What's the solution to American obesity?

[Rickson]

Originally Posted by Deano

Eventually there will be a tall thin good looking ruling class, and a short fat ugly worker class.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...t-species.html

[Loner]

Originally Posted by FormLetter

I brought this up with my doctor last time I talked to him. I was asking him if he would place any kind of limit on weight gain for me, and he said he wouldn't gain more than X pounds, where X put me at the top end of the "normal/healthy" range of BMI. I sought clarification by "what if it is was all lean muscle mass", and he maintained the limit of X pounds. He supported that stance by saying that even if it is muscle, the BMI does a good job of measuring the stress on your heart and other organs. He agreed that you can't use it to determine who is fat or fit or things like that, but that for overall health and longevity, it is still valuable.

Except that fit "obese" people live longer than sedentary "skinny" people, so your doctor's a moran.

[Guerilla poster]

Originally Posted by Standtall

If you propose that in America, you will be branded a racist.

Bloomberg tried to do things like that and disallow using food stamps for soda, and was handed his butthole.

[notreallyme]

Originally Posted by Smart Actuary

I dont know why the pharma industry has failed to come up with a magic pill like viagara or cyalis, that metls the pounds in weeks.

It's called Meth, but the side effects are a beootch.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

Originally Posted by FormLetter

I brought this up with my doctor last time I talked to him. I was asking him if he would place any kind of limit on weight gain for me, and he said he wouldn't gain more than X pounds, where X put me at the top end of the "normal/healthy" range of BMI. I sought clarification by "what if it is was all lean muscle mass", and he maintained the limit of X pounds. He supported that stance by saying that even if it is muscle, the BMI does a good job of measuring the stress on your heart and other organs. He agreed that you can't use it to determine who is fat or fit or things like that, but that for overall health and longevity, it is still valuable.

Your doctor hasn't seen the results from the latest studies. People who are slightly overweight by BMI actually live longer. But don't tell anyone that the 'extra' 10 pounds might be doing you some good.

[Harry]

Originally Posted by R. Daneel Olivaw

Your doctor hasn't seen the results from the latest studies. People who are slightly overweight by BMI actually live longer. But don't tell anyone that the 'extra' 10 pounds might be doing you some good.

Ya, an extra 10 pounds. Not an extra 110 pounds.

[FormLetter]

Originally Posted by Loner

Except that fit "obese" people live longer than sedentary "skinny" people, so your doctor's a moran.

He wasn't putting quotes around words as he spoke.

Maybe my post wasn't clear.

He was using me as the starting point, and assuming some level of moderate fitness. So if you go from moderately fit and not muscular to moderately fit and muscular enough to reach the upper ranges on BMI, you increase your health risks and decrease your longevity.

He wasn't saying someone packing some extra fat couldnt' actually be fairly healthy. Though he did say all actuaries will get cancer of the AIDS of the balls in hell.

[twig93]

Originally Posted by Jack

Instead of taxing soda just stop subsidizing corn.

The nation is increasingly fat, not becuase we're emotionally weaker than in the past, but becuase crappy food is so freakin cheap. Crappy food is cheap becuase of corn subsidies.

Originally Posted by article

The committee did not endorse the call by food activist Michael Pollan and others to eliminate farm subsidies that make high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and other obesity-promoting foods very cheap. "There is no evidence subsidies contribute to obesity," said Glickman.

Sure, the fact that a can (six servings) of Pringles costs less than a single apple has nothing to do with obesity. Rrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiigggghhhhttttttt.

What if we switched all the corn subsidies to fruit and vegetable subsidies?

Unfortunately healthy food is still generally more labor-intensive to prepare and/or eat, and it goes bad faster than the junk that is responsible for the obesity epidemic. So even if you adjust the prices, people will still buy the easy-to-deal-with junk because they think that their time is worth more than their health.

Getting healthier food into schools would be a good start. I remember watching a program about a small for-profit outfit that was able to provide healthy food in school cafeterias cheaper than the subsidized fattening crap that the gummint run cafeterias had previously been doling out. With no other changes, test scores went up, absenteeism went down, suspensions went down, etc. You are what you eat and apparently kids who eat fruit, veggies, lean protein and complex carbohydrates are a lot less likely to be flunkies, druggies, sickies and behavior problems than kids who eat Doritos and Coca-Cola and salty, greasy grilled cheese sandwiches on Wonder bread. Go figure.

[Pseudolus]

Originally Posted by twig93

Sure, the fact that a can (six servings) of Pringles costs less than a single apple has nothing to do with obesity. Rrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiigggghhhhttttttt.

I'd think it has a crapload more to do with the fact that most people prefer eating salty fried potatoes to eating apples. I'm for ending subsides but I think that expecting that to have any measurable impact on health is a pipe dream.

I remember watching a program about a small for-profit outfit that was able to provide healthy food in school cafeterias cheaper than the subsidized fattening crap that the gummint run cafeterias had previously been doling out. With no other changes, test scores went up, absenteeism went down, suspensions went down, etc. You are what you eat and apparently kids who eat fruit, veggies, lean protein and complex carbohydrates are a lot less likely to be flunkies, druggies, sickies and behavior problems than kids who eat Doritos and Coca-Cola and salty, greasy grilled cheese sandwiches on Wonder bread. Go figure.

I officially doubt your anecdote, particularly beyond the very short term. (Any "new" program in schools - curriculum, what have you - often results in short-term improvement, even if the new program itself is pure placebo. The thought is that new stuff focuses people's attention, makes them feel motivated, etc. Can't remember the name of the effect, but it's a thing that is.)

[Guerilla poster]

People are biologically engineered to eat crappy fattening food, the only way around it is a society that mocks people for being fat. But, please keep guns away from the mocked fat people, imo. I saw that military movie with the fat guy.