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Obesity Issues
People are becoming more and more alarmed at the cost of the obesity epidemic in America - costs to individuals in health problems and doctor bills; and social problems caused by higher insurance costs. Obesity is not an individual problem, as these kind readers point out.
Do you have something you would like to say on this subject?
Just send an email to jonni@howtothinkthin.com with COMMENTS in the subject line. I'll get your comments on the page as soon as I can. And don't worry - your privacy will be protected.
Jim:
On the comments about pre-packaged food, I would caution anyone on a diet to avoid packaged or processed foods as much as possible.
You are eating half as much food so the quality becomes much more important.
Prepackaged foods are generally made from highly processed ingredients that have had 95% of the water, and the nutrients the water carries, removed and have most likely killed all the enzymes with heat).
And no matter how hard you try, you cannot put the water back. So they lack the good water our body needs (we get at least 25% of our water from our food).
They lack the nutrients and they have a greater chance of industrial contamination.
I know the labels show added nutrients but considering the negative interactions between some nutrients and difficulty with bio-direction, I wouldn't put much faith in these.
If you are paying good money for food, I'm sure you'll find that whole foods are far cheaper and the nutrients are real and naturally bio-directed.
(Comment from Jonni - I couldn't agree more, Jim. Pre-packaged foods are not the most nutritious food, they taste bland, they have lots of preservatives and other stuff that you can't pronounce, and they cost too much. Not to mention the lack of fiber. That's one of the big reasons that I wrote The Easy-Does-It Diet. It's time we went back to healthy food, and it doesn't have to be inconvenient or expensive.
Katrina
(In response to Tracy, see below) I, for one, share your belief that Mr. Ronald McDonald never made anyone fat. I am outraged by these periodic "Mc Donald's ruined my life" lawsuits. We are responsible for our genetic predispositions, what we do with what we've got, and consequently, how fat we are.
I am about thirty pounds heavier than my "skinny pictures". Mc Donald's was also around when those were taken. Back then, however, I ate the grilled chicken sandwich with water.
I haven't had much success with my all too recent switch to the fattiest junk on the menu. I'm the one who kept making the conscious decision to eat with no regard for my health. The girl in the "skinny pictures" keeps reminding me of that when I'm out trying to sweat it off, or making less tasty nutritional choices more often because I need to loose weight now, rather than simply maintaining it, like before.
Thanks for listening.
Karen
I agree and disagree with Tracy. Yes I don't think we can go out and sue McDonalds or any other fast food company for making us fat if that's what you mean. However I was in a rut for a long time that I got so addicted to fatty foods and my kids were too that we just didn't want anything but fast food it made food at home not taste as good.
I think products like Pepsi, Krispy Kreme and KFC know that people get addicted to sugar which is why they dump so much sugar in their food and its cheap for them! Over time these habits and tastes can be changed I know now! But addictions are hard to break so don't be too hard on the people that frequent these places.
However we need to look at our American Society because we have become a quick fix, convenient society and when a Mom like me does pack apple slices and homemade oatmeal cookies fortified with wheat germ and flax seed people scrunch there nose up at me oh and I forgot about the bottled water I pack.
The other kids and parents let us know that this is just uncool! I am proud of my homeschooled kids and myself because we were going along with the mainstream until last year and we all decided that enough was enough we were all eating too much junk. I think as more families make changes and fight for good nutrition in our schools and make good nutrition fun it will become a new fad with great results!
Lisa:
Tracy, girl, you are absolutely right! I live in Canada, and my family is involved with the McDonalds business (My great uncle was CEO and each of my uncles and cousins own one or two or three restaurants.) Every day there are posters put up in the bathrooms of the stores by mcdonalds haters. Cigarettes kill, are the companies being sued by smokers? Alcohol kills, are the LCBO’s being sued by alcoholics and occasional drinkers alike? Rice constipates, Coke gives gas, chocolate puts weight on stomachs, red meat blocks arteries, the list goes on and on.
What has happened to TAKING RESPONSIBILTY FOR OUR ACTIONS???? It seems that the new “fad” is to blame OTHERS for the choices WE make. Grow up people! We aren’t two years old anymore. We have to make the right decisions for ourselves and our families. No other person can be held accountable for making these decisions for us. Continue to allow people like Tracy to be heard, Jonni!
Monica:
I am in full agreement with Tracy on this one.
"We" overeat and say the resulting woes are the fault of the people who make the food available."We" smoke and say it's the cigarette manufacturers fault that we get sick."We" overmedicate and blame the pharmaceutical manufacturers, the Dr's etc. etc. etc. "We" drink too much and blame......."We" drive too fast and blame the results on......"We" spend too much and blame the results on........."anyone but me!!" Surely it can't be my fault!
When did intemperance become one of the desirable characteristics or traits of the general population as a whole? Whatever happened to self control and self discipline? Those words are almost treated as swear words.... Discipline!?..... Heavens forbid....you can go to jail for that....Self discipline....how can I do that when all those big meanies keep shoving things down my throat!!!!
SELF control.....whatever for...I wouldn't be happy then.....and I'm sooooo happy now.Sick,fat,drug dependant....but HAPPY!
Yeah right and then there's this bridge in Arizona...
Keep up the good work and printing the "mind challenging" articles and views that are out there.We need to hear some hard truths that will shake us out of this whiney poor me rut we've fallen into!
Liz:
(Responding to Tracy, see below) All I can say is "You go girl". It irritates the heck out of me when I see mothers and fathers buying their kids the high calorie foods and then complaining while the kids are eating them that they are so fat. Mom and Dad usually are in the same place. You are entirely correct, McD's, Wendy's, Kraft, etc didn't force them to buy these foods, they didn't put a gun to their head, we as a nation did that to ourselves.
We are the ones who are going to have to pay the price of our mistakes. Unlike the nicotine, that has proven addictive, food is one thing that we choose ourselves. No one force feeds it to us. If you want a healthier lifestyle, it all starts at the end of your own arm. Thanks for saying it so much better than I could.
Gary:
(Responding to Tracy, see below) Good on You! In addition to your comments about the lure of fast food, add the cost. For less than any food served at a fast food outlet better tasting and healthier food can be prepared at home. Like many things we do, the tastes we enjoy are often behaviors. With a little discipline fresh, grease free, low salt and other health food alternatives can be just as enjoyable as unhealthy foods. And you’re right again, make the fast food a treat.
Carmel:
I agree (with Tracy) 100+%. We need to stop blaming others and take responsibility for the bad choices that we make.
Bob:
Jonni- I have been in "Shock and Awe" of the ballooning American obesity thing for some time. I recently turned 40 and have been into hiking for at least the last 20 years.
I went to Nepal some ten years ago and hiked over 400 miles in the Himalayas. I rarely saw any over weight people at all there. I was there for almost 3 months and when I got back it was a real culture shock. The situation that has developed is a combination of factors of course.
One factor I would call the SUV mentality. Americans Never walk anywhere if at all possible. I have noticed that half of all SUV's have handicapped tags on the rear views-simply to get the closest spot. Anyone can get one of those if they "know somebody". I live in Boulder CO and this is still the case.
The absolute saturation of fast food advertising is a big factor- I
am skeptical of that Jared guy. Another factor seems to be that more and more jobs have become sedentary over the last decade or so- All the muscular jobs like manufacturing have been sent to South East Asia and other muscular jobs have been tamed by machines.I work for Dish Network television as a CSR- which is very sedentary by the way-. The variety and seductiveness of television has never been greater. 200 channels is not unusual. I have tomorrow off so I am going to consult the topo maps and go for a hike in the Rockies- I might even burn a few calories- Pack a lunch -------Bob
Tracy:
Why are people as individual AND Americans as a whole quick to blame others for their own mistakes. Stop criticizing fast- food chains and processed food companies for creating products that we continually purchase. When are people going to realize that Kraft and McDonald's aren't putting their keys in the ignition and driving them to these places. Who allows their children to eat double cheeseburgers and large fries? Where is the discipline?
Who is teaching the children in the home to eat a whole bag of oreo cookies, instead of maybe a limit of 3? I have a 5 year old son who very rarely watches television, asks for fruit when he needs a snack and is very limited on soda and sugar. If and when we do splurge on fast food or "junk food" it is a treat. We go to McDonald's and get a cheeseburger and small fries and water. People are ridiculous! Companies aren't to blame for what they put in their food....We are to blame for consuming it....EXCESSIVELY!!!!"
Thomas:
Jonni. I do have concerns about the obesity problem with the generations in this country. I am a male senior citizen, 62, with heart disease and a quadruple bypass and overweight. I also have diabetes II taking insulin. Here is the problem.
Big business is at fault with the advertising of fast foods that are loaded with all bad ingredients that pile up on the waist. Preprocessed foods off the shelf and from the freezer department. There are so many super market fast foods that will add inches to your waist and plaque to your arteries.
That is the reason I am in the condition I am in today. I am trying to loose weight. All the weight loss plans are too expensive and do not work for me. I am on SSI retirement income. I get tired when I exercise so my times are very short. I have reduced my meal size and caloric intake.
Teresa:
I think school lunches are terrible. Plus a lot of schools have vending machines with garbage in them.
I do think that working moms have a hard time cooking and the end of a long day and meals tend to be on the unhealthy side.
I bought myself a pedometer this week. I though I was moderately active. No Way. I'm on the low end. I am trying to add more steps each day. I think everyone needs to be more active. Its hard when you work behind a desk all day.
I hate our fast paced world. We need to slow down and get back to basics. That means food too.One last note from your webmaster:
When I was growing up, I remember the Russians (oops, I mean the USSR) launched the Sputnik - and President Kennedy countered by launching a program to rebuild America's educational system so that we would have the engineers, mathematicians and scientists who would make our nation competitive in the space program. He also promoted more physical fitness programs in the schools (I remember that, because I hated soccer). What could our political leadership do today that would energize that kind of commitment to bringing back America's health?
Please jot down your thoughts on this subject and send it to me at mailto:jonni@howtothinkthin.com . Don't worry about grammar or spelling - this is not a test! I am truly looking for your opinion. We can learn so much from each other, and you all have so much to contribute to this issue.
I am looking forward to your responses. Please take a few minutes and shoot me an email right now. jonni@howtothinkthin.com, with COMMENTS in the subject line, please.
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