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@LewisBraham Portion size in US is ridiculous...we just got back from a trip, so we were eating out a lot and usually just ordered one meal and split it.
I am a middle-aged female (59) and have been 5'7" and 125 lbs for most of my adult life, by not denying myself anything...just eating small portions. And being active.
@little5bee Aside from the portion size, which is large at many restaurants, the problem is corn syrup and sugar are highly addictive, some scientists argue as much so as cocaine. Worse, unlike illegal drugs, people need to eat so you can't just walk away from highly sweetened or fattening foods. They are everywhere and almost everything is sweetened now. Also, interestingly enough the American consumer drives the U.S. economy and food is a big part of that consumption. I wonder if Americans were healthier and ate less what that would do to the food industry, not to mention the advertising industry for food products and the healthcare industry which treats obesity-related ailments like diabetes?
@LewisBraham Worse, unlike illegal drugs, people need to eat so you can't just walk away from highly sweetened or fattening foods.
Sorry, but I'm not buying this....you don't have to give them up, just don't eat them as much. I agree with you, the food and advertising industries have the incentive to encourage us to eat more, but we have the choice to eat less...and move more. Unfortunately, the alternative path is easier...and more fun.
@little5bee, First, watch this: cbsnews.com/news/is-sugar-toxic-01-04-2012/ Of particular importance is the info starting at the 9:45 time slot on the video. Second, I am familiar with the familiar trope about "choice" and "personal responsibility" when discussing obesity. But it always raises other questions for me: If sugar is equivalent to an addictive drug as research indicates and it is the personal responsibility of the consumers to reject that drug, what is the personal responsibility of the drug dealers, i.e, the companies intentionally adding loads of sugar to their foods because they know it's addictive? For selling other kinds of addictive drugs, we throw their dealers in jail. But for sugar, we let its dealers get rich.
@little5bee, Me either, but I imagine some people probably feel the same way about marijuana and cocaine, but they get thrown in jail for it. And again, it raises the question if it is Americans' personal responsibility and choice to be thin, what is the responsibility of the merchants selling the products making them fat? Is responsibility only one-sided so that the burden of it falls entirely on the consumer here? Or should companies have to be more responsible with the ingredients and marketing of their food. Consider this: A tremendous amount of money is spent running ads for sugary cereals and candy during TV shows for children. Companies know sugar is addictive. Should they be allowed to run those kinds of ads targeting children who have less impulse control and less capacity to make reasoned decisions than adults? Is it fair to be pushing an addictive product on consumers who are so young? And is it only the parents' responsibility here and not the companies?
Thanks LewisBraham for posting this brief obesity survey. It certainly is off-topic for MFO, but it certainly attracted my attention.
I’m most fascinated by longitudinal surveys that present data for the entire USA. There’s plenty of that accessible on the Internet. Here’s a Link to survey results that are comprehensive:
You might be interested in how you personally fit into the database. Here is an equation from the referenced document that allows you to score your own Body Mass Index (BMI):
BMI = (weight in pounds) / (height in inches X height in inches) X 703
The multiplier at the end of the equation converts English units into Metric units which is the BMI standard. By that standard 25 is considered overweight, and 29.9 puts you into the initial obesity category.
Reliability and data accuracy are issues. The data is collected using a self-reporting phone contact method. Everyone recognizes the human tendency to underestimate weight and to overestimate height. Hence, it is highly likely that we in the USA are more obese than the reported numbers.
The referenced website slices and dices the data in many dimensions. Here is a sub-link to the Rates and Trends section:
While roughly 35% of us are classified as obese, about 69% of us are either overweight or obese. That’s a problem. About 30% of the obese have no high school degree, while less than 10% with college degrees fall into that category.
The report concludes that: “Individuals with lower income and/or education levels are disproportionately more likely to be obese. More than 33 percent of adults who earn less than $15,000 per year are obese, compared with 24.6 percent of those who earned at least $50,000 per year.” In the USA, the poor have sufficient resources and prices are low enough such that overeating, with all its embedded problems, is feasible.
If you are interested in a state-by-state ranking, here is a sub-link to that data:
@MJG, Thanks for the research, but I disagree with your conclusion: "In the USA, the poor have sufficient resources and prices are low enough such that overeating, with all its embedded problems, is feasible." It is not really how much they're eating but what they're eating and why? As I said earlier, the corn industry receive large government subsidies to keep the price of corn cheap. That in turn allows for cheap corn syrup to go in processed foods and cheep feed stock for cattle, which allows for the cheap $1 fast food burgers the poor eat all too much of. Those unhealthy fattening foods are cheap because of government subsidies while healthier non-subsidized vegetables and natural non-processed foods with less sugar and corn syrup are expensive. So the poor inevitably gravitate towards the cheaper fattening foods which have the added problem of being addictive. Hence they are obese.
BMI thresholds are rather severe, even moreso if you have a genuinely large frame. Also being slightly overweight is a health plus (rich world problem).
But most what is under discussion is pretty awful (morbid) obesity for all the usual reasons, and way higher of course in places notionally espousing conservative / antigov philosophies.
@Maurice Sounds like you are doing things the right way and will be successful. It's long term results that matter, not losing 5 lbs. by tomorrow. I was a heavy teenager/college student till I quit dieting and little by little changed my lifestyle. I still eat all the foods I like, just not as much and not every day. For example, we went on a two-week trip and I decided I would allow myself one bagel slathered with butter on the trip. I waited till the last morning of the trip, then went down for breakfast and....no bagels! SOOOO disappointing!
I am guilty of being an exercise fanatic, but I prefer golf/tennis to walking on my treadmill/lifting weights (although I do both). It would be VERY easy to backslide and be sedentary and eat everything I want and blame it on my age, gender, corn syrup, etc. But I like clothes and I like to eat, too...so that's not an option.
Oh, and another thing....I had two children and gained 60 lbs with each! It took me a while to lose the baby weight, but I did it...my ob always said "it took you 9 mos to put the weight on, you're not going to take it off in one week"!
was at 27.1 on oct 1, 2014. Now I am at 22.8: meaning no pizzas, soda, chips, cookies, candies, and following mayo clinic diet modified for Indian menu. Lost 28 lbs. No BP/diabetes meds since 4 months. waist size 38 to 29 now
I think the discussion is appropriate for an investment board. Obesity threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system as more and more Americans develop diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, severe orthopedic problems, and all manner of conditions aggravated by excessive weight. No health insurance scheme can survive if there are not more relatively healthy people paying into the system than there are unhealthy people drawing from the system. Raising the price of tobacco has been shown to reduce the number of smokers; dare I posit a corollary for the price of food? It's currently so cheap that the average person can eat three meals a day in all-you-can-eat restaurants without breaking the bank. Where is Jonathan Swift when you need him?
@BenWP As I said above, I don't think it's the price of food in general that's too cheap, but the price of unhealthy government-subsidized foods with corn syrup in them. Why for instance after so many years can I still buy a Little Debbie cake for a quarter while a bunch of fresh broccoli costs $3 or $4? It's little wonder why people buy the :Little Debbie Cake instead. It has delicious addictive corn syrup/sugar in it and it costs only a quarter. Just removing the subsidies for the corn industry would save taxpayers billions and drive up the price of the unhealthier foods.
was at 27.1 on oct 1, 2014. Now I am at 22.8: meaning no pizzas, soda, chips, cookies, candies, and following mayo clinic diet modified for Indian menu. Lost 28 lbs. No BP/diabetes meds since 4 months. waist size 38 to 29 now
Congratulations on the outstanding job you have done!
@LewisBraham Just removing the subsidies for the corn industry would save taxpayers billions and drive up the price of the unhealthier foods.
I'm all for this, but remember, corn is also used for feeding farm animals, so expect price increases in meat and dairy products, as well.
Also, as I was shopping for health insurance last year, I was told that insurance rates do not take weight into consideration, only smoking. Just seems wrong that the thin and fit pay the same rate...and I know that's the point of insurance, but why not incentivize people like @Maurice and @dicksonL who are serious (and successful) about improving their health?
why not incentivize people like @Maurice and @dicksonL who are serious (and successful) about improving their health?
With all of the technology - phones, fitbits and the like, I think it will eventually head in that direction. You'll be able to wear a device that tracks your level of activity and you may be charged differently.
"Obesity threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system as more and more Americans develop diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, severe orthopedic problems, and all manner of conditions aggravated by excessive weight. "
...and it's not going to change anytime soon (and you know, people eat Chipotle like it's going out of style; the quality is better, but that's not good to eat constantly, either), so if you believe that, then there are a number of healthcare names that I think are now looking like buying opportunities.
List I would like to see is "10 most corrupt states in America". Oh wait...WHAT?!?!?! Blasphemy!
We can pay someone to create almost ANY Top 10 list, but corruption is third world phenomenon.
Corruption in Politics and Business threatens to overwhelm EVERYTHING before Obesity. If people made a living wage, they wouldn't have to eat at McDonalds all the time. Maybe they wouldn't get fat then.
How much does one have to earn per hour so one can eat Kale everyday? Before it gets genetically modified and mixed with roadside grass and sold at McDonalds of course.
Been following thread with interest. I know Michigan ranks way up on the list (or down, depending on your point of reference).
Weight hasn't been a problem for several years now. And after renting a bike to circle Mackinaw Island the other day (8,3 miles) I decided to buy the bike and haul it home. The bike shops there routinely sell off their fleets in the fall and buy new stuff in the spring. Got a used Specialized Elite Crossroads aluminum-frame 24 speed in great shape for $200. Looks like they sold new for $600+. Really enjoying riding the thing on the many bike paths and lightly travelled roads close to home.
May be some one can do a graph: with the obesity percentage ( Y axis) and total no of fastfood joints (mcd, arbies, subway, burger king, KFC etc)(x-axis). I am sure it will be uptrend line all the way.
How much does one have to earn per hour so one can eat Kale everyday? Before it gets genetically modified and mixed with roadside grass and sold at McDonalds of course.
Comments
I am a middle-aged female (59) and have been 5'7" and 125 lbs for most of my adult life, by not denying myself anything...just eating small portions. And being active.
Sorry, but I'm not buying this....you don't have to give them up, just don't eat them as much. I agree with you, the food and advertising industries have the incentive to encourage us to eat more, but we have the choice to eat less...and move more. Unfortunately, the alternative path is easier...and more fun.
I wouldn't want to live in a world without candy!
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/doctors-brace-for-70000-insurance-codes-2015-09-28?dist=countdown
Thanks LewisBraham for posting this brief obesity survey. It certainly is off-topic for MFO, but it certainly attracted my attention.
I’m most fascinated by longitudinal surveys that present data for the entire USA. There’s plenty of that accessible on the Internet. Here’s a Link to survey results that are comprehensive:
http://stateofobesity.org/
You might be interested in how you personally fit into the database. Here is an equation from the referenced document that allows you to score your own Body Mass Index (BMI):
BMI = (weight in pounds) / (height in inches X height in inches) X 703
The multiplier at the end of the equation converts English units into Metric units which is the BMI standard. By that standard 25 is considered overweight, and 29.9 puts you into the initial obesity category.
Reliability and data accuracy are issues. The data is collected using a self-reporting phone contact method. Everyone recognizes the human tendency to underestimate weight and to overestimate height. Hence, it is highly likely that we in the USA are more obese than the reported numbers.
The referenced website slices and dices the data in many dimensions. Here is a sub-link to the Rates and Trends section:
http://stateofobesity.org/rates/
While roughly 35% of us are classified as obese, about 69% of us are either overweight or obese. That’s a problem. About 30% of the obese have no high school degree, while less than 10% with college degrees fall into that category.
The report concludes that: “Individuals with lower income and/or education levels are disproportionately more likely to be obese. More than 33 percent of adults who earn less than $15,000 per year are obese, compared with 24.6 percent of those who earned at least $50,000 per year.” In the USA, the poor have sufficient resources and prices are low enough such that overeating, with all its embedded problems, is feasible.
If you are interested in a state-by-state ranking, here is a sub-link to that data:
http://stateofobesity.org/states/
Enjoy. Thanks again LewisBraham.
Best Wishes.
agreed!
But most what is under discussion is pretty awful (morbid) obesity for all the usual reasons, and way higher of course in places notionally espousing conservative / antigov philosophies.
Or places where people have lower incomes. Or places with more "blue collar" or rural workers.
Agree with you on the BMI threshold though...I would suppose athletes and the very fit would have difficulty meeting them, as well.
"Slightly overweight"....is that like being a "little pregnant"?
I am guilty of being an exercise fanatic, but I prefer golf/tennis to walking on my treadmill/lifting weights (although I do both). It would be VERY easy to backslide and be sedentary and eat everything I want and blame it on my age, gender, corn syrup, etc. But I like clothes and I like to eat, too...so that's not an option.
Oh, and another thing....I had two children and gained 60 lbs with each! It took me a while to lose the baby weight, but I did it...my ob always said "it took you 9 mos to put the weight on, you're not going to take it off in one week"!
I'm all for this, but remember, corn is also used for feeding farm animals, so expect price increases in meat and dairy products, as well.
Also, as I was shopping for health insurance last year, I was told that insurance rates do not take weight into consideration, only smoking. Just seems wrong that the thin and fit pay the same rate...and I know that's the point of insurance, but why not incentivize people like @Maurice and @dicksonL who are serious (and successful) about improving their health?
"Obesity threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system as more and more Americans develop diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, severe orthopedic problems, and all manner of conditions aggravated by excessive weight. "
...and it's not going to change anytime soon (and you know, people eat Chipotle like it's going out of style; the quality is better, but that's not good to eat constantly, either), so if you believe that, then there are a number of healthcare names that I think are now looking like buying opportunities.
Oh wait...WHAT?!?!?! Blasphemy!
We can pay someone to create almost ANY Top 10 list, but corruption is third world phenomenon.
Corruption in Politics and Business threatens to overwhelm EVERYTHING before Obesity. If people made a living wage, they wouldn't have to eat at McDonalds all the time. Maybe they wouldn't get fat then.
How much does one have to earn per hour so one can eat Kale everyday? Before it gets genetically modified and mixed with roadside grass and sold at McDonalds of course.
Weight hasn't been a problem for several years now. And after renting a bike to circle Mackinaw Island the other day (8,3 miles) I decided to buy the bike and haul it home. The bike shops there routinely sell off their fleets in the fall and buy new stuff in the spring. Got a used Specialized Elite Crossroads aluminum-frame 24 speed in great shape for $200. Looks like they sold new for $600+. Really enjoying riding the thing on the many bike paths and lightly travelled roads close to home.
PS - Max/Crash: Please don't say "Break a leg!"
Even better: