Okay, I just don't get it!

atremo11

atremo11

Cathlete
Okay,
I have a lot of time on my hands, since I am can only walk for exercise and am supposed to take it easy.
I live in Alabama and I believe we are #1 state for childhood obesity and pretty close to #1 for adult also. I live in a pretty small city and I counted (off the top of my head) 3 gyms-2 are for women only and 25 fast food restaurants, with more set to open soon! I let my children eat out as a treat maybe once or twice a month (I wait until I get home), but I know it is some peoples choice of meal everyday. And what happened to physical education? My son had more music than he did PE. And some of our PE teachers in the system, are not exactly fit.
Any thoughts? I know everyone on here lives a healthy lifestyle. Why is America letting obesity become it's way of life??
Mandy
 
Speaking from my own experience, I think culturally our idea of proper portions is way out of whack. You guys know what I'm talking about too...we have come to expect those giant plates of food at restaurants, plus we feel we need to treat ourselves to appetizers and dessert, and we don't even consider the roll we might eat when we first sit down.

I was never heavy, but I also never sat back and wondered how much food my body could handle in a single sitting. I ate like everyone else ~ until I was uncomfortably full ~ and thought that was normal. I think my capacity increased a bit to accommodate what I ate, which just led to more portion confusion.

Adjusting my portions and total daily caloric intake was a huge eye-opener for me.

School PE never inspired me to exercise. It's too bad they can't do something to shake up that program. Maybe provide choices for the kids, like sports, weights, cardio, yoga, functional, etc. The kids would be more likely to find an activity that appeals to them, as opposed to associating all exercise with the dreaded physical fitness tests.
 
I think we've gotten lazy. Case in point, a coworker today was tired, so he goes and gets a pack of Suzy-Q's and an orange pop. He smokes and drinks a lot of beer, from what he says. He is thin, but can't be healthy. Was complaining today that he needs to exercise but doesn't have the time. I asked him if he spends an hour a night drinking beer and watching TV - he says he spends more than that. Then I told him, he has time to exercise, but of course he says he doesn't!!!! What?!?!?

The other day in the news, there was a story on how researchers thinks they may
have discovered an excerise pill. WTH?? Now I can eat a Big Mac if I wash it down with an excercise pill or 2?!?!?!

We (as a society) are all looking for the easy way out. The reason people used to be able to eat a big down-home-on-the-farm breakfast everyday was because they WERE down home on the farm, and worked that off all day long. Most of us now have desk jobs where we sit on our rumps all day, grab dinner from the fast food joint on the way home so we don't have to cook, plop down in front of the TV and watch infomercials for the exercise equipment we should buy. How about cooking your own food, and then strolling around the block (its free - not even 1 installment of $19.95!) Or we run from place to place with things we HAVE to do and eat crap on the run. The world will NOT end if little Johnny doesnt get to socceer, music, debate, and art class all in the same week.

We all need to slow down and think about what we are doing and shoving in our mouths and doing to our bodies, and our kids. Life ain't easy and there are no easy fixes, and no one is going to hand you health on a platter. We are lazy, and as a society need a big, collective swift kick in the butt!!!

Woosh, I'm done now!!

As for gym class, I was the overweight kid in gym class and hated it, bc the other kids were so competive it wasn't fun. I'd play for fun, but don't want to be riduculed bc I missed catching a ball. I think the teachers need to keep on eye on that, as well

Nan
 
Nan - your sig line!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Mandy - America is letting obesity become a way of life because it's the easy way out. And our nation as a whole has become devoid of a work ethic. If it involves hard work and commitment, most people don't want it. We have so many "modern conveniences" that we no longer have to do much physical work to survive. Our ancestors grew their own food. Doing laundry was a chore. They walked everywhere local. Housecleaning was done without benefit of vacuum cleaners or dustbusters. Most of us no longer have to do any of that. We have dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, automatic washers and dryers, etc., etc., etc. We drive down the street and around the corner. We can drive through a bank, a restaurant, the dry cleaner's, the pharmacy, and just about everywhere else. We literally don't have to move much in order to survive each day. We can sit at a desk and "work" for a paycheck. We can drive through McD's and pick up dinner. We can then sit in front of the TV and eat the dinner while we watch mindless crap for hours on end. We can sit in front of our computers and literally have any and all information at our fingertips in a minute. We don't even have to dial a phone or push a button - we can "tell" our cell phones to "call home" ... just like ET! LOL!! But seriously, I think our advanced technology as a whole has done wonderful things to expand and improve our lives, but at the same time it has taken away the necessity of our moving around all day and doing actual physical work in order to live.

Carol
:)
 
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I think it has to do with our society now. Most people have cable television with tons of options and computers that keep kids from being active. I grew up in the 70's and we spent out summers outside running around the neighborhood from dawn to dusk. We'd play softball, wagon train and run through the sprinklers. If we were inside watching television, my mother would send us outside to play.

Also (and please don't get angry) but with both partners working, meals can sometimes end up being pizza or fast food. My mom stayed home until we were in elementary school and then she was home by 3pm and didn't work summers so we had a home cooked meal every night. Eating out and having soda were special treats.

I don't have kids but didn't physical education go by the wayside with budget cuts? We had to have 4 years of physical education to graduate from high school but only 3 years of english!

That's my .02 cents.

Oh and I live in a small town in Georgia and we have 2 YMCA's (that are expensive) and one gym. We have every fast food restaurant and pizza place known to man. There isn't any place to go for a healthy food options which is why I don't eat out very much.
 
My dad said something this morning about the exercise pill. HELLO, get up and walk for thirty minutes. I am busy too, I have three kids, well right now six with my nieces and nephews here with me, but I can choose not to get the fried chicken, fries, bread, coleslaw, coke and then dessert.
And what about the AAP recommending children take cholesterol medicine? That is almost absurd! I was not obese, but thicker, when I was young. I danced, but was a latchkey kid and would come home and eat powdered donuts and drink Coke when I wanted (I had a friend who did the same and I swear she was the size of Olive Oyl). It just gets to me that it is so acceptable. I mean now when I shop for clothes, there everthing is too big, even clothes makers are expanding their sizes to fit our culture.
I think I just need to vent, it is just so accepted here. I get told I look hungry and I need to eat here all the time. I want to say, no I am healthy, and you need to eat a salad and walk around the block!
 
I agree with most of the posters about the cause. Unfortunately, I have gotten caught up in the portion distortion. It is extremely difficult to stop eating when I am satisfied as opposed to stuffed. I am having a heck of a time re-training myself:(.

It is also easy to make every excuse in the book why you can't go for a 30 minute walk around the block. I am arguing with my DH about this now. He complains he wants to get in shape (because the dryer has shrunk all his clothes...uh-huh, right) but doesn't want to take the initiative to do anything about it!

I like the idea of offering choices for phys ed class. I don't excel at organized fun like basketball, dodgeball, etc. I would have preferred to take an aerobics class during my hour of gym. Great idea!!

Carrie
 
Actually, I like what they do in Germany. Sports (i.e. physical education) are done outside of school and most everyone is involved. I'd rather my kids learn "home economics" and play sports outside of school.

During school I want them learning history, chemistry, physics, math, music etc so that they have the critical skills to keep up in the world and sit at a desk or a lab bench and "work" for their well deserved paychecks and save the U.S. from heading down the toilet. (As my Dad always said you can work with your back or you mind, either way you have to pay the bills).

BTW, notice that despite having all of the modern conveniences we are working twice as hard to keep up with the standard of living that our laundry beating on the rock foremothers had? I know a lot of people working two jobs to keep up and frankly, I don't blame them for getting a dollar cheeseburger at the McDumpsters drive thru.
 
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same thing here. we are over-runned by various chain resturants and fast food joints and maybe a little more then 3 gyms if you count the curves gyms, otherwise only 3 that i actually now of,oh yeah the YMCA too. basically i see ppl shoving food in their face at restaurants as quick as they get it. eating out is a treat and dh and i try to enjoy and savor every moment of it. plus we don't do chain restaurants. we may do a mexican place or indian and when the money is good the japanese sushi steakhouse(they cook the food in front of you and they do neat little tricks tell you the best $100 out i could spend).

on the other hand i won't totally bash my city even though the obese to "normal"(well then again define normal LOL) is larger. we do have plenty of runners and cyclists and pilates enthusiastics. the YMCA had to build another facility across town so ppl are concerned about health, just not educated in portion control and quality of foods!!

but school, shoot my daughter has gym ONCE A WEEK. wtf! when i was her age gym 3 times a week. they do have recess though at good 30 min to let the little ones run and run let their pi$$ and vinegar out so to speak then resume classes. even my mom said her days in college you had to take a gym. she hated that LOL, she hated gym in middle school and high school she though hey college no gym HA! we also have very little in the way of kids actually playing outside. i know a few days a week i am guilty of not going out to the park but at least i can open my screen door and tell viola to take her scooter to the courtyard of our complex(i can see her from the apartment). we can't,strike ARE NOT, the only family in the complex,so where are the rest of the kids!?

my mom kicked my tail out in the am after breakfast with neighbors kids and said go play. called us in for lunch,back out, come in for dinner, on a good night we got to go back out otherwise bath and bed. remember when we would argue with parents to go BACK OUT to PLAY!! some folks can't even get their kids out the door anymore. hopefully tides will turn soon.

kassia
 
spyrosmom said:
I think we've gotten lazy. Case in point, a coworker today was tired, so he goes and gets a pack of Suzy-Q's and an orange pop. He smokes and drinks a lot of beer, from what he says. He is thin, but can't be healthy. Was complaining today that he needs to exercise but doesn't have the time. I asked him if he spends an hour a night drinking beer and watching TV - he says he spends more than that. Then I told him, he has time to exercise, but of course he says he doesn't!!!! What?!?!?

The other day in the news, there was a story on how researchers thinks they may
have discovered an excerise pill. WTH?? Now I can eat a Big Mac if I wash it down with an excercise pill or 2?!?!?!

We (as a society) are all looking for the easy way out. The reason people used to be able to eat a big down-home-on-the-farm breakfast everyday was because they WERE down home on the farm, and worked that off all day long. Most of us now have desk jobs where we sit on our rumps all day, grab dinner from the fast food joint on the way home so we don't have to cook, plop down in front of the TV and watch infomercials for the exercise equipment we should buy. How about cooking your own food, and then strolling around the block (its free - not even 1 installment of $19.95!) Or we run from place to place with things we HAVE to do and eat crap on the run. The world will NOT end if little Johnny doesnt get to socceer, music, debate, and art class all in the same week.

We all need to slow down and think about what we are doing and shoving in our mouths and doing to our bodies, and our kids. Life ain't easy and there are no easy fixes, and no one is going to hand you health on a platter. We are lazy, and as a society need a big, collective swift kick in the butt!!!

Woosh, I'm done now!!

As for gym class, I was the overweight kid in gym class and hated it, bc the other kids were so competive it wasn't fun. I'd play for fun, but don't want to be riduculed bc I missed catching a ball. I think the teachers need to keep on eye on that, as well

Nan
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Here here!

Drives me nuts...I have a friend who buys every gadget they sell on TV...and it sits in her home unused...what a waste.

I live down on the farm...i work a desk job...I have 14 horses at home...Every morning I workout, then go down to do my chores...then get ready for work.

In the evening, after getting home from my desk job...I help Hubby do his chores...sometimes he's finished sometimes he's not...but...if not...I help him or I do things I didn't have time to get to.

When we eat out...it's litterly because I have run out of steam and it would be nice to sit down with hubby and not be going over bills and things while I'm eating...but to spend you quality time together.

I always say I'm going to start batch cooking...but I seem to have a hard time getting there...too. Ugh.

But I laugh...I do more in a couple hours physically a day, then the guys in my office do all week.
 
atremo11 said:
Why is America letting obesity become it's way of life??
Click to expand...

I think there are several reasons, among them:

1) convenience (fattening foods and processed foods are quicker to prepare; many towns are pedestrian friendly or, like where I'm at, there is no bus --to take 'in case it rains' or in case you need to carry a big load one way--so it's either drive, or walk)

2) adaptation (people are used to types of foods that make one fat, since they usually get introduced to them at a young age, and driving is the standard way of getting around. I think your term "obesity as a way of life" is spot on. As we get used to particular ways of eating and NOT-moving, they become standard.)

3) the power of advertising and companies that make unhealthy foods (you can find junk food in vending machines in schools! and many companies want children to identify with their brands from a very young age, so they will be more apt to continue to buy them as adults)

4) habit (I just came back from a trip to Europe, where I used my feet and the subway to get around Paris. I walked much more than I do here. When I came back, it was hard to get back into the car thing, but there's no easy way to get to stores from my house --see #1!).

5) changing perceptions (as more and more people are overweight---over 60% of the US population, last I heard, with more than 30% considered obese--they are more and more visible, become the norm, and people don't consider them to be as fat as they actually are. I met up with a Parsian fitness forum friend while I was in Paris, and she said that she was considered heavy by French standards, while here she'd be on the light side. We joked that we had come up with an instant diet: get slim in 1 day---just go from Paris to the US. Or "I got fat overnight" going in the opposite direction!).
 
atremo11 said:
I get told I look hungry and I need to eat here all the time. I want to say, no I am healthy, and you need to eat a salad and walk around the block!
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Ugh! I know exactly what you mean! Just today there was a pizza situation at work. I eat healthy 99% of the time, so I go ahead and enjoy a piece. After my big glass of water, I'm full. When I'm full I stop eating. It's really a simple equation to me. But you should've heard the crap people started giving me!

What really gets me is the innuendo that my eating isn't healthy. I probably consume more real sustenance and nutrients in a day than my coworkers do in a week. But because I don't down half a pizza I'm automatically considered this silly weak little girl. Grrr.
 
Mandy,
I used to live in Alabama too. After college (Auburn), I worked at a small, county newspaper south of Birmingham in a very very small town. There were no restaurants that didn't serve anything not fried, and the Piggly Wiggly hot-lunch bar was the place to be every day. I had a hard time even finding frozen Lean Cuizines in said Piggly Wiggly. I agree that it's such a problem -- especially in small towns. Kudos to you for being a concerned mom!

Despite my deepest efforts, my boys only eat cheese and cheese-flavored things, so I'm no role model, but I appreciate now living in a place where the grocery store carries whole-wheat flour and organic items!!

Hang in there. Your kids will appreciate your efforts, and maybe some of your health consciousness will rub off on the other mommies and teachers!! :)
 
I mean, I don't know but I feel a little insulted when I get told I need to eat, you know? I keep up with my daily caloric intake and exercise. I don't starve, I am just a small person. My six year old son comes up to my shoulders already. Here's what started it all...
I went out for a drink with my friend at a local restaurant. He (the owner) was talking to a coworker and said we came in. She asked who it was (talking about me) and he said you know the really skinny one that looks like she needs to eat a hamburger!
Everybody thought it was funny, me a little insulting.
Yes, I am healthy, and try to live a healthy lifestyle and teach that to my children, so they know how to live a healthy lifestyle and what to eat. Why do I feel the need to apologize for it? My 99 year old grandmother told me the only time she weighed above 100 pounds is when she was pregnant with my father. But today society thinks I am have an eating disorder! Crazy!
 
fit44 said:
Here is a sad reality.....
Apparently there is a market that caters to obesity.

http://www.oversizesolutions.com/

http://www.amplestuff.com/

and let's not over look this.

http://www.oversizecasket.com/
Click to expand...


good lord expanded toilet seat!!

sorry to say but personal responsibility folks!!! watch what you eat, lead an active life(sports,walking,formal exercise,etc) and get proper rest. i know this is easier said then done but its three little things to stay in good health(never mind weight) but the health of this country has gone in the crapper. the larger folks of my family hate when i say that but truth hurts i guess.
 
fit44 said:
Here is a sad reality.....
Apparently there is a market that caters to obesity.

http://www.oversizesolutions.com/

http://www.amplestuff.com/

and let's not over look this.

http://www.oversizecasket.com/
Click to expand...

Ok...I am just beyond words...I was one 237 pounds and I reached a point where enough was enough...I made a choice one day to do what I needed to be healthy...and I'm so glad...but this is just pure laziness.

I know it's hard to loose weight...I know it takes hard work and determination...I don't get up at 4:30 for nothing...

I was listening to the radio the other day on my way to work and they were talking about obesity and how out of control it's getting.

This is just another reason I'm glad I found Cathe and Amy who make exercise fun. Cuz I sure did hate it in high school...why couldn't they make it this fun in school...I think Wii is doing a good job of getting folks off the couch.
 
Hijacking this thread to ask where you live in Alabama? And, most importantly, Auburn or Alabama fan?

I live in Mobile:)

Jessica
 
Ummmmm...the "Bottom Buddy" Gross. Totally avoidable.
And I too have some rather obese family members, and at Christmas they sit there and say...Hon, go get me a sprite or some more food and I am trying to wrangle three kids and eat myself!! I love them but it's crazy!
 
atremo11 said:
Ummmmm...the "Bottom Buddy" Gross. Totally avoidable.
And I too have some rather obese family members, and at Christmas they sit there and say...Hon, go get me a sprite or some more food and I am trying to wrangle three kids and eat myself!! I love them but it's crazy!
Click to expand...


I will give you the source of the links I posted. It is an article written by one of my favorite authors on T-Nation.
His column is called "Shugart's Hammer".
I caution everyone before clicking on this link....He uses profanity in his articles. He doesn't sugar coat a thing. (pun intended)

http://www.t-nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=2156143
 
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