Are Americans Lazy & Fat?

[midnight]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4183086.stm

I have a problem with the obesity in the US because it does effect me in my pocket book. When people are overweight, they have more health problems which if they can't afford the government ends up picking up the bill. What do you think?

[34saving]

The argument is non-unique. People in the sun too much. People who smoke. People who engage in risky sexual behavior. People who engage in dangerous sports. People who do dangerous jobs. People who have genetic predispositions. People who live into old age (yes, I know this is moving gradually to the absurd, but you get the point.). . . Don't get me wrong, I think Americans (and everyone) should try to live healthier lives, but obesity is certainly not the only thing contributing to soaring health care costs.

[marglo]

No it is not the only thing but I agree that it is a very serious problem and I can see where in the future there will even more medical expense because of the results of obesity.

[cercis]

Lazy? No. Americans work more hours than any other industrialized country. Which is probably a good part of the problem. We seem to have little time for leisure. Little time for leisure makes it hard to get out and exercise.

We work 50-60 hours/week and need time to just veg. Unfortunately, when you take the time to veg, you don't have time to exercise. It's something DH and I work very hard to prevent in ourselves. We refuse to take jobs that are going to require more than our stated hours. We allow ourselves time to veg, but make sure to take time to play with our kids and go bike riding, etc. But, we've given up a lot to do that. Our savings is very low (actually negative if you look at our cc debt). We both work for less than our full worth because that is the only way we can guarantee our hours.

Now, americans are getting larger. This is not only because of lack of exercise. It's also that it can be very difficult to eat. Finding foods that aren't refined to the point of not requiring any energy input from the body for digestion (okay that's a bit exaggerated, but you get my point) is a constant endeavor. Even "whole wheat" bread is pretty darned refined. Everything has high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener.

City planning has made it next to impossible to walk or bike to work. If you live somewhere without a public transportation system or sidewalks, you end up having no choice but to drive. Then you get the traffice and suddenly your 50-60 hour weeks get extended by 1-2 hours per day in commute (to go 10-20 miles).

[moneyrant]

Yes. Excuses left and right.

[DivaJen]

All it takes for DH and I to feel particularly healthy is to spend some time with a cross-section of people at places like the county fair or Disneyland (we were there yesterday). There are a lot of overweight Americans out there. Why? I'm sure the reasons are varied. I'll say that if we ate everyday the way we eat when we go to the fair, for example, we'd easily be carrying more weight too. Fried food, high-fat and high salt content, little to no produce...

[PrincessPerky]

Oh gee this will help (insert dripping sarcasm please .)

Warning lable on frys

[sarah4554]

I think that the majority of Americans are not Lazy but a high percentage of people are Fat. I try very hard to eat healthy foods and feed my children healthy foods as well. But go into any grocery store and there are hundreds of different chips, poptarts, fruit snacks, sodas. Why are there so many? Because we buy them! If consumers would demand a higher quality of food they would be available. But nobody wants to take the time to make a meal when it is so much easier to just pop it in the microwave.

Heres a challenge:
For two weeks try feeding you and your family healthy meals full of whole grains, vegetables, and lean meats. You would be surprised at the overall health and well being of your family at the end of those two weeks.

This, of course, is just one woman's opinion no need to change your lifestyle if it is easier for you to blame your weight on our society/culture.

[cercis]

Sarah, DH and I went on south beach almost 2 years ago. So we've been doing that for that long. It isn't easy to find whole grains (we have to literally drive 5 hours to get most of our whole grains). And when you do find whole grain products these days (with all the south beach licenses stuff) it is full of artificial sweeteners - splenda mainly. We believe that artificial sweeteners are not healthy, so that makes it even harder.

We've worked out a lot of shortcuts - cooking a lot of meat on the grill then slicing it up and freezing it so we can do fajitas and stirfrys. Making a large pot of Kashi pilaf and then portioning it up for later meals. Buying frozen stirfry veggies (but we still buy onions and green peppers to cut up for stirfry too). But we've still not gotten to where we can walk in and have a meal on the table in the 10-15 minutes we are starving for.

[Roger]

Americans are not lazy.
Many Americans are obese.
A cause that few people even think about is their food. Not the fast food, but the regular food. So much is processed that our bodies have difficulty getting the nutrition we need to maintain our normal, healthy weight. While true organic foods cost more than the processed stuff at Wal-Mart, it is definately healthier.
Have you heard about the Purina One challenge where they claim your cat or dog will look and act healthier in 30 days? It's because the ingrediants are not as processed as that of cheaper companies food, it's more real.
Wouldn't people look and act healthier in 30 days if we ate more natural foods too? I don't recommend Purina One for dinner, but try eating more unprocessed foods and see what happens.
Roger

[rob62521]

As an overweight American I do want to say I am not lazy. I work out three times a week. I am working at eating smaller portions and far more nutritiously. I grew up poor and in case you haven't noticed, the fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive than the starchy things. I am having to relearn bad eating habits.

On this note, I resent being put into a stereotype. Some folks are overweight because of gland problems. Others gain weight because of the medicines. We need to walk a mile in the other person's shoes before we get too judgmental.

[marglo]

You are right, and I don't think any one's intent is to stereotype. I am over weight by almost 30 lbs myself. It is good that you are taking the steps to eat right...I have changed the way I eat and am eating quite healthy now (with rare slipups) but for years and years I ate the overly processed, high-sat. fat, high-refined sugar way without thinking a thing about it and now I am paying the price for it. I think that is what we are saying...that although there are other reasons, for the most part we are overweight because of how we are eating and we are eating that way because that is what is easily gotten in the stores. As a nation we need to realize the seriousness of the situation, where it is leading...the illnesses, costs that are the result of obesity and start making some changes.

[sarah4554]

Originally Posted by cercis

Sarah, DH and I went on south beach almost 2 years ago. So we've been doing that for that long. It isn't easy to find whole grains (we have to literally drive 5 hours to get most of our whole grains). And when you do find whole grain products these days (with all the south beach licenses stuff) it is full of artificial sweeteners - splenda mainly. We believe that artificial sweeteners are not healthy, so that makes it even harder.

We've worked out a lot of shortcuts - cooking a lot of meat on the grill then slicing it up and freezing it so we can do fajitas and stirfrys. Making a large pot of Kashi pilaf and then portioning it up for later meals. Buying frozen stirfry veggies (but we still buy onions and green peppers to cut up for stirfry too). But we've still not gotten to where we can walk in and have a meal on the table in the 10-15 minutes we are starving for.

I understand it is not easy to eat healthy, but it is a lifestyle choice and once you make that choice, it is easier. I make a menu at the beginning of the week so I can premake some of the meals and freeze them. I also use tons of coupons on all my cleaning products, non-perishable goods, and personal items so that I can spend money on fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. And I never buy South Beach/Kraft food. All that stuff is way to expensive. I go out of my way to find healthy recipes and try never to buy processed food.

I know that my way is not the cheapest or the easiest in the short-term. But the long-term my children are healthier then most, very well behaved, and I can't remember the last time any of us were sick! I don't have doctor office visits to pay for, or high blood pressure or cholesterol medicine to buy.
We don't have back problems or problems sleeping. So in many ways I look at healthy eating as the not only the best way to live but also the cheapest.

Wishing everyone a healthy and long lasting life!!!

[Gailete]

I may be fat, but I'm not lazy! I have been trying to lose weight and it is hard. I'm on many medications that cause weight gain which makes a double whammy. I have lost 9 pounds in the last 6 months which for me is great.

I suspect much of the overweight that we have in our country and in other industrialized countries is the prevalence of fast food and the so called convenience foods. People are in a hurry and looking for something that tastes good so they pop whatever is handy into their mouths. At the same time, less and less people know how to cook!

If people could spend more time learning how to cook nurishing tasty meals we would all be better off. I made some strawberry jam today and couldn't believe my husband's reaction. He loved it! He had never had homemade jam before. The taste of strawberry jam from locally grown strawberries was incredible and I know every ingredient that went into it. Something that tastes fantastic helps quiet cravings for foods that don't satisfy taste buds. I have read far too many articles on making frugal meals and too many times the emphasis is on cost at the expense of taste. Taste is also important to give the psychological food satisfaction that gives the feeling of having enough and no need to keep grazing for more edibles.

Hopefully that made sense

[cercis]

Made perfect sense, Gailete and I agree. My problem with dieting has been the whole - "you want potato chips, have sweet potato chips instead". I'm sorry I hate sweet potatoes and find the chips rather disgusting. And if I try to satisfy my craving for potato chips by eating sweet potato chips, I end up eating more than I want of sweet potato chips (well not really, but this is an example) and then finally give in and satisfy my craving. If I had just started with satisfying my craving, I would have eaten less.

I've learned to ignore my craving as long as I can (rather than try to substitute another food) and then when I can ignore it no longer (we're talking days here) then I'll buy what I want and then take it to work to share. That way I get one small serving and the rest is gone before I can try to get more.

I agree about not knowing how to cook. I was lucky, no one ever told me rice was hard to cook. So my rice is always perfect. So when I started doing whole grain pilaf, it seemed easy to me (and it is, but it does take forever). But other people have trouble with rice so they buy the minute rice which is very refined and doesn't have that many nutrients, plus it requires very little energy to digest and releases its sugars very easily (so you have a blood sugar spike).

[PrincessPerky]

For anyone not any good at cooking rice (like me .) try a rice steamer, it is no worry no work, dump in rice and water (more water for brown rice than white) and ignore for 30 minutes (40 if brown)

Only trouble after cooking Jasmine long grain for YEARS I keep forgetting the extra 10 or 15 minutes for the brown, but I am getting better.

And my unasked for 2 cents on dieting, DON"T, take baby steps to change your habits, you didn't get on the processed refined habit overnight you wont change it overnight.

That was the route I took and honestly I am amazed at how easy it was, course it has been almost 7 years, but my family really does eat much better, with two notable exceptions, Pringles, and Vacations. Oh and does anyone have a lil'Debbie swiss roll? I have been craving one for weeks .

[Fern]

It's not just Americans, by the way, who are becoming obese. It's a growing problem worldwide (Australia, for instance, land of sun and kangaroos, is ranked right behind the US in terms of obesity), thanks to our import of artery clogging fast food.

[Bruce Wayne]

Britain too has its share of weight problems, partly because of diet, partly because exercise is being knocked out of the school curriculum, some even suggest working mums are partly to blame.

Having said that I wouldn't say that the original question is a good one. Lots of people in America, some of whom may be fat and lazy but I don't think it's helpful to place people into easy fit categories.

[cicy33]

I just wish it was easier to store fresh veggies. I mean when I have a craving for say watermelon, it isn't like at 10 p.m. at night I can just run to the store! nor would I want to. and they only last so many days.

[cercis]

Cicy, I've been told you can freeze watermelon. I suspect, though, that it is very mushy when you thaw it. Maybe if you make balls to freeze and eat them frozen. I did this with orange slices and they were wonderful to eat frozen.