overweight-is it a issue

[jwolf7722]

are americans become to overweight? i did a speech on this topic for one of my communication classes in college and found this is a sensitive subject to alot of people. i think we are teaching the younger population that it is ok to be overweight. 75% of people i see are overweight. most people say there is no time,i dont have the time to fix a good mean. excuses excuses is all we get. i dont think its that hard to stay healthy and not let your self become overweight. i find ways to atleast make it to the gym 4 days a week which is hard cause i work 50 hours a week and am still taking one night class. i just think its a growing issue and has been growing for a while. should we put restrictions on what food restaurants cause put in there food. i mean look at a basic big mac meal from mcdonalds. with one meal you are already get over half the daily amount of fat, sodium, exc...... not to mention the growing number of americans that are getting diabietes. if you know anyone that has it you know it is horrible.

[Bill Sikes]

Originally Posted by jwolf7722

are americans become to overweight?

Yes, it's blindingly obvious. Other countries, too, such as Britian, "are become
to overweight" too.

Originally Posted by jwolf7722

75% of people i see are overweight. most people say there is no time,i dont have the time to fix a good mean

It's just eating too much of the wrong thing. It is perfectly possible to eat
well without doing much cooking at all.

Originally Posted by jwolf7722

i dont think its that hard to stay healthy and not let your self become overweight. i find ways to atleast make it to the gym 4 days a week which is hard cause i work 50 hours a week and am still taking one night class. i just think its a growing issue and has been growing for a while.

The gym? The most many people need to do is have a brisk walk and do a
few sit-ups a few times a week. No equipment needed, and it's *free*.

Originally Posted by jwolf7722

should we put restrictions on what food restaurants cause
put in there food. i mean look at a basic big mac meal from mcdonalds.

I would certainly not call McDonald's a "restaurant", but that's a language
usage difference.

Originally Posted by jwolf7722

with one meal you are already get over half the daily amount of fat, sodium, exc...... not to mention the growing number of americans that are getting diabietes. if you know anyone that has it you know it is horrible.

If you don't make it yourself, good labelling is the only way you know what
is in your food. Here in the UK, there are certain legally necessary standards,
which is helpful. You will note with most "processed foods" that they contain
some of the other foodstuffs which people wouldn't eat normally (by normal,
I mean as part of our modern "healthy" but still excessive diet). Take meat,
for instance - it supplies most of our protein needs in most cases. We only
need 2-3 oz. of protein daily, unless doing extreme physical work, in which
case a *little* more may be needed. So, if we eat a nice little lean piece of
meat, that does not give us much fat. However, a little piece is the exception
(I am led to believe that meat consumption in the U.S.A. is much higher than
a few oz. per capita daily). So more is eaten - still not bad in itself. Now,
consider - you are a meat processor - you've got all these carcasses coming
in, but 10% is bone, another percentage is fat, some is offal, and some is
meat of a lower quality than "steak". Some you can't sell at all by statute.
So what do you do? Well, you "hide" it from the consumer. Bones can be
ground up, processed, and a percentage turned to stock, mixed with soup
etc., some carcass components can be made into gelatine, offal can be
incorporated into pies, sausages, etc. (I'm observe that offal is not popular
in the U.S.A.), low-quality meat can be processed into acceptable foods
such as mince, beefburgers, pies, sausages, re-formed "cuts" of meat;
the fat can be put into almost any processed food, hidden that way, and
consumed by the unsuspecting customer. So - *read the label*, and you
may be surprised at what it contains. As an example, I recently made some
liver pate (liver is fairly high in fat itself), without *any* added fat. It was
very nice - and popular. Looking at some items on the Supermarket shelf,
I saw some pate - this contained (from the label) 30% liver. Now, under
the labelling regulations, that must not naturally contain above 40% fat.
The product also contained 30% added pork fat, so the stuff contained
approximately *42% pork fat in total*. Without looking at the label, one
would not have realised. OK, so you might think "Pate, liver - blech!" and
not be concerned. However, the McDonalds you buy in Britian says it is
made of pure beef mince (ground beef) ISTR. Now here, "lean meat" must
not contain more than 40% fat, and that must all be naturally in the meat,
NOT added, else it must be declared separately. So your lean burger has
40% fat in it, potentially, before you even add anything else.

Anyway, I'm going on a bit, labelling and what goes into "food" is a hobby-
horse of mine. The long and the short of it is that if you avoid processed
foods completely, or at least make an informed decision on what you're
going to eat based on inaccurate labelling, you will avoid many, many
issues, and not have to do excessive exercise in an expensive and
un-natural environment (I don't like "the gym!).

[jwolf7722]

and not have to do excessive exercise in an expensive and
un-natural environment (I don't like "the gym!).

i pay around 150 a year to go to my gym with no contract, that is not very much at all.

i am the exact opposite. i love the gym. not only does it give me a place to workout i get to meet new people. i look at the gym as my own time. it is very relaxing to me to workout guess that is why i like it so much.

who knows what meats have in them these days. i would really not want to know what is in red meats. i just think americans are lazy. i hear all the time from family and friends about how fat they are (and honestly they are way over weight) then i ask them how long it has been since they have done any physical activity. the answer i usually get is well i worked out and ran and walked for 2 weeks but got tired of it. well then stop complaining that you are overweight then.

[Bill Sikes]

Originally Posted by jwolf7722

and not have to do excessive exercise in an expensive and
un-natural environment (I don't like "the gym!).

i pay around 150 a year to go to my gym with no contract, that is not very much at all.

150 what a year, U.S. dollers I assume? In Britian membership of a gym cost
me about L.1000 per annum, before I canned it. That's an opportunity cost
of a whole lot of beer!!

Originally Posted by jwolf7722

who knows what meats have in them these days. i would really not want to know what is in red meats. i just think americans are lazy. i hear all the time from family and friends about how fat they are (and honestly they are way over weight) then i ask them how long it has been since they have done any physical activity. the answer i usually get is well i worked out and ran and walked for 2 weeks but got tired of it. well then stop complaining that you are overweight then.

Eating reasonably is a good way to not become fat, too. Some people find
it difficult to exercise *because they are so fat and out-of-condition*. A
good diet is an excellent way for these people to start. A simple way to
start dieting is to eat more cereals, pulses, and carbohydrates, reduce
protein input, and as far as possible eliminate fat. You can eat a *lot*
of stuff then, with fewer calories.

[plazul]

A diet without exercise is not a very effective way to lose weight and keep it off. Muscle tissue is constantly burning calories so adding some muscle and toning with moderate daily exercise is the only way to go.

I'm not a nutriton freak but I do try to eat simply and sensibly (don't cook the nutrients out of your veggies) and I take an inexpensive multi-vitamin.

[Bill Sikes]

Originally Posted by plazul

A diet without exercise is not a very effective way to lose weight and keep it off. Muscle tissue is constantly burning calories so adding some muscle and toning with moderate daily exercise is the only way to go.

I'm not a nutriton freak but I do try to eat simply and sensibly (don't cook the nutrients out of your veggies) and I take an inexpensive multi-vitamin.

A change of diet does help, and is a good start for someone who is very obese.
Take it to extremes to prove the point - drinking water and taking vitamin
tablets, and no exercise, will make you lose over 1/2 LB. in weight per day. I
am not suggesting this is a sensible diet. Any exercise is better than none,
and of great benefit, I agree.

[plazul]

For cardiovascular health you have to work up a sweat. Walking is good but doesn't quite cut it for the long run.

However, morbidly obese people, middle aged people, and other risk groups should consult a physician before initiating any exercise regimen.

I agree about the water. Staying hydrated is good for your system in general but I'm not sure about the weight loss. I suppose liquid intake, particularly warm liquids, suppresses appetite.

[jwolf7722]

if you do not get your heart rate up and work that muscle you are really doing no good. i was always told if you are not sweeting then you are not getting a good workout in. walking will be ok, but running or event a light job will do much better for you. i understand if you are way over weight it would be very hard but alot of younger kids are over weight. there is no reason they could not run if they are under 30.

pop is a huge way to gain weight. pop is like putting poison in your body. it has nothing to offer your body you are just polluting it with waste.

[anastrophe]

there's a simple solution to obesity: eliminate refined sugars and carbohydrates. they are responsible almost entirely for the epidemic of obesity.

dietary fat is of almost no consequence. *eating* fat does not *make you* fat. just as eating spinach does not make you green. eating sugar does indeed make you fat, as our digestive system is highly attuned to storing the massive excess energy in sugar for later use, and it does so by creating adipose tissue.

when i stick to a diet of lots of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and in general high protein, high fat content foods, i lose and/or maintain my weight. start eating concentrated sugars - apple pie, fruit juices, ice cream, whatever - and i gain weight, as do most people.

[Candide]

There are lots of approaches to good eating habits, but I have found the best solution for me is simply no dieting whatsoever but eating mostly whole, healthy foods. In other words, I dodge prepared packaged foods, and avoid sugar-saturated foods. If I have a soda, I cannot drink more than a sip because it is revoltingly sweet to my taste buds. This, I think, comes after a time of staying away from such foods.

Avoiding packaged foods helps you avoid the horrific partially-hydrogenated fats that are so damaging to the health, also the chemical additives and excessive amounts of sugar typically contained within. We stopped eating meat - except for seafood - over five years ago. At first it was pretty hard, for we had been seriously hardcore meat eaters. After less than a year, I never craved the stuff again.

As for exercise, I find that a good bicycle ride every day or almost every day satisfies not only the health factor but also the joy-of-living factor. Bicycling makes you feel like a kid again.

Exercise is only good for you if it is fun, and eating should always remain a joy, albeit one enjoyed with a certain circumspection.