For many years now we have been hearing that obesity in the U.S. is a growing concern. In a recent article on MSN, it was reported by the majority of states that there has been significant increases in obesity for adults and for children. Schools teach about living healthy, newspapers write about it, and people talk about it. So why is obesity continuing to be a growing problem? Why are too many people still overweight?
One hundred years ago obesity was scarce. What has changed in our society that may be contributing to the problem and what can we do to fix it? I think that there are a variety of factors that can cause people to be overweight, and not all overweight people can solve the problem on their own. But I do think that “more activity, less calories” is probably the solution for many people.
Look at how life has changed. People used to walk; now we drive. Jobs were often more physically strenuous, now we have technology. Even farmers have tractors and machines to do the work. With all of the technology that our generation has available to us, we don’t even have to get out of bed. We can shop online, do school online, and socialize online. We have TV’s and game systems. I think that all of this boils down to a big, fat problem…obesity.
What makes obesity such a big concern is that it has been linked to several seriousness illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Diseases that used to only be found in the adult population, such as high blood pressure, are now showing up among children because of obesity.
If our nation is going to make any strides towards changing this trend, the government, communities, and individuals all have to acknowledge obesity as a problem worth fixing. Healthier lifestyles will have to be adopted, including making better choices in food consumption, and spending more time exercising. It is a shame that our “smart society” hasn’t figured out how to manage this problem.
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This day and age does seem to be very lazy. No one wants to work hard, that's why the demand for technology is so high. And no one wants to take the time to cook a good healthy meal, that is why we have so many fast food resturants popping up. But, controlling what people do and eat would be very difficult, and also very unfair to some. We could shut down all the fast food resturants, and force everyone to get rid of their home entertainment systems. But should the skinny and average have to suffer through this too? The "society" can't force people to lose weight, becuase not all people have to lose weight. And those who do should recongize it, and set a mental standard or goal. Losing weight is solely up to the person. People have a choice what to eat and how to spend their free time. And it is up to them to make good healthy decions.
I do not feel that people wake up and say " I think I wanna be obese", for some it may be due to a life full of poor eating habits but for others it could be due to health reasons or genetics. I think that we are to qick to judge the overweight society, by always starting with their eating habbits.
And do to Georgia being a free will state, people can choose not to eat at fast food resturants.
I have a personal theory to this obesity explosion.
In my humble oppinion, obesity (generally speaking) is a result of poor choices during early and late life and I believe parenting from day one plays a major factor in the role.
What do you think of when you think about baby food? Infant formula and baby cereal. Less and less women are choosing to breastfeed despite the fact that cow's milk is considered an irritant to the digestive system but infant formula is cow's milk-based. From day one, infants start out not being able to properly absorb the nutrients from their formula because it's so hard for their bodies to digest it. Their little digestive systems aren't trained how to properly digest food.
Another fact is babies that are fed from bottles work, on average, 50-60 times LESS than those that drink from their mother's breast. There, hundreds of calories sit inside their little bodies and just waste away into unhealthy fat.
Another fact from infants that drink from bottles is that the parent often wants them to finish the bottle so formula goes unwasted. They will keep pushing the bottle back in the child's mouth despite the child turning away from the bottle, not realizing that suckling is a natural reflex, not a sure sign of hunger. So from early life, babies learn to over-satisfy (or stuff) themselves before their brains tell them "Ok, you're full. STOP!"
Another reason why obesity is a problem in America is because American's are carb-o-holics. From early toddlerhood, parents start their children off with infant cereal which is almost nothing but pure carbs. They mix water, milk, baby food, and yogurt into it.
Infants start off eating formula (never allowing/teaching their digestive system properly to work), are often forced to over eat, are then moved to baby cereal, and adults are expected to not become obese.
In my oppinion, it starts with parenting.
I think a lot of the problems are in schools.. Kids aren't taught healthy habits from a young age. Most school lunches are extremely unhealthy. It's easier for parents to give their children a quick, unhealthy snack. I don't know what the solution is either.. But I think somehow the entire family has to get involved. I also think it should be something that's stressed more in schools too.
I think some people cannot help being obese, but I do think the majority of Americans are responsible for being overweight. I agree with the earlier comment that we cannot force people to lose weight; we can focus on how it affects the rest of us though.
It affects the cost of our health insurance. I am very cognizant of how much money is deducted from my payroll check every two weeks for my portion of health insurance. It also costs us in our personal lives when our loved ones suffer physically from obesity.
I really hate to seem critical or insensitive but I truly believe that a great portion of Americans are plagued with laziness. Laziness rears its ugly head in more ways than just obesity. Laziness is something that should be loathed. Relaxation has its place but laziness does not.
I hate that people put the blame on someone besides themselves. Fast food chains do not put guns to our heads and make us eat their food. Yeah, the schools do put out very unhealthy meals for our children. But as a parent you can send your child to school with a healthy lunch. As adults we must make a choice, just like with anything else in our lives. It kills me that people are so quick to push the blame on someone besides themselves. Put down the fried food, get off your behind, and relize that you are the one that is in control of you health.
Fat Americans. . .
I think that most of the time obesity starts at childhood. I think our school systems should spend more time on kid friendly foods. Instead of worring about, "will they eat this"? If children are taught to eat properly then I think they would be more apt to eat healthier.
On the other hand obesity can always start at people being adults. Some in which can become obese after having a child due to health problems that can be inquired during pregnancy. Also, after having a child it is very difficult for some to loose the weight that they put on. Some women think that they are eating for two, (which they are) but doctors tell us to not think that way. They have a certain amount of weight to gain during pregnacy. There is a reason for this, but some women take it to the extreme.
As far as all of America is concerned this has become a problem. Who are we though to tell people what thay can and can't eat? It wouldn't be fair to ban all fast food resturaunts due to someone else's problem. All we can do is try to continue to educate people about this and hope that some will listen and take control of what has become out of control.
Although some people would disagree, I consider myself obese. I am about 45 lbs overweight, but it is not because I'm lazy. I work fulltime, attend class on campus two nights per week and I am very active with my three children. I was not overweight as a child. I think that there are several reasons why a person is overweight. I personally gained too much weight after developing gestational diabetes with my third pregnancy. Obesity can be atrributed to several factors, some within your control and others that have absolutely nothing to do with what you eat or how often you eat. One main factor is the use of growth hormones in the meats that we eat. I just want people to understand that not all people who are obese are lazy or have parents that gave them candy as a child.
I would agree that there are many factors that cause obesity. Diet, lack of exercise, medical conditions, and genetics play a role. I find it interesting that there are cities where there are a large number of centenarians versus any other place. This has been attributed to diet (no red meat, a lot of leafy vegetables, and rice) and exercise. Dr. Sanjay Gupta wrote about these people and I recall that one of the cities was in Japan and another was Loma Linda. It was proven that when these people moved away from these cities to the western world, they too, became obese and don't live as long. This tells us something about our culture. We have lived in a society where we eat too much, don't exercise enough, and eat the wrong foods. This of course doesn't account for the people who have medical conditions or where genetics has played a significant role. We need to be understanding that for some, it can't be helped.
There are a lot of fast food chains popping up everywhere but even fast food places have "good for you food" As an individual you choose what you order, you can order the BigMac or you can order the Garden salad with a light dressing. It's all personal choice. I do believe that obesity is a "disease" but you can't eat enough food for 2 people at every meal and expect that you will maintain a healthy weight. The same could be said about staying active. You can chose to sit on the couch and watch TV or play PS3 or you can go take a walk or ride a bike. It's all choices, but only you can make them. You have to rise about the temptation- That is not as easy for some as it is for others.
I completly disagree with the blaming of schools and resturants. Just like Margaret said, we are not FORCED to eat these foods....we CHOOSE them. And those children eating pizza and soda at school are most likely eating pizza and soda at home. Whether it be for convience or addiction we still make the daily choice.
There is a lot more time filling our days with activity after activity; work, school, lessons, clubs,sports,TV,internet,church... so many things crammed into one day makes it hard to find the time to put together a wholesome meal that is not packed with preservatives to make it quick and easy. We don't use our time to exercise, spend Quality time with those we love, or just meditate on our lives and this puts an added stress on our well being. All of these issues contribute to one BIG, tired, and grumpy society.
My family, after watching "SuperSize Me", decided to give up most fast foods, we still enjoy a night out everonce in a while, but the money we save on fast food allows us to go to much nicer and healthier resturants. We also gave up soft drinks wich is a LARGE portion of the empty calories that America consumes. Some as much as 13% of our calories (check out http://www.cspinet.org/liquidcandy/index.html for info about how soft drinks are harming our health)
There are so many things WE can control, but the question is... are we willing to give these convience or tasty things up, to protect our health and the health of our children?
Fast food is nothing new. Grandparents can tell you about the hot crispy fries at the drive in. While our parents have been eating the Big Mac before most of us were even born. If fast foods, greasy fries, high calorie burgers, and carb loaded shakes weren't a problem then... why is it now? America is a society based all around convience, and the quickest way to access your results. This enviornment that people are living in doesn't always have time for any calorie burning activities, or any other healty solutions to keep that extra un-wanted fat channeled into the correct areas. Before long your ever convienient and all access results will come to a screaching hault. A dead stop full of high blood pressure, and very unhealthy habits. All of these habits don't have to come strictly come from un-healthy eating. There are numerous factors that can help to contribute. Such as, not excerising, the constant feeling of sleep depravation, stress, and unhealty eating habits. We all need to be aware of our body and what it can and cannot handel. We need to become aware of what we are putting into our bodies, and how this affects us afterwards. I personally think that being aware is one of the first things that needs to happen. As Americans we need to then address the issue and find a solution to then move forward. The problem is not about losing weight and being skinny. The problem is not being healty, and not living a healthy life-style. Instead of trying to focus on everything thing that you need to loose, lets think of ways that we can correct the problem before it truely gets out of hand.
Whew! This is an excellent topic. I didn't realize so many people were so passionate about good health and nutrition.
Hi All
Obesity is a growing problem I agree. Being over weight myself started as a young child with medical reasons for me as I began to grow up in Guyana we did alot of walking to the store, running the whole neighborhood was active together. When we traveled to American our lifestyle change from eating our heavy meals at lunch went to eating it at night from having to walk to school to having to take a bus, car or train. Life became easy. From eating home cook meals to having to eat process foods. A big part was my parents fault. Now that I am a woman I still struggle to lose weight. I eat healthy, walk but it very hard. I have no diseases, I am healthy, I go to the doctor and the look at me like I am suppose to have some type of disease. I will lose the weight because a big part of the problem is the mind. Most over weight people get comfortable. I do agree it is a problem and most of it starts with the parents.
In my opinion fast foods are the reason why people are being obese.I personally try not to go to fast food restaurants but sometimes I just have to.Americans do not have enough of exercise because here in Atlanta we have to pretty much drive everywhere, on our way back from work we stop by at the drive thru to get some food and then we come home and are so tired that we dont feel like exercising.Thats what I used to do and I have gained a lot of weight. Now I go running every night instead of sitting on my couch and it really helps.And I was also surprised how many people do the same thing.It really depends on the person.Change your eating habits, move more and u wont be fat.:)It works!!!
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