Started it here as I know where the conservation will ultimately head.
But, I just watched the first of the series from HBO, done with NIH and the CDC.

It focuses on the alarming obesity trends, the rising weight gains, and the effects it has on the body.
The first episode focuses on heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and poor diet.

The studies are focused on the south, as the most obese, but also around the country. The studies show heart disease starts at a young age.
The studies also show that nearly 70% of the country is overweight or obese.

It's an eye opening documentary. It is also available online.

No matter what your view, the experts all agree, there are many factors to the problems. Those include genes, how a person is raised, economic status, and choices instilled in them.

All also agree, it will take a total shift to change this, and if it does not happen, it has the ability to really kill and bankrupt the country.

http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/films

I bet Obama will find a way to tax the rich to solve this problem.

IF you are going to have nationalized healthcare, aren't premiums linked to weight/health/exercise a natural evolution of that? Heck, even just insurance in general? I believe some workplaces are already going this direction (more subtle, employers get a small discount for various wellness programs).

I don't know if it's just the latest fad, but they say smaller, more frequent meals keeps your metabolism higher (makes sense, probably also reduces overeating). And "healthier" restaurants serve way too large of portions (I assume this is to get a higher ROI per customer by charging you more). Of course we know the issues with fast food. We have a variety of cultural aspects, not necessarily all that difficult to change, that contribute to unhealthy eating habits. For example, single people and people working long hours don't necessarily have the time or money to cook healthy meals at home.

On the other hand, people dying younger may be less of a burden on the social healthcare system, but I'm not sure if they don't end-up incurring overall higher costs (i.e. bypass surgery).

I mean, from a purely economic perspective you're dead weight once you retire. You no longer produce anything and typically consume/buy less.

ptown_trojans_1;1171134 wrote:....it will take a total shift to change this, and if it does not happen, it has the ability to really kill and bankrupt the country.

If it bankrupts us, I suppose it won't take long for the fat to go away.

American abundance and the American lifestyle have combined to make our society the most over-weight and obese nation in history.

My father is a classic example. He weighs well over 300 pounds, gets little exercise, has diabetes, has had knee surgery, faces the prospect of hip surgery, etc. He eats high-fat meals and thinks he's eating healthy.

My doctor tells me I should lose at least 10 pounds because I'm "at risk" for diabetes myself. Despite a modest belly roll, I'd disagree that being 5' 10" and 190 pounds is "obese."

Our employer pushes us to participate in the Virgin HealthMiles program where we wear pedometers and can earn cash for reaching a certain number of steps. Our health insurance carrier gives our company a discount for participation in the program.

I don't know what the answers are but - yeah - we have a national obesity problem.

How the hell will obesity bankrupt our nation?

Lower obesity is simple .. "work"

Can't have a welfare (entitlement) country and not have obesity.

Belly35;1171391 wrote:Lower obesity is simple .. "work"

Can't have a welfare (entitlement) country and not have obesity.

I think what's had more affect on the weight is the shift from a manufacturing country to a service country.

Lack of discipline.

ernest_t_bass;1171389 wrote:How the hell will obesity bankrupt our nation?

I'm guessing, as someone mentioned above, that when the health care bill comes in, our over-weight issues will "eat up" most of our resources. (Eat up!? Diet? Overweight? It's a pun... ah, forget it. It's not that funny anyway.)

WebFire;1171423 wrote:I think what's had more affect on the weight is the shift from a manufacturing country to a service country.

I think a lot really has to do with the disintegration of the nuclear family. Longer hours, more single people, more single people raising kids alone...people don't have time (yes, a BS excuse) to exercise and eat healthy.

gut;1171664 wrote:I think a lot really has to do with the disintegration of the nuclear family. Longer hours, more single people, more single people raising kids alone...people don't have time (yes, a BS excuse) to exercise and eat healthy.

I'm sure there are a lot of contributing factors.

I'm single. I cook. Yes I probably make a little more money than most people my age, but I don't find eating healthy is all that expensive. One doesn't need to eat organic everything to eat healthy. Meat is going to be the the most expensive thing on your grocery list, but even a couple chicken breasts aren't ridiculous.

Americans are just lazy; there is nothing else to it.

sleeper;1171724 wrote:I'm single. I cook. Yes I probably make a little more money than most people my age, but I don't find eating healthy is all that expensive. One doesn't need to eat organic everything to eat healthy. Meat is going to be the the most expensive thing on your grocery list, but even a couple chicken breasts aren't ridiculous.

Americans are just lazy; there is nothing else to it.

This is true. We've been trying to eat "healthier" by just not eating so much processed shit and actually cooking with real ingredients. I'm never going to be a health nut, but it's way better than processed. I don't think our bill has really changed much.

believer;1171372 wrote:My doctor tells me I should lose at least 10 pounds because I'm "at risk" for diabetes myself. Despite a modest belly roll, I'd disagree that being 5' 10" and 190 pounds is "obese."

That's about where I am now. Definitely want to trim the belly down, but after dropping 50+ over the past year, I think I've gone from "future health risk" to being in good health. Right now, I'm more concerned with exercising and getting what I have into better shape and if a few more pounds melt off in the process, all the more power to me.

Belly35;1171391 wrote:Lower obesity is simple .. "work"

Can't have a welfare (entitlement) country and not have obesity.

This is so stupid. Sooooooo stupid.

Obesity in this country, more times than not, is what you eat and how little exercise we do, not how much you eat and being a lazy welfare bum.

The "welfare" people don't eat healthy foods. Hell the general population doesn't know shit about how too cook real food. The entire population drives literally everywhere. We don't exercise.

Obesity is a huge problem in this country (pun intended), but welfare has nothing to do with it. Nothing.

sjmvsfscs08;1172008 wrote:This is so stupid. Sooooooo stupid.

Obesity in this country, more times than not, is what you eat and how little exercise we do, not how much you eat and being a lazy welfare bum.

The "welfare" people don't eat healthy foods. Hell the general population doesn't know shit about how too cook real food. The entire population drives literally everywhere. We don't exercise.

Obesity is a huge problem in this country (pun intended), but welfare has nothing to do with it. Nothing.

You don't think being on welfare could lead to people getting less exercise? I agree the unhealthy food plays a big part in it, but I think Belly's point goes more to the second part of your statement and the welfare recipients could be lazy and don't work or exercise.

Personally I don't know if there is a correlation between welfare recipients and people being obese. I know PLENTY of fat people who work.

FatHobbit;1172022 wrote:You don't think being on welfare could lead to people getting less exercise? I agree the unhealthy food plays a big part in it, but I think Belly's point goes more to the second part of your statement and the welfare recipients could be lazy and don't work or exercise.

Personally I don't know if there is a correlation between welfare recipients and people being obese. I know PLENTY of fat people who work.

Oh please. Any insinuation that welfare is making someone obese is absolute horseshit.

sjmvsfscs08;1172008 wrote:Obesity is a huge problem in this country (pun intended), but welfare has nothing to do with it. Nothing.

Nothing? Couldn't disagree more with that. Healthy food costs more than processed food does (Look no further than the fact that you can buy Ramen for like 40 cents a pack). Not to mention poor people are more likely to purchase fast food more often because of the cheap cost not only in the actual food but in the sense that you don't have to prepare it.

Not everyone can shop at whole foods and make dinner at home with nice kitchenware when you have a large family and not a lot of money. Make healthy food affordable and I guarantee you'll see a decrease in obesity.

Y-Town Steelhound;1172035 wrote:Nothing? Couldn't disagree more with that. Healthy food costs more than processed food does (Look no further than the fact that you can buy Ramen for like 40 cents a pack). Not to mention poor people are more likely to purchase fast food more often because of the cheap cost not only in the actual food but in the sense that you don't have to prepare it.

Not everyone can shop at whole foods and make dinner at home with nice kitchenware when you have a large family and not a lot of money. Make healthy food affordable and I guarantee you'll see a decrease in obesity.

I'm agreeing with you. People are poor and can't afford real food. That doesn't mean that welfare assistance is making someone obese. The conclusion Belly and Co would then come to is that welfare is stupid for yet another reason and should be reduced/limited. If anything, while people are on welfare, they should be given the wherewithal to get real foods.

That isn't to say that welfare reform is desperately needed, but the welfare system isn't making people fat. Belly is saying that a "welfare (entitlement)" culture makes you fat. Wrong.

Shop the perimeter....






Except the hot sauce, that's in an aisle, and you gotta have hot sauce

sjmvsfscs08;1172045 wrote:

I'm agreeing with you. People are poor and can't afford real food. That doesn't mean that welfare assistance is making someone obese. The conclusion Belly and Co would then come to is that welfare is stupid for yet another reason and should be reduced/limited. If anything, while people are on welfare, they should be given the wherewithal to get real foods.

That isn't to say that welfare reform is desperately needed, but the welfare system isn't making people fat. Belly is saying that a "welfare (entitlement)" culture makes you fat. Wrong.

Ah I see....that was a misunderstanding on my part then. The welfare system is to blame for plenty of things but obesity is not one of them.


I'll say it again, if you want to reduce the obesity epidemic then make healthy food more affordable. I'm sure once McDonald's finds a way to make and sell a turkey burger for the same price as a regular one they will be all over that.

sjmvsfscs08;1172032 wrote:Oh please. Any insinuation that welfare is making someone obese is absolute horseshit.

I doubt there's much causation, but there's a huge correlation. Has to do with making poor choices in all aspects if one's life.

There is a laziness factor involved. It takes a little more effort to exercise and actually prepare a good meal as opposed to getting the cheap unhealthy stuff at a fast food place or a gas station.

That said, there is some blame to pass along to the government. (A lot of this info I gathered from the documentary Food Inc.- not all of which I agree with, but they make several good points).

The federal government currently subsidizes the production of corn in this country to an ungodly degree. As a result, corn in its myriad forms reaches the market a whole lot cheaper than it normally would. Read the ingredients label on most every processed food package and there is at least one manufactured form of corn in there somewhere. The end result is cheap, processed carbs devoid of any real nutritional value (high fructose corn syrup- worse than sugar- being the best example). And so it's cheaper and more convenient to eat empty calories than it is to hit the local produce markets.

Parents also share blame for letting their kids sit in front of a TV/computer screen all day while inhaling sweetened beverages, or letting them eat whatever they want without any supervision. To me that's where it starts and gets passed on to the next generation.

Y-Town Steelhound;1172035 wrote:Nothing? Couldn't disagree more with that. Healthy food costs more than processed food does (Look no further than the fact that you can buy Ramen for like 40 cents a pack). Not to mention poor people are more likely to purchase fast food more often because of the cheap cost not only in the actual food but in the sense that you don't have to prepare it.

Not everyone can shop at whole foods and make dinner at home with nice kitchenware when you have a large family and not a lot of money. Make healthy food affordable and I guarantee you'll see a decrease in obesity.

You can buy fruits and veggies pretty cheap. People can eat healthy without spending much; they choose not to.

ernest_t_bass;1171389 wrote:How the hell will obesity bankrupt our nation?

People stay obese, get older, have more health problems. They then join Medicare as they grow older, which leads to higher costs for Medicare, which leads it to deplete its funds. That leads to strains on the system, passing the costs off to the tax payers.
It is the current system, regardless of the new healthcare law.



I agree its a will power, American way of life, being lazy aspect to the problem.
The series does a good job, in the second episode in talking about a very broad way to lose weight, that includes exercise, diet, and most importantly, change of lifestyle and reduction of stress.

They also said, the excess fat around the stomach, that beer gut, is the worst kind of fat. As, just a few more pounds around the gut leads to high blood pressure, and higher risk in heart disease, and diabetes.

It's an interesting series so far. Tonight is on Childhood obesity.


As to eating well cheaply. It just takes shopping and buying smarter. I eat turkey, pork, and chicken Fruits and veggies. You can buy them cheaply if you search for it and buy at the right time. I'm single and live alone, and spent around $150 a month on food.

It just takes will power.