Is America really as fat as I think?

[SKORPI0]

Well it taxed way more than sugary drinks. Diet sodas were hit too. It didn't help the effective tax rate was insane. I remember after it hit picking up a flat of vita-water at costco. $9.99 for the product. $4.80 for the tax. That's just the 'special' tax, not including the already insane almost 11% sales tax here. Plus the way it was pitched was complete BS. Cried broke and as soon as it passes they throw a huge pay package to teamsters. All around it was a giant waste of time and reeked of corruption, but what's new for Chicago?

I actually bought and returned the very next day some 2 liter A&W root beer from Walgreen's. It was about twice the price I was comfortable paying for. The price label showed $0.99/bottle without mentioning the tax.
Drove 3 miles across to the nearest Meijer in Will county, no sugary drink tax. Actually stopped drinking pop (which I rarely do anyway) for 6 months . Drank Langers Mango Nectar/Chocolate milk which IMO is healthier.

 

[vi edit]

It sucks being a parent. I am horrified by the amount of candy and other trash that is shoveled to kids by the bucketful. I am literally throwing away pounds of candy that we seem to accumulate. My kids eat like total shit. My 6 year old in particular. But they don't get any treats or sweets until they eat a *real* fruit or vegetable. My 10 year old at least eats salad and a decent selection of fruit. So not totally failing there. It's very depressing seeing so many kids that are 8-12 years old that are seriously pre-diabetic. They shove their faces full of crap and their obese parents think it's cute. My kids see all of the chips, candy, and treats being consumed and think I'm a giant asshole for not letting them eat the same way. They aren't quite old enough to understand the real concept of health and effects of being overweight yet.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I wouldn't do it the way Chicago tried to do it. For the tax would only be applied to drinks and foods that have added sugar to them. And here is a thought, how about extra taxes on folks are obese? Some overweightness will be allow but being grossly fat or obese shouldn't be tolerated.

The second half there wouldn't work. It would be abused just like every other 'tax' and 'ticketing' system, that is more about making money than helping anyone.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I live in one of the skinniest states, supposedly only in the 25-30% obesity rate bracket and I don't for one second believe it's that low. Either they're miscounting or the cutoff line for obese has moved up by 50 pounds, What I would judge as Shamoo-lian seems to make up 50% of the population. I was coming home from work today and the last light on the way home is at an intersection with a Rita's ice cream parlor in a small strip mall. As I waited for the light to turn I saw a mother and three kids waddle out of the door of the place and back to the car. Woman could not have been more than 35 or so and had to go at least 350+ and every one of the kids was well on the way to joining her there. The smallest one was no more than 5 and looked like a baby hippo.

 

[Midwayman]

The second half there wouldn't work. It would be abused just like every other 'tax' and 'ticketing' system, that is more about making money than helping anyone.

Do it like many work insurance schemes do. You get a credit for a yearly check up. You get a credit for not smoking. You get a credit for going to a gym. I'm not sure if any have weight based ones, but it would be easy enough to do like that.

 

[HeXen]

OK, I've seen this everywhere. Grocery stores, wal-mart, wherever.

But this weekend I was at an amusement park and there was a ride near the entrance so I watched people come in as my daughter went on the ride. I was watching people walk into the park and I was shocked by how fat everyone was. What are these people doing with their lives?

So do you have a realistic solution or was you just up for some body shaming discussion? Personally I don't care about other people's bodies as I don't plan to stick my d*** in them or anything so why exactly do you care?
You can complain about the decisions people make, you can complain about what they put in our food but in reality it does absolutely nothing, talking about fat people does nothing, reminding them they are fat does nothing, telling them to stop eating or exercise does nothing so what do you propose that America needs to do to be skinny?

 

[Chaotic42]

My guess is that it's a handful of things:

• Bad food is cheap
• Bad food takes far less preparation work
• Bad food is generally much tastier
• There aren't many societal negatives to being moderately fat
• Exercise is unpleasant
• There are a lot of stresses and negativity in life and food is a cheap escape

 

[NoTine42]

Also, bad food is addictive.

I remember watching a show on morbid obesity and the guy ate a bucket of KFC and several other large portions.
I can only handle the KFC grease a couple times a year.
I’m not skinny, but when I gain too much, a natural overload starts to kick in. It seems most overweight have stress situations / consumed addicting foods that have overridden their natural healthy weight desire.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Fat acceptance needs to be rejected and fat shaming needs to make a massive comeback.

Tell the snowflakes that.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

It's sign of wealthy or lazy nation or both. Eating large quantity of food coupled with inactivity will lead to large weight gain. I would place equal blame on the widespread internet adoption, Youtube and Netflix, and availability of cheap processed food.

Lack of manual labor jobs doesn't help either, sitting in desks for 8-10 hours a day... and no, getting a standing desk isn't going to make you magically burn 500 more calories.

 

[Red Squirrel]

My guess is that it's a handful of things:

• Bad food is cheap
  [*]Bad food takes far less preparation work
  [*]Bad food is generally much tastier
• There aren't many societal negatives to being moderately fat
• Exercise is unpleasant
• There are a lot of stresses and negativity in life and food is a cheap escape

Yep that's what I struggle with myself especially the bolded. I'm not fat, but I still need to try to eat healthier. You can be skinny and still not be healthy. I hate cooking, and I'm not good at it. It's something you pretty much have to specialize in and go to school for, and most people don't because they have other interests. Crock pot, instant pot, whatever. That won't help me, I still won't know what to do with those. It's like giving a random guy a backhoe and a tool box and asking him to build a house if he's never done it and knows nothing about construction. I only know a few recipes and the only thing that actually comes out great is my spaghetti sauce. When I try to learn a new recipe I just tend to get discouraged as I hardly know what anything means or it just sounds like so much work, with lots of cleanup after, all that for 1 meal. I tend to make rather simplistic meals and if I don't know what to do because I already ate those things recently, then I go to take-out. It's a vicious cycle.


That said as far as losing weight it's 90% diet. Just eat less. If you check how much calories a certain food is, vs the amount of exercise it takes to burn those calories, no amount of exercise in a given day is going to make up for say, a Baconator. A Baconator is like over 1,000 calories. A 10km walk might burn like 100 calories. It's actually quite crazy the amount of workout that is required to burn significant calories. TBH I'm surprised I'm not fat because I don't really work out all that much and do eat lot of take out. Though when I have a large meal like that I don't tend to eat much else that day, so guess it makes up for it.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Interestingly this image just popped up in my facebook feed.. wooeooeo

I call bogus. It is facebook after all. I just looked it up and there are 39 grams of sugar in a can of coke. That is a lot, (about 1.5 ounces) but the amount in that bag looks like at least a hundred to two hundred grams.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Corn syrup is a denser form of sugar than grains.

Corn syrup is fructose. Yes of course it dissolved in water, it is a solid, and 39 grams is 39 grams, whether it is in the solid state or dissolved in water. I work in a lab, and believe me, unless the bag is a lot thinner than the picture makes it look, there is more than 39 grams in that bag. Maybe it is actually on a flat surface and the bag is flat and very thin instead of stretched out as it appears.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I call bogus. It is facebook after all. I just looked it up and there are 39 grams of sugar in a can of coke. That is a lot, (about 1.5 ounces) but the amount in that bag looks like at least a hundred to two hundred grams.

Actually you're right. I always did find it odd that the amount they show is larger than what is in a can. I figured maybe the way it gets absorbed causes it to shrink or something but still, it just seems like way too much and turns out it is.

I just verified and this is more accurate:



That said, imagine taking that cup and eating that sugar. That's basically what you're doing when you have a can of coke, and it's so easy to have several back to back.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Actually you're right. I always did find it odd that the amount they show is larger than what is in a can. I figured maybe the way it gets absorbed causes it to shrink or something but still, it just seems like way too much and turns out it is.

I just verified and this is more accurate:



That said, imagine taking that cup and eating that sugar. That's basically what you're doing when you have a can of coke, and it's so easy to have several back to back.

Yea, definitely that still is a lot of sugar. I have tried to cut out soda entirely, but it is really difficult because pretty much everything else one drinks except pure water has calories as well, or artificial sweeteners, which are not good for you either. I can drink pure water most of the time, except I like something with flavor during meals. I used to drink two or three cans a day, but have managed to cut it down to one or less. Fortunately, I dont have a problem with diabetes, and used to be very thin, but as age creeps up, I need to lose a few pounds.

 

[luv2liv]

2 of my coworkers drink Coke all day. i've never seen them drink water. im not sure how they are alive.
obviously they are beyond fat. how fat? i dont even see their necks.
scary.

 

[GobBluth]

Fat people disgust me.

 

[Mai72]

Just read a report that stated sugar is the leading contributor of death worldwide. Even when compared to gun death, and wars. Add in cancer which excessive sugar heavily influences and its much higher.

Like I've stated before. We are literally eating ourselves to death. It's not even an American issue. This will be a worldwide problem with huge financial and social ramifications. As a society, we went from eating 0-16 tons of sugar yearly. That's the average.

 

[purbeast0]

If you're 6 ft and over 200 pounds, you're likely fat unless you're built like NFL linebacker. I don't think you have any room to criticize.

I'm 5'11 and like 205lbs and I'm not a fatty at all, I just have an athletic build. I have fat yes but I can still see my abs.

Hell at my largest I was 217lbs and you could still see like a 4pack and I was borderline obese by BMI standards. I am kind of built like a linebacker though so you're right on that front.

 

[Midwayman]

My guess is that it's a handful of things:

• Bad food is cheap
• Bad food takes far less preparation work
• Bad food is generally much tastier
• There aren't many societal negatives to being moderately fat
• Exercise is unpleasant
• There are a lot of stresses and negativity in life and food is a cheap escape

A lot of that sure.
However cooking is something that every household used to do. Post-WWII saw the rise of prepared foods. Combined with women's liberation in the 70's and many women outright rejecting traditional skills like cooking, you're seeing the death of anyone knowing how to cook. People are getting married older now as well, which means a longer time spent on their own. Cooking for 1 is rarely worth the effort. So people eat out or start eating these prepared foods and get hooked. That's gotten passed down to the children of people who never learned to cook now and prepared foods is just 'normal'.

I'm an 'okay' cook., but even with my wife I seriously question if its worth the time of having to plan a meal, buy ingredients ahead of time that often aren't in the right proportions, actually spend time doing the cooking and then a heap of dishes afterwards as a reward. Its just a really really easy trap to fall into. It doesn't help that your body gets addicted to glucose and it provokes an insulin response, which is exactly what is needed to store fat.

 

[Mai72]

A lot of that sure.
However cooking is something that every household used to do. Post-WWII saw the rise of prepared foods. Combined with women's liberation in the 70's and many women outright rejecting traditional skills like cooking, you're seeing the death of anyone knowing how to cook. People are getting married older now as well, which means a longer time spent on their own. Cooking for 1 is rarely worth the effort. So people eat out or start eating these prepared foods and get hooked. That's gotten passed down to the children of people who never learned to cook now and prepared foods is just 'normal'.

I'm an 'okay' cook., but even with my wife I seriously question if its worth the time of having to plan a meal, buy ingredients ahead of time that often aren't in the right proportions, actually spend time doing the cooking and then a heap of dishes afterwards as a reward. Its just a really really easy trap to fall into. It doesn't help that your body gets addicted to glucose and it provokes an insulin response, which is exactly what is needed to store fat.

You're making rationalizations.

I'm a 38 single male who is horrible at cooking. So what I did was I looked up how to cook tasty cheap food online. I bought a week's worth of meal prep containers, and I batch cook on Sunday. My meals consist of chicken, grass fed beef, 2 helpings of broccoli, and coconut oil, butter, etc. I eat almonds, a Quest bar, a Nutribullet which consist of kale, spinach, green powder, and fruit. I finish the day off with a huge green salad topped with olive oil. My late snack is a peanut butter bomb. I get about 2400 calories and it's all tracked via MyfitnessPal.

Not bragging. I'm also not perfect. I do stray from time to time, but my eating habits are much better. My point is you can do it if you want it. Spend a Sunday afternoon and prep your meals for the next 6 days. Take a break on Sunday, and prep for the next week. Make it easy. I eat the same thing everyday, minus the main meal. It's either chicken, or beef. Or, steak if I'm feeling it. I actually enjoy prepping my meals, and it only takes me about 2-3 hours tops.

 

[Midwayman]

You're making rationalizations.

I'm a 38 single male who is horrible at cooking. So what I did was I looked up how to cook tasty cheap food online. I bought a week's worth of meal prep containers, and I batch cook on Sunday. My meals consist of chicken, grass fed beef, 2 helpings of broccoli, and coconut oil, butter, etc. I eat almonds, a Quest bar, a Nutribullet which consist of kale, spinach, green powder, and fruit. I finish the day off with a huge green salad topped with olive oil. My late snack is a peanut butter bomb. I get about 2400 calories and it's all tracked via MyfitnessPal.

Not bragging. I'm also not perfect. I do stray from time to time, but my eating habits are much better. My point is you can do it if you want it. Spend a Sunday afternoon and prep your meals for the next 6 days. Take a break on Sunday, and prep for the next week. Make it easy. I eat the same thing everyday, minus the main meal. It's either chicken, or beef. Or, steak if I'm feeling it. I actually enjoy prepping my meals, and it only takes me about 2-3 hours tops.

No, I'm explaining why people get there. I personally don't have much of an option. I'm on Keto which sounds really similar to what you're doing if you're not on it as well. I have to cook for myself because prepared options don't exist. Sunday I made Chili in a crock pot that will last most of the week.

 

[vi edit]

My wife and I meal plan. Every Sunday morning we sit down with our kids and write out a dinner menu for the upcoming week and go through the grocery list. Then it's a quick run to the grocery store to grab what we need and we're done. Some fresh stuff (like fish or other raw meat) we may grab on the way home later in the week.

We both work hectic professional lives, have two kids in elementary school and string of hobbies that go around that. Our meals are not 5 star by any means, but most of them can be prepared and cooked in 30 minutes or so and are sensible portion sizes. It keeps your grocery lists focused. My kids know ahead what meals are coming up (so they don't panic on the spot when it's plated), and we can plan around pulling things out of the freezer or prepping some things the night before. It's way easier to manage meals with a busy a schedule that way and has really helped keep our grocery budget more reasonable and we are tossing out less food than we used to.

 

[Mai72]

No, I'm explaining why people get there. I personally don't have much of an option. I'm on Keto which sounds really similar to what you're doing if you're not on it as well. I have to cook for myself because prepared options don't exist. Sunday I made Chili in a crock pot that will last most of the week.

Yep, I'm on keto.

Have you ever looked at the connection the American diet has on our brain. Scary stuff. Much of the minor depression issues many people are facing today has a lot to do with diet. I know that when I eat a hoagie and chips for lunch my mindset is way off. I'm more prone to negativity. But, when I'm eating healthy and I'm consuming dark green vegetables and healthy fats I'm more upbeat, can get more work done, and I'm not as tired.

I agree with what you had to say. Eating healthy sounds easy, but it can be a bit of a pain since most healthy dishes have to be prepared at home. Unrealistic for many busy people today. But, I look at the long term affects like disease, decreased life span, and how eating badly can affect our day to day life, and I'm motivated to at least try to eat better.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I'm 5'11 and like 205lbs and I'm not a fatty at all, I just have an athletic build. I have fat yes but I can still see my abs.

Hell at my largest I was 217lbs and you could still see like a 4pack and I was borderline obese by BMI standards. I am kind of built like a linebacker though so you're right on that front.

Uh huh, sure Cartman. You're not fat, you're just big boned.