Fat People

[XYZ 2154]

2 hours ago, Larry T. Spider said:

One interesting thing about a lot of overweight people is that no amount of painful consequences will change the behavior. My FIL has spent an extraordinary amount of time in the hospital and has had multiple heart procedures. The one thing every doctor has told him is that losing weight is the most important thing he can do.

His relationship with food is completely messed up. He only likes what he refers to a traditional food and everything else is extremely suspect. He thinks I’m a new age psycho for putting avocado on some things. The food he eats is part of his world view as much as anything. 

When we make an occasional healthy meal, he is actually depressed by it. The disappointment is palpable. He also has a completely warped view of what a normal weight is or what a normal portion size is. I need to lose 10-15 pounds so I’ve been watching how much I eat. He is mystified because he thinks I am underweight. He also looks at a normal plate of food as something really depressing. I wish I could help the guy.

What does your FIL eat?

[XYZ 2154]

6 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

He probably enjoys what he enjoys because it reminds him of his youth.

That’s some deep stuff right there.

[GringoSalado 1651]

20 hours ago, XYZ said:

So you think that an order of fries has 1,000 calories?

From Five Guys, a particular burger establishment. Yes. Yes I do.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

13 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

In my family we were lucky. My mom was the tall athletic sister who married the tall athletic guy. My shorter less-athletic aunt married the shorter less-athletic guy. I love my chunky aunt, uncle, and cousins, but they never had a chance, they were literally carrying extra weight right out the gate.

At my house, food was not love, it was food. We enjoyed it, usually simple meals, and for all the "MOM I'M HUNGRY" kid moments we were told to grab a carrot or a pickle or an apple or something. Dessert was not a thing, it just never came up. Oh, I'd blow my allowance on candy bars, and the cereals I selected (for the toy) were 60% sugar, but at the same time we were doing Dazed and Confused antics of running around outside throwing rocks at each other. I didn't know anybody who drank a Coke every day, much less more than 12 ounces.

It was fun visiting my cousins and their food was always great. Big giant pots of cheesy stews and cheesy lasagna and other good heavy meals, with cheese. Pies and cakes for dessert. If we'd eaten it year-round, me personally, I'd be a Rascal Scooter Dood now. To my cousins' credit, they must be doing something right because they are all able to get around and do stuff. One of the younger generation has the makings of a high school basketball star.

Anyway, I look at what people consider normal today, and me and my family would probably be considered starving health nuts now, when what we were was fairly ordinary, pre-chain-restaurant-blitz of the country.

tldr: I like stories

When I was in jr high or high school in the 80s I would normally drink a couple of full sugar cokes and potato chips when I got home after school. I was skinny as shit. And while we had home cooked meals, it’s not like it was kale and boiled chicken breasts. It was carb heavy not that we knew that.

And it wasn’t me. Everyone was thin. Maybe 4-5% of my class was even overweight. And I feel like I’m overestimating that number.  I just don’t really understand how we got to kids being so overweight during puberty when they’re burning so many calories.

[RDCanecutter 26454]

1 minute ago, GringoSalado said:

From Five Guys, a particular burger establishment. Yes. Yes I do.

I had 30 minutes before a doctor visit, and was starving. I scarfed down something similar. They ran blood tests and were talking about trying some diabetes treatments before I fessed up and told them I was an idiot.

[RDCanecutter 26454]

2 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

When I was in jr high or high school in the 80s I would normally drink a couple of full sugar cokes and potato chips when I got home after school. I was skinny as shit. And while we had home cooked meals, it’s not like it was kale and boiled chicken breasts. It was carb heavy not that we knew that.

And it wasn’t me. Everyone was thin. Maybe 4-5% of my class was even overweight. And I feel like I’m overestimating that number.  I just don’t really understand how we got to kids being so overweight during puberty when they’re burning so many calories.

Using imagination while masturbating burns more calories than watching a screen and masturbating.

[Smax 3800]

This is 100% correct. Based on my trip to Vegas this weekend, the “it’s ok to be you” has been translated into “it’s ok to prance around dressed like a supermodel even though you are a 250 lb. cellulite laden tub of goo.”

I want to add to this, fat people and craps tables..I dgaf how fat you you are, you only get one slot. You can't fit? Stop shoving burgers and fries down your throat at an olympic pace

[Mr. Drummond 2199]

20 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I’ve read your posts before on your eating once per week, but what are you eating the rest of the year? Do you gain 100 lbs and then crash diet it off over 1 month? You shouldn’t have to literally starve yourself to get to a healthy weight.

Huh? No that’s not what’s happening at all

Edited July 5, 2021 by Mr. Drummond

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

It’s mostly a meat and potatoes type diet. Almost no fruit and the vegetables are limited and the variety is without much nutrition such as corn. Big portions of meat are always the main component, sometimes ok and sometimes not. Lean grilled meat isn’t bad but the pork chops smothered in gravy…not so much. Anytime he eats out it’s BBQ, burgers, or Tex-Mex. Just about anything else and he will remark that “this doesn’t seem very traditional”. The standard portion size is probably double what it should be.

I think it’s tied to his childhood but is also a cultural thing to him. Eating the way he does is how he connects to his masculinity. It’s somewhat tied to his politics as well. 

[GringoSalado 1651]

Well "traditionally" that type and amount of calories was never widely available at today's prices.

That dude just sounds like a crazy person.

 

edit: not that I've ever turned down BBQ, burgers, or Tex-Mex. Traditionally.

Edited July 5, 2021 by GringoSalado

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

He’s pretty normal in most ways but when it comes to food, his views are definitely crazy. And they will kill him. Damn near already did.

Sadly I think he is closer to the norm than many would like to admit. It’s not the same issues with each person, but as a country we have an extremely unhealthy relationship with food. 

[Nivek 16946]

Right. Let's not put any blame on the people that are not able to keep from practicing portion control. It's those big evil corporations. I'm just ecstatic we don't get those fast food joints in Colorado, and we don't have those mind altering commercials here.
Hell while we are at it, why don't we give a trophy to those people who don't wander into the 50+ BMI range. 

Well you can look at it like a reasonable person does does, and look at the history, cause, policies, behaviors and behavior influencers, or you can put your head in the sand and pretend it is just a will power problem. Just like the saudis suddenly got a will power problem as soon as our shitty food infected their culture.

I guess globally people have will power problems and we should pretend the good old days are made up of people of harder stuff because that is the old mans narrative that has been repeated since the dawn of time. That is a hell of a lot easier than asking why and not liking the answer.

[Brew 3049]

1 minute ago, Larry T. Spider said:

He’s pretty normal in most ways but when it comes to food, his views are definitely crazy. And they will kill him. Damn near already did.

Sadly I think he is closer to the norm than many would like to admit. It’s not the same issues with each person, but as a country we have an extremely unhealthy relationship with food. 

At the point in time it became more about what tastes good and less about what you needed to fuel your body, the backwards slide began. We have clearly gone over the cliff in some aspects now as people get further away from the kitchen and more dependent on what they can pick up. It will only get worse as we get into the next generation of kids that have no clue what to do in a kitchen. Growing up, there were a lot of days where if I wanted to eat I better plan on cooking something because both my parents worked odd hours and we had to fend for ourselves some.

[MoJames 8244]

6 minutes ago, Nivek said:

Well you can look at it like a reasonable person does does, and look at the history, cause, policies, behaviors and behavior influencers, or you can put your head in the sand and pretend it is just a will power problem. Just like the saudis suddenly got a will power problem as soon as our shitty food infected their culture.

I guess globally people have will power problems and we should pretend the good old days are made up of people of harder stuff because that is the old mans narrative that has been repeated since the dawn of time. That is a hell of a lot easier than asking why and not liking the answer.

The way I look at it is in our current system it is from a caloric intake standpoint the easiest time to ever be alive. The ratio of calorie to dollar is the best it has ever been. Now that we have an excess amount of calories at our disposal, we see the result. I take personal responsibility with my kids and family to keep us in a healthy situation from a weight standpoint.

I realize there are plenty of factors in the equation. The one I can control very very easily is how much calories I take in and how many I expend. Both  myself and my wife work. We have no family to help us where we live. We are responsible enough to not go get fast food every day because it is easy. Many people don't. I have a hard time believing it is the governments job to keep us from becoming overweight.

Imagine going back 200 years and telling people we were arguing that the stores and government should keep people from over eating.

[GringoSalado 1651]

[washparkhorn 9939]

58 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

at the same time we were doing Dazed and Confused antics of running around outside throwing rocks at each other.

 

[DonkeyCigars 143]

22 minutes ago, MoJames said:

The way I look at it is in our current system it is from a caloric intake standpoint the easiest time to ever be alive. The ratio of calorie to dollar is the best it has ever been. Now that we have an excess amount of calories at our disposal, we see the result. I take personal responsibility with my kids and family to keep us in a healthy situation from a weight standpoint.

I realize there are plenty of factors in the equation. The one I can control very very easily is how much calories I take in and how many I expend. Both  myself and my wife work. We have no family to help us where we live. We are responsible enough to not go get fast food every day because it is easy. Many people don't. I have a hard time believing it is the governments job to keep us from becoming overweight.

Imagine going back 200 years and telling people we were arguing that the stores and government should keep people from over eating.

A lot of this. Specifically how it is the role of the head of the household to set the strategy and any failures borne out by the dependents/children is NOT their fault. Just like with anything else with children, it is the parents who are impacting and affecting the child. They are clay and what you do, or don't do, molds them. It's both a terrific and terrible responsibility and unfortunately, we live in a culture and country where what passes the bar of minimum standards of upkeep for your family is (controversially and debatably depending on beliefs) child abuse, at times. 

And I get not wanting to give your children an inferiority complex or mental hang up-- there are ways to administer help and advice in loving and healthy ways-- but to either ignore and avoid the conversations as children balloon in front of your eyes or, worse yet, enable it and create an environment where you are actively promoting their obesity is obscene and should get you called to the carpet to explain yourself. We do it with every other form of abuse or neglect, from truancy to malnutrition, this is just another flavor (no pun intended) of malnutrition. 

[BillyGoatHill 4312]

On 7/2/2021 at 3:15 PM, Lobo said:

  

I feel really bad for my nephew.  I hadn't seen him in 4+ years when he was a little chunky.  But my half sister who I don't see or talk to but every few years brought him down to see Texas a couple months ago.  Kid is 13 years old, probably 5'9" and is easily 200 pounds, pushing 225.  Can barely get himself in or out of a chair.  I feel so bad for him.  Just heartbreaking to see.  And everybody around him is just in complete denial about him.  His mother and father think because he eats fruit once a week that he's the picture of health.  I dunno.  I barely talk to them so I ain't saying shit.  Our mother sees it too but she can't say anything since they live near each other.  But 20 years ago, I think somebody from school or church or a physician would say something to my half-sister about the kid.  But nowadays, you can't say shit.  And that's insane to me.  I know it's not my place since, but somebody close should at least point out that the kid almost passes out playing video games, let alone walking.  What I'm really afraid of is that he internalizes a lot and when he gets to high school, he's gonna get bullied a lot about his weight.  And the ruse will be over and instead of proactively handling this, shit's gonna hit the fan.  Freshmen year of high school is not a good time to finally be told that you're morbidly obese in addition to all the other bullshit.  /rant.  I just feel so bad for the kid and I don't know how to help him. 

Sorry to hear about your nephew.

Just my 2 cents but if i were you, I'd start with this paragraph above. You and your half sister already don't talk, and maybe after you talk even less, but I have this conversation with her and her husband. Like you stated, school is hard enough, even being part of the "cool" club. Standing out by being overweight, goth, or any other thing makes it harder. 

I'd then have a conversation with him if you are able to. In another post you mentioned his arm and possibility of pitching. Someone taking an interest in a kid or children in general is sometimes all that is needed. Some coach says a 13 yr old throwing breaking balls is bad for him? Find another coach. The main issue is the kids weight. It's not easy, but someone needs to point it out.

Late 90's/early 2000s, my wife (no pics), who ran in college and was still successful enough as an amateur runner in her 40s to have a small sponsorship from PowerBar, started a running class for kids from 5 or 6 yrs old up to high schoolers at our local YMCA where she worked as a Fitness director. Some of the kids had talent, but most did not and were also in bad cardio shape or overweight. I volunteered with her to help her out as the first year class started with about 13 kids, but grew each year to well over 50-60 due to the successfulness of the program. The kids actually competed against other YMCAs in the area at weekly track meets with officials and results kept.  I did nothing other than encourage and be the "good job" coach. If time qualifications were met, some kids were able to go to the Hershey's Invitational in Hershey, PA. Before we moved back to Texas in 2009, every year a kid that she had trained in one of the first classes would stop by and tell her how being a part of that class had helped them running wise ( some with no early talent had worked hard enough to get scholarships to small schools) or had just helped them become healthier by changing their mindset about health and nutrition. One kid in particular was named Kevin and had bad asthma. He literally was at the back of every practice and most races he entered, but he never quit showing up. Each year he improved and eventually he needed his inhaler less and less due to the running improving his lungs. He eventually became a pretty good runner and was one that came back and Thanked Us for helping and believing in him. I hadn't thought about him in years until reading your post.

I know you are far apart, but reaching out and providing some encouragement can still be heard.

Good luck to you and especially your nephew.

 

 

On 7/3/2021 at 7:44 AM, Neonmoon said:

Body positivity is a good thing, but I think it’s rise in popularity recently has led to some people misusing it’s message to say certain levels of obesity are okay 

 

It's in way to many ads in general,  but the so-called full figured or modern woman lingerie or bathing suit ads are out control with the women in them. They aren't full figured. They are obese. 

[mchookem 16338]

i'm gonna weigh in here (😄)...

lots of hostility in this thread. some of it understandable. some of it just plain mean. also some empathy.

my mom's side of the family were big people, the women in particular - tall, developed early, big T&A...and yeah, fat. dad's side is stick-thin. a paternal aunt actually starved herself to death (she was also alcoholic which contributed).

my dad has been obsessed with how much fat is in a dish, how many calories something has, etc since forever. like...he jokes at almost every meal about it.

my childhood home was bereft of typical 'fat' foods, especially sweets. there was no sugary cereal, we never drank soda, no cupcakes or cookies, the only chips allowed were tortilla chips... and i was still always the tallest/biggest girl in my group, as was my sister. neither of us ever had a problem socially or, uh, dating. ever (did i mention the T&A? 😄)

my dad first called me fat when i was 12. he left my mother (and broke her) when i was 16 bc she had gotten too fat (she was smaller than i am now). he once asked both his son-in-laws (at a family gathering, after many drinks of course), didn't it bother them that my sister and i were so big?? 🙄

as adults we've both struggled with our weight. sister went keto in 2019, after mom died, and lost quite a bit. she's kept most of it off and looks fantastic...but i know from this thread that many here would still call her a fatass. being tall women helps. as does a pretty face 😊

my dad still obsesses over how much fat is in something, and he eats fake cheese that won't melt lol.

we don't blame him, he is who he is. 

but...

my neice is anorexic and has been for the past 5 years. it's been terrifying. she is model-beautiful, tall, was very athletic...and a boy called her fat at the beginning of her sophomore year in h.s....she then lost 40 lbs in about 3 months. she became anemic and her hair started falling out and all sorts of other side effects. she hasn't had a period in 4 years. my sister contemplated an inpatient program, it was that bad.

she's headed into soph year in college now, and seems to have reached a healthy plateau (she gained back about 15 lbs the past year). she spent 3 years with therapy and a nutritionist. she works out obsessively (literally, she's massively OCD, by product of the anorexia) and is now shaped like a boy instead of a girl, and she eats things that are just disgusting...but she's determined to keep the weight on.  she'd probably be considered perfect by many here...but she still looks very, very thin to us. her ribs poke out. my dad of course thinks she looks great lol.

anyway...yeah, i'm 'fat'. i'm working on myself and my reasons why. our genes are not to blame...but they are definitely not helping. neither of us wants to be like our mom or aunts. we still don't eat many sweets, and don't have any health issues. yet, of course. and i married a black man who loves my shape so there's that 😄

i'm not sure why i wanted to chime in on this thread of men, many of whom would be outright mean/hostile to someone like me. i kind of didn't want to even read this thread bc i knew it would be that way, i've been around this community online for decades lol...but i forced myself to. i guess i thought it might help motivate me. it also reinforced how many assholes post here 😋

i've met a few posters in person (real estate, buying football tickets. etc) but i'd be terrified of attending a HH for those same reasons above.

and the mean ones aren't wrong...counting calories should be easy, it is just math, it is simple, stupid.

but i guess i just wanted to tell a story to show that it's also very complicated. human beings are complex, and there are entire industries design to exploit our weaknesses. and then there's the psychology, and the emotions, and everything else...logic doesn't always prevail.

i don't mind being me at all...but i worked hard to retire very early so i could enjoy an active life with travel and adventure. that's what motivates me right now. i want to avoid all the health problems my mother and aunts faced. i know what i need to do, and i try. every day. 

[Celery Man 20973]

1 hour ago, MoJames said:

The way I look at it is in our current system it is from a caloric intake standpoint the easiest time to ever be alive. The ratio of calorie to dollar is the best it has ever been. Now that we have an excess amount of calories at our disposal, we see the result. I take personal responsibility with my kids and family to keep us in a healthy situation from a weight standpoint.

I realize there are plenty of factors in the equation. The one I can control very very easily is how much calories I take in and how many I expend. Both  myself and my wife work. We have no family to help us where we live. We are responsible enough to not go get fast food every day because it is easy. Many people don't. I have a hard time believing it is the governments job to keep us from becoming overweight.

Imagine going back 200 years and telling people we were arguing that the stores and government should keep people from over eating.

is there a point to this apart from making your dick feel a tad longer for a second? yes, virtually everyone could make decisions that would keep them at a healthy weight. lots and lots and lots of people don't make those kinds of choices and it's a big fucking expensive problem and causes a lot of misery. we should examine what has changed and why people don't make those choices, and figure out what we can do to promote a healthier society.

if I went back 200 years I'd tell them to stop enslaving people and let women vote. last fucking thing i'd want is their opinion on good governance

[MoJames 8244]

7 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

is there a point to this apart from making your dick feel a tad longer for a second? yes, virtually everyone could make decisions that would keep them at a healthy weight. lots and lots and lots of people don't make those kinds of choices and it's a big fucking expensive problem and causes a lot of misery. we should examine what has changed and why people don't make those choices, and figure out what we can do to promote a healthier society.

if I went back 200 years I'd tell them to stop enslaving people and let women vote. last fucking thing i'd want is their opinion on good governance

My point is stop making excuses.

[GringoSalado 1651]

51 minutes ago, mchookem said:

i'm not sure why i wanted to chime in on this thread of men, many of whom would be outright mean/hostile to someone like me. i kind of didn't want to even read this thread bc i knew it would be that way, i've been around this community online for decades lol...but i forced myself to. i guess i thought it might help motivate me. it also reinforced how many assholes post here 😋

 

We inherently recognize how debilitating some drug addictions can be but for some reason don't recognize that eating has to be the strongest compulsion of all. I don't like to dunk on the fatties because I'm predisposed to be skinny genetically or whatever (an aside is I'm not addicted to other things, quit smoking one time only etc.). There but for the grace of God go I. If we can sympathize with an oxy addict why can't we understand that some folks can't stop eating?

 

All that said the fact that everybody everywhere seems to be getting fatter points to a larger problem than self control. We can rage against that but we'll still be fat.

[Celery Man 20973]

Just now, MoJames said:

My point is stop making excuses.

is this a point you're making because you think it is just what people need to hear to turn the tide nationally on the obesity epidemic, or is it a point you're making for some reason different than that?

[DonkeyCigars 143]

His overarching point was that the ultimate bedrock here is personal responsibility.

And your point Celery Man seems to be, "well why are you wishing for something that is long gone, if it ever even existed, because the root cause is obviously external and not an internal issue" (because if it were internal, that would be admitting to a decay in society/culture, at some level, over time).

And I get that "personal responsibility" is a punchline in 2021 because the party of it doesn't have it and the other party never pretended to, but at the individual and micro level, it used to be something we took pride in and would strive for.

I don't know the answer now that personal responsibility seems like something we aren't capable of internalizing, but I think we are all on the same page of identifying obesity/fat people as a growing trend over time and a problem. It's obviously not a crisis because we don't have a shared incentive for it to be, but I guarantee if we were all on a nationalized healthcare system, there would be a lot more hell to pay both socially and emotionally and financially for being fat and a drag on the community. Maybe that's the answer to get some accountability back into the equation instead of pretending Lizzo The Stallion and plus-sized modeling in Target fliers are positive and healthy and helpful.

Edited July 5, 2021 by DonkeyCigars

[HouTex 1886]

My point is stop making excuses.

This. Nothing in your post deserved Celery’s first sentence. Your post was spot on. We need to say it more often that people are responsible for what they put in their mouth. Saying so is not being mean. I’m all for educating people about nutrition and calories. I learned about that in 9th grade Texas public school in 1977. Have we stopped doing that?

[Celery Man 20973]

13 minutes ago, DonkeyCigars said:

His overarching point was that the ultimate bedrock here is personal responsibility.

And your point Celery Man seems to be, "well why are you wishing for something that is long gone, if it ever even existed, because the root cause is obviously external and not an internal issue" (because if it were internal, that would be admitting to a decay in society/culture, at some level, over time).

And I get that "personal responsibility" is a punchline in 2021 because the party of it doesn't have it and the other party never pretended to, but at the individual and micro level, it used to be something we took pride in and would strive for.

I don't know the answer now that personal responsibility seems like something we aren't capable of internalizing, but I think we are all on the same page of identifying obesity/fat people as a growing trend over time and a problem. It's obviously not a crisis because we don't have a shared incentive for it to be, but I guarantee if we were all on a nationalized healthcare system, there would be a lot more hell to pay both socially and emotionally and financially for being fat and a drag on the community. Maybe that's the answer to get some accountability back into the equation instead of pretending Lizzo The Stallion and plus-sized modeling in Target fliers are positive and healthy and helpful.

 

My point is that simply pointing at the fatties and saying "personal responsibility out front should have told you" will never ever solve the problem. Any individual could make those choices, but on a societal scale they will not, because that's not how huge macro problems work, now or ever. What pointing at the fatties (or any other category of unfortunate) and talking about how they should simply make the smart, responsible, tough choices to be better and work harder (like me!) accomplishes has nothing to do with making us better.

That's not really my point either - people weren't fat back in the day because they ate different food and lived different lives. I'm not worried about a decay in society now as compared to 200 (or whatever marker) years ago because

1. it's interesting but only useful in the context of understanding what is happening now and what will happen in the future 
2. while we have problems that didn't exist then, they had problems that don't exist now

we live in different worlds. we should, where possible and reasonable, make decisions on a macro level that help people be healthy and happy. I think some push back to the notion that the broad "we" (scary government) should do a thing is about intervention, freedom, etc - the idea that government is currently sitting passively and has no hand in what has created the problem on this scale is silly. It's not all government, but there's probably a lot government could do to not hurt and to maybe help.

For any one person or family, like you or myself, personal responsibility is the greatest power we have to solve any potential problem that could ever come up. I exercise it as I'm sure the both of you do (and I'll exercise a bit more here - @MoJames I am being a bit of a dick here so I apologize and hope you don't take it personally). Government or other entities of influence could never be as effective at fixing my life as I can be. And still, in order to figure out how to do better when facing a problem like this (americanfatnessbyyear.jpg), pounding ones chest and touting "personal responsibility" is useless at best and harmful at worst.

Disagree that it is not a crisis, although I expect we'd just argue about what constitutes a "crisis".

 

[GringoSalado 1651]

9 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

 

My point is that simply pointing at the fatties and saying "personal responsibility out front should have told you" will never ever solve the problem.

 

yep

[DonkeyCigars 143]

11 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

 

My point is that simply pointing at the fatties and saying "personal responsibility out front should have told you" will never ever solve the problem. Any individual could make those choices, but on a societal scale they will not, because that's not how huge macro problems work, now or ever. What pointing at the fatties (or any other category of unfortunate) and talking about how they should simply make the smart, responsible, tough choices to be better and work harder (like me!) accomplishes has nothing to do with making us better.

That's not really my point either - people weren't fat back in the day because they ate different food and lived different lives. I'm not worried about a decay in society now as compared to 200 (or whatever marker) years ago because

1. it's interesting but only useful in the context of understanding what is happening now and what will happen in the future 
2. while we have problems that didn't exist then, they had problems that don't exist now

we live in different worlds. we should, where possible and reasonable, make decisions on a macro level that help people be healthy and happy. I think some push back to the notion that the broad "we" (scary government) should do a thing is about intervention, freedom, etc - the idea that government is currently sitting passively and has no hand in what has created the problem on this scale is silly. It's not all government, but there's probably a lot government could do to not hurt and to maybe help.

For any one person or family, like you or myself, personal responsibility is the greatest power we have to solve any potential problem that could ever come up. I exercise it as I'm sure the both of you do (and I'll exercise a bit more here - @MoJames I am being a bit of a dick here so I apologize and hope you don't take it personally). Government or other entities of influence could never be as effective at fixing my life as I can be. And still, in order to figure out how to do better when facing a problem like this (americanfatnessbyyear.jpg), pounding ones chest and touting "personal responsibility" is useless at best and harmful at worst.

Disagree that it is not a crisis, although I expect we'd just argue about what constitutes a "crisis".

 

Good stuff.

[Brothahorn 10087]

Really simply.   I ate once a week.   Thats it.   Drank water and took vitamins.     I did one long 22 day fast, which was a bit hardcore, but mostly, just ate once a week.
 

Damn..props to you.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

  This is what it is. The serving size can be deceiving. Five Guys gives you probably 3 servings of fries when it's all said and done. Even entrees can be multiple servings.

Who the hell goes to 5 Guys? That place sucks.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

There might be some unfortunate insults on this thread but I believe the real point of this thread is more that while America is attempting to be healthier, the obesity problem has gotten even worse. We know that ignoring the problem doesn’t seem to help, and trying to normalize unhealthy behavior isn’t working either.  What’s the answer?

I also understand that body image is a particular problem for women especially younger women. I get it that boys can say mean things to girls but I’ve always thought the real problem was with comments from other girls. For some reason, women put pressure on themselves to be whatever they envision as perfect in terms of looks. Our language or descriptions of women continue to emphasize looks over anything else. Maybe it’s a social nicety but women greet each other with how pretty they look, or a compliment about losing weight. Men don’t great each other with how handsome they look. I suggest that women stop with the constant comments about physical looks with each other.

[XYZ 2154]

1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

My point is that simply pointing at the fatties and saying "personal responsibility out front should have told you" will never ever solve the problem.

Strawman fallacy.

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

The answer will always be “both”. People with no personal responsibility or impulse control will always struggle with this. But we can create a macro environment that makes it easier for the middle of the road person to find some level of success. Portion sizes and processed garbage that is called food are things that can be manipulated. Does it stop somebody from going to Popeyes for the 4th time this week? No. Would it have some impact on the obesity levels across 330 million people? Probably.

Treat it like a national security issue and get buyin from “both sides”.

[Gil Bang 25980]

I don't have much to contribute, but, over the past few months, I've dropped 40 lbs.  No keto or other trick bullshit; I simply eat better food and less of it.  The only thing I get from a drive-up is McD's oatmeal, and I do get that regularly.

I switched to super-lite beer, and after a few weeks, it tasted "normal" to me.   Still have about another 15 to go to get where I want to be.  BTW, the BMI charts are seriously fucked-up.  I'm 6-1, and according to BMI charts,  150 lbs would be in the "normal" weight range. WTF?  I have a 7 3/4 head and size 14 feet, so I'd look like a fucking POW if I was 150 lbs. 

On a side note, the GF's daughter married into a well-to-do family.  Her husband's mom is turning 70, so dad books a Maui trip for the entire family; GF's SIL, daughter, and their kids, as well as the SIL's sister, husband, and kids.    The sister is fat, so she refuses to go to Hawaii on an all-expense-paid trip to celebrate her mom's birthday.  Because she's THAT embarrassed of her weight.  It's fucking sad.  The brother is grinding the fuck out of his sister because mom is so disappointed.  She now knows that her dad has rented an Air BNB deal with a private pool, so she's reconsidering it, because nobody but family will see her in a swimsuit. 

Fuck man, if you're too embarrassed to accept a free dee-luxe vacation, maybe you should put down the fucking fork.  

 

 

 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13515]

8 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

I don't have much to contribute, but, over the past few months, I've dropped 40 lbs.  No keto or other trick bullshit; I simply eat better food and less of it.  The only thing I get from a drive-up is McD's oatmeal, and I do get that regularly.

I switched to super-lite beer, and after a few weeks, it tasted "normal" to me.   Still have about another 15 to go to get where I want to be.  BTW, the BMI charts are seriously fucked-up.  I'm 6-1, and according to BMI charts,  150 lbs would be in the "normal" weight range. WTF?  I have a 7 3/4 head and size 14 feet, so I'd look like a fucking POW if I was 150 lbs. 

On a side note, the GF's daughter married into a well-to-do family.  Her husband's mom is turning 70, so dad books a Maui trip for the entire family; GF's SIL, daughter, and their kids, as well as the SIL's sister, husband, and kids.    The sister is fat, so she refuses to go to Hawaii on an all-expense-paid trip to celebrate her mom's birthday.  Because she's THAT embarrassed of her weight.  It's fucking sad.  The brother is grinding the fuck out of his sister because mom is so disappointed.  She now knows that her dad has rented an Air BNB deal with a private pool, so she's reconsidering it, because nobody but family will see her in a swimsuit. 

Fuck man, if you're too embarrassed to accept a free dee-luxe vacation, maybe you should put down the fucking fork.  

The BMI chart isnt a measurement of how you look. 

[billfromlaketravis 11519]

I'm sympathetic. Plenty of people have genetic heart conditions and they're pretty limited on what kind of workouts they can do. But everybody can walk and eat healthier/smaller portions. 

[Gil Bang 25980]

3 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I'm sympathetic. Plenty of people have genetic heart conditions and they're pretty limited on what kind of workouts they can do. But everybody can walk and eat healthier/smaller portions. 

Yeah, I look at the calories on every single thing I eat. Was making a burger the other day.  Looked at the cheese package.  100 calories for a slice of cheese.  Fuck it, I skipped the cheese and had another beer instead.  Better bang-for-the-caloric-buck IMO.

 I was on a road trip recently and had to eat fast food.  I was at JITB.  I looked at the entire menu, and settled on the Chicken Fajita Pita, because it was the lowest-calorie entree that they offer.  Fucker tasted good too. 

[billfromlaketravis 11519]

1 minute ago, Gil Bang said:

Yeah, I look at the calories on every single thing I eat. Was making a burger the other day.  Looked at the cheese package.  100 calories for a slice of cheese.  Fuck it, I skipped the cheese and had another beer instead.  Better bang-for-the-caloric-buck IMO.

 I was on a road trip recently and had to eat fast food.  I was at JITB.  I looked at the entire menu, and settled on the Chicken Fajita Pita, because it was the lowest-calorie entree that they offer.  Fucker tasted good too. 

Not eating bread, dairy, and not drinking beer is a pretty low hurdle. 

[Gil Bang 25980]

16 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Not eating bread, dairy, and not drinking beer is a pretty low hurdle. 

that's not a hurdle I'm willing to jump.  You can have my beer when you pry it from my cold, dead hand. 

[Neonmoon 38129]

Portion size is a big American problem. Most restaurant meals are too much 

[Gil Bang 25980]

10 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Portion size is a big American problem. Most restaurant meals are too much 

agree.  I have a habit now of asking for the doggy-bag when my meal comes.   If it's too much food, I take some home. 

[Somnio 751]

Stop ingesting calories 15+ hours a day.

Look into intermittent fasting.  It works.

Oh, and not sitting on your ass for 10+ of your waking hours would help alot too.

 

 

[Gil Bang 25980]

3 minutes ago, Somnio said:

Stop ingesting calories 15+ hours a day.

Look into intermittent fasting.  It works.

Oh, and not sitting on your ass for 10+ of your waking hours would help alot too.

 

 

And small shit helps.  My GF and I go to Costco weekly.  Most people are driving up and down, looking for a parking space.  We drive to the furthest corner of the parking lot and park the fucking car, and get an extra 1/8 mile walk in and out.  It ain't much, but it helps. 

Take the stairs a few flights instead of the elevator, walk to the next airport terminal instead of taking the skytrain/shuttle/whatever.   

[tbone_ 14132]

The BMI chart isnt a measurement of how you look. 

No shit. It says I need to drop a couple but damn I look good as is.

[Celery Man 20973]

52 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Yeah, I look at the calories on every single thing I eat. Was making a burger the other day.  Looked at the cheese package.  100 calories for a slice of cheese.  Fuck it, I skipped the cheese and had another beer instead.  Better bang-for-the-caloric-buck IMO.

 I was on a road trip recently and had to eat fast food.  I was at JITB.  I looked at the entire menu, and settled on the Chicken Fajita Pita, because it was the lowest-calorie entree that they offer.  Fucker tasted good too. 

While touring with a couple of bands that spend a lot of time on the road, we got into a discussion about what restaurant would be the best to get a free meal pass for. Taco Bell actually does that, or at least did (“feed the beat”) and one of the veteran road guys made a strong argument that that would be your best choice for potential healthy options and availability. There’s not going to be a Jason’s Deli or Souper Salad or whatever place where you might get a variety of options that is also going to be present and open 2 hours outside of Salt Lake City. But, that guy was also pretty big. Which is a big downside of being on the road all the time forever.

[DalTxHornFan 3108]

25 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

agree.  I have a habit now of asking for the doggy-bag when my meal comes.   If it's too much food, I take some home. 

My wife and I do that regularly.  Cut in half when it is first served.  Get a container for leftovers.  Personal choice.  Personal responsibility.  Just like whiskey and tobacco.

 

[Gil Bang 25980]

2 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

My wife and I do that regularly.  Cut in half when it is first served.  Get a container for leftovers.  Personal choice.  Personal responsibility.  Just like whiskey and tobacco.

 

We split a lot of meals.   Last sunday we went to brunch at a new (to us) restaurant.  Asked the waitress what was the best thing they have.  She says that fish and chips are the most popular thing they have...everybody loves it.  
 

OK.  Not ideal health/calorie wise, but fuck, fish and chips is yummy.  So we split 1 order.  We ate tasty shit, but only 1/2 of what most people would eat.  

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by Gil Bang

[conVINCEd 21469]

I’m 6’1” and the last time I weighed 150 was my freshman year of high school after I had grown a foot over 2 years and hadn’t filled out yet.  Fighting weight was around 190 my senior year when I was playing pretty high level basketball.  I have tree trunks for legs.  Put on 10 not so good pounds the first few years of college and have fluctuated between 200-215 in the 20ish years since.  Covid pushed me to the upper end of that range and I’m now getting back to the lower end of it.  I eat pretty healthy 5 nights a week, exercise moderately, and eat whatever the fuck I want a couple of times a week.  I could probably get back under 200 if I gave up booze, but I’m not doing that. 

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

My wife and I have started splitting meals when eating out. Usually a small app and 1/2 an entree is plenty. When I hit late 30s, the weight management got a lot harder.

[DonkeyCigars 143]

Like others have said, my wife and I regularly split the large portions/meals as well. Portions are very big.

That said we don't come from a culture where you eat 12 courses and spend 5 hours eating dinner as a social or familial cornerstone of every interaction. I could see how that might be difficult, culturally, but we are talking about American culture of huge portions at mostly mediocre restaurants on a Wednesday night. You have a special occasion or a birthday or at a Michelin starred restaurant, live a little. You at Mi Cocina's for the second time this week on a Thursday night, maybe don't eat a whole basket of chips along with frozen margaritas and a bunch of tacos.

Edited July 6, 2021 by DonkeyCigars