Half of Us Face Obesity, Dire Projections Show

[RockHardNYC]

As if we don't already have enough to worry about…

"A prestigious team of medical scientists has projected that by 2030, nearly one in two adults will be obese, and nearly one in four will be severely obese."

Half of Us Face Obesity, Dire Projections Show

[boiworship]

I see it all the time, and it’s especially jarring when returning from Central and Eastern Europe. Most physicians know little about nutrition and the USDA food pyramid is a recipe for disaster. It takes a lifelong commitment to working out, sleeping sufficiently and eating nutritious food to stave it off. The vast majority of Americans would rather eat piggy food and sit on their asses watching a screen. Being somewhat narcissistic means that I have a flat stomach even at my age.

[boiworship]

Not to mention the food deserts in which many Americans live, combined with an ignorance of nutrition. 

[AdamSmith]

17 hours ago, boiworship said:

the USDA food pyramid is a recipe for disaster.

Turns out this travesty which privileges (processed) carbs uber alles was secretly supported by ‘research’ from a nincompoot ‘expert’ paid by the breakfast cereal industry, which after WW2 ended was desperately seeking what to do with its now unneeded capacity for producing troop food (K9) rations.

So General Foods & General Mills found this great feeding trough available to them of breakfast cereals!

Worst way possible health-wise to start our day.

[AdamSmith]

Also:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/28/breakfast-health-america-kellog-food-lifestyle

[boiworship]

Far better to scramble three free-range eggs in high-end butter than eating processed carb slop for breakfast.

[AdamSmith]

12 hours ago, boiworship said:

Far better to scramble three free-range eggs in high-end butter than eating processed carb slop for breakfast.

Yes!

Lipids in the bloodstream and then on down come primarily from refined carbs/sugar consumed, not from healthy fats eaten in moderation.

[caeron]

The sugar lobby helped sell americans on the foolish idea that fat was the enemy, and not carbs. My mother, bless her heart, still obsesses about low fat stuff when she ought to be eating more of it.

But eating sensibly and exercise is the answer, not obsessing about carbs or fat. I still eat cake, just as a splurge. I don't want the 120 lbs I lost the hard way coming back. 

 

 

[AdamSmith]

43 minutes ago, caeron said:

The sugar lobby helped sell americans on the foolish idea that fat was the enemy, and not carbs. My mother, bless her heart, still obsesses about low fat stuff when she ought to be eating more of it.

But eating sensibly and exercise is the answer, not obsessing about carbs or fat. I still eat cake, just as a splurge. I don't want the 120 lbs I lost the hard way coming back. 

 

 

Joan Rivers of all people said a very sensible thing for weight control: ‘Eat whatever you want, within reason, but stop at 3:00!pm.’ Then just a snack of a little bit of steamed broccoli or some such at dinner.

[caeron]

That's a good idea. I need dinner to sleep, so I do my time restricted eating from noon to 8pm. Try to do no calories outside of that window, and not go crazy at my two meals (lunch and dinner). Works for me. I typically do one cheat day a week where I'll have indulgences. 

I think it doesn't really matter what kind of diet you do, as long as you  have some discipline around eating. When I was working, and stressing, I didn't exercise or watch my eating with predictable results.

But, my 46" waist is now a 32" and I don't hate what I see in the mirror any more. I don't like that old guy who stole my hot young body, but I don't hate him! 

[AdamSmith]

My routine is founded on a good breakfast — taken in a few little stages. Like oatmeal, then an hour at the desk reading/writing, then a nice piece of fruit;!then a walk around the block (ca. 0.75 mile), back to the desk...

As with your lesson you’ve shared here before, keep moving!

[boiworship]

I enjoy fasting for 24 hours once a week. 

[trencherman]

On 2/10/2020 at 11:28 AM, RockHardNYC said:

 

"A prestigious team of medical scientists has projected that by 2030, nearly one in two adults will be obese, and nearly one in four will be severely obese."

 

Whether Mark Twain said it or not,“No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot” sounds true.  In the same token, no amount of evidence from the most prestigious groups of scientists can persuade even the sharpest minds now because for the last half a century, they foisted on us a food pyramid that caused the unwary majority of us to go sick.  As another folksy wisecrack said of politicians, they should wear their sponsors’ jackets so we know whose interest they are promoting.

 

 

[RockHardNYC]

1 hour ago, trencherman said:

they foisted on us a food pyramid that caused the unwary majority of us to go sick

Well, that's one way to deflect responsibility. Point the finger of blame anywhere but at the horse's mouth.

I don't recall a "food pyramid" ever having an effect on my childhood eating or food consumption in my adult life. Sure, maybe there was an official chart in a doctor's office, but no one in my family ever paid any attention to it. We ate what we liked, as I'm sure most people do.

Eating can deliver instant pleasure, and who doesn't want to feel pleasure? If your life is not what you hoped it would be, or you're bored, unmotivated, and/or uninspired, it makes sense that folks might fall prey to eating more, or eating to compensate for other feelings that aren't there. Food can equal instant gratification.

Admittedly, the line "the most prestigious groups of scientists" made my eyes roll a bit. The breakdown of trust and confidence in learned authority is an issue now. Still, it's better to be empowered with more information than less. Denial about weight gain is no healthy place to be.

Edited February 20, 2020 by RockHardNYC

[caeron]

The food pyramid and the like certainly impacted what I ate because my mother paid attention to it. See my previous comments about how she's still obsessed with low fat, but thinks carbs are great.

It may not have impacted your family, but it was an enabler for a lot of diabetics. 

That is not to say that personal responsibility isn't key. It is. But it is harder when you are given bad information.

 

 

[AdamSmith]

On 2/16/2020 at 2:21 PM, boiworship said:

I enjoy fasting for 24 hours once a week. 

That reminds me I’ve never felt better than the day before a colonoscopy (sorry!  ) couple years ago, when I had just a couple bottles of cold-pressed juice across the day, and then just water and seltzer.

[TotallyOz]

I travel a lot and I see the American influence on the world. Others see this in their travels as well?

[AdamSmith]

On 2/12/2020 at 10:38 PM, AdamSmith said:

Joan Rivers of all people said a very sensible thing for weight control: ‘Eat whatever you want, within reason, but stop at 3:00!pm.’ Then just a snack of a little bit of steamed broccoli or some such at dinner.

There is also medical advice that a walk or two around the block after dinner will help burn up carbs and stop them turning into lipids that settle into the cardiovascular system.

[lookin]

On 2/20/2020 at 8:46 PM, TotallyOz said:

I travel a lot and I see the American influence on the world.

 

1 hour ago, AdamSmith said:

There is also medical advice that a walk or two around the block after dinner will help burn up carbs and stop them turning into lipids that settle into the cardiovascular system.

Just so!    Seems like 90+ percent of the comments on weight issues have to do with food and very little with burning off what we eat through physical activity.  As far as I know, they're two sides of the same coin and I wonder why we don't talk more about ramping up exercise instead of cutting down on what we eat.

Maybe it has to do with time commitments.  It would take me less than a minute to avoid that Big Mac, medium fries and medium Coke.  But, if I ate it, it might take me three hours and ten miles to walk it off.  That's if I burned 100 calories a mile, which I think is about average.

But I don't think it would take that long in practice.  Every few months, I go to A&W on a Tuesday when the special is two huge Papa Burgers, two orders of fries and two big root beers.  I think that's pretty close to two thousand calories and, theoretically, I'd have to walk twenty miles to burn that off.

I'm good for two or three miles most days and it seems like the weight falls off in a few days.  So, as @AdamSmith says, I think exercise is as fruitful a way to control weight as dieting, which has rarely been successful for me.  Even a small amount of dieting makes me feel deprived whereas a modest amount of exercise doesn't.

If I do ever diet again, I'd wait till I hit the lottery and indulge my long-held fantasy of a personal chef.  As luck would have it, I came across this guy (so to speak) a couple weeks ago.

 

If I could afford him, I could take care of my diet and exercise in one fell swoop.

In fact, I'm feeling a bit exercised right now.  

 

Edited March 10, 2020 by lookin

[BigTexan]

The majority of the US Food Industry is owned by sugar peddlers. 

[Pete1111]

Perhaps walking will make a comeback.  I friend from Scandinavia is all about hiking.  His diet sucks though.