View Full Version : The Fattest States of America
CNY rider
08-04-2010, 01:32 PM
Interesting stats on self-reported rates of obesity.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/the-fattest-states-of-america/?hp
I live in upstate NY and my guess is that if you separated out NY City and the suburbs, upstate would challenge West Virginia for the top spot.
It's a rarity to see anyone going anywhere on foot or by bike here. And there's an epidemic of idling SUV's outside local grocery and convenience stores.
Don't get me started. :butt:
Acotts
08-04-2010, 01:36 PM
I would like to overlay this data with federal health care voting demographics.
BillG
08-04-2010, 01:38 PM
"I would like to overlay this data with federal health care voting demographics."
Or with wealth.
Acotts
08-04-2010, 01:42 PM
Locking thread in 3, 2, 1....
sg8357
08-04-2010, 01:47 PM
My take away, Flame Broiled Whoppers will save Social Security. :rolleyes:
rockdude
08-04-2010, 01:51 PM
Here in Boulder, it is rare to see over weight people, unless they are tourist. I am amazed to go to places like Dallas where almost everyone is over weight. I guess the Wealth, Education and active lifestyles we have really makes a difference. It was funny, back when the Health Care debate was going on and people were protesting across the country against it, in Boulder we were have huge rallies for it....
Bytesiz
08-04-2010, 01:55 PM
I'm am not surprised the see Maine high in this list. Potatoes, lobster, and Allen's Coffee Brandy tend to pack on the pounds.
Charles M
08-04-2010, 02:14 PM
I wonder what the "Self Reported" well hung list and the "Self Reported" moraly superior list would look like?
goonster
08-04-2010, 02:18 PM
Here in Boulder, it is rare to see over weight people, unless they are tourist.
Colorado has the lowest incidence of obesity and depression in the country.
I'm neither svelte nor obese, but I felt fat in Boulder.
CNY rider
08-04-2010, 02:26 PM
I wonder what the "Self Reported" well hung list and the "Self Reported" moraly superior list would look like?
Probably a lot like the students in Lake Wobegon..... ;)
Richard
08-04-2010, 02:46 PM
No comment on the morally superior lot, but the "self reported" well hung group probably uses a ruler with an 8 inch foot.
JMerring
08-04-2010, 03:18 PM
i'd be curious to know the % of haters vs. lovers in the self-reported well hung group. :crap:
Pete Serotta
08-04-2010, 03:20 PM
Boulder and seeing Tom and Steve in LA sounds like a place for my eyes to be exercised (as well as riding and having wine)
johnnymossville
08-04-2010, 03:54 PM
Everywhere I go I see fat people, and they are a majority. I think these numbers are low.
rugbysecondrow
08-04-2010, 04:06 PM
Not to discount the validity of their point, but they seem to have used the BMI which is a poor indicator of obesity and proper weight. As a man who is constantly a 29 or 29.5 on the bmi (30is obese ) we need to recognize this scale has limitations that render it useless for studies like this. Having seen some of these big farm boys in many of these states, some of them are bred big, not necessarily fat. This tool is just not accurate for a large segment of the population, me included.
I agree with the sentiment that there are large segments of the population where inactivity is the norm and you are thought crazy foe running or biking.
torquer
08-04-2010, 04:07 PM
I live in upstate NY and my guess is that if you separated out NY City and the suburbs, upstate would challenge West Virginia for the top spot.
This would reflect the general correlation between poverty and obesity. The rich are overepresented downstate. (Ironic, isn't it, that skinny now denotes wealth, while the poor are fat.)
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/08/04/us/04fat-graphic/04fat-graphic-articleInline.gif
The map makes it look like all the extra calories just flowed down the Mississippi. Is that why its seems hard to not get a good meal in New Orleans?
JMerring
08-04-2010, 04:27 PM
This would reflect the general correlation between poverty and obesity. The rich are overepresented downstate. (Ironic, isn't it, that skinny now denotes wealth, while the poor are fat.)
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/08/04/us/04fat-graphic/04fat-graphic-articleInline.gif
The map makes it look like all the extra calories just flowed down the Mississippi. Is that why its seems hard to not get a good meal in New Orleans?
The trend in those maps is scary. Before we know it, the whole country will be darkly colored.
David Kirk
08-04-2010, 04:32 PM
The real issue as I see it is would Contador have waited for Schleck if Schleck was delayed by being fat.
dave
BumbleBeeDave
08-04-2010, 04:54 PM
Not to discount the validity of their point, but they seem to have used the BMI which is a poor indicator of obesity and proper weight.
. . . stands for Body Mass Index. It's simply the total mass and makes do differentiation whether that mass is bone, organs, fat--or muscle. Many bodybuilders are indeed obese if you only consider their BMI.
That being said, I don't think it makes much difference what methodology this chart uses. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to deduce this country is in an obesity crisis.
While I still worked at the gym we had prospective clients come in all the time who were 60-100 lbs overweight. Keep in mind that a pound of fat equals 3500 calories. if you're a hundred pounds overweight that's 350 THOUSAND extra calories. How in God's name does somebody eat that much?
BBD
DfCas
08-04-2010, 05:24 PM
Its just that we West Virginia hillbillys are more honest. As Jed Clampett said, "No shame in beun poor as long as you're honest".
Karin Kirk
08-04-2010, 05:29 PM
The regional and national differences are so noticeable when you travel, don't you think? Flying from rail-thin Amsterdam to Minneapolis is a shocker. And kind of depressing too.
I heard a study that discussed these region-wide trends, in that if you live in a place where most of your peers are obese, how do you know what a healthy weight even is? This makes the public health challenge even harder to unravel.
And on the other hand if you live in Boulder, you feel an underlying peer pressure to be thin and fit. (PS - I was in Boulder last week and I agree with previous posters. It actually looked a lot like home in that regard.)
The problem is very deep. It's obviously about a lot more than just calories. Dave and I laughed out loud at a TV commercial last night that scoffed at the idea that home cooking and food preparation could be a relaxing and pleasurable task at the end of the day. Instead, why not just zip open this pouch of foodlike substances and be done with it! No fuss, no muss! Awesome! :crap:
Somehow we've come to not only tolerate an industrialized food system, but to actually think that this is a desirable thing. Slowly we are seeing things turn toward more awareness of real foods, but it seems that is still just in the upper classes. The problem seems like it will get worse before we make any progress on it.
Disclaimer: I am eating chocolate whilst typing this. :p
rugbysecondrow
08-04-2010, 05:32 PM
. . . stands for Body Mass Index. It's simply the total mass and makes do differentiation whether that mass is bone, organs, fat--or muscle. Many bodybuilders are indeed obese if you only consider their BMI.
That being said, I don't think it makes much difference what methodology this chart uses. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to deduce this country is in an obesity crisis.
While I still worked at the gym we had prospective clients come in all the time who were 60-100 lbs overweight. Keep in mind that a pound of fat equals 3500 calories. if you're a hundred pounds overweight that's 350 THOUSAND extra calories. How in God's name does somebody eat that much?
BBD
I know what the BMI is, my point is that it is a thoughtless tool. Any dumb with a tape measure and a scale can create a study, but that doesn't make it a valid study. It means their findings are suspect, IMO. When many professional athletes would be labeled as overweight or obese based on the BMI, it is a worthless tool.
Yes, I hate this tool. I have to pay extra in life insurance because of it, the irony of the fat nurse who came to my house to weigh me was not lost on me.
People are fat, we can see that. Misinformation does nothing but create misinformation.
. . . ... How in God's name does somebody eat that much?
BBD
100 extra calories per day...
700 per week...
36,400 per year...
equals 364,000
... during the 10 years after college while career building and family raising when you don't focus on taking care of yourself...it's not too hard to do if you don't have good habits and a blessed metabolism.
Sad, but true.....
rugbysecondrow
08-04-2010, 05:52 PM
The regional and national differences are so noticeable when you travel, don't you think? Flying from rail-thin Amsterdam to Minneapolis is a shocker. And kind of depressing too.
I heard a study that discussed these region-wide trends, in that if you live in a place where most of your peers are obese, how do you know what a healthy weight even is? This makes the public health challenge even harder to unravel.
And on the other hand if you live in Boulder, you feel an underlying peer pressure to be thin and fit. (PS - I was in Boulder last week and I agree with previous posters. It actually looked a lot like home in that regard.)
The problem is very deep. It's obviously about a lot more than just calories. Dave and I laughed out loud at a TV commercial last night that scoffed at the idea that home cooking and food preparation could be a relaxing and pleasurable task at the end of the day. Instead, why not just zip open this pouch of foodlike substances and be done with it! No fuss, no muss! Awesome! :crap:
Somehow we've come to not only tolerate an industrialized food system, but to actually think that this is a desirable thing. Slowly we are seeing things turn toward more awareness of real foods, but it seems that is still just in the upper classes. The problem seems like it will get worse before we make any progress on it.
Disclaimer: I am eating chocolate whilst typing this. :p
It is really not complicated to understand the industrialized food system...it is cheap. It costs money to eat better (I think it is a good investment) but it is an investment none the less. It is also an investment to workout and exercise. Having an active lifestyle is also something that is deemed a luxury to some.
With kids, full time jobs, dogs and life in general, something has to give. I am typing this while making pasta with sauce out of the jar, shoulder pressing my daughter and petting the dog. I would like something magically that allows me to relax...i know it is a false idol, but that marketing line sells, especially when people are tired and desperate. Don't underestimate the way people tread water through life. Sure, there is always a reason not to do something, but the obsticales are often greater in size and number if you are a single parent, work two jobs, or in a lower income bracket.
.... I am typing this while making pasta with sauce out of the jar, ....
I know sauce out of a jar is easy...but so is a simple sauce you make yourself.
Saute some onions in olive oil until soft...add some garlic.....add a can of diced tomatoes (whole san marzanos, crushed by hand if you want to get fancy)...add can of tomato sauce / paste....white wine..."italian herbs" and you are set.
Add a can of garbanzo beans if need some protein.
you get real food in about 30 minutes....
rugbysecondrow
08-04-2010, 06:12 PM
I know sauce out of a jar is easy...but so is a simple sauce you make yourself.
Saute some onions in olive oil until soft...add some garlic.....add a can of diced tomatoes (whole san marzanos, crushed by hand if you want to get fancy)...add can of tomato sauce / paste....white wine..."italian herbs" and you are set.
Add a can of garbanzo beans if need some protein.
you get real food in about 30 minutes....
I make some things from scratch, pasta sauce is just not one of them. Soups , Homemade Biscuits and Gravy,....that is in my wheelhouse. :)
tim11
08-04-2010, 06:18 PM
Re: that map/chart above, I can't believe how quickly some parts of the country have gone from 25% obese to +/- 35% obese. 10 years? Industrialized food has been around since the 1980s (according to Michael Pollan) -- is the "fattening" process really speeding up or is something else changing? Baby boomers aging?
1centaur
08-04-2010, 06:19 PM
I think BMI is fine as a general guide, but it should not be used to set insurance rates (nor should the old alternative, statistical tables of height and weight). Outside of insurance, those who have a high BMI and know that it incorrectly suggests they are fat don't need to care about it. But the fat people who claim it's wrong because athletes with the same number are not fat are fooling themselves. If a number gets the debate going, great. When half the nation is fit and has a high BMI, let's throw it out. 8% - not yet.
That type of map on a global basis would be interesting and depressing over time. It would also be instructive to see just ages 25-65 to weed out youth and old people who don't eat much anymore. What percent of mid-life adults are 25 to 35 on the BMI scale?
207 cm
08-04-2010, 06:51 PM
The BMI had me a needing to lose 20+ pounds. I wasn't fat and I was pretty atheltic and healthy.
Then I started training. hard.
Down 25 pounds and looking like I'll drop another 5-7.
BMI was right IMO.
Weight can hide in places you don't really notice on some people, others have a big gut and it shows.
Elefantino
08-04-2010, 07:02 PM
It is really not complicated to understand the industrialized food system...it is cheap.
Banquet frozen dinners are 88 cents at Walmart. Eight-eight cents. WIth about 100 percent of the RDA of fat, sodium, etc.
Thin people do not buy them, and it's sad.
rugbysecondrow
08-04-2010, 07:22 PM
The BMI had me a needing to lose 20+ pounds. I wasn't fat and I was pretty atheltic and healthy.
Then I started training. hard.
Down 25 pounds and looking like I'll drop another 5-7.
BMI was right IMO.
Weight can hide in places you don't really notice on some people, others have a big gut and it shows.
I understand and don't disagree that the BMI is good for some body types, but the errors are reflected in the segment of the population we are discussing here. I suspect it has false positives (scores too many obese people) exactly the pool of people this study uses to rank states. This is not your typical cyclists body, so I may be arguing up hill here.
IMO, this creates many thoughtless professionals, the same as a credit score does necesarily indicate the credit worthiness of individuals and fosters dumb lenders who look at numbers and not people...many Dr.s and Nurses do the same thing.
fiamme red
08-05-2010, 08:52 AM
I know what the BMI is, my point is that it is a thoughtless tool. Any dumb with a tape measure and a scale can create a study, but that doesn't make it a valid study. It means their findings are suspect, IMO. When many professional athletes would be labeled as overweight or obese based on the BMI, it is a worthless tool.BMI is a useless measurement for athletic people, because it doesn't distinguish between fat and muscle mass. But in average, non-athletic folks, BMI is a decent indicator of overall health, with both high and very low BMI’s correlating with various health risks.
konstantkarma
08-05-2010, 09:11 AM
Colorado has the lowest incidence of obesity and depression in the country
Oddly though, one of the highest incidences of suicide:confused:
JMerring
08-05-2010, 09:55 AM
Oddly though, one of the highest incidences of suicide:confused:
pragmatism - skip being fat and unhappy and head straight for death!
207 cm
08-05-2010, 10:24 AM
I understand and don't disagree that the BMI is good for some body types, but the errors are reflected in the segment of the population we are discussing here. I suspect it has false positives (scores too many obese people) exactly the pool of people this study uses to rank states. This is not your typical cyclists body, so I may be arguing up hill here.
IMO, this creates many thoughtless professionals, the same as a credit score does necesarily indicate the credit worthiness of individuals and fosters dumb lenders who look at numbers and not people...many Dr.s and Nurses do the same thing.
My point was not how accurate BMI was but how easy it is to be fooled at your own BF%.
SEABREEZE
08-05-2010, 11:58 AM
Interesting stats on self-reported rates of obesity.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/the-fattest-states-of-america/?hp
I live in upstate NY and my guess is that if you separated out NY City and the suburbs, upstate would challenge West Virginia for the top spot.
It's a rarity to see anyone going anywhere on foot or by bike here. And there's an epidemic of idling SUV's outside local grocery and convenience stores.
Don't get me started. :butt:
They may want to use stats for states, I beleive it boils down to individualism.
Either your a couch potato or your a active individual.No matter where you live.
Sure a variety of states are more conducive for the active sport minded folks, than others, but that never stopped me from being less active, because I dint live in those area's of the country.
You are who you are.
Why are there hot spots of less active than more active and vs versa. Climate, education, lifestyle of area, and the list could go on.Many variables
Karin Kirk
08-05-2010, 12:03 PM
It is really not complicated to understand the industrialized food system...it is cheap. It costs money to eat better (I think it is a good investment) but it is an investment none the less. It is also an investment to workout and exercise. Having an active lifestyle is also something that is deemed a luxury to some.
As Michael Pollan points out, we spend proportionally less on food now than we ever have. So yeah, factory food is cheap, but has than improved anything? Much like the recent discussion about energy and transportation - we are not paying the full costs for these products so it's hard to reconcile what a good value actually is.
Home-cooked foods and family dinners were the norm not too long ago, so I don't understand why that is a "luxury" now. I just think it's a matter of priorities, not luxuries. The pace of our society has sped up and people suddenly think that having 30 minutes to make dinner is impossible. I completely disagree - cooking well and eating well are completely doable if it is a priority that ranks higher than, say, spending similar amounts of time on Facebook or an internet message board. Wouldn't it be nice if we had societal priorities that allowed us to cook and enjoy a wholesome meal once a day?
Elefantino
08-05-2010, 12:21 PM
We're polluting other countries, too, with our fat.
Look at France. Wonderful country, great food, healthy people. Now, in the first post-McDonald's generation, obesity rates are rising, as is heart disease. So much for the "French Paradox."
I mean, when you think about it ... More than one in four people in this country call THEMSELVES obese.
Have we lost our collecting effing minds?
CNY rider
08-05-2010, 12:59 PM
Wouldn't it be nice if we had societal priorities that allowed us to cook and enjoy a wholesome meal once a day?
Karin I agree with the sentiment but as you alluded to in the other part of your post, it's more of an individual thing.
Our family of 5, with 2 working adults and 3 young children, eats home made food for dinner 6 or 7 nights a week. We usually eat together.
It is not easy to pull off but we do it because it is a priority for us. It means one or two grocery trips a week, plus a weekly Farm Market trip. Then prep and cooking time. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Many people would trade it for an extra 30 minutes a day of Internet or TV. To me that's an individual priority not a societal one.
Karin Kirk
08-05-2010, 01:49 PM
CNY,
Good for you!
Yeah, I wonder about individual vs societal. Of course, at the end of the day it's an individual choice. But all day long there are societal messages telling us to eat crap, toss the containers in the trash, and not give it a second thought. There are many messages implying that this is a desirable way to live your life. So to me, this seems like a societal priority.
I saw a 2-page magazine ad for Lay's potato chips that was bragging about the wholesomeness of their product. It showed a bunch of farmers picking potatoes off the potato plants. The scene was lush and green and lovely. However potatoes don't grow on the plants, they are underground of course. Are we so disconnected from our food that people actually believe that happy scene?
David Kirk
08-05-2010, 01:56 PM
I recall a TV ad for some kind of snack chips that aired for a very short period of time a few years back. The catch line was - "don't just sit there, eat something!"
That is so wrong on so many levels. I suppose I should feel good that it only ran for a short period of time ........ but... I don't really.
Dave
Ralph
08-05-2010, 02:01 PM
My wife and I are retired and our original plans were to live a leasure life of travel, eating out, and taking life easy (laying around the pool) and riding my bike a lot. As we age, we now realize we can't meet our health goals eating out much, we can't meet our exercise goals if we travel all the time, and the life of retired folks eating out and traveling all the time is a recipe for a short life.
So now we shop for real food together, do have time to exercise, and our main goal in life revolves around a healty lifestyle, avoiding taking medicines, and enjoying our family. You young folks take notice. Simple life is best life.
If I were younger, I would sell out my Florida property, and buy a small house on a few acres somewhere out West in a small town with some culture. I believe that could be a healthier life style. And enjoy some change of seasons where day to day life might be a tad more interesting and challenging. Even though we don't need to work anymore, I don't think retired life S/B too easy for best health. MHO
Dekonick
08-05-2010, 02:35 PM
Colorado has the lowest incidence of obesity and depression in the country.
I'm neither svelte nor obese, but I felt fat in Boulder.
300+ days of sun per year will go a long way in preventing depression, and Colorado is an outdoor playground. I LOVE Colorado... :beer:
SEABREEZE
08-05-2010, 03:01 PM
Karin I agree with the sentiment but as you alluded to in the other part of your post, it's more of an individual thing.
Our family of 5, with 2 working adults and 3 young children, eats home made food for dinner 6 or 7 nights a week. We usually eat together.
It is not easy to pull off but we do it because it is a priority for us. It means one or two grocery trips a week, plus a weekly Farm Market trip. Then prep and cooking time. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Many people would trade it for an extra 30 minutes a day of Internet or TV. To me that's an individual priority not a societal one.
Good on you, you get it. A normal way of life for you and your family, and I can assure you there are many more in line with your thinking.
Being a organic grassfed farmer, more and more of main stream are coming to buy our food, and making the same descisions and sacrifices.
Its all about priorities...
Anyone here about blue zones of the world, where people live long and are active. Folks in there 90's walking 5 miles to buy groceries, and the 5 miles back carrying them. Folks in there 100's riding bikes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Zone
SEABREEZE
08-05-2010, 03:36 PM
I recall a TV ad for some kind of snack chips that aired for a very short period of time a few years back. The catch line was - "don't just sit there, eat something!"
That is so wrong on so many levels. I suppose I should feel good that it only ran for a short period of time ........ but... I don't really.
Dave
Two quick healthy snacks,
sllce thin organic potatoes cook in real pork lard, wala potato chips, sprinkle a little sea salt and braggs vinegar
heirloom pop corn heat in olive oil, melt some farm fresh butter, sprinkle some sea salt. theres a product you can buy in the health food store that also can be used in place of sea salt, its called liquid trace minerals, by Trace Minerals Research. It comes from Great Salt Lake Utah
JMerring
08-05-2010, 03:53 PM
Pork lard, corn and butter. Healthy? Really?
Wayne77
08-05-2010, 04:01 PM
CNY,
Good for you!
Yeah, I wonder about individual vs societal. Of course, at the end of the day it's an individual choice. But all day long there are societal messages telling us to eat crap, toss the containers in the trash, and not give it a second thought. There are many messages implying that this is a desirable way to live your life. So to me, this seems like a societal priority.
I saw a 2-page magazine ad for Lay's potato chips that was bragging about the wholesomeness of their product. It showed a bunch of farmers picking potatoes off the potato plants. The scene was lush and green and lovely. However potatoes don't grow on the plants, they are underground of course. Are we so disconnected from our food that people actually believe that happy scene?
+1000000. The Lay's imagery above reminded me of these clips
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/taco-town/229053/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yaXvr2ahXY
SEABREEZE
08-05-2010, 04:49 PM
Pork lard, corn and butter. Healthy? Really?
READ
http://www.westonaprice.org/
vandeda
08-05-2010, 08:17 PM
While I still worked at the gym we had prospective clients come in all the time who were 60-100 lbs overweight. Keep in mind that a pound of fat equals 3500 calories. if you're a hundred pounds overweight that's 350 THOUSAND extra calories. How in God's name does somebody eat that much?
BBD
BBD ... hey, I've seen you riding around from time to time. Usually when I'm on my beach cruiser riding home from work (yeah, I know, I should wave ... I'm too introverted for my own good sometimes haha).
But 350,000 is pretty easy. That's 960 calories a day. Add 1 donut and 1 latte and you're easily over 1,000 calories right there. Or add in a 32 oz. coke or two (I used to drink 2 liters of regular coke a day ... since it's liquid, you never even notice it). It's that easy.
It's rather sad though. I see it myself ... I have to work hard not to munch on sweets all day long :-/ Fortunately my metabolism has not caught up with me yet.
Dan
rugbysecondrow
08-05-2010, 08:34 PM
As Michael Pollan points out, we spend proportionally less on food now than we ever have. So yeah, factory food is cheap, but has than improved anything? Much like the recent discussion about energy and transportation - we are not paying the full costs for these products so it's hard to reconcile what a good value actually is.
Home-cooked foods and family dinners were the norm not too long ago, so I don't understand why that is a "luxury" now. I just think it's a matter of priorities, not luxuries. The pace of our society has sped up and people suddenly think that having 30 minutes to make dinner is impossible. I completely disagree - cooking well and eating well are completely doable if it is a priority that ranks higher than, say, spending similar amounts of time on Facebook or an internet message board. Wouldn't it be nice if we had societal priorities that allowed us to cook and enjoy a wholesome meal once a day?
I agree that people should care about their health and the health of their family. They should act on this by preparing and cooking meals that are healthy, or at least not unhealthy the majority of the time when possible. Where we disagree it seems is the notion you put forth that home cooked meals and eating well, even though doing so costs more, is not a luxury but rather failure of both society and individuals. In my opinion, your perspective is lacking in many respects, firstly the number of people who can afford to barely eat, let alone eat well. It is telling that the states with the highest rates of obesity are also states incredibley poverty stricken. Fresh tomatoes, whole foods, fresh meat, local produce...that is all fine and dandy, but how far do food stamps go when you purchase perishables and expensive whole food items? Processed, prepackage, cheap industrialized food goes a long way Calorie Per $$$.
It seems you also discount how busy many people are and the luxury of time; time to cook at all, time to cook home prepared foods, time to sit together are all luxuries. They may be luxuries we enjoy and partake in, but it is an option we are able to indulge in that others are not. Sure, families used to eat together and eat fully home prepared meals, but Mom didn't work, Dad came home to food that had been planned or had been stewing all day. That sounds good to me since I cook dinner at mi casa every night, but that is sandwiched between train rides, 10 hour work days, daycare trips dropping off and gathering a 10 month old and 4 year old, baths, lessons, play time, dog walking (note, no bike ride yet)...Yep, preparing a meal is possible, but is often not a fun and relaxing experience...it is often a question of "how can I get from point A to point B?" Such is life for many, but maybe my perspective is different.
The facebook or message board comment, well that is cute, but one could be more efficient in the restroom not reading the newspaper, not tending a garden, not playing with the kids, not doing sidewalk chalk...you get the point. We could all get Lean in our life and cut out the waste, but people do that and you know where they cut first...meal prep.
In the town I grew up in, half the kids in the public school system were below the poverty line. They might not get more than one crappy meal a day, let alone anything green or anything that didn't come out of a wrapper. Lets not forget that it is a luxury to have options, it is a waste for people who have options to choose poorly, but we cannot always assume everybody has options just because we do.
zray67
08-05-2010, 08:42 PM
My wife and I are retired and our original plans were to live a leasure life of travel, eating out, and taking life easy (laying around the pool) and riding my bike a lot. As we age, we now realize we can't meet our health goals eating out much, we can't meet our exercise goals if we travel all the time, and the life of retired folks eating out and traveling all the time is a recipe for a short life.
So now we shop for real food together, do have time to exercise, and our main goal in life revolves around a healty lifestyle, avoiding taking medicines, and enjoying our family. You young folks take notice. Simple life is best life.
If I were younger, I would sell out my Florida property, and buy a small house on a few acres somewhere out West in a small town with some culture. I believe that could be a healthier life style. And enjoy some change of seasons where day to day life might be a tad more interesting and challenging. Even though we don't need to work anymore, I don't think retired life S/B too easy for best health. MHO
This has been my experience also. I like to travel but I must give my daily routines priority. I try not to feel that I need or deserve a "reward or a comfort food" whether at home or on the road. I live in San Francisco. And one of the roads leading up to the Legion of Honor is a popular hill climb for cyclists. It is a tough climb. I was walking on the foot path and a guy was pedalling up. To encourage and be supportive I said " You're looking good!". He said "Climbing makes you healthy". Realistic challenges and stresses are needed in our daily lives.
This is perhaps an obvious point, but I don't think it's been made here yet. Sure there is a correlation between poverty and obesity, but there's also a strong correlation between car-dependent culture and obesity. People in cities like NY are thin in part because their version of an urban environment forces a lot of walking. I also live in upstate rural NY, and see that nearly everyone drives EVERYWHERE. Kids are bused a quarter mile to school! Part of the solution is getting people off a total dependence on industrialized food, but part of the solution too is to get people out of their cars--not just for dedicated exercise, but for getting around in general. You can count the people who commute around the little town I live by bike on one hand, though there are many more people who cycle and run for exercise. Many of the latter, though, will get in their car to go a quarter mile to the MacDonalds. (To be fair, the little town I live in has hardly any sidewalks--a sign, surely, that the collective wisdom of the town deems sidewalks unnecessary, since the roads are just fine.)
...and I think many commentators are missing some things. As observed, obesity and poverty/low wages go together. For many of these folks, being fat is not on the radar as a priority. It's just one more thing that sucks about being poor. I'm sorry to say that their lives are often pretty low grade -- they don't have nice homes, nice environments, ability to do much about any aspirations they may have -- nor in fact, have they been brought up in an environment which encourages them to even have aspirations. Instead, eating the kind of sweet or fatty foods that our bodies have determined are "attractive" (donuts, Big Macs, french fries, etc) is one of the few pleasures they may get. Eating, like excessive TV watching or excessive drinking, is simply an easy and thoughtlessly reflexive (though ultimately self-destructive) way of dealing with the everyday ennui.
Anyone who has the time/money/luxury to think about their weight has no business lecturing these people how to eat until they help change a lot more about their life circumstances. Money helps -- a lot. Education helps -- but it has to come at a learnable moment. Doing something about American corporate culture (which really only sees citizens in terms of how they can be leveraged for a profit) would really help. But all of this is pretty daunting work.
And finally, before anyone starts pontificating about how they did it and escaped this life, I know that it can be done. So can a college dropout be a genius and run Microsoft. But it's just not a very common experience. The poorer we are, the more we are in the thrall of the lowest common denominator.
My $0.04
sjbraun
08-06-2010, 11:02 AM
Rugbysecondrow writes:
"That sounds good to me since I cook dinner at mi casa every night, but that is sandwiched between train rides, 10 hour work days, daycare trips dropping off and gathering a 10 month old and 4 year old, baths, lessons, play time, dog walking (note, no bike ride yet)..."
Not to direct this to Rugbysecondrow, my comments are directed to our hectic lives in general.
The above quote reminds me of similar comments I've read or heard that the crazy schedules we live by leave us no choice to skimp on things like food preparation and eating together (and kudos the RSR for finding time to fix food,) I just want to point out that the reasons stated are all choices.
I think a lot of the busy-ness we live with is due to choices about where to live, (Is a one hour commute really necessary or even a good idea?) how much to schedule our kids in after school activities, (My wife is a teacher. Its not unusual for her kids to attend activities seven days a week. Sure piano, soccer, dance are all good things, but kids need some non-programmed down time, too.) or whether or not to make commitments to pets.
Life doesn't have to be filled to the brim every minute, but many of us (myself included at times.) seem to think we have no choice but to do, join, try everything.
Steve
johnnymossville
08-06-2010, 11:11 AM
Until I went off to college, my family and I ate at a restaurant once a year, and that was on Mother's Day. We really enjoyed that. It's was all home cooking the rest of the year, much of that was food grown in our huge garden, beef from cattle raised on the farm, fresh milk from same farm, eggs from our chickens, and deer shot in the woods out back. My parents still live exactly the same way though. My dad is about as fit as any 70 year old I've ever seen, he's all muscle and bone. 5'11" 140lbs, and calls me fatty at 160.
It's been all downhill since, but I still try to eat healthy. I still love going home for all that though.
cdimattio
08-06-2010, 11:48 AM
Wealth and Obesity?
Much is being made here about the inverse coorelation between wealth and obesity. One of the few things I retained from Latin classes was 'Post hoc ergo propter hoc'.... cause and coorelation can be two different things.
I am sure it is a topic of much contemporary debate, but I had thought the greater coorelation existed between education levels and obesity. Understanding that there is a natural cross correlation between wealth and education makes this very difficult to separate.
One could argue that higher compensated employment tends to be more sedentary as compared to lower paid manufacturing labor and services.
Does a better understanding of the long term health implications drive improved behavior, or is it simply wealth related food availability choices and greater leisure time for exercise?
Time is a poor excuse.. the elephant in the room is TV.
Americans don't have time for exercise or preparing meals at home.. but we have time for how many hours of TV per day?
Nielsen is saying average American spends 4 hours per day watching TV.. that is 2 whole months of the year lost to the TV. 9 years of productivity lost by age 65. :crap:
That's a lot of time that could be used for something more productive. I honestly think the TV variable might be more important and cut across racial/ethnic and economic classes.
It seems all the more shocking to me as my wife and I watch maybe 2-3 hours *per week*. That gives us plenty of time to work like crazy, work out almost every day, and still make all our own meals. (My wife has celiac, so there is very little processed or fast food she can even eat, so it is not an option for us to each much processed/restaurant food.)
JMerring
08-06-2010, 12:53 PM
i think the elephant in the room is simply the inability or lack of desire to choose the hard over the easy. i hate to hear people say "i was too busy" or "i don't have time." that's bull$hit. i'd say that 99% of us have 99% of the time to do 99% of the things we WANT to do; that we don't do what we SHOULD doesn't mean we didn't have time, just that we didn't really have the inclination.
johnnymossville
08-06-2010, 01:22 PM
i think the elephant in the room is simply the inability or lack of desire to choose the hard over the easy. i hate to hear people say "i was too busy" or "i don't have time." that's bull$hit. i'd say that 99% of us have 99% of the time to do 99% of the things we WANT to do; that we don't do what we SHOULD doesn't mean we didn't have time, just that we didn't really have the inclination.
What he said.
SEABREEZE
08-06-2010, 01:42 PM
...and I think many commentators are missing some things. As observed, obesity and poverty/low wages go together. For many of these folks, being fat is not on the radar as a priority. It's just one more thing that sucks about being poor. I'm sorry to say that their lives are often pretty low grade -- they don't have nice homes, nice environments, ability to do much about any aspirations they may have -- nor in fact, have they been brought up in an environment which encourages them to even have aspirations. Instead, eating the kind of sweet or fatty foods that our bodies have determined are "attractive" (donuts, Big Macs, french fries, etc) is one of the few pleasures they may get. Eating, like excessive TV watching or excessive drinking, is simply an easy and thoughtlessly reflexive (though ultimately self-destructive) way of dealing with the everyday ennui.
Anyone who has the time/money/luxury to think about their weight has no business lecturing these people how to eat until they help change a lot more about their life circumstances. Money helps -- a lot. Education helps -- but it has to come at a learnable moment. Doing something about American corporate culture (which really only sees citizens in terms of how they can be leveraged for a profit) would really help. But all of this is pretty daunting work.
And finally, before anyone starts pontificating about how they did it and escaped this life, I know that it can be done. So can a college dropout be a genius and run Microsoft. But it's just not a very common experience. The poorer we are, the more we are in the thrall of the lowest common denominator.
My $0.04
Very well said, then it boils down to opportunity, education,positive role models, and monitarty means of the poverty stricken to get out of the vicious cycle. Unfortunately not all make it,yet others do.
JMerring
i think the elephant in the room is simply the inability or lack of desire to choose the hard over the easy. i hate to hear people say "i was too busy" or "i don't have time." that's bull$hit. i'd say that 99% of us have 99% of the time to do 99% of the things we WANT to do; that we don't do what we SHOULD doesn't mean we didn't have time, just that we didn't really have the inclination.
Then comes your priorities in life, and carrying them out.Not procrastinating.
Well said JM
.
Karin Kirk
08-06-2010, 07:32 PM
Much is being made here about the inverse coorelation between wealth and obesity. One of the few things I retained from Latin classes was 'Post hoc ergo propter hoc'.... cause and coorelation can be two different things.
Excellent point.
When the OP started this thread, it made me curious so I looked up some statistics to see how correlated various factors are. (http://www.statemaster.com/correlations/hea_ove_and_obe_rat-health-overweight-and-obesity-rate)
On a statewide level, economic influences such as GSP have a 45% correlation.
Education is correlated at 49%. Neither is as convincing as I might have guessed, and of course neither expresses causation.
So poverty is related, but is it the cause? I doubt it. Plenty of wealthy Americans are obese. Plenty of poor people across the world are not obese. At different points in US history, poor people were not characterized by obesity. All of this hints that different factors must be influencing the current situation.
The situation is fascinating to me; there are clearly strong influences by agribusiness, farm subsidies and some highly misleading marketing of food products. NPR did a series a few weeks ago about hungry families in America, and I listened with great interest. Maybe some of you heard the same story; it made a lot of people upset because the example family they profiled did not present a sympathetic case whatsoever. This left me wanting to understand the situation better, because clearly this is a complex problem that can't be reduced to a single cause.
dogdriver
08-07-2010, 07:12 AM
http://www.wpr.org/merens/index.cfm?strDirection=Prev&dteShowDate=2010%2D08%2D04%2017%3A00%3A00
Link to a recent show on Wisconsin NPR-- discusses the relationship between environment, culture, and obesity.
dogdriver
08-07-2010, 07:15 AM
Wealth and Obesity?
Much is being made here about the inverse coorelation between wealth and obesity. One of the few things I retained from Latin classes was 'Post hoc ergo propter hoc'.... cause and coorelation can be two different things.
One of my best buds (who lived in Kenya for 3 years):
"America-- where the poor people are fat and the rich people pay to be skinny."
SEABREEZE
08-07-2010, 10:39 AM
[QUOTE=Karin Kirk]
So poverty is related, but is it the cause? I doubt it. Plenty of wealthy Americans are obese. Plenty of poor people across the world are not obese. At different points in US history, poor people were not characterized by obesity. All of this hints that different factors must be influencing the current situation.
Here is one of those different factors, how the general public are fooled.
Wendys just announced they are going to use real bacon in one of the sandwiches instead of bacon product. so what was bacon product?
The price went up from $.99 cents to $1.29
On the 6 o clock news after the short segment, the 3 commentators presenting the news was in disbelief, so what was this bacon product that we thought was bacon... they all asked each other.
Perfect statement by Karin, and example above of misleading food marketing...
tommyrod74
08-08-2010, 11:10 AM
I understand and don't disagree that the BMI is good for some body types, but the errors are reflected in the segment of the population we are discussing here. I suspect it has false positives (scores too many obese people) exactly the pool of people this study uses to rank states. This is not your typical cyclists body, so I may be arguing up hill here.
IMO, this creates many thoughtless professionals, the same as a credit score does necesarily indicate the credit worthiness of individuals and fosters dumb lenders who look at numbers and not people...many Dr.s and Nurses do the same thing.
BMI is very useful for evaluating populations. It is less effective for evaluating individuals, as there are always outliers.
It makes the assumption that the amount of lean tissue is a constant for a man/woman of a given height, i.e. that all men 5'10" in height have, say, ~130 lbs. of lean tissue (just picking a number here). For this reason, it's less useful when evaluating very athletic individuals (more skeletal muscle than normal) or very "large-framed" people (more bone than normal).
It's not feasible to do the ideal thing - test body fat % across a population. Too expensive to do with any degree of reproducibility or accuracy.
The nice thing about BMI is that the VAST majority of people DON'T have more skeletal muscle than normal. Most people who are above BMI of 25 DO have too much body fat.
The crappy thing is that some very fit people end up looking like a health risk on a BMI chart. The truth, however, is that very few people (outside of competitive bodybuilders, powerlifters, SOME football players, and other exceptional power athletes) approach a BMI of 30 without having a high body fat %.
The upshot is that lots of people who think that they are just "big-boned" or "athletic" or "carry a lot of muscle" and blame the high BMI on these things are kidding themselves. They may have a lot of muscle, or a large frame, but are also likely overfat as well, just not as much as someone who has an obvious huge gut and skinny arms/legs.
BMI is actually very useful for evaluation of competitive endurance athletes, surprisingly.
As a former rugby guy (just guessing by your handle) you may be one of the exceptions. Just saying that the exceptions are few, in my experience. I'm a Registered Dietitian with a MS in the field.
For individuals (not populations), it would be nice to see insurance companies doing proper body fat % testing. It is a lazy way out to use BMI for an individual when the common-sense "look test" tells you that the individual is active, fit, and healthy. I ALWAYS take individual variation into account when evaluating a patient, and would always consider a highly active person with a slightly elevated BMI to be of lesser risk than a normal BMI individual with little lean muscle and low activity level.
Squint
08-08-2010, 11:23 AM
Not to mention that the instructions for calculating BMI often say that it doesn't apply to athletes, pregnant women, and children.
If someone uses BMI in a way they are specifically told not to, they can hardly blame BMI.
It's not feasible to give everyone a DEXA scan when they see a doctor but they can take blood pressure and measure weight (and thus calculate BMI).
Since BMI is a way to compare weight to height when height varies, it's often used in exercise physiology papers. For example, BMI is found to correlate quite well with TdF performance.
It's always the people with high BMIs that want to throw out BMI completely because it's theoretically possible that an athlete could have a high BMI.
tommyrod74
08-08-2010, 11:53 AM
Not to mention that the instructions for calculating BMI often say that it doesn't apply to athletes, pregnant women, and children.
If someone uses BMI in a way they are specifically told not to, they can hardly blame BMI.
It's not feasible to give everyone a DEXA scan when they see a doctor but they can take blood pressure and measure weight (and thus calculate BMI).
Since BMI is a way to compare weight to height when height varies, it's often used in exercise physiology papers. For example, BMI is found to correlate quite well with TdF performance.
It's always the people with high BMIs that want to throw out BMI completely because it's theoretically possible that an athlete could have a high BMI.
There are separate BMI charts for children, taking into account usual ages for growth spurts and the like. Used more to examine where a child's BMI compares to the population at that age (percentile-based).
BigDaddySmooth
08-09-2010, 07:12 AM
Face it, rich or poor, educated or not, Americans by and large are lazy and we eat too damn much. We are the Earth's locust...we have 5% of the World's population yet consume 25% of the resources. Staying in shape is hard work. Do you really think I like to get up at 0430 so I can go run??? Or bike in the evening??? We, as a people, are fat and getting fatter. Unfortunately the medical community has bought into it and now it's called metabolic syndrome. just what we need, another excuse for the bottom line...laziness and over-eating. But soon, we'll have free health care and everything will be okay because we'll now focus on prevention. Yeah, right. :crap:
We, as a people, are fat and getting fatter. Unfortunately the medical community has bought into it and now it's called metabolic syndrome. just what we need, another excuse for the bottom line...laziness and over-eating. But soon, we'll have free health care and everything will be okay because we'll now focus on prevention. Yeah, right. :crap:
Sorry to venture a little bit off topic, but I can't stand the cynicism that our current political climate breeds. Metabolic disorder is NOT an excuse for being fat and lazy; it is an explanation of the interlocked dangers that being fat, lazy, medically-obese bring to an individual. To attack the medical community for "buying in" to something and sanctioning it is simply incorrect, intellectually-lazy cynicism. No responsible doctor or health care provider has ever suggested that a diagnosis of metabolic disorder provides a free pass to someone. And what else should we do other than focus on prevention -- regardless of whether it's part of "free health care" or not???
I'm afraid of what this kind of knee-jerk politically-based reaction is doing to discourse in America.
BigDaddySmooth
08-09-2010, 08:21 AM
Metabolic disorder is NOT an excuse for being fat and lazy; it is an explanation of the interlocked dangers that being fat, lazy, medically-obese bring to an individual. To attack the medical community for "buying in" to something and sanctioning it is simply incorrect
I stand corrected. What I should have said is that metabolic syndrome is now being used as an excuse by people who refuse to correct their self-destructive sedentary and over-eating lifestyle.
The picture isn't pretty no matter how nice you want to paint it.
Lifelover
08-09-2010, 10:03 AM
Has anyone ever considered that maybe, just maybe some of these "fat" people don't really care that they are fat. Life should be about being happy, not just skinny. Does anyone know if suicide rates are higher for fat people. I suspect just the opposite.
It is pretty easy to assume that a 350 Lb, 6' 1" man is not happy about his size. However, that is not the standard required to be obese. I'm 6' 1" and float around 250lb. I have not checked the BMI charts recently but I'm pretty sure that puts me in the obese category. I'm down from a high of 285 ish years ago.
I fully am aware that further weight loss would be of some benefit especially to my knees, back and blood pressure.
However, at what point is the extra effort worth it?
There was a post above talking about how much time of our life is lost watching TV. Could I not say the same thing about Big Daddy Smooth who gets up a 4:30 to exercise. Using benb's math, if you exercise 1 hr a day you have "Lost" over 2 years of your life by 65. Assuming you don’t get hit by a car on those low, light excursions, is there a guarantee that your 2 years of exercise will result in 2 years of extended life. Maybe, but not certain.
Not everyone feels the same about food as well. I have had Meningitis since the end of June and for about 3-4 weeks had very little appetite and got almost no enjoyment out of the food I ate. For the first time I think I understood how some other people feel about eating. It is OK but not a endorphin pumping experience. I was thinking that is certainly would be easy to lose or maintain weight like that but I'm not sure it would be worth the loss of pleasure.
By the book I should get down to 190 or so. It will never happen and I don’t think there would be any long term benefit to it that would make it worth the effort. I should and hope to get down to 220-230 and there is no reason that I shouldn't (other than I can be lazy). However, I think I would still be considered significantly overweight.
Point is, life is a lot more complicated than some study can ever show.
tommyrod74
08-09-2010, 04:43 PM
Has anyone ever considered that maybe, just maybe some of these "fat" people don't really care that they are fat. Life should be about being happy, not just skinny. Does anyone know if suicide rates are higher for fat people. I suspect just the opposite.
It is pretty easy to assume that a 350 Lb, 6' 1" man is not happy about his size. However, that is not the standard required to be obese. I'm 6' 1" and float around 250lb. I have not checked the BMI charts recently but I'm pretty sure that puts me in the obese category. I'm down from a high of 285 ish years ago.
I fully am aware that further weight loss would be of some benefit especially to my knees, back and blood pressure.
However, at what point is the extra effort worth it?
There was a post above talking about how much time of our life is lost watching TV. Could I not say the same thing about Big Daddy Smooth who gets up a 4:30 to exercise. Using benb's math, if you exercise 1 hr a day you have "Lost" over 2 years of your life by 65. Assuming you don’t get hit by a car on those low, light excursions, is there a guarantee that your 2 years of exercise will result in 2 years of extended life. Maybe, but not certain.
Not everyone feels the same about food as well. I have had Meningitis since the end of June and for about 3-4 weeks had very little appetite and got almost no enjoyment out of the food I ate. For the first time I think I understood how some other people feel about eating. It is OK but not a endorphin pumping experience. I was thinking that is certainly would be easy to lose or maintain weight like that but I'm not sure it would be worth the loss of pleasure.
By the book I should get down to 190 or so. It will never happen and I don’t think there would be any long term benefit to it that would make it worth the effort. I should and hope to get down to 220-230 and there is no reason that I shouldn't (other than I can be lazy). However, I think I would still be considered significantly overweight.
Point is, life is a lot more complicated than some study can ever show.
You've pointed out an interesting difference in attitudes towards exercise. People who love to ride and push themselves physically would not likely refer to exercise as "wasted time" or "extra effort". They are just doing what they love. If they are at a healthy weight, it is a secondary effect of doing what they enjoy, not the focus.
Fortunately, what they love is what the human body evolved to do - physical activity. People who view activity as fun and recreational rarely have issues with weight. Those who exercise JUST to maintain weight or because they feel like they "should" usually struggle mightily with weight.
I would argue that not many people enjoy being significantly overweight. They just aren't bothered enough by it to do something they don't enjoy - or to learn to enjoy activity.
eric007
08-10-2010, 01:14 AM
An anecdote: I fly a couple times a year on business, and I'm sure many of you fly and are aware the American flying class tends to be a bit pudgy. But a few years ago I got the chance to run the Boston Marathon. So I flew to Boston from the west coast, with running buddies, with stop-overs en-route. As we had a first, then a second stop-over and got closer to Boston, more and more of the folks getting on were also travelling to the marathon. It was a revelation. The plane kept getting skinnier and skinnier. I hadn't realized how chubby the travelling public was until then. I had just gotten used to it.
I am a longtime jogger and only bought a bike more recently. But my running friends and I legitimately enjoy a 1-2 hour run. And my biking friends enjoy a 2-4 hour ride. But I think a reasonable proportion of the country, rich or poor, just cannot stand to exercise. They'll do it when they force themselves to, but it is with clenched teeth, and they really detest it. It's good for them, but I'm not sure it's fair to expect them to do something they detest day in and day out.
That's not to say, of course, that our, ahem, national dining habits couldn't stand some improving. Banquet frozen dinners at Walmart? Oy. Good grief.
P.S. Karin -- your husband makes a swell bike.
rugbysecondrow
08-10-2010, 08:16 AM
You've pointed out an interesting difference in attitudes towards exercise. People who love to ride and push themselves physically would not likely refer to exercise as "wasted time" or "extra effort". They are just doing what they love. If they are at a healthy weight, it is a secondary effect of doing what they enjoy, not the focus.
Fortunately, what they love is what the human body evolved to do - physical activity. People who view activity as fun and recreational rarely have issues with weight. Those who exercise JUST to maintain weight or because they feel like they "should" usually struggle mightily with weight.
I would argue that not many people enjoy being significantly overweight. They just aren't bothered enough by it to do something they don't enjoy - or to learn to enjoy activity.
I agree, good post.
William
08-10-2010, 08:28 AM
Here is one of those different factors, how the general public are fooled.
Wendys just announced they are going to use real bacon in one of the sandwiches instead of bacon product. so what was bacon product?
The price went up from $.99 cents to $1.29
On the 6 o clock news after the short segment, the 3 commentators presenting the news was in disbelief, so what was this bacon product that we thought was bacon... they all asked each other.
Perfect statement by Karin, and example above of misleading food marketing...
As an aside, has anyone noticed that more and more products are claiming to be made with “whole grains”. Even sugar cereals like Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes etc… are claiming it as part their spiel of a “healthy Breakfast” . So have more processed food manufacturers really come up with a way to use real whole grains, or has the definition of “Whole Grain” been changed to make the claim ?
William
Acotts
08-10-2010, 08:53 AM
I went to a fine southern university for my undergrad that was like 65% women. It was loaded with good looking girls. Mix that with southern culture and they were under tremendous pressure to maintain a certain look.
I used to love sitting in the gym with my rowing buddies looking at the girls on the elliptical machines just struggling for dear life to maintain their rapidly diminishing figures. It would be 70 degrees, cool and sunny outside and they would be couped up on those contraptions pushing 160 RPMs with huge puddles of sweat beneath them. These same girls ate fried chicken and fries, huge cups of sweet tea, and would knock back two dozen beers with their sorority sisters 4 nights a week. Southern eating is just the worst. They fry everything, especially the veggies.
It was just painful to watch and utterly unsustainable. But if they could just [grunt]...hold...on...for[uhg!]...one...more...semester...[pant, pant, pant]...then I can find a man and be done with this [heavy breathing] torture [popped blood vessel in left eye].
The masochist in me was very attracted to this. The artist in me was attracted to the fleeting nature of their fragile beauty. My sensible side told me to run far, far away.
I totally forgot my point.
...I love riding bikes.
SEABREEZE
08-10-2010, 12:14 PM
As an aside, has anyone noticed that more and more products are claiming to be made with “whole grains”. Even sugar cereals like Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes etc… are claiming it as part their spiel of a “healthy Breakfast” . So have more processed food manufacturers really come up with a way to use real whole grains, or has the definition of “Whole Grain” been changed to make the claim ?
William
You get it William,
Thats why we are seeing more and more come to our farm, they are getting it also. They can be assured of getting whole foods. We have a wonderful home made granola that we cant keep on the shelf.As fast as a batch is made,its gone.
tommyrod74
08-10-2010, 03:35 PM
I went to a fine southern university for my undergrad that was like 65% women. It was loaded with good looking girls. Mix that with southern culture and they were under tremendous pressure to maintain a certain look.
I used to love sitting in the gym with my rowing buddies looking at the girls on the elliptical machines just struggling for dear life to maintain their rapidly diminishing figures. It would be 70 degrees, cool and sunny outside and they would be couped up on those contraptions pushing 160 RPMs with huge puddles of sweat beneath them. These same girls ate fried chicken and fries, huge cups of sweet tea, and would knock back two dozen beers with their sorority sisters 4 nights a week. Southern eating is just the worst. They fry everything, especially the veggies.
It was just painful to watch and utterly unsustainable. But if they could just [grunt]...hold...on...for[uhg!]...one...more...semester...[pant, pant, pant]...then I can find a man and be done with this [heavy breathing] torture [popped blood vessel in left eye].
The masochist in me was very attracted to this. The artist in me was attracted to the fleeting nature of their fragile beauty. My sensible side told me to run far, far away.
I totally forgot my point.
...I love riding bikes.
Would this be UNC-CH? Great school, high incidence of eating disorders.
54ny77
08-10-2010, 03:38 PM
that was hilarious! thanks for the laugh. :D
I went to a fine southern university for my undergrad that was like 65% women. It was loaded with good looking girls. Mix that with southern culture and they were under tremendous pressure to maintain a certain look.
I used to love sitting in the gym with my rowing buddies looking at the girls on the elliptical machines just struggling for dear life to maintain their rapidly diminishing figures. It would be 70 degrees, cool and sunny outside and they would be couped up on those contraptions pushing 160 RPMs with huge puddles of sweat beneath them. These same girls ate fried chicken and fries, huge cups of sweet tea, and would knock back two dozen beers with their sorority sisters 4 nights a week. Southern eating is just the worst. They fry everything, especially the veggies.
It was just painful to watch and utterly unsustainable. But if they could just [grunt]...hold...on...for[uhg!]...one...more...semester...[pant, pant, pant]...then I can find a man and be done with this [heavy breathing] torture [popped blood vessel in left eye].
The masochist in me was very attracted to this. The artist in me was attracted to the fleeting nature of their fragile beauty. My sensible side told me to run far, far away.
I totally forgot my point.
...I love riding bikes.
tommyrod74
08-10-2010, 03:39 PM
You get it William,
Thats why we are seeing more and more come to our farm, they are getting it also. They can be assured of getting whole foods. We have a wonderful home made granola that we cant keep on the shelf.As fast as a batch is made,its gone.
Good for you, keep fighting the good fight. Small farms are the future of American agriculture, no matter what agribusiness wants you to believe.
Acotts
08-10-2010, 03:44 PM
Would this be UNC-CH? Great school, high incidence of eating disorders.
I can neither confirm nor deny that I may have possibly attended that particular University or that an unspecific segment of its female population potentially acts in the manner described in the previous post that may or may not have been written by me.
I will, however, agree that is a great school worthy of its fine scholastic reputation and perennial dominance in the sport of Men’s Basketball. :beer:
54ny77
08-10-2010, 03:45 PM
Mmmmmm, McNuggets! :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPWsBwDDupg&feature=player_embedded#!
tommyrod74
08-10-2010, 09:50 PM
I can neither confirm nor deny that I may have possibly attended that particular University or that an unspecific segment of its female population potentially acts in the manner described in the previous post that may or may not have been written by me.
I will, however, agree that is a great school worthy of its fine scholastic reputation and perennial dominance in the sport of Men’s Basketball. :beer:
Going to be a good year. Barnes is the real deal, and Bullock is going to be a force.
Acotts
08-11-2010, 09:54 AM
Going to be a good year. Barnes is the real deal, and Bullock is going to be a force.
its official. we can totally hang. :D
tommyrod74
08-11-2010, 07:46 PM
its official. we can totally hang. :D
You know they're playing in the Bahamas tonight in an invitational tourney, right?
William
08-12-2010, 02:07 PM
You get it William,
Thats why we are seeing more and more come to our farm, they are getting it also. They can be assured of getting whole foods. We have a wonderful home made granola that we cant keep on the shelf.As fast as a batch is made,its gone.
Umm, Home made granola...mixed with plain yogurt. :banana: I'm hungry!!
My Grandmother used to make her own granola. So good! RIP Grandma.
William
SEABREEZE
08-12-2010, 02:39 PM
We do have homemade yogurt and kefir in goat and cow dairy.
Grandma's certainly knows better.
If everyone followed in there great or grand mother foots steps, when it comes to nutrition, there would be a lot less illness on this planet.
rugbysecondrow
08-14-2010, 11:29 PM
http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=77229
I am bumping this because I think it is ironic that 7 pages have been spent discussing fat people and the states in which they reside, even making fun of and belittling them, but when a positive thread is started which asks for all the healthy recipes people have recently extolled the virtues of, a grand total of 3 responses.
If you have any healthy recipes that you would like to share for the collective benefit of all, follow the for link above. I would love to see them and give them a shot. If not, I might have to call you out as a poser!
Rueda Tropical
08-15-2010, 06:49 AM
It is pretty easy to assume that a 350 Lb, 6' 1" man is not happy about his size. However, that is not the standard required to be obese. I'm 6' 1" and float around 250lb. I have not checked the BMI charts recently but I'm pretty sure that puts me in the obese category. I'm down from a high of 285 ish years ago.
I fully am aware that further weight loss would be of some benefit especially to my knees, back and blood pressure.
However, at what point is the extra effort worth it?
There was a post above talking about how much time of our life is lost watching TV. Could I not say the same thing about Big Daddy Smooth who gets up a 4:30 to exercise. Using benb's math, if you exercise 1 hr a day you have "Lost" over 2 years of your life by 65. Assuming you don’t get hit by a car on those low, light excursions, is there a guarantee that your 2 years of exercise will result in 2 years of extended life. Maybe, but not certain.
Exercise impacts more then the time you actually spend exercising. Not waking up feeling like crap everyday because you are out of shape and overweight, ability to focus and energy levels during the day are all benefits you won't get from watching TV with a bag of chips.
Considering the amount of money spent on diets and plastic surgery i'd say that people in general desire an athletic physique. Judging by the amounts spent on everything from Health Clubs to diet gimmicks I'd say the self image of the overweight and out of shape is less then positive. Billions of dollars are not being spent on this stuff by happy content fat people.
yodelinpol
08-15-2010, 07:03 AM
I am in kind of a fat state right now but not the fattest state i have been in.
Karin Kirk
08-15-2010, 05:15 PM
And I'm not a poseur, I promise!
I posted a recipe on the other thread. More to follow.
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.