NationStates Jolt Archive

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Time and time again you hear the stereotype of the fat American, either in regards to actual body fat or just "fat" as in stupid and ignorant. While the latter judgment is often just a result of foreign ignorance as well, the first most definitely has merit. Fast food is often blamed, as well as television, video games, the computer, and other things, when in reality these are all simply excuses. What's really to blame is the culture in which we Americans live.

I for one eat fast food often. I enjoy watching shows such as SportsCenter, Law and Order, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, West Wing, and of course Nip/Tuck...in fact I watch these shows regularly. I also play video games within reason, and write and roleplay a good bit on this and other internet sites. Still, I am far from obese, fat, or even overweight.

How do I do this? I balance time. I make sure that I lift four times a week, and run when I can to keep myself in shape. It's a conscious commitment that has to be made, but when I look in the mirror and realize that I'm a ripped 6'3" 205 lb attractive guy, it's all worth it.

But enough about me. Perhaps, as an athlete, I'm an exception. Perhaps I just don't make excuses. Parents constantly feed their kids to shut them up. Give the kids a snack and sit them down in front of the television and the parent has a little more time. This is pathetic. Not only is it bad parenting, but look at the habits being taught: stuffing your face while on the couch. The parents themselves are not much better, sitting down in front of the tube after work eating their TV dinners while complaining that they don’t have enough time to exercise.

Lately there has been a rash of uproar about teenage girls and eating disorders. Thanks to these girls (and guys too at times) who could not deal with their personal problems, there has been a horrible backlash. People preach that you should be happy with how you are, telling fat kids that they’re beautiful as they stuff their face with potato chips. As more and more kids become obese at younger ages, parents are in an uproar over teens dieting.

The problem with this is that you’re telling fat kids, who still have a chance to turn their life around, that being fat is ok. You even hear the fat girls making fun of the attractive girls for being “sticks” when they are hardly so. These kids will grow up fat, have kids of their own, and spread their disillusioned message on to a new overweight generation.

What happened to eating a balanced diet? What happened to getting regular exercise? As gym classes across the nation are being either cut or being made less rigorous, more and more kids are waking up with their middle age bulge at the age of twelve. But now it’s not their fault, is it? No, there are lists of excuses why people are fat, and why they won’t take the iniative to recover from their illness. Obesity is poised to overtake smoking as the number one killer of Americans, and not only is it not being stopped, but it is being promoted.

Wake up. If you’re fat you’re not beautiful, but more importantly than that, you’re not healthy. The day you stop eating your twinkies and start running for a half hour each day is akin to the day you put down that pack of cigarettes. This horrendous trend can be reversed, but action much be taken.

A choice must be made.

Fun.

Apparently, I'm in that wonderful category of "fidgety" people that gets constant excersize. Otherwise, I do lug around a drum set and several musical instruments every day and all that.

And I skateboard and play street-hockey.

Of course, I gorge myself on Cajun food and intake at least 3,000 calories every day (mostly carbs). :D

Fun.

Apparently, I'm in that wonderful category of "fidgety" people that gets constant excersize. Otherwise, I do lug around a drum set and several musical instruments every day and all that.

And I skateboard and play street-hockey.

Of course, I gorge myself on Cajun food and intake at least 3,000 calories every day (mostly carbs). :D

um....cool?

Anyhow I meant this thread to be a debate on the multiple issues regarding obesity.

It wasn't intended as a "What do you do to keep in shape?" type thing.

Well heres a nice general statement then if you dont want to hear about how we work out.

Americans are more lazy than everyone else, therefore they are obese. You dont exercise and eat crap, therefore you are fat.

All the developed countries are full of lazy people, it just happens that americans are better at doing nothing. Its pretty simple, I dont understand why people cant seem to grasp this simple fact...

Eat less shit and move around more often, no need to probe the issue. ;)

I know. I can't stand the bullshit about fat people not being to blame for their obesity.

Guess I should have made the topic American liberals conservatives atheists god bush democrat abortion Obesity....

I personaly beat the crap out of a punching bag with a six foot staff every day, or another person with a six foot staff, which is more fun. Of course, often times they have pads, except for that one kid who tried to come at me with a knife because I made fun of his hair at school.
Important note:
Never attack somebody with a six foot pole if you only have a pocket knife, they WILL break your wrist. Hehe.

Well heres a nice general statement then if you dont want to hear about how we work out.

Americans are more lazy than everyone else, therefore they are obese. You dont exercise and eat crap, therefore you are fat.

All the developed countries are full of lazy people, it just happens that americans are better at doing nothing. Its pretty simple, I dont understand why people cant seem to grasp this simple fact...

Eat less shit and move around more often, no need to probe the issue. ;)

That's pretty much it. The hard part (for me) is actually doing it. The only way I'm likely to lose weight is if there is literally no food available to me.

OK. I'm a guy, in my early forties who eats a balanced diet.
I used to play all kinds of sports, either playing or training six days a week.
Then I blew my knees up (artifical turf and a chop block). For some years I kept my shape, but now it is beginning to go west. What can I do. My knees won't take any impacts whatsoever, ther are no swimming facilities near where I live and cycling on the roads here is just plain suicide. I have changed my diet, but no great effect yet.

All I am really saying is that it is not always something that you have control over. I agree that the culture needs to change, and not just in the USA, in the world.

But don't always assume the guy in his forties who is a little overweight is that way because he doesn't care. He may care very much but literally not be allowed by his doctors to do a damn thing about it.

Parents constantly feed their kids to shut them up. Give the kids a snack and sit them down in front of the television and the parent has a little more time. This is pathetic. Not only is it bad parenting, but look at the habits being taught: stuffing your face while on the couch.

I totally agree with that. I wish I could get someone I know to realize that.

Agree with the rest of your post too, although really... I don't know that it's a culprit of much, rather the symptom of a greater disease which you allude to right there... bad parenting, and such.

OK. I'm a guy, in my early forties who eats a balanced diet.
I used to play all kinds of sports, either playing or training six days a week.
Then I blew my knees up (artifical turf and a chop block). For some years I kept my shape, but now it is beginning to go west. What can I do. My knees won't take any impacts whatsoever, ther are no swimming facilities near where I live and cycling on the roads here is just plain suicide. I have changed my diet, but no great effect yet.

All I am really saying is that it is not always something that you have control over. I agree that the culture needs to change, and not just in the USA, in the world. But don't always assume the guy in his forties who is a little overweight
is that way because he doesn't care. He may care very much but literally not be allowed by his doctors to do a damn thing about it.

I don't think he was focusing his attention on middle-aged people such as yourself, but rather the youth population who sit in front of the couch and stuff their faces, rather than go out and play.

But I mean, that's not always the cause. Me for example, I'm 16, 5'8 and 135, I sit in front of the couch, I'm lazy, and I probably eat upwards of 4000 calories a day, but I still excersize somewhat regularly. Maybe it's just because I wrestle. Huh. I don't know.

I would agree with steel butterfly. I certainly would not call myself terribly attractive, but I am far from overweight. I used to have quite a few excess pounds about a year ago, but after one year of running and weight training, there is already a huge difference. I am only 17, I thought I didn't have to worry about my weight until I was older, because adults were always complaining about how they could not eat anything because they would gain weight from it, but 'You kids' could eat all you want and not gain an ounce. apparently not.

Maybe it's just where I live, but most of the fat people I know think that being fat makes them somehow mentally and morally superior to everyone else. I don't get it. They couldn't even complete a 100m dash, and yet they think themselves gods among mortals. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?

(BTW, I live in Germany, but we have the same rising problem over here, just not on a number scale that you have in America)

I personaly beat the crap out of a punching bag with a six foot staff every day, or another person with a six foot staff, which is more fun. Of course, often times they have pads, except for that one kid who tried to come at me with a knife because I made fun of his hair at school.
Important note:
Never attack somebody with a six foot pole if you only have a pocket knife, they WILL break your wrist. Hehe.

what a hardass. i'm so impressed.

So... Americans are fat (thank god im not) ... Everyone has their Vice... and while Americans will be dying of Heart diesease and diabetes.. so Europeans will be dying of Lung cancer as they smoke like there was no tomorrow...

Aparently they havn't read the surgeon generals warning yet ^_^ (thats the only reason i hate traveling to Europe.. every time i do i lose another few years of my life to second hand smoke)

I personaly beat the crap out of a punching bag with a six foot staff every day, or another person with a six foot staff, which is more fun. Of course, often times they have pads, except for that one kid who tried to come at me with a knife because I made fun of his hair at school.
Important note:
Never attack somebody with a six foot pole if you only have a pocket knife, they WILL break your wrist. Hehe.
what if they have one of these :mp5: or these :sniper: or these :cool:
:D anyways...

I think this could be blamed on consumerism.

I recently went from America to Sweden, and the difference in the grocery stores is the biggest reason I've lost 10 pounds. The 'crap' just isn't available out here, the same way that truly healthy snacks aren't available in US stores. Here, the main sort of snackie is a lightly flavored rice cake. They're tastier than any chip or cookie I've had in 2 dozen years in the US, and just as equally munchable, but with like almost no calorie gain. There's very little soda to be had here too.. I mean, you can find it, but juice or coffee or tea is way more common.

Also, there is more public transport, things are in walking distance a lot. Even if you do go down to a MickeyDs or a Burger King and get yourself some foods, the drinks don't get much bigger than the US 'small' and 'super sizing' something is rare.

I guess maybe you could turn around and say that it's provided in the US because the demand is greater there, but it's hard for me to go that deeply into this without any facts. All I know is what I see, and I left a junkfood filled overwieght city and landed in a place where people walk when they want to go somewhere and the food stores focus more on veggies than ice cream. Interpersonal relationships are more important than your bank account here too, funny that :P

The real culprit for Obesity is sociatal acceptance of it. While I frankly don't care if someone wants to eat themselves to death, I don't want to have to "share" (e.g. give up) personal space to their overarching blobs.

Unfortunately too many people/companies are cowed by "advocacy groups" and "Civil Rights" shysters to actually stand up to a blob and say - "Sorry, you have to pay for TWO seats on this plane/train/bus." Or better yet, "Sorry, your fat ass is too big for safe emergency egress from this plane/train/bus/building - go somewhere else so I don't have to watch you commit slow suicide."

That being said, my beef is with MORBID obesity (outliers on the bell curve - of which there are too many) - not the skewed vision of "Obese is anyone bigger than Twiggy". If you can grab a handful of fat when you are standing at attention, you eat too damn much for your activity level. Period.

what a hardass. i'm so impressed.
And I should have just let him slice my face up? Or taken him on hand to hand?
I prefer to come out of fights minus all possible injuries.

Anyhow I meant this thread to be a debate on the multiple issues regarding obesity.


You sure it wasn't just part of a careful plan to put up a pic of a fat chick?

By the way ... can you prove that chick is American?

I dont believe obsessing over size is helpful. I was a slightly chubby child with a most unfortunate posture, even when I was stick thin at one point, I believed I should loose 'just a bit more'. In retrospect when I see video tapes of myself at my thinest I realise that if I had lost just a bit more, I would have been unhealthily thin. My inability to realise that I was bordering on ill health (and my conviction that I still needed to loose a bit) appears to me to be a result of constant harping about size when I was younger. I'm certainly not 'fat' but despite knowing this intellectually, I have trouble accepting it emotionally, I feel due to too much emphasis on size when I was a child. When I was at my thinnest, I was buying my clothes off the childrens rack and still convinced that I needed to loose weight! That has got to be unhealthy!

I think it's best to focus on cause rather than effect. It's not healthy to eat poorly (be it too much, too little amount wise, or just to much of the 'wrong foods' or not enough of the 'right foods'), it's unhealthy to not exercise regularly, be it dedicated training, or simply structuring your lifestyle so that you take the opportunity to walk up the stairs rather than take the lift. Size isnt a direct indication of health. The ''best" size for one person is an unhealthy size for another. Those who's size is outside the realm of genetic variance (ie who are unhealthy due to excess of energy in, relative to energy out) would be better helped by realistic advice that refers to their behaviour rather then thier size. Size in such instances is a symptom of poor health habits and strain this places on their body. Focussing on size can lead to distortions in how a person 'percieves' their body shape, and frankly is a distraction, people need to concentrate on changing the causes of ill health, rather than obsessing over any one symptom thereof...

You sure it wasn't just part of a careful plan to put up a pic of a fat chick?

By the way ... can you prove that chick is American?

heh...no I just googled "fat chick" actually and that pic popped up. it's meant to be a "grabber," something to draw people in.

also no...I really didn't investigate whether or not that chick is american is not...but if I remember correctly she has her own website or something...so if you want just follow the link.