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OlympiaStoica

33% of Americans obese ... 63% overweight

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In this age (and country) of 50lb toddles and 700lb adults, how do you personaly avoid being part of that statistic?



Ride a bicycle or walk most places and eat reasonable amounts of food, where splitting an entree with my wife is one solution to not eating too much in spite of large portions served.

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And why is it that Europe (and the rest of the world for that matter) doesn't have this same problem?



They have dense cities in which they walk between locations and/or mass-transit instead of living in big suburban houses where land is cheap and driving door-to-door to work or shop.

Restaurant portions are smaller in Europe. Sodas are smaller and more expensive, with a 0,2 liter glass of Coke having 81 calories costing more than a 191 calorie pint in a nice American restaurant (often with free refills) or 526 calorie Super Big Gulp or fast-food comparable.

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>By the way, McDonald's I consider as very healthy, controlled food input . . .

An equivalent amount of greens (in weight, cost, calories, pretty much whatever metric you want to use) is better for you than a typical meal at McDonald's. In general, fatty red meat, HFCS and white bread isn't as good for you as fruit and vegetables.

In small doses, of course, it doesn't do too much harm. But McDonald's meals cannot really be described as "very healthy" any more than driving home drunk can be described as "very safe."

(On the plus side, they are starting to offer healthier alternatives.)

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All I have to do is look around to know that we as Americans are in the midst of an epidemic …



Sweetie, there are fat people in other countries. Have you ever traveled through Europe? I have and I can tell you that food is much more expensive.

You pay a lot for a very small proportion of food. You don’t have the Cheesecake Factory or Macaroni Grill style restaurants in Europe. You either have ultra expensive fine dinning or crappy hole in the wall eateries.

The food sucks in most European countries. You would have to pay $30 to get the equivalent of a large sub at Quiznos.

Our way of life enables us to get large proportions for reasonable prices. This is something to be proud of, but we need to manage ourselves better with exercise.

Europeans can hate on us all they want. They would pig out if they had what he have.

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The food sucks in most European countries. You would have to pay $30 to get the equivalent of a large sub at Quiznos.

I've only been to Europe a few times, but we ate okay on the cheap. I do think food is cheaper in the U.S. but not by the factor of 5 or 6 your $30 sandwich would indicate. I'm proud to say I never ate in McDonalds anywhere in Europe. We ate at one in Bejing, but more as a lark for our kids.

Why are Americans fat? Easy access to too much food, no exercise, and suburban lifestyles that keep our big butts riding around in cars instead of biking and walking.

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Oh yes, the good old picture..

http://voorgevorderden.com/images/difference_eu_and_us.jpg

Proud to be a European B|


I took my wife, A Finn, to Paris 4 years ago. She hated it!
In Finland she is a Medium, in the US she is a size 6, in Paris.....they just don't make clothes that big!
Well clothes any one wants to wear any way!
Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

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In this age (and country) of 50lb toddles and 700lb adults, how do you personaly avoid being part of that statistic?

If you think it's bad now, wait until you get a tandem rating and start hauling these fat people around.:P:D:D

Seriously, it sucks sometimes.[:/]


Don't worry;
I hear Booth and Precision will be introducing the new 1000sf tandem canopies shortly.:P
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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Why are Americans fat? Easy access to too much food, no exercise, and suburban lifestyles that keep our big butts riding around in cars instead of biking and walking.



Yep, very much true.
"Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." James Dean

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I also have a 29in waist and a six pack.



I have six-pack abs, but in a different sense of the expression.:P


So what yer sayin' is that he brought a 6-pack, but you brought a keg?:P
Some people refrain from beating a dead horse. Personally, I find a myriad of entertainment value when beating it until it becomes a horse-smoothie.

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Ah, yes. The BMI charts. What fun they are. I'm 6'1" and weigh 194. That is overweight. Okay. I think I could stand to lose some weight.

Here's what is preposterous. I could lose 65 pounds and be in the "normal" BMI. Yep. 6'1" and 140 pounds is considered "normal" weight for a guy. Anyone here ever see a guy 6'1" and 140? I have seen a few.

Yes - Americans have larger waists than anywhere else. But Europe is catching up. In my experience, the contempt that Europeans have for McDonald's is matched only by their love of the Big Mac. Obesity is becoming a problem there, too.

Add to it that fatty food = tasty food, and fatty food is also inexpensive and we have a situation of calorie rich foods being first choice.

And since kids don't go play outside anymore, they are sedentary. This is also spreading through the world.

Healthy lifestyles are difficult. I know this well, being a former fat guy who became a skinny guy who is now in between.


My wife is hotter than your wife.

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Add to it that fatty food = tasty food,



As illustrated by "The French Paradox" it's all about quantity and exercise to compensate. Although French cuisine is about things like cheese, butter, and duck fat, the French are slim with their high population density that makes walking viable and more attractive than driving.

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Healthy lifestyles are difficult. I know this well, being a former fat guy who became a skinny guy who is now in between.



Living places with density, planning, and climate that make cycling viable you can burn off 500-1000 calories a day just getting around.

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It is a constant battle.. and speaking for myself, an obsession. I admit that I am a serial dieter. But I am also very active in my free time.

I could probably write a book on this thread, but I'll just pick one point. I believe eating out is the biggest lifestlye change people can make to make a change for the better. When I was a kid, eating out was for special occasions.. birthday's and such. It was definitley a treat, and not the norm. It seems to be the opposite now. Eating out 3x per week should seem like a lot... what do you think?

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Here's what is preposterous. I could lose 65 pounds and be in the "normal" BMI. Yep. 6'1" and 140 pounds is considered "normal" weight for a guy. Anyone here ever see a guy 6'1" and 140?



I have a cyclist friend who is 6'1" and 150.
I can't even ride with the guy because he climbs so fast there is no way a guy my size (6'1" & 190), can keep up. And he can't climb at my speed because his bike doesn't have gears low enough; He doesn't need them.
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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It seems to be the opposite now. Eating out 3x per week should seem like a lot... what do you think?

I totally agree. I grew up on home cooking, and so have my kids. Going out to a restaurant in a once a month thing, maybe. Sure, a lot of people have busy lifestyles, but we can put a cooked meal on the table as quickly as driving to the restaurant, ordering, waiting, etc. It's more of a budget choice for us, but we also stay in pretty good shape.:)

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All I have to do is look around to know that we as Americans are in the midst of an epidemic … but reading those statistics in a news article yesterday still sounded unbelievable.

In this age (and country) of 50lb toddles and 700lb adults, how do you personaly avoid being part of that statistic? And why is it that Europe (and the rest of the world for that matter) doesn't have this same problem?

O



Well if we could just do the same thing we did with the schoiol system and dumb it all down - I'm in perfect shape!
I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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All I have to do is look around to know that we as Americans are in the midst of an epidemic …



Sweetie, there are fat people in other countries. Have you ever traveled through Europe? I have and I can tell you that food is much more expensive.



Have I been to Europe? No ... I was only born there ... and spent the first 24 years of my life. Sure there are "fat people" everywhere ... nowhere in the world to the extent we have here in the US ... and that's an undisputed fact.

O

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All I have to do is look around to know that we as Americans are in the midst of an epidemic …



Sweetie, there are fat people in other countries. Have you ever traveled through Europe? I have and I can tell you that food is much more expensive.



Have I been to Europe? No ... I was only born there ... and spent the first 24 years of my life. Sure there are "fat people" everywhere ... nowhere in the world to the extent we have here in the US ... and that's an undisputed fact.

O



I don't think the US beats the rest of the world when it comes to fat people. If the link doesn't work, just google fattest countries in the world.

http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/obesity.html
"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
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Iceberg lettuce, boring though it might be, isn't a bad way to get some greens in.



Actually, iceberg lettuce may be cheap, but has close to zero nutritional value. It's mostly water and some fiber. If you want lettuce or greens, opt for darker ones, like romaine or green leaf.

As for BMI, it is very missleading. Currently I'm working on climbing out of the 19 range which is a result of regular running and still considered to be healthy. Well, it's not.:| Two weeks of my mom's cooking, moderate exercise and a few pounds later I feel a lot better.

Plus I don't want to look like Madonna...:S


"I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."

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