The Obesity Epidemic
Are there contributing factors other than overeating and lack of exercise? Some interesting theories here, including viruses, microwave ovens, air conditioning, and artificial sweeteners.
via Conservative Grapevine
via Conservative Grapevine
Labels: excuses
posted by scalpel at 10:42 AM
13 Comments:
I get this magazine and just read this article last week. Very interesting theories. Scientists have known for 10+ years that certain plastic additives mess up the endocrine system.
However this article tries to camoflage two very real and major issues in obesity: most people are STUPID and LAZY to learn how to eat right, and do it.
And that includes me. I just didn't want to do the work to change my diet...until my doctor ordered it. So I've lost weight and got the high blood pressure down.
So there, I said it. Politicians can't say it, doctors can't say it, not even anonymous scientists. But I said it. And you can't fix stupid. That's why you must take away high fat, high salt, high sugar foods, because a large portion of the population will continue to eat them as long as they are available, regardless of the education you give them about the dangers of obesity.
We've been throwing money at the education of nutrition for 30+ years, and it hasn't worked. Why throw good money after bad? Why?
(con't)
We can talk about how people are stupid and lazy until I'm blue in the face, and most people would deny it, deny the fact out of politeness.
Politeness doesn't fix the obesity problem. It hides it. Like skeletons in a closet. It hides it, so the problem can grow like a cancer, a hidden cancer that everyone knows is there but no one will talk about.
I'm not saying stupid people are bad or should be banned from society. But throwing money into "education" sure doesn't help. And constant supervision doesn't help either, it's too expensive with a low return of results.
I don't have the answer, but I can point to the problem.
The success of our society has enabled us to limit our physical activity and has given us easy access to tasty, high calorie foods.
A bag of chips is really cheap and tastes really good. Fast food is really convenient and relatively inexpensive. The grocery store has dozens of choices of ice cream, cakes, and cookies.
Compare the average diet and amount of physical activity now to those of 100 years ago, and the answer seems pretty simple.
In the Alaska bush (off the road system) a 2 liter of soda costs much less than a gallon of water - water works out to being about twice as much. Any guesses as to which beverage is bought? Unfortunately, the worst foods are the cheapest, white bread, etc...
Let me get this straight, smokers rank up there with john wayne gacy, serial killers with their second hand smoke and obesity is a "complex" issue with possible multiple underlying causes? What a crock. More ammunition to be "politically" correct when dealing with obesity.
Calories in Calories out...damn. It's that simple, unfortunately. ;)
Sometimes, you just have to get used to feeling hungry...at times. It isn't t h a t horrible.
There are also a heck of a lot of drugs that cause weight gain that a lot of people probably shouldn't be taking, ranging from steroids to birth control pills to beta blockers.
People have to calculate how many calories they need per day at their current weight (online calculators for this) and how many calories they need at their ideal weight and keep a log. Measuring food and counting calories is important.
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So are they saying sleep your excess weight away. I am such a night owl. THAT explains it! "What honey? Get up? I can't yet. What/ why not? You know I'm working at losing weight. Now go away and let me lose more weight!" Wouldn't that be nice! :)
I do think it has to do with heredity. Like some people are predisposed to lipidemia or diabetes.
I think it would be interesting if they find other causes..or additional causes.
Personally..I NEVER use artificial sweeteners. BLECH!
Once I was taking a coffee break with the ED doc. At that time I used sugar in my coffee. So as I went to grab the real sugar..he picked up a pack of sweet n low. Then the pack of sugar.
Then he joked but was serious and said,"A tsp of sugar only has 17 calories. If someone can't handle 17 calories..they DO have a problem!"
One of my coworkers who was in her 50s in the 80s went crazy with Nutrasweet when it came out. Think Forest Gump and all those shrimp recipes Bubba told him about.
She drank soda like water, pudding and I don't recall what else but she was always ingesting it.
One day..she was on her way to work.. but forgot what she was doing, where she was going and how to get back home. She pulled over and called her mother.
Turns out she developed an allergy to the artificial sweetener and was told to never use it again.
I think the best food is the closest to how God made it before we started perverting it with additives.
I think there could be cumulative effects from our environment.
I think research in this area is important.
But speaking as a girl who has always had to wrastle with weight issues (even thought I was fat when I was NOT).. I do believe it does come down to calories in and burned through activity.
Regarding the epidemic.
Well... I was a child of the late 50s-60s and back then... pizza was a treat. We didn't drink soda in our house except for special occasions. I didn't see my first fast food place until I had a white castle burger in NYC and I was 15. We ate mostly fresh food, although my aunt did cook frozen food too.
I read recently that msg can cause increase in appetite too. Also it is hidden in products under other names. Then the meat,poultry and milk is compromised with hormones and antibiotics.
And I was never home. No kids were.
We were out from morning til night. matter of fact..unless it was raining..we were EXPECTED to play outside all day.
And kids weren't allowed in each other's houses unless bad weather. we all always had to wait outside for our friends to come out.
So..we had good food and lots of exercise.
My 1st son was born in 1980. We live on a country road. Neither son was E-V-E-R allowed to just roam around... never mind all day.
I had to know where they were, who with , etc. And electronic games, and now computers.
Our kids are so much more sedentary today. And most of us only had one tv households and so even tv time was limited. Today..many have their own.
Although..we didn't let them have their own until they were teenagers.
I think lifestyle is a HUGE factor.
Supersizing.
Parents not being home to watch what kids eat when they get home.
Also..misinformation.
I think research is beneficial in this area. Wouldn't it be something if someday.. they tell us everything we are doing now is wrong and through proven studies can demonstrate what will be effective?
Still... while some people may be more predisposed than others... just as with any other disease process... I do think type of food, volume of food, when are you eating it and exercise are key to successful weight loss and we all know now... it isn't the diet mentality that works... but a livable, healthier lifestyle change for successful long term weight loss.
We also know that it thus far has been proven to be an indefinite struggle to keep the weight off for most people. (I think research in that area is important)
Look at Oprah who has been candid about her weight issues. She has the money to pay for trainers and chefs, etc... and it is STILL a struggle for her.
My understanding is that yo-yo dieting and crash dieting messes with your metabolism.
Also... You create a set point with each weight you become. When your body loses that weight..it wants to go back to the set point and then some and so one spirals upward with weight gain with each new set point.
I don't know if they still say that but I feel I have experienced it.
Anyway... interesting article to ponder. Thanks for the link. :)
*Psychological component equally if not more important in my opinion.
This would be a post if I wrote my full opinion on contributing psychological factors.
As the habits and rewards become ingrained... addiction forms.
Food is substance abuse too. I think you could look at an alcoholic, drug addict, smoker, sex addict, gambler(pick your poison) and say(as a food addict) but for the grace of God..there go I.
I have heard that smoking is one of the toughest addictions to break and perhaps there are stats to back that statement up... but I take issue with that. I think food addiction is the toughest to break.
Most smokers..once they quit..they don't go back. Most people that lose weight...gain weight back and will have to be ever vigilant in being the gatekeeper for warding off tenaciously insidious pounds that want to creep back on.
Food is the only substance a human *can't* get away from.
How many drug addicts or alcoholics have to still feed themselves the addictive substance on a daily basis, several times a day? Or peruse the grocery aisles choosing and handling said addictive substances? That would be like sending them out to the backrooms and alleys to hang out with the other addicts and see/handle the substance and be expected to just have a little and walk away. And yes... people do end up in situations where they have to exercise caution and are faced with their substance of choice in social situations...but not 24/7.
And also...they aren't shopping and preparing said addictive substances for their families and friends.
Food is not just food.
We are not automatons.
It represents many things to many people.
I recently wrote a post where I compared it to sex... in terms of temptation. I haven't put it in my blog yet. Wrestling with whether I should or not... but what I wrote is true...in my opinion.
Food can be that powerful.
So.. I think research into the physical cause and effects of overeating is important... but I definitely believe the psychological component is equally..if not more important.
It is a complex issue.
Yes...we all know the black and white side of it ..food quality, intake vs energy expended.
People that don't eat will lose weight and die.
But definitely...cultural influences, environmental factors:both living environment and pollution to perverted with additives or genetically rearranged food, lack of exercise and all the other.
Think of Pavlov's dogs. Somehow we get conditioned with trigger responses propelling us into behaviors we're indulging in before we even realize it. And yes..we can reverse it..but not without diligence and vigilance..for the food addict.
Why do even the health conscious people overindulge on the holidays..particularly..over stuff themselves during the holiday meal?
What is it in us humans that we are willing to override our hunger appestat which tells us when we are full? Why go through that uncomfortable sensation?
Now take the over eater who literally desensitizes themselves to the full feeling and overrides the full sensation repeatedly.
Barring a physical cause (not likely), at that point...it is not about the food... it is psychological.
I think the person who can discover how to get people to follow their natural inborn full indicator(hunger appestat) will be rich and deserve the Nobel Peace prize for being the one who reverses the obesity epidemic.
They say...if we only ate when we are hungry, stop as soon as we feel the fullness coming on...we can eat as much and what we want and would stay at healthy weights and lose the unwanted weight.
Definitely a complex issue worthy of research.
If I can eat as much as I want without getting fat I will gladly do without air conditioning.
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