I recently saw a story on the Nightly News about obesity in the United States and how it is becoming one of the largest growing industries in America. People are marketing to overweight Americans with Biggie-sized everything. Even hospitals are widening chairs and beds to accommodate fat people. The story really annoyed me. Not once did they mention WHY Americans are fat, what they can do to reduce their weight, or the health risks associated with being overweight. They made it sound like obesity is just another growing trend. They didn't reference the FDA and how they are failing to do anything to help solve the problem, or that Americans are much more sedentary then they have ever been at any time in our country's past. Nor did they mention that fat people themselves are to blame for the problem. How difficult is it to say, "PUT DOWN THE BURGER!!!"? Eat a salad, or, gasp, exercise. I am disgusted by the obesity problem in America, especially when people are starving in other parts of the world. I feel it is another are in which the people and the government have dropped the ball. This is a selfish, consumer-based, apathetic society. Americans expect to have everything handed to them, and shun hard-work and self-control as if it were the plague.
And I should mention that I am not thin. Before I was pregnant I was 15 pounds overweight, but I NEVER attributed the extra pounds to anything but my own lack of self-control and aversion to regular exercise. I should also mention that since I became pregnant, I have put on a minimal amount of weight because I changed my eating habits immediately, exercised self-control much more, and started doing simple things like taking the stairs and walking the dogs more often.
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Who will rage against the dying of the light? People should not be afraid of their government. A government should be afriad of its people.
Who will rage against the dying of the light? People should not be afraid of their government. A government should be afriad of its people.
Unity 08
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15 comments:
One thing I always say contributes to the American obesity problem (other than the crap we constantly cram in our cakeholes) is the dependence on cars. Suburban sprawl contributes to obesity because people live too far from work to bike or walk and many suburban areas don't have adequate public transportation. So you're forced to drive everywhere. In "Super Size Me" Morgan Spurlock learned that the average person walked less than a half mile each day.
I agree. My neighborhood is fairly small and the mailboxes are all together. No one is more than 200 yards fromt he mailbox, but I see people stop their cars at them all the time rather than just walking over. Public transportation is a problem in suburbia, but I've also seem people in a complex where the is a Target, PetSmart, Michaels, etc. get into their cars and drive from store to store rather than walking. It's pathetic.
I think part of the problem with suburbia isn't that it isn't too far to ride or walk but that the developers cater only to cars. Most suburbs that I have been in these days don't even have any sidewalks forcing people to walk in the streets! Most shopping areas are the same way.
United - I just watched a show I believe on 60 minutes that said the biggest culprit isn't our diet but our sedentary lifestyles. They later went on to prove that contrary to popular belief, most obese people had higher metabolism than thin people. Studies showed that they (obese people) moved only a fraction of the distance thin people move during the day and therein lays the problem. Growing up on a farm and then going to college where I was largely sedentary really played havoc on my weight so I'm a believer. Even today where I'm a lot more active, I still have to watch what I eat and get more exercise.
Greetings,
I'm a visitor from Barbara's blog.
While I agree that there are many trends in American culture that are leading to a rise in obesity and that this is disturbing, I also think that it is unfair to assume that all people who are overweight are simply suffering from a lack of moral discipline and/or general laziness.
While I have not had to struggle with weight in my life, there are many people close to me who have and do. Some of these people have worked their whole lives to try and adjust their body type because of the threat to their health, or because of the attitudes that something’s wrong with them, that’s it their fault that they don’t conform to society’s ideal, and that they can’t be good people because they are overweight.
The worst side effect that I see in America’s evolving attitudes towards obesity is the horrible things said to and about people who are overweight. People anywhere have the opportunity and ability to be cruel, but to hear that a dear friend of mine can’t even jog down the street without receiving obscene calls from passing cars is what REALLY disgusts me.
There is more to the formula than simply putting down the burger. Besides lifestyles, other influences to weight and health can include psychology, family history, genetics, culture, and a personal sense of self and well-being. There are people with lives, souls, feelings behind those numbers, and the solution is not just an individual one – it’s a cultural one. While I’m not trying to defend the FDA one way or the other, I’d have to disagree that they aren’t doing anything whatsoever.
Here are just two articles where the FDA acknowledges and addresses the issue of weight loss:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/obesity/
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/win-weightloss/weight.html
If you go to the FDA website and type “obesity” into the search box, you’ll come up with a lot of information. Certainly I agree that there is plenty more to be done than what the FDA is offering, but changes have to start somewhere, and often start small.
I would also put forth that there are many other better sources of current events than Nightly News. Here are two articles which might offer you another perspective:
The DNA Age: That Wild Streak? Maybe It Runs in the Family
By AMY HARMON
Published: June 15, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/15/health/15gene.html?ex=1151467200&en=d4ef80756100f9a3&ei=5070
Family visit to Philippines is big guilt trip for size 10
By Deborah Yao
The Associated Press
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003079394_philippines23.html
Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts. You do not, of course, have to agree with me.
I know that I am not a regular visitor here, and normally I would just move on... but I felt compelled to speak up for people who are dear to me for whom weight loss is just not that simple, and whom are precious, intelligent, important people regardless of how they might be shaped, as is true for each and every one of us.
Regards,
JLB
Ed,
I haven't watched this week's 60 minutes, so I'll have to check it out. Our area doesn't have very many siodewalks, but we do hav a trail that runs from where I am to center city, at least 20 miles. I can't wait to have the baby so I can start biking it! I agree that the majority of the problem is how much people move. As a teacher, I'm on my feet most of the time and walking around all day, so I keep in decent shape, especially in a school building where there is no elevator.
Jib,
Welcome, and thanks for stopping by. You don't have to agree with me to comment here, so feel free anytime. I know there are some people who have actual health problems that make them overweight, but that is a very small number. Most people who are overweight have gotten that way due to lack of exercise and poor diet. Fast food restaurants, and portion sizes in other restaurants are big contributers to that, but there are other alternatives. Most grocery stores have a salad bar now, as well as some healthy options such as sushi or deli sandwiches for those who don't have much time to pack or eat lunch. The FDA IS putting good information out on their website, but they spend very little time in schools and on advertising about healthy lifestyles, as opposed to the amount they spend telling people that marijuana is bad. Thoug pot can contribute to unhealthy eating, I think A LOT more people are effected by bad eating and exercise habits than they are by pot smoking. I'm just sugessting that they spend the money where it will actually do the most good.
People are, and have always been insensitive to those who are different. Though I think a person's weight is their own fault, I would NEVER make a rude comment to anyone who is overweight. In my classroom, students aren't allowed to pick on each other for any reason, and I would be very upset with my child if I ever caught him being rude to someone simply because of the way they look. Society is cruel. My husband and I have endured enoguh racism to truly understand how awful people can be.
Also, the Nightly News isn't MY ownly news source, but for a lot of people it is, and I feel they and other news programs need to be much more responsible in their reporting.
Hi there- I saw your blog through Laura's list and thougth I'd weigh in this conversation too. I do agree that we need to take responsibility for our choices, but we need to understand too what choices are available to people. When it comes to food, the most nutritious is often the most expensive. It is a lot more expensive to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, for example, than canned- especially when you consider that you may only have a few days to use the fresh food and an unlimited amount of time to eat the canned. It's just not that easy to say put down the burger when there are few affordable nutritious foods available to people who have limited incomes. Compound that with having limited amounts of time- you have to work long hours and/or have children, etc.- and that fast food burger may be the most affordable option you have in terms of money, time, and energy.
There are also a lot of other factors related to weight besides exercise and food intake such as culture (what is considered an ideal body size and beliefs about health). We need to make sure that when we talk about the dangers of obesity we are not imposing an White middle-class ideal of what bodies should look like on all people (so that looking the wrong way gets interpreted as being unhealthy and obese). Weight does not necessarily equal health. For example it's better to be a little overweight and exercise regularly than be underweight and sedentary. Now I do realize that I may be conflating obesity with being "overweight" here but I thought that it was important to give people something to think about, especially since so many people equate the two concepts.
But I do agree that people need to exercise/move more and that suburban sprawl makes that more difficult. However, there are also people who are overweight/obese because of medical issues that restrict how much they can move/exercise although they may outwardly look mobile.
Heathen,
So buy food every few days instead of once a month. Not taking the time to make sure you're ating right is just as bad as choosing the wrong foods and no exercising. Time management is an issue, but it's up to you to make eating healthy a priority. Having children is the BIGGEST reason for anyone to be eating healthy. Our children watch our habits, and making sure that they have healthy ones is OUR job. And the price argument doesn't work if you're not eating right but you're paying for cable, TiVo, a PSP and video games, going to the movies every week, etc... Try more healthy options for entertainment as well. Like I said, it's a lifestyle choice. Also, VERY few people who are overweight for medical issues are told by their doctors to move LESS. In fact,t hey're often told to move more, walk further, and take the stairs. If they have a condition that's limiting mobility. that's more of a reason to eat nuts instead of cookies and veggies instead of mac and cheese.
Heathen said, "It's just not that easy to say put down the burger when there are few affordable nutritious foods available to people who have limited incomes."
Have you ever stood behind someone in a grocery store who purchases their food on grocery stamps? Almost 100% of the time, their purchases include pop, potato chips, misc. junk foods, and lots of boxed or prepared foods like macaroni & cheese, frozen pizza and frozen dinners. Check it out and you'll see that I'm right.
For what they pay for half a shopping cart full of that crap, I can buy two shopping carts full of raw ingredients like noodles, flours, fresh vegetables, etc and end up with twice as much food when it is prepared. You may not be able to get vegetables and fruits that are out of season at a cheap price but there are certainly lots of wholesome foods in-season that are cheaply priced. Good food isn't cheap is a false mindset that people get. I know. I've been on both sides before. I cut my grocery bill in half simply by not purchasing prepared foods.
I agree with UWL on this one. There are the few who are overweight becasue they have physical issues. Most don't. People eat the burger because it is easy and fast. Lord knows that is my excuse alot of the time. And they don't exercise because t is inconvinient and painfull.
I understand what you’re saying, but I still find the framing of this issue only as “individual choice” too simplistic. There are a lot of social, cultural, and economic factors that affect what or how you eat. Going to the grocery store every few days is not an option for some people depending on how much they work, how much time they spend commuting, their family responsibilities, and their access to transportation. If you work 8-9 hours a day and spend 1-2 hours a day commuting each way (something that is becoming more and more prevalent in large urban areas as good-paying jobs move away from residential areas, especially for residential areas with higher levels of poverty), even if your family responsibilities are minimal, you are not likely to have the time or energy to go grocery shopping every few days (you’ve already spent 12-13 hours for work). That’s also going to affect the energy you have available to spend cooking. I don’t know about you, but when I come home at the end of a 12-15 hour day, I don’t have the energy to do much more than heat up the oven.
That’s also assuming that the grocery store is easily accessible and has decent produce and selection of healthy options. The only 2 grocery stores in walking distance from where I live serve an area that has a large low-income population (and even calling it “walking distance” is a stretch for one of them). The produce at one is abysmal and the other is practically nonexistent. If I did not have access to a car, my nutrition would be awful because I was primarily dependent on these stores, even if there was easy access through public transportation (which’s there’s not) to better grocery stores. The best grocery stores are barely accessible by public transportation.
I’m not saying that people should take no responsibility for their eating choices, I just don’t believe that putting the all the responsibility on the individual without understanding that there are limitations on what choices are available to them. There are some people who would rather have the cable than more veggies, but that is not everyone. Framing almost any issue solely as "individual choice" assumes that everyone has the same access to resources and the same lifestyle.
Heathen,
So people should be rewarded for being fat because they can't stand up to peer pressure? Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much money obesity costs the health care industry a year, let alone the travel industry. It's about self-control, pure and simple. It's also about priorities. You need to make it a priority to eat right and be healthy. Cut soemthing else out of your schedule if you're short on time. Make exercise a family activity if you want to spend more time with the kids. I'm sure the grocery stores are within walking distance of public transportation, and if they aren't, there are many online shopping options that deliver right to your door, often for lower prices than you would find at the grocery store. Don't have a computer? Get a library card.
Growing up, the nearest grocery store was 60 miles away, a trip we made once every other week. We always had plenty of fruits and vegetables. We also grew a garden, something that I continue to do in my tiny backyard here in town.
Ed,
That's an excellent point. Even people with a small patc of grass can grow their own fruits and vegies, but I guess this falls into the "too hard" argument. We always had a veggie garden, as did all of our neighbors. We just moved into this house, but we're plannign a garden for next year.
This really is a mixture of personal responsibility and availability of options. When John and I lived in a high-rise apartment building we had no way of having any garden at all, not even a patch of grass. In the poorer areas of Chicago, where apartment complexes are the standard rather than the exception, there is nowhere for anyone to grow anything that would produce enough to feed a family. Maybe an herb pot or two is all you could get away with.
In Chicago, often the grocery stores in the poor neighborhoods have attrocious produce selections. The option to go to a better store is limited by the availability of public transit to better stores and the often higher prices for groceries in those stores.
Also, if you have a lot of mouths to feed for very little money, carb-heavy foods go a longer way for less money. A bowl of mac n cheese keeps a kid full for longer than an equal sized bowl of salad. It may not be the ideal long term solution, but for people who live paycheck-to-paycheck long-term planning comes in terms of weeks, not years.
Yes, some of it boils down to laziness on the part of an individual. Some of it is a lack of nutrition education. And some of is simply that there are people whose circumstances make it much more difficult to eat healthier.
Americans are famous for being fat the whole world over.
It is the achilles heel of a great race...
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