Obesity

America has been proven, to be the fattest country in the world. I'm not taking a shot at America, but I'd just thought I'd mention that in this particular thread.

Many people say that obesity happens because you were bullied. And that the people who are overweight, say this is a life choice. And they choose to eat as much food as they do.

I disagree. Food can be addictive, especially when you eat as much as obese people do.

Discuss

 

I think there may be a genetic element in it. After all it follows in a lot of families. It has been proved that certain foods seem to have an addictive quality (see the film Supersize Me). Different people have different rates of metabolism, so absorb and burn energy at different rates. Hormones also play a big role.

I think it is wrong to try to pin any one cause to obesity, and even more wrong to single people out because of it.

 

You wanna know why people are so obese? It's because they eat so much. Read up or watch some Carlos Mencia some time. Seriously...it's their own faults for eating so much and gaining so much weight. I'm not saying it's bad...but it's the truth.

And I don't care if you're fat or not, and I'm not surprised we have the fattest people in the U.S., because we have all the crappy fast food restuarants.


In my opinion, it can be genetic, sure... but you can lose any amount of fat in good time. It's the lazy public and media who choose not to push it more to keep our citizens safe. :(

 

It's the fast food places. I think the people know the dangers, but keep eating anyways. It either two things: 1) Food is too tasty. We all think fast food taste good, heck, I've watched Supersize Me three times now and I still eat at McDonalds. Good thing I don't have a car yet......... 2) Humans are just too dang stubborn. I quote "I can handle it, I know, I know!" from every single teenager. I've said this already! Well, here's the thing, WE DON'T KNOW! We think we can handle it, but at the last second, we can't! We've too friggen self-confident!

 

obesity is caused by many different factors:

heredity: there is definitely a genetic quality that determines your metabolic rates and tendency to go one way or another in terms of weight

excercise: many people these days do not have to proper excercise. in big cities, people walk all day long and cars are not a necessity. we need towns to be built in a such a way as to provide people the opportunity to walk

food: the amount of food consumed is definitly a factor, but so is the quality of the food. the junk put in food these days is killing us and causing obesity.

stess: the lifestyle of modern times is a very stressful one, what with jobs, taxes, moving up in the world, etc. this definitely is linked to weight gain.

still, despite these factors and more, people have the ability to change their body and live a healthy lifestyle. sure, this is easier for some than for others, but anyone who really wants to be healthy can overcome each and every one of these factors and be healthy.

 

I'm not sure, but I think that the main and most common causes of obesity have pretty much been mentioned. I remember going to Body Worlds (a travelling exhibition of cadavers for science hosters), and seeing a side cut of a strip of an obese person. Looking at the inner workings of the body, and the way the fat clotted like every organ was absolutly disgusting.

But anyways, I think one of the biggest problems is how we treat obese people. Like, for example, the "fat" kid at school is more likely to get picked stereotypically, right? Well, this makes them upset, which leads to eating disorders. Either annorexia or binging, and everything in between... take your pic.

On a side note, it's been scientifically proven that men gain alot of weight as they get older for reasons beyond just "the beer gut". Male spines actually shorten as they get older, thus all the extra fat once supporting the spine gets moved to the front. It is possible for men to prevent this, but only if they've been physically active their whole life.

I have no idea what significance that piece of information held, I just said it because it seemed relavant and somewhat interesting. :P

 

Dude, in America, just take a walk outside and you'll see, well... no one, really. Which is why we're so obese. But if you into homes you'll see fatty-fatty-bun-buns eating their french fries and scoffing down their burgers. People do this to themselves.

 

this is very true. i use to walk home from school everyday down this busy road, and EVERYONE would stare like i was doing something forbidden. people here do not walk.

i was born in argentina and there everyone walks. some people do not own cars, and they dont need to. stores are built close by, taxis and buses and other modes of public transportation are available, etc. also, people go out on the streets to play all the time, especially to play futbol.

the US lifestyle is a large part of the problem. like i said before, sure there are many different factors, be anyone can overcome them. so its really someones own fault that he or she it obese.

also, has anyone ever heard of this group of people who actually want to be obese? like, there is a pro ana and pro mia group for anorexic and bulemic people, but then there is also a pro obese group. parents actually raise their children to become obese. its sick.

 

Obviously people know what they're risking as they walk up to say Mc Donalds. And it's their faults.
One might argue that it comes through families. True, some people find themselves growing fatter easier than others. But its still their faults if they become obese. Families might also set an example of eating a lot which in that case, could be the family's fault until teh kid can realize the consecuences.
Blame can be placed on the fast food companies, but its actually the fault of the person walking up to one.

 

Well, A Shining Armour, we don't have just 1 fatty-fat kid in schools getting picked on. NOW we have dozens. Back in the early days (1950-1970) there were barely any fat people. Now we have tons.

I don't know. >_>

 

To all the people that said its our fault: YOUR WRONG! I have been overweight my ENTIRE life, I have TRIED excersizing, dieting and everything under the sun, I have WANTED to be skinny so do NOT tell me for a second that despite my weight training AND running at least 5 miles DAILY is NOT enough god damn work to not be obese. some of your claims are very ignorant. I will agree some people do CHOOSE to be overweight, but not all overweight people are ****ing heffers that just eat burgers and fries all day. not all of us are 'fatty-fatty-bun-buns' taht just sit in the house and do nothing but stuff our face. your accusations are both hurtful and demeaning.

 

Ok, sry, I guess I went kind of strong with my last post, but real obesity is not just natural, I mean I've never heard of that (maybe I'm just ignorant like you said ) But I mean, I know people who are naturally fat and can't get off it. But obesity can be cured I believe.

 

I think it's to do with teast and cost juck food teast really good and doesn't cost that much but where god food don't teast that good and cost more, I'm always asking my mum to buy something to put on good food but she never does.

I think a way to beat obesity is to grow our own good food but i know some people won;t have the time to do this but hell I'd like to do it

 

im so sorry if we offended you, arc. i did mention that there are some factors that make you lean one way more than the other, and the fact that you do excercise and life a healthy lifestyle means that you have overcome these factors. if you remain overweight, then this is most likely due to factors out of your control. i commend you for being healthy. running 1 mile everday is wonderful, much less 5, and you should feel good about that.

i was making more of a generalization, and i apologize.

 

I know I wasnt maning it towards you really ~tReAh867~. I was referring more to the people that were saying they thought it was all just because of choice or lazyness.

 

You know, eating isnt the main cause of people getting fat. Heck, all my friends and my sister are skinney but they eat more than me. My step-dad eats like a pig and he still has his 6 pack and doesn't even bother to exercise. I eat every 2 days people! I dont get hungry much, but im still in that area. People have been telling me I'm like this due to stress. And trust me, I get caught in alot of drama with my parents. So please, its not just food or lazyness... -.-

 

kairi, eating every two days could also be the cause of being overweight (though i am not saying its the only one). when you starve yourself, your body clings to all the fat you consume thereafter. i know. i use to eat extremely little and i would maintain a heavy wieght. then, i started to eat well (about 3 well portioned meals a day), and excercise. then i started to lose weight and was able to maintain a healthy and desireable weight.

and this is for everyone. as much as weight is a problem, so is health. there are some heavier people who are actually more healthy than lighter weight people (exluding anorexics/bulemics who are obviously not as healthy). what i am saying is that being skinny does not mean your healthy and being overweight does not mean your are not healthy. more factors come into play. this does not in any way mean that we should still not consider mass obesity a problem.

 

I actually think its due to metabolism because Ive been skinny all my life, but now I work out so Im pretty solid (like not manly cuz imma girl), but back on topic, yea its not all their fault its heredity. Although some ppl decide to do it and there are weight gain clubs which confuses me...

 

i talked to my dad, who is a doctor, about this and he said that although the mass obesity of today is largely faulted to our society, those who are born genetically predisposed have very little control over their weight. now, granted that this is not my fathers area of specialty, i would safely assume that he is much more qualified than any of us to share his opinion on the matter.

 

Well, back in the olden days, it was considered beautiful to be obese. It showed you were wealthy enough to afford to have all that excess fat. And in some places, like Africa, being called "fat" is still a compliment. Again, it shows prosperity.

Society, despite our liberal movements forwards, will always retain some conservative values regardless as to whether we notice them or not. Maybe... this is one that lies in the Western Civilizations deep sub-conscience? O.o