s too often overlooked. The vast majority of Americans _do not_ live in places where it’s possible and/or pleasant to walk, or where walking from point A to point B is an unavoidable part of your day to day life. Decades ago we restructured our lives around the automobile, and while it may have had some benefits, one of the many downsides has been on our health. If I might weigh in (heh) from an outsider’s (British) point of view, I think this is one of the two major factors. Huge parts of the USA seem to have been designed to make it as difficult as possible to walk anywhere. Places people want to go to are designed to be driven to. Often there are no pavements (sidewalks) or pedestrian crossings. In many cases I don’t think people even step outside a building all day in their working week - they go from house to inside garage, get in their car, drive to work, drive into an indoor car park and then take the lift to their office. Even if you want to go to the gym, you mostly have to drive there. The other big factor is portion size. Portions in the US, from my point of view at least, are ridiculously large. The starters in American restaurants are usually big enough for me as a main course. A “regular” Coke is often a pint or more - “large” tends to come in a receptacle you could bath a baby in. Milkshakes come in [24 oz](http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slide/worst-beverage-america) monster portions (OK, that’s an extreme example, with over 2,000 calories in one drink). Also, I think people tend to eat fast, and on the move. When you eat fast, you don’t register fullness until you’ve already overeaten. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/50 "2011-03-30T19:30:50Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > People also snack a hell of a lot more than they used to, for a variety of reasons. Kids snack because they probably need to and it’s pleasurable, especially when you’re given sugary, fatty foods. Adults are often told (sometimes rightly so to maintain blood sugar levels) that they need to graze in order to eat healthier. > > Unfortunately, those “snacks” can quickly turn into 500-calorie meals if you’re not careful. And it’s so freaking easy to lose all sense of proportion when you snack. “Just a handful of peanuts,” while certainly not terribly bad for you, can turn into an extra 400-500 calories if you have a few handfuls, and it just doesn’t feel like you’re eating that much. Actually you are better off snacking then you are eating three big meals a day. Snacks help curb your appetite and when meal time comes you will eat less. On balance you are better off in terms of fewer calories consumed. Of course what you are snacking on makes a big difference. Nom on a carrot not so bad, nom a Snickers bar the calculation changes. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/51 "2011-03-30T19:37:28Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > As I said, it is all about portion size control. I can cook, but often cooked too much and thus ate too much. > > My point was that it isn’t the processed food on its own that was bad, which is how it looked when they were brought up. Note I said you paid “at least as much attention” to what you were eating (while cooking) as you did with the frozen dinners. If you cooked and cooked too much and overate then no surprise. Granted packaged meals are easier to deal with. IF (note big “if”) you are cautious and pay attention to the calories you can do fine. My point is most people, if not actively dieting and paying attention, can easily overeat. When you have to prepare a meal from scratch it can take an hour or more (give or take). When you can nuke something in three minutes it is easier to succumb to your impulse to eat. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/52 "2011-03-30T20:56:25Z")
I am Canadian but since we have a similar weight problem here, I feel I can weigh \ in. I honestly believe that the obesity epidemic is all about how easy our lives have become. It is now easy to go to the store to get groceries. Just hop in the car. It is easy to get prepared food. Just go to the restaurant (or 40) down the street. It is easy to do laundry. Throw it in the machine. It is easy to get information. Just google. We are not going to put effort into things when there is an easier way. Spellcheckers. Dishwashers. Lawn mowers. A lot of people didn’t have cars even 40 years ago. What did they do when they got hungry? There weren’t a lot of restaurants (who could afford that, anyway?). So, they walked to the grocery store and hauled it all back. Then came home and cooked something. We have designed a world where it is easy to be fat. What’s the solution? As individuals, we can recognize our own inherent laziness and get ourselves to the grocery store, stove and gym and change. The real question is, how do we change a whole society? Many poor areas do not have reliable access to affordable produce or parks to play in. Who is going to pony up the money to help them? ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/53 "2011-03-30T21:27:48Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Actually you are better off snacking then you are eating three big meals a day. > > Snacks help curb your appetite and when meal time comes you will eat less. On balance you are better off in terms of fewer calories consumed. > > Of course what you are snacking on makes a big difference. Nom on a carrot not so bad, nom a Snickers bar the calculation changes. I really think it depends on the individual and, as you noted, what they’re eating. As an anecdote, if I snack, I eat just as much at mealtimes as I would if I hadn’t snacked. My meals are usually much better planned than my snacks (regardless of whether the meal or the snack is healthy), so if I allow myself to snack, I gain weight. If I don’t, I lose weight. Anyway, I found an interesting [article](http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/3/398.abstract) about kids and snacking trends over the last few years. According to this, 27% of the calories kids consume is coming from snacks, and many kids have up to 3 snacks a day, with sweets being the primary snack food. Here’s a similar [article](http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/2/325.full) on snacking in adults. I agree with you that snacking _should_ allow you to eat less at mealtimes, but in practice, that’s not always true. From what I’ve read (including this), it seems like almost everything related to weight loss - other than calories in, calories out, the verdict is still out about what makes people gain weight/lose weight/maintain weight. Anyway, here’s an excerpt from the intro: > [@](#): > > Obesity among U.S. adults has increased markedly over the past few decades. Approximately 29% of 20- to 39-y olds, 37% of 40- to 59-y olds, and 31% of those aged \>60 y are obese (1). Different dietary factors, including intake of energy beverages, away from home eating, portion sizing, and snacking have been related to the excess of energy intake and obesity at different life stages (2–18). > > Meal and snack patterns, including the frequency of daily eating occasions, are suspected to affect health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and glucose intolerance (19,20). However, the contribution of meal frequency and snacking to overeating and body weight remains unclear. Many studies in adults of all age groups have reported higher values of BMI related to lower eating frequency (4,11,21,22), whereas others have found no relation (23,24) or gender differences to BMI (25,26). ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/54 "2011-03-30T23:06:06Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > So are you saying that you’re not from the US, but you also had this dysfunctional program installed? What area/culture are you from? I’ve never heard of it outside the US. Really? I though it came standard with the Mother 1.0 software package. 🙂 (Seriously though I got the “clean plate” thing from both parents). New Zealand, to answer your question, and my Mum & Dad were both kids during WWII and rationing, so that may be a factor. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/55 "2011-04-05T01:41:56Z")
> [@Soulcatcher](#): > > I once did a research project on this topic. My recollection is that there are quite a few factors: > > - Sedentary lifestyle / lack of exercise compared to other countries stemming primarily from greater use of automobiles rather than walking, and perhaps more hours of television. Relatively long working hours probably do not help. I think this is a big part of it. For instance, I’m fortunate in that I live in an area where I can reach a lot of places on foot. Telling people to walk more and drive less is well and good, but the greatest factor encouraging me to walk is that there are meaningful destinations to walk _to_. OTOH for people living in suburban housing tracts, all you can do is walk to nowhere and back. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/56 "2011-04-05T02:32:38Z")
Sedentary lifestyle combined with eating too much. I haven’t felt hungry in a long time. I have an appetite occassionally, yes. But real hunger, no. When you eat basically to live, you start to see how much little food you really need. I’ll eat a banana and a wheat flour tortilla toasted with a slice of Munster cheese for lunch, and my coworkers look at me like I’m still missing something. What am I missing? I’ve got protein, grain, and fruit. I don’t need a hunk o’ meat or a dessert. Or a “snack break” later on. Everywhere I turn, someone is snacking on something. I used to do that, but now I find it kind of nauseating. I’ll take the piece of chocolate that someone offers me and put it in my desk for “later”. I’ve got enough chocolate in my desk now that I could open up a candy store. What gets me is that I’m moderately active too. So not only am I getting by with way fewer calories than what is “normal”, but I’m also getting my money’s worth out of those calories. I’m not saying I’m the epitome of perfect health or anything, but I do think we overestimate our caloric needs. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/57 "2011-04-05T02:48:20Z")
I think you are all missing the American ingenuity part. Agriculture food and production and delivery is very big business - cumulatively we eat ~ 1 billion meals every day! So there is a lot of pressure in the industry to be efficient and competitive at production and marketing. As a result the calories produced per capita per dollar per day has been skyrocketing for the last 30 years or so…and those calories have to go somewhere. You can find them lurking around our wastes. So, blame it on deregulation and shit. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/58 "2011-04-05T20:25:15Z")
> [@not\_alice](#): > > I think you are all missing the American ingenuity part. Agriculture food and production and delivery is very big business - cumulatively we eat ~ 1 billion meals every day! Well, there are ~310M of us, so that works out to 3.22 meals for each of us, on average. So a relative few of us are getting a fourth meal every day, but it doesn’t seem so shocking when you look at it this way. ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/59 "2011-04-07T09:45:11Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Only if we understood it sufficiently well AND had the means to produce a practical, low-effort “cure.” It’s entirely possible that we’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of obesity, only to find that the cure would require a lot of effort on the part of the afflicted. > > Besides, frankly – and I know that this is a very touchy subject – I think we do understand obesity pretty darned well. It’s just that the cure does indeed require discipline, patience, self-education, planning, and a whole lot of effort. That’s not to say that there’s nothing left to study; indeed, as we learn more about the biology and psychology of obesity, we can hopefully develop ways to make fat loss easier and more efficient. The reality, however, is that we do have cures that work for the vast majority of people. These cures aren’t quick and easy fixes though, which frustrates a great many people. Wow, all these _years_ (since Jr High - 30)of exercising once or twice a day, and what I really need is discipline and effort. All that work with a registered dietician, classes in biology, physiology, organic chemistry, and nutrition when I should have been self educating and planning. I don’t do fast food. Every time I have tried, all I can think about is, “Did they wash their hands?” I have exercised from here to Jupiter; walking, running, biking, hiking, swimming, weightlifting, aerobics, take the stairs, park at the end of the lot. I am just a very strong morbidly obese person who can run most thinner people into the ground. I have three kids. We all eat the same _quality_ of stuff. My girls, who take after me, nibble their food and exercise frequently. They participate in all kinds of sports, yet they are firmly in the obese catagory. My son eats like a horse. He plays video games several hours a day. He eats DR. ORDERED fast food, ice cream, protein bars, protien shakes just to keep weight ON him. He is 6 foot 1, weighs 130 lbs. Tell me again I need patience, education, and effort. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378/60 "2011-04-07T10:24:06Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Well, not “fast food” exactly because this was in pretty typical restaurants, but coming from outside the US portion sizes often seemed truly brobdingnagian. > > In 2000 I stayed in Iowa for 3 months, eating mostly a mix of fast food and restaurant food. I left the US 10kg heavier than when I arrived. :eek: > > (Yes, yes, I know you don’t _have_ to eat it all… unless you’ve been raised on “clean plates” from childhood and leaving food uneaten causes feelings of guilt about starving children somewhere your mother used to remind you about). 🙂 Learning to take “doggie bags” when I would have a chance to eat it later, and to share when not (those portions are big enough for two people) was one of the psychologically-hardest things I had to do when I was living in the US. When people came over from other countries, we’d warn them about portion sizes and mention the possibility of sharing _before_ we got to the restaurant. But, as more than one of them put it, looking at the leftover (after having split the plate!) “I can’t swallow a bite more, but I feel like I’m murdering every single little kid in Africa!” As for driving and exercise, there are many locations where you can’t walk if you want to, they’re simply not designed for it (suburbia or towns with no sidewalks, for example). I imagine that the long commutes aren’t very conductive to exercise, as well: if you have to spend 12h out of the house between the commute and the time you’re at work, that leaves about 4h for waking up breakfast, basic hygiene, family time, cooking dinner, cooking tomorrow’s lunch… which may also lead to more prepared meals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-american-obesity/576378.md?page=4)