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Breaking the Obesity Cycle

Here's a quick take on breaking the Cycle of Obesity.
  1. Every adult takes ownership of their health.
  2. With that ownership, they educate themselves in basic nutrition.
  3. With said nutrition knowledge, they stop (severely limit) consuming processed foods and turn to more whole foods and water.
  4. With a lower consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks, naturally, those benefits will be present for themselves (more energy!) and passed down to their children.
  5. With more energy, they can get off the couch and use their improved mood and mindset to be more physically active.
  6. With more physical activity, along with maintaining their newly found lifestyle, they begin and continue to lose weight.
This is how we break the Cycle of Obesity.

And this is why it will never happen.
 
+coffee with cream and sugar and youre over 1,000

the coffee thing is the easiest one for everybody to fix. you will get accustomed to drinking it black after a week or two and you'll enjoy the coffee more imo
Reminds me of this.

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I’m at lunch watching some ridiculously obese people eat lunch with their on-the-way to ridiculously obese kids. One is a teenager and the other is probably 10. Feel so bad for them, they don’t stand a chance and will be 300+ just like both their parents.

As Michelle found out, just putting good food in front of them during the day doesn’t solve the problem and actually enrages people. Their parents won’t do it either. How do these kids ever learn how to properly eat and not balloon into the ugly, fat American?
Blame it on the transition from agrarian to industrial society, bruh
 
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Teaching that sugar is a poison no different than alcohol or certain other vices for one
Cereal & donuts arent breakfast
Adjust nutrition facts to match actual serving sizes
Liquid calories are the ones that sneak up on you

Short answer: education and will power would make leaps and bounds of difference.
 
Here's a quick take on breaking the Cycle of Obesity.
  1. Every adult takes ownership of their health.
  2. With that ownership, they educate themselves in basic nutrition.
  3. With said nutrition knowledge, they stop (severely limit) consuming processed foods and turn to more whole foods and water.
  4. With a lower consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks, naturally, those benefits will be present for themselves (more energy!) and passed down to their children.
  5. With more energy, they can get off the couch and use their improved mood and mindset to be more physically active.
  6. With more physical activity, along with maintaining their newly found lifestyle, they begin and continue to lose weight.
This is how we break the Cycle of Obesity.

And this is why it will never happen.
Also educating folks that you don't need to go to a gym or run around a track to be active. Just plain walking is an absolutely fantastic way to get exercise. I feel like some folks don't understand that. They think if they have to be active, it's going to require running or hitting up a gym, which the word "gym" alone probably spikes some folks' anxiety. I know I REALLY did not want to start going to one, but after the first few times the anxiety went away and I was good from then on out.
 
Here's a quick take on breaking the Cycle of Obesity.
  1. Every adult takes ownership of their health.
  2. With that ownership, they educate themselves in basic nutrition.
  3. With said nutrition knowledge, they stop (severely limit) consuming processed foods and turn to more whole foods and water.
  4. With a lower consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks, naturally, those benefits will be present for themselves (more energy!) and passed down to their children.
  5. With more energy, they can get off the couch and use their improved mood and mindset to be more physically active.
  6. With more physical activity, along with maintaining their newly found lifestyle, they begin and continue to lose weight.
This is how we break the Cycle of Obesity.

And this is why it will never happen.

Nailed it with Step 1.
 
Genetics plays a big part. Overweight people tend to mate with other overweight people. Their kids aren't exactly starting with champion bloodlines where they are naturally lean. Add to that the bad habits and it just gets worse.
Not sure it’s genetics. I’d need to see data for that. If it is, it would be a complicated path (not autosomal dominant and involvement of multiple genes). I think it’s environment. Cities versus suburban sprawl. Obese people spend a lot of time not moving. It’s changes in perception of average/normal weight, what is a reasonable portion of food, access to cheap calories, hobbies, etc. Being obese with the exception of some health conditions (eg hypothyroidism) is ultimately very simple (too many calories in and too few out) and also difficult to deal with (people have set points and habits they establish that are incredibly difficult to change).
 
Fatties with very young obese children are the worst.

Child abuse in my book.
This, and it also makes people automatically blame the child obesity on genetics. Maybe when the parents are both fat from eating too much, and not exercising, the children are also eating too much and not exercising. That's certainly a cycle, but not necessarily genetics.
 
This, and it also makes people automatically blame the child obesity on genetics. Maybe when the parents are both fat from eating too much, and not exercising, the children are also eating too much and not exercising. That's certainly a cycle, but not necessarily genetics.
Exactly. Long time ago, as a freshly graduated college student I used to work in a job that had me in people's homes. Fat children with the choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner for burger king, KFC, wendy's, or mcdonalds. See it with my son with some of his friends. The fat ones are drinking sodas, eating lots of junk food, overly involved in video games and averse to sports. That's learned behavior.
 
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This, and it also makes people automatically blame the child obesity on genetics. Maybe when the parents are both fat from eating too much, and not exercising, the children are also eating too much and not exercising. That's certainly a cycle, but not necessarily genetics.
Only in rare cases does a 8 year have any business being fat....most cases are parents/caregivers shoving crap down their throats and sitting them in front of the TV or Ipad
 
Eat less and exercise more. I firmly believe 99% of the obesity problem is a willpower problem.

Also, our restaurant portion sizes are ridiculously large.
I think obesity is multi-factorial. It's a heterogeneous problem. Yes, it's simple in that it is too many calories in and too few out. But, there's learning and there's also addiction. There's a big psychological component. In many people, you're talking about breaking decades of learned eating habits, activity habits, and coping skills. There's an interaction too with neurophysiology. You modify brain expectations and appetitive drives with behaviour. The inertia of this is a difficult problem because for many people who are obese, it is a massive lifestyle change to fix it.

It's easy to exercise when you're already relatively fit. When you're obese, everything hurts. Your energy is poor. Maybe you already have metabolic syndrome. . . diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea. . . You're tired, you're so deconditioned that it feels like vigorous exercise to walk at a slow speed for 20 minutes. That's a tough situation.

Bariatric surgery is a solution that works for some people, but many of those people gain the weight back after a few years by changing their eating habits to adapt to reduced stomach capacity (eat all day instead of large meals).
 
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Walk into a Kwik trip or Casey's and what do you trip over, shelfs of sweet rolls.
And day-old boxes with no less than a half dozen to feed you all day.
Wally World too for all the poors here
 
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This, and it also makes people automatically blame the child obesity on genetics. Maybe when the parents are both fat from eating too much, and not exercising, the children are also eating too much and not exercising. That's certainly a cycle, but not necessarily genetics.

Yep. Seeing it in action a couple days ago was my impetus for creating this thread. Two 300+ pounder shoving everything on the fried appetizer section of the menu down their throats and the kids doing the same. The teenage boy was probably already 225 and the 10 year old girl was on her way. Poor kids never stood a chance.

I really think it's a nearly impossible cycle to break because of all the many reasons presented in this thread.

I feel sorry for the kids. I love food. There's a ton of joy to be had over good meals. However, being obese robs these kids of so many more things in life.
 
This, and it also makes people automatically blame the child obesity on genetics. Maybe when the parents are both fat from eating too much, and not exercising, the children are also eating too much and not exercising. That's certainly a cycle, but not necessarily genetics.

There are many babies that are born unusually fat. More than just normal baby fat. You will also see 2-3 month olds that are observably obese. Are they being crammed with formula or breast milk to gain all of that weight? Not exercising enough?

I don't think anybody is promoting the idea that genetics are the only cause of obesity but they definitely play a part. Behavior/habits also play a part but it's more complicated than that. There are psychological challenges with some people. Body type is also a factor. Google ectomporph/endomorph/mesomorph. Some people stay lean naturally while others have to work to get or stay lean. Combine lots of endomorph body types with low will power, psychological issues, bad learned behaviors growing up etc...
 
That’s fantastic.

I have lost 6lbs in the last few weeks by just minimizing non-nutritional foods and cutting out stuff like bread. And eating less when going out to eat. I realized I am full after eating half a meal, and stopped mindlessly finishing the meal and instead take it home for leftovers.

I am eating pretty much what I want and still losing weight. We just have too much junk food and portion sizes are unnecessary most times.
Sorry but this cracked me up, you lost 6 pounds in a few weeks? Out of curiosity what is your normal weight?
 
Walk and counting calories is all you real
Walk into a Kwik trip or Casey's and what do you trip over, shelfs of sweet rolls.
And day-old boxes with no less than a half dozen to feed you all day.
kwik trip has an excellent selection of Apples ( usually 3 types ) bananas, pears, and some now even peaches. Bananas are like $0.39 a pound and the fruit about $0.88 each. Way cheaper than a donut or candy.

Unless you want to regulate choice it’s up to the individual. Freedom of choice doesn’t mean no consequences. Same goes for drugs and alcohol.

I would tax fat people and give the money to the non-fat people. Make a game out of it.
 
6 pounds just seems like a normal flux in weight on any given week. I'll lose 5 to 8 pounds from Monday to Wednesday some weeks. Also can gain that much also.
I can fluctuate 7-8 pounds in a single day between morning and night time. Not talking about that kind of “weight loss.” I’m talking about a consistent morning weight.
 
With the advent of every kid being provided breakfast and lunch at school, what do those meals look like? i.e. are they contributing to kids being fatties?
 
With the advent of every kid being provided breakfast and lunch at school, what do those meals look like? i.e. are they contributing to kids being fatties?
Zero chance school lunches were ever contributing to being fat. For poor kids it’s all the calories they might get. I think school lunches should be high in calories.

It’s what they eat 24/7/365 that is the problem. School lunches is an insignificant amount of calories consumed during a calendar year. If it isn’t, those kids need them.
 
I can fluctuate 7-8 pounds in a single day between morning and night time. Not talking about that kind of “weight loss.” I’m talking about a consistent morning weight.
I assumed that, that's the same for everyone. I weigh myself every morning. Monday's I'll weight anywhere from 173 to 176. By Thursday it's 167 to 170 just depends on the week and what I have going on. I'm not very good on weekends obviously!

Sorry if my comment came off as derogatory, just found that interesting.
 
Here's a quick take on breaking the Cycle of Obesity.
  1. Every adult takes ownership of their health.
  2. With that ownership, they educate themselves in basic nutrition.
  3. With said nutrition knowledge, they stop (severely limit) consuming processed foods and turn to more whole foods and water.
  4. With a lower consumption of processed foods and sugary drinks, naturally, those benefits will be present for themselves (more energy!) and passed down to their children.
  5. With more energy, they can get off the couch and use their improved mood and mindset to be more physically active.
  6. With more physical activity, along with maintaining their newly found lifestyle, they begin and continue to lose weight.
This is how we break the Cycle of Obesity.

And this is why it will never happen.
One thing that the government can do is to go back to only food staples like milk and eggs are eligible for food stamps. People on food assistance shouldn't be able to use those funds to buy processed crap.
 
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There are many babies that are born unusually fat. More than just normal baby fat. You will also see 2-3 month olds that are observably obese. Are they being crammed with formula or breast milk to gain all of that weight? Not exercising enough?

I don't think anybody is promoting the idea that genetics are the only cause of obesity but they definitely play a part. Behavior/habits also play a part but it's more complicated than that. There are psychological challenges with some people. Body type is also a factor. Google ectomporph/endomorph/mesomorph. Some people stay lean naturally while others have to work to get or stay lean. Combine lots of endomorph body types with low will power, psychological issues, bad learned behaviors growing up etc...
Physics says that if you consume more calories than you burn (or expel), you'll add weight. Yes people have different metabolisms. Bottom line is that people don't have to be fat.

I was at a concert last month. I sat next to a family of three. Dad was about 5'8" and around 300#. Mom was about 5'5" and around 250#. Kid was about 9 years old, 5'4" and about 180#. Intermission they all disappear. Kid comes back with a large soft drink, large bucket of popcorn, and 2 candy bars. It's pretty clear that no matter how genetically inclined the kid is to be fat, he f**king eats too much, and eats crap.
 
Also educating folks that you don't need to go to a gym or run around a track to be active. Just plain walking is an absolutely fantastic way to get exercise. I feel like some folks don't understand that. They think if they have to be active, it's going to require running or hitting up a gym, which the word "gym" alone probably spikes some folks' anxiety. I know I REALLY did not want to start going to one, but after the first few times the anxiety went away and I was good from then on out.

I don't think anybody should have to pay out of pocket for a gym membership. It should be a benefit that is paid by your health insurance, if we're being really serious about this. Would probably save the insurance company a ton of money having a healthier insured pool

Or another idea is that there are community health centers built and operated by your local parks & rec dept that is free to local citizens.

Just being active is 99% of the battle. Also need to monitor your calories intake and calorie burn. A Garmin watch is great for tracking the burn, really gives you insight on how active you need to be. I am on a "diet" per se. Starting Jan 1 last year I decided to make some lifestyle changes. I was overweight, the numbers would say obese but I wasn't a fat ass like so many of the people you see. I carried my weight well and more resembled an offensive lineman, call it athletically obese. Makes sense since I was a defensive lineman in college.

Basically, I cut out the carbs and processed foods. Started going to the gym and hit the elliptical for an hour a day until I melted off enough pounds to safely run. Also, hit the golf course 3-4 times a week and walked 9 holes on weeknights and 18 on weekends. That's 3.5 to 7 mile walks right there. Too cold to golf now so am back at the gym 5 out of 7 days. Last night's workout was 50 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minute run, and 20 minutes of weights - bench, flies, curls, and triceps. According to my Garmin watch I burned 950 calories.

I've lost 70 lbs since Jan 1 and have a goal to burn about 30 more. I've hit a wall in the weight loss dept the last few months but my body is changing and shrinking as I replace fat weight with muscle weight, so I don't really sweat weigh-ins as long as my body keeps changing and looking more athletic. The weight will take care of itself.

If you don't want to be fat you don't have to be and you really don't have to give up food if you don't want to you just need to work off what you take in. Obviously, if you add a diet to your plan it makes it easier.
 
Growing up in the 80s this was considered fat-

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Nowadays most wouldn't bat an eye at this morbidity. When was the last time you saw a group of kids riding around the neighborhood on bikes doing sweet jumps?
 
One thing that the government can do is to go back to only food staples like milk and eggs are eligible for food stamps. People on food assistance shouldn't be able to use those funds to buy processed crap.

One program I was impressed with is that the State of Maryland will match dollar for dollar up to $40/week to use its food stamps card (whatever it's called here) on things purchased at farmers markets. It puts healthier food in peoples' hands and helps out local producers.

I guess you can use it on breakfast pastries if you want, but it gives you the option of buying more fresh produce if you meet the need for assistance......and there is no shortage of farmers markets in Maryland
 
I’ve got absolutely nothing scientific to back this up except anecdote, but I’ll believe it forever. Some people are more naturally addicted to things than other people are. I don’t know if it’s genetic I assume it is but I don’t know that.

Some people can drink a few and have a good time. Other people cannot drink a single drink of alcohol without getting wasted.

I cannot have opioids. I had a prescription a number of years ago and I was instantly addicted. They made me feel so good and the desire for more was so intense. Luckily I threw the bottle away or I would be living in the sewer.

Some people are simply addicted to food. Some people view food as fuel and simply eat when they are hungry. Other people have an addiction, psychological or physical, to overeating. It’s really hard to break an addiction.
 
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To answer the actual question, health insurance is probably the only realistic way it gets addressed but I'm not confident we're even close to that yet.
 
Food is fuel. Once you realize that it becomes easier. Sure, there are some things that taste great and you want to binge but most food is just ok so just eat enough to fuel the tank.
I'm pretty sedentary at this point. I get up, trudge up to my office and sit in my desk chair for 8-10 hours. I don't need much fuel. I don't usually have breakfast and if I do I won't have lunch. I don't need both. I have a smallish dinner and maybe a small snack later. I vary 10 lbs throughout the year but people think I'm thin and fit. I'm not really either, but I'm not very fat.
My wife (53-subtle brag) and I (64) have both lost 30-35 lbs since June through Intermittent Fasting and walking a lot. I never eat breakfast and don't believe in fad diets but this one has been fairly easy for me. We fast from 8 pm to noon and eat in between. During fasting you can have water or black coffee and from noon to 8 pm you can eat what you want. Obviously if you take in 5,000 calories it probably won't work. The key is the 16 hours of fasting which triggers your body to use up stored fat. There are various methods of Intermittent as some fast for 18 while others fast 2 days of the week. I just had to cut out late night snacks but a cup of coffee helps. I also have started monitoring what I do eat better. Wife is a nut and has also incorporated Keto in her eating period but I like to eat what I want, just better. We try to walk 3-5 miles outside each day and usually longer on the weekends, but the weather will most likely change that.
 
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