The American Obesity Epidemic

[Gadawg]

What do you blame this on? Im sure the "fat is bad, carbs are good" nonsense is partially to blame but something much bigger has to be going on here.

American males are 30 lbs heavier and females 25 lbs since the 1960s.

I have to believe it comes completely down to a newfound lack of discipline. People's lives have gotten so easy that they never learned it. Every meal is a party now and it's ok to be fat these days. Hell, it's a phucking handicap now. I see it everywhere. You cant find good employees anymore. Theyre all too lazy. You see it here everyday. Guys coming on looking to cycle because theyd rather risk their health than spend the years grinding it natural and being on top of diet and training everyday.

This was the greatest country in the world at one point but today's Americans are some scary zombies.

What happened you all think?

 

[Lizard King]

Eating on the run, both parents working to survive in this world, processed food, alcohol consumption increase and decrease in cigarette smoking. Add that to more people sitting behind a desk for X numbers of hours a day, slamming down something quick for lunch eating on the longer commute/increased traffic and you have 30lbs at least.

 

[Viduus]

Eating on the run. Even “healthy” foods are flash fried to get people through lines quickly. Who has time to bake anything in a restaurant?

 

[Gadawg]

But we all know that doing that is going to lead to being unattractive, feeling like shit, and having huge health consequences. Everyone "on the go" can pack a lunch.

There are tons of countries with similar working and lifestyle issues that would promote these type of bodies but they dont end up looking like this. Something else is missing.

 

[PillarofBalance]

It's caused by sociopathic economic policies implemented by baby boomers who acted without regard for future generations well-being, and by lower activity levels. Education is a major contributing factor. Nutrition education in the US has been dog shit.

The reasons are many. There is no silver bullet.

 

[DevilDoc87]

It's caused by sociopathic economic policies implemented by baby boomers who acted without regard for future generations well-being, and by lower activity levels. Education is a major contributing factor. Nutrition education in the US has been dog shit.

The reasons are many. There is no silver bullet.

And I would venture to add the pussification of America. Toxic masculinity blah blah blah.

 

[snake]

It's caused by sociopathic economic policies implemented by baby boomers who acted without regard for future generations well-being, and by lower activity levels. Education is a major contributing factor. Nutrition education in the US has been dog shit.

The reasons are many. There is no silver bullet.

I can't pin any of it on education. It doesn't take a PhD to know you need to get off your fat ass today if you don't want a fat ass tomorrow.

Humans are just lazy fuuks, that's all there is to it. We do things for two reasons; inspiration or desperation.

 

[Straight30weight]

There are so many reasons. Men are no longer men. Being fat or thick is socially accepted now. People in general are lazy. People want results immediately. There are so many poor food choices these days. Add them all together and you get an obese person. My brother is 305lbs. Life for him seems miserable yet he has zero interest in doing anything about it. I've offered to train with him, help him with eating, etc. He won't do anything. He eats out every day, several times a day. But he doesn't care.

 

[Straight30weight]

And I would venture to add the pussification of America. Toxic masculinity blah blah blah.

This one is huge. I look at the kind of "men" coming out of my daughter's high school and it's a joke.

 

[DevilDoc87]

There are so many reasons. Men are no longer men. Being fat or thick is socially accepted now. People in general are lazy. People want results immediately. There are so many poor food choices these days. Add them all together and you get an obese person. My brother is 305lbs. Life for him seems miserable yet he has zero interest in doing anything about it. I've offered to train with him, help him with eating, etc. He won't do anything. He eats out every day, several times a day. But he doesn't care.

the worst is when you have someone like this who’s a good friend and constantly been saying they want to and ask for help etc, but when the time comes, no where to be found or full of excuses

 

[DF]

Fat shaming! how dare you sir!

 

[PillarofBalance]

And I would venture to add the pussification of America. Toxic masculinity blah blah blah.

There are so many reasons. Men are no longer men. Being fat or thick is socially accepted now. People in general are lazy. People want results immediately. There are so many poor food choices these days. Add them all together and you get an obese person. My brother is 305lbs. Life for him seems miserable yet he has zero interest in doing anything about it. I've offered to train with him, help him with eating, etc. He won't do anything. He eats out every day, several times a day. But he doesn't care.

Pussification? Men aren't men?

What's that got to do with eating too much? Pretty sure women are fat too.

 

[PillarofBalance]

I can't pin any of it on education. It doesn't take a PhD to know you need to get off your fat ass today if you don't want a fat ass tomorrow.

Humans are just lazy fuuks, that's all there is to it. We do things for two reasons; inspiration or desperation.

I'm not referring to just formal school based education. Education includes what's passed on from parents to children.

Generally speaking, fat parents have fat kids.

Education is the only solution to our issues with obesity.

 

[snake]

I'm not referring to just formal school based education. Education includes what's passed on from parents to children.

Generally speaking, fat parents have fat kids.

Education is the only solution to our issues with obesity.

I have to agree with that now that I understand what you meant.

 

[DevilDoc87]

Pussification? Men aren't men?

What's that got to do with eating too much? Pretty sure women are fat too.

as you’re labeled a bonehead or bro etc, if you actually care about yourself and hit the gym and look good. Pussification meaning yes majority of men really aren’t men anymore. Too feminine

 

[PillarofBalance]

as you’re labeled a bonehead or bro etc, if you actually care about yourself and hit the gym and look good. Pussification meaning yes majority of men really aren’t men anymore. Too feminine

I don't get it. How are men not men anymore and how does this relate to higher average body fat levels among the population?

 

[Seeker]

American obesity = American Culture. The reasons are many. Education, habits, Government, Advertising and Marketing, Lobbyists, pharmaceuticals, FDAA, etc etc..

 

[silvereyes87]

level of activity has gone major down. Most kids and young adults would rather play call of duty or watch tv/ play on their phone then play sports or pump some iron/ go for a run etc.

 

[DevilDoc87]

I don't get it. How are men not men anymore and how does this relate to higher average body fat levels among the population?

Im looking at it a little more abstract, and adding to what you and others have said. Combination of all.

 

[MrRippedZilla]

Its a mismatch between the rate of evolution of our environment vs the rate of evolution of our physiology. The former happens very quickly, the latter doesn't.

Our environment is designed to provide easy access to varied, tasty, foods. It is also designed in a way that the requirement for physical activity is negligible. Most of us make a living sitting on our asses all day. It's pretty much the only way to make a living on the highest level of society. All of these environmental changes were done intentionally to make our lives easier.

Well, your body is designed to ask for food even if an abundance of it is available due to the way we evolved (hunter gather lifestyle and all that jazz). It completely neglects the fact that a lack of food is a non-issue today because it evolution is a slow process. You also have the fact that surviving with little energy expenditure is ****ing awesome as far as your body concerned. Zero biological drive to get you to move your ass. In other words, if your life is easier = it is easier to get really fat.

A lack of education is not the issue. People know what it takes to drop the pounds and in most cases are actually successful at dropping those pounds. The problem comes when they need to maintain their results. The vasty majority fail miserably.

You can say this is a discipline issue. Sure. That is why most obesity researchers that I know are now focusing on different forms of behavioral therapy (CBT, etc) to coincide with the usual dietary/exercise stuff. The idea being that people fail because of an inability to change their habits permanently and habitual change is very much a mental process. We'll see in the years to come how successful this is because I don't give a **** how disciplined you try to be, the chances of you beating biology is very very low. You're fighting yourself.

So, the solution is actually relatively simple if expensive. Reduce the focus on changing the person, start focusing on changing the environment. This will lead to a much quicker resolution but, due to the cost & loss of profit involved, you are unlikely to see it happen unless ordered to do so from the highest level

Oh and the people at the highest level are well aware of this stuff btw. In America specifically, you guys are ****ed because their is simply too much money to made from keeping you fat. In the UK, it's more of a case of weighing up the cost vs benefit and we seem to be heading down the right path (taxing sugar drinks for example) but have a long way to go.