Obesity is a societal failure. Not a personal one.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by dustyrider

And I’ll leave you with the image of trash cans I ran past this morning on Main St. after our parade of lights celebration, they were over flowing with 100s of empty to-go cups of “coffee”, the middle class big gulp of the modern era.

I pick up litter in my local park weekly. When I pick up the Dunkin' Donuts cups, I like to read the check boxes. Routinely I see things like "4 sugars, 5 creams." These no longer are coffees but high calorie sugar drinks. This is VERY common and I've seen higher numbers.

[Mr. Pink]

I gave up when the whole subject became some sort of trigger problem. You cant even talk straight about the issue. You're fat shaming. This article just states the same, that, it's nobody's fault. Brain tumors? Who knew.
It's a serious health problem, and it will never even begin to be resolved if this sort of reasoning prevails. The nation's leading killers are heart disease and cancer, both highly aggravated by obesity. Covid victims are, first, old, second, obese. Usually both. Young Covid victims were mostly obese. But, we can't talk about it, because we're blaming the only person who can heal themselves. Whatever. I have an ice cream in the freezer.

[batman1425]

Originally Posted by witcombusa

Obesity is a societal failure. Not a personal one.

No, not that simple.
It's always someone else's fault. What we have more of than ever is no personal responsibility. It's society, parents, friends, spouse, etc.

Nope, it's you. In the end each person makes choices (no choice is a choice) and you will have to deal with the results.

What if I told you that how you were born, what your parents fed you, how many ABX you were prescribed, and how "clean" of a lifestyle you had from birth till about age 3 or 4 will have one of the biggest impacts on your long term health, equal to if not greater than many "conscious" choices one makes about inputs, outputs, exercise, etc later in life.

I'm not saying we don't have a personal responsibility, but not everything is within our individual control.

[AgilisMerlin]

i don't understand the post above at all •

[jimbolina]

Originally Posted by bigbill

I've lost a bunch of weight using the Noom plan this year. It has allowed me to reset my cycling. It doesn't have special foods; just portion control and behavior modification.

We have normalized obesity in the name of acceptance. We tell people it's okay to be overweight, and for the most part, it is okay. It only affects that person's health, until it doesn't. I see stories in the media about a person who can't fit in their airline seat and folks blame the airline. I saw it once in person on a Southwest flight when a late boarding significantly obese person couldn't fit in the middle seat and the aisle and window passengers refused to give up their seats.

Fit fat is still putting a lot of stress on the body and increases the chances of diabetes and heart disease.

I agree in part…

It strongly appears fat acceptance is gaining more and more traction in Western culture in general, and the concept that it is no one’s business is arguably quite myopic.

Should this trend of more people (both financially well-off and the poor) getting heavier and most of the population becomes overweight, and that direction continues essentially unchecked, our own healthcare system, for example, would one day be simply brought to its knees, due to literally overwhelming caseloads of type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal issues and some cancers. Fat shaming may be bad and is often a ‘trigger’, but what about the more serious issue of say, triggering cancer?

All these consequences are undeniably long-term, often intensive care illnesses. Not simply a matter of taking a little pill and moving on.

While yes, if an individual feels fine with ignoring their weight, for often the sake of instant gratification, ease, or just believing it is really no big deal and they’re fine with the weight and their appearance as it is, the hard truth of the matter is, their body ISN’T.

The food desert issue is obviously another beast to be tackled. Probably it will not for all intents and purposes.

And, dare I add the elephant that isn’t in the room is evolution has not factored-in this wholly unnatural phenomenon, which has only been burgeoning for say, maybe the past 100 years at the very most, compared to TWO MILLION years of hominids hunter-gathering, and the like.

It can’t have a happy ending if it all remains on this path.

[mstateglfr]

Obesity isn't solely a societal failure.
Obesity isn't solely an individual failure.

Claiming it is one or the other is simplistic when reality is complex.

- Society's acceptance of food at grocery stores that is largely deleterious is a societal failure.
- Society's willingness to heavily subsidize industry which produces unhealthy food is a societal(and governmental) failure.
- Society's acceptance of nutritious foods being replaced with junk in schools is a societal(and governmental) failure.
- Family's acceptance of quick/easy food which lacks nutrition and is high in sugar, salt, and fat is an individual failure.
- Family's refusal to teach portion control, healthy eating habits, and how to understand nutrition is an individual failure.
- Society's push over the last decade to normalize obesity and celebrate it is, while commendable because nobody should be treated poorly due to their size, still a failure because it ignoees the reality that so many avoidable health issues statistically come with obesity. Don't fat shame, but also don't fat celebrate. Both are, in my view, quite objectionable.


I am 6'5 220# right now. I am firmly in the 'overweight' category for BMI and even though I know that calculation is BS, my warped mind doesn't let me ignore or forget about it. Weight is forever on my mind, unfortunately.
I was 207# 15 months ago and am trying to get back there, but damn it's tough. It is really difficult to out exercise a diet that is 70% very healthy and 30% very junky, but I am determined to be the first to succeed!

All seriousness, tracking calories along with exercise each day is exhausting, but it works. Consume fewer calories over the week than you took in. Some days are better than others due to energy output, life responsibilities, etc.
This doesn't hold true for literally all people, but for the vast majority- it's accurate.

[jimoots]

It's always complicated. There are societal and individual contributors to many of the problems that exist in the world.

The real challenge is accepting that both the individual and collective are at fault instead of looking at things in black/white or binary terms.

[adub]

So easy to blame others, society, what is now normal, etc rather than promoting eating within moderation, and a couple hours a week of moderate exercise. It's not fricken rocket science! It's thermodynamics. Society may be changing but our metabolisms have not!

Western society (lead by the USA) is becoming soft, complacent, fat and lazy. (42% obese) It is so much easier to change the norms than promote challenging people to be better. This is a big part of the demise of western society.

I don't even think they have gym class in grade school anymore?

[AgilisMerlin]

i blame the food pyramid.

my favorite meal of the day is seltzer for breakfast

[pasadena]

It's a complex topic and there are many factors that contribute to it.
Lack of exercise and moderation is definitely part of it, especially in the US. However, we have food and ingredients that are illegal in many countries. But the trend continues to "make the world the US" with regards to food.

So lifestyle is a part of it but so is the type of food we have access to as a nation.
There are many factors and if were easy, it would already be done.

[pasadena]

said better than I did

Originally Posted by jimmy-moots

It's always complicated. There are societal and individual contributors to many of the problems that exist in the world.

The real challenge is accepting that both the individual and collective are at fault instead of looking at things in black/white or binary terms.

[fa63]

Amen

Originally Posted by jimmy-moots

It's always complicated. There are societal and individual contributors to many of the problems that exist in the world.

The real challenge is accepting that both the individual and collective are at fault instead of looking at things in black/white or binary terms.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by adub

rather than promoting eating within moderation, and a couple hours a week of moderate exercise. It's not fricken rocket science! It's thermodynamics. Society may be changing but our metabolisms have not!

this is where your argument breaks down IMO.. the idea that everyone has the luxury of "a couple hours of week of moderate exercise", while certainly a good intention, is just not realistic for thousands (tens of thousands prob) of folks who work a couple of jobs, then come home to take of the kids while the other caregiver (if there is one) goes out to work.. and, again, eating healthy food for these folks is also a luxury as well most of the time.. I think some of us on here forget to that most, if not all, of us are in a privileged position if we are on here arguing about rim vs. disc brakes.. there is nothing wrong with that (not trying to shame anyone), just a fact.. oh and I know your metabolism changes with age, why wouldn't it change generationally?

also, to a different post or two.. for some folks, "fewer calories, more exercise" doesn't always work for their body type.. generally I agree with this idea, but not a 100% one size fits all..

[HenryA]

Originally Posted by mstateglfr

snipped a bunch...


I am 6'5 220# right now. I am firmly in the 'overweight' category for BMI and even though I know that calculation is BS, my warped mind doesn't let me ignore or forget about it. Weight is forever on my mind, unfortunately.
I was 207# 15 months ago and am trying to get back there, but damn it's tough. It is really difficult to out exercise a diet that is 70% very healthy and 30% very junky, but I am determined to be the first to succeed!

snipped...

Unless you have some particular competition performance goal in mind you are just fine at 220. I suspect you would probably be considered a real tall, real skinny guy by 99% of the people asked.

[paredown]

Taking a left turn, someone posted a glowing "remember how great it was when we all sat down for family meals" nostalgic post on Facebook. For whatever reason, it struck me as being part of the deliberate myopia of boomers.

Who produced the full meals at home in the '50s? If you were poor like us, you had a stay-at-home mom, who worked very hard knocking out three squares a day, not to mention the baking and canning to supplement that. If you were solidly middle class--it was a toss-up between stay at home mom and a housekeeper--the example that jumps out--the Bailies in 'It's a Wonderful Life"--where dad is scraping by--still have a cook/housekeeper. The well-to-do--full-time family cooks and other household help. (Look at the ads for apartments in NYC that have servant's quarters--and this was not just the 1% of its day.)

The evil genius of capitalism is that we have driven those moms out of the house to be income earners, since the costs of living require two incomes to get by. (BTW, no one appreciates the cost and sacrifice of those moms who "ran the house" and set their dreams aside...) For the poor (like the families where we work on Habitat houses) the parents are likely to have two, and sometimes three jobs to make ends meet--sometimes the grandmas pick up the slack, but a lot of the time, it is a quick dinner at Mickey-Dees because everyone is exhausted;

Two busy parents, throw in commuting and modern scheduled time for kids--where's the time for thoughtfully and carefully prepared foot? I have a friend who was raised half time by her dad and step mom--two professor family--and they NEVER prepared a home cooked meal. It was all from the freezer and microwaved.

Add that to the list from above--and some of the causality changes:

Originally Posted by mstateglfr

Obesity isn't solely a societal failure.
Obesity isn't solely an individual failure.

Claiming it is one or the other is simplistic when reality is complex.

- Society's acceptance of food at grocery stores that is largely deleterious is a societal failure.
- Society's willingness to heavily subsidize industry which produces unhealthy food is a societal(and governmental) failure.
- Society's acceptance of nutritious foods being replaced with junk in schools is a societal(and governmental) failure.
- Family's acceptance of quick/easy food which lacks nutrition and is high in sugar, salt, and fat is an individual failure.
- Family's refusal to teach portion control, healthy eating habits, and how to understand nutrition is an individual failure.
- Society's push over the last decade to normalize obesity and celebrate it is, while commendable because nobody should be treated poorly due to their size, still a failure because it ignoees the reality that so many avoidable health issues statistically come with obesity. Don't fat shame, but also don't fat celebrate. Both are, in my view, quite objectionable.