Obesity on the rise, What can be done to prevent it? Options

[Sumiaki]

I haven't seen a post on this subject so i decided to post it. What do you believe is the number one reason why obesity and/or child obesity are rising? What do you think this country can do to prevent increasing obesity? Do you believe with the advancement of technology to make things "easier" will have a direct effect on our obesity count?

[redsoxbaby87]

i think that parents should take an educational healthy food class prior to adoption or giving birth. this way they know what and how to feed their child.

[xjjajeengx]

yes, i think it will ahve a direct effect on our obesity level.

I think the main reason why america has a high obesity percentage is probably because of all this junk food and crap we have, and how easy everythin is to do. I mean, look at Korea for instance. Yes, there are som obese people, but the majority are not even that obese since they have to walk to go to the grocery, or walk to school, or exercise like crazy in P.E. Also, students have to walk to the library like practically everyday and study till like 11:00 while as american kids would prolly be eating midnight snacks and playing video games. While a lot of students have to walk to the library or PC place (dunno what its called) to have access to a computer, everyone here just had to wlak to their room and turn it on. heck, they can even bring food in their room and eat, drink, watch a movie, and chat at the same time.
Also, america has a lot of cars compared to some other countries... and it makes everything more convienient. I mean... in an effort to make things easier, we have also made things harder... if you get what i mean.

Just my input.

[Fauna]

I think it is because it is so easy for people to get unhealthy food. And they are "too busy" to go to the gym. I don't know what could be done and I haven't put much thought into it. I will now. But just a quick thought, places like McDonalds and Hardee's/Carls Jr should be forced to make everything on their menu healthy. Not just a few items.

[DavidxN]

it pisses me off really bad when i see a kid that is overweight and then i see his parents and they're even more overweight. I don't make fun of them because they're fat because its in their genes ya kno? but i think its their duty to get fit and give their children a chance to live healthy. My family is all skinny and tall but i changed myself to be fit so my children will have a chance to be healthy. Most kids turn fat because parents spoil them and feed them up and let them drink soda and eat junk food. Mcdonalds and burger king and those food chains aren't really to blame, you can go their once a week and still be in shape. Its the parents fault for not doing anything about it. My parents dont like me running all day and getting in shape but i don't care cuz its my body and my duty, and i think everyone should have that kind of attitude

[x rOck mai sOcks...]

it pisses me off really bad when i see a kid that is overweight and then i see his parents and they're even more overweight. I don't make fun of them because they're fat because its in their genes ya kno? but i think its their duty to get fit and give their children a chance to live healthy. My family is all skinny and tall but i changed myself to be fit so my children will have a chance to be healthy. Most kids turn fat because parents spoil them and feed them up and let them drink soda and eat junk food. Mcdonalds and burger king and those food chains aren't really to blame, you can go their once a week and still be in shape. Its the parents fault for not doing anything about it. My parents dont like me running all day and getting in shape but i don't care cuz its my body and my duty, and i think everyone should have that kind of attitude

honestly...parents need to take more care of it...i am overweight...and my mom tells me i`m fat all the time *see what kind of positive reinforcement i get* and she tells me i need to get off my @$$ and dO sumthin about it...so i do...but without motivation..i stop...my perents buy junk food and nothing healthy and they still preach to me about how i need to not eat junk food...thats why i`m stuck with ramen most of the time...but i agree...mcdonalds, burger king and others are just temptations...parents are the real people to blame...i`m not sayin you should go yell at your mom or dad because your fat because it is our fault too...its our choice to eat...but if there is nuthin else around the house...its the parents fault...


that was confusing...wasn`t it?

[EmeraldKnight]

honestly...parents need to take more care of it...i am overweight...and my mom tells me i`m fat all the time *see what kind of positive reinforcement i get* and she tells me i need to get off my @$$ and dO sumthin about it...so i do...but without motivation..i stop...my perents buy junk food and nothing healthy and they still preach to me about how i need to not eat junk food...thats why i`m stuck with ramen most of the time...but i agree...mcdonalds, burger king and others are just temptations...parents are the real people to blame...i`m not sayin you should go yell at your mom or dad because your fat because it is our fault too...its our choice to eat...but if there is nuthin else around the house...its the parents fault...


that was confusing...wasn`t it?

I understood it.. parents can be a source of it.. with genetics and situations like the one outlined above..

However, another major problem is that.. in our fast paced society.. we dont have that much time to eat anymore.. and for a lot of ppl.. fast food is the easiest and most time efficient way.. even if its not the most healthy

[DavidxN]

I understood it.. parents can be a source of it.. with genetics and situations like the one outlined above..

However, another major problem is that.. in our fast paced society.. we dont have that much time to eat anymore.. and for a lot of ppl.. fast food is the easiest and most time efficient way.. even if its not the most healthy

Yeah for adults they dont have much time to eat anymore but for kids its much different. If you look at the big picture, most kids don't do extracurricular activities or do lots of things afterschool. If they were shown a picture of how'd they turn out in 40 years, then they'd do soemthing about their body and starting exercising instead of opening a bag of fried chips and sitting on the couch watching tv until their parents come home to cook them a greasy fat filled meal. Kids have plenty of chances to do something about their health, they just don't know about it yet or don't care about it yet.

[x rOck mai sOcks...]

Yeah for adults they dont have much time to eat anymore but for kids its much different. If you look at the big picture, most kids don't do extracurricular activities or do lots of things afterschool. If they were shown a picture of how'd they turn out in 40 years, then they'd do soemthing about their body and starting exercising instead of opening a bag of fried chips and sitting on the couch watching tv until their parents come home to cook them a greasy fat filled meal. Kids have plenty of chances to do something about their health, they just don't know about it yet or don't care about it yet.

eggzactly...i was trying to imply that but you stated it plain and simple


well done!

[EmeraldKnight]

Yeah for adults they dont have much time to eat anymore but for kids its much different. If you look at the big picture, most kids don't do extracurricular activities or do lots of things afterschool. If they were shown a picture of how'd they turn out in 40 years, then they'd do soemthing about their body and starting exercising instead of opening a bag of fried chips and sitting on the couch watching tv until their parents come home to cook them a greasy fat filled meal. Kids have plenty of chances to do something about their health, they just don't know about it yet or don't care about it yet.

Hm.. I'll agree with the kids not caring part.. but not about the parents cooking greasy fat meals..

My parents cook perfectly healthy meals... but they have a hell of a time trying to convince my sister to eat the healthy stuff..

Kids dont realli care about the future.. they think its so far off.. they're too concerned with the here and now that when the future comes.. its too late

[megumint]

my sister's sorta overweight... well not as much as some, and actually she isn't really "fat". but her self esteem is hurt because of it. it's weird how she turned out tso large when I'm actually very skinny. It has nothing to do with the parents, it's the kid. (although i'm lazier than her). I think it's how many seconds and thirds and fourths we take. i usually only have seconds, but my sister goes on sometimes to 5ths.

Also sitting around watching tv all the time... and being a couch potato.

yes, i think it'll have an impact on the obesity count. with everything at our fingertips, humans forget about fitness, and they just sit there and let their fat grow. many people on cb can probably relate to the fact that once their butts are glued on the chair to the computer, it's hard to get up. so once we start, we hardly ever get excercise.

i'm glad i go swimming a lot, it gets me sorta healthy...

also it can be partly parents' faults, for buying kids more stuff and candy and fattening stuff. hm... my sister made my mom buy her lots of see's candies every time she has a violin lesson to motivate her to practice.. yes, the laziness is spreading to everyone..

i'm done

[xHalf nHalf]

i personally think the US needs to stop being lazy and make some time to exercise or something. and eating some healthy food is also a good start to prevent obesity. eating right is not that hard, the problem is americans have no sefl control when it comes to junk food. and its sad because the rest of the world looks at us as the obese country..b/c thats what we are...lazy and junk-food junkies

[xjjajeengx]

for my parents, my mom and dad divorced so i live with my mom, and she's always at work now, so i cant even eat properluy since sometimes she forgets to go grocerie shopping so i eat all this junk and crap, and since i have to study, i sit on my butt all day. then, i go online, and sit on my butt some more. this is how i beacame fat. i think parents should take care of their kids more...we should have like a obesity alert typa class.

[DavidxN]

The best way to make the US less obese is to actually teach em about themselves, not cut off junk food (well thats my opinion). And if your self-esteem is that low, a normal person would do something about it. Kids should kno that they wont stay small and wont have the same build they have forever. Even if you skinny as a kid, you can turn out to be a whale in a few years, vice versa.

[forgottenrazor]

hmm,well i think thats its not the fault of "junk food",if your going to eat greasy food you should obviously know "yea i'll gain a couple pounds from eating a burger."besides people have to have SELF CONTROL to worry about they're health.I know i would if i was eating mcdonalds and burger king and eating chips for breakfeast everyday.come on,dont always blame fast food places people should also look at themselves and say,"ya i gotta lose these pounds."

[DavidxN]

i was wondering...anyone here have an obesity problem?

[rnrn897]

cuzz more parents are all busy or to lazy to make kids food so they go to those fast food restaurants and get them a kids burger thing -0-;

[Sumiaki]

I think it is more of knowing facts. Can any of you truly say that everyone looks at the "Nutrition Facts" label? Most importantly the serving size label? Some kids are not educated about nutrition facts. All they learn is the damn PYRAMID. Also serving sizes in america are soo muc more in other countries. That's why we have a high obesity rating than anywhere else. Believe it or not, a serving of "carbs" if your eating pasta is 1-1 1/2 cups. That's like a handful. Have you ever went to Olive Garden or any other italian restaurant that serves pasta in correct proportions? The problem with that is, we try to finish what is on our plate. Most servings of cookies are just 2 cookies, yet i see kids with a huge stack of them. I think it is school who should teach about a balance diet and parents to reenforce that. Sure we learn about nutrition... in high school health ed! What about in grade school? All i learned was that "An apple a day will keep the doctor away." Also we try to do as much as possible in a day. Which makes us busy, but not too the point where we are too busy to think about our health. Technology increases the amount we can get done in a easy manner. It also improves the food industry in quick foods, which are usually unhealthy because of the unnatural ingredients in it to make it havea longer shelf life. Most kids hate healthy foods because they taste bad. Why do they think it tastes bad? Because they have something to compare it to, usually foods that are unhealthy. When kids ask for seconds, have you ever heard a parent say "no, no you had enough to eat."? Nope, they would never say that. They would give their "growing" child seconds. One plate is usually the serving size or even more. Sure they'll grow, but not in the way you would want to. Fast Food is not the only one to blame. We think that because of the "unhealthy" foods they serve. All restaurants who serve more that "serving size" pose as a threat, like the infamous BUFFETS. Its not only nutrition, but moderation.

P.S. Think about if we had robots, robots to do w/e we wanted... We would have more time to excersize right? Since the robot would do our chores? Or would that make us just more lazier?

[empyrean]

think its just the fault of different categories of people meaning children themselves they really shouldnt eat all that much as well as their parents because some parents may be obese themselves and they would eat alot so their kids take after them or, the parents just dont realize the harm of overfeeding their kids. also it has to do with serving sizes in fast food places as well as restaurants. the serving sizes for meals here are completely huge most likely you wouldnt be able to eat much of what you order but if you go to some other countries like in france for example, the serving sizes are much smaller so people tend to eat less although that might not be the best thing if they dont eat enough

[someflipguy]

Its just so easy to go to McDonalds..or Bk and get your dinner...people don't cook that often anymore...gosh what has this country come too... Also, with the tv and computer...people don't go outside anymore...

[JlIaTMK]

get rid of computers.... i mean seriously.... ever since technology started theres been more obesity in the U.S.

i went to Macedonia and ppl dont have personal computers.... and all the kids do is run around outside and hang out with their friends and they're all in shape and healthy

[ryfitaDF]

that's a good point and all...but how did you post it? the pony express?

if you're obese and don't want to be, do somthing about it. it's not hard.

[Yemmerz]

We have to watch what we eat. Do you know how many calories and fat you take in with one grande frappichino? A lot. And driving back to your house isn't helping. If you're going to eat a lot you have to balance it out by excersising a lot. Our country has so many things that make tasks easier, that we all have become lazy and obese.

By the way, I balance my high frappichino intake with high intakes of DDr.

[redsoxbaby87]

children shoudl drink more milk. this is a proven fact to help keep obistey rates low.

[ComradeRed]

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4028&n=1

CHICAGO, IL—In spite of billions of dollars spent and decades of research, scientists at the University of Chicago said Monday that the scientific community is no closer to finding a cure for the potentially fatal disease of obesity.


"The obesity epidemic in this country has public-health authorities panicking, and with good reason," said Dr. Seong-Hun Kim, a research associate at the university's department of neurobiology, pharmacology, and physiology. "According to the latest government statistics, 30.6 percent of the adult population and 16.5 percent of children under 19 are obese. As researchers, we feel the same sort of helplessness that many victims of obesity feel."

"Basically, the clock continues to tick as we search for that golden key that will give every American a chance at a healthy, normal life," Kim added.

Many obesity sufferers have expressed frustration over the medical community's inability to cure them.

"I came down with obesity two years after I got married," 41-year-old Oklahoma City resident Fran Torley said. "I know it was hard for my husband to watch me suffer from this disease. When he caught obesity a year later, he got so depressed, he couldn't do anything but sit on the couch. Some days, we sit and watch television from dawn till dusk, hoping for news of a breakthrough."

Kim said he sees no cure on the horizon.

"Each year that we don't have a cure for this dreaded condition, another 300,000 Americans die of obesity-related health problems—hypertension, stroke, heart attack, diabetes," Kim said. "I wish to God there were something I could give these people that would make the obesity go away, but so far, there is no pill that can do that safely and effectively."

Kim said the prescription drugs currently indicated in the treatment of obesity, as well as a host of over-the-counter products, have been shown to produce limited results.

"Even when individuals find success with a certain drug or plan, it often fails to work in the long term," Kim said. "Sometimes, a treatment plan that works for a handful of people will fail to help anyone else. It's very frustrating. As evinced by the widespread nature of the problem, scientists aren't doing enough for these poor overweight people."

Kim's research group has tried to pinpoint the genetic, environmental, and psychological factors that might indicate a susceptibility to obesity.

"For example, we know that obesity tends to run in families," Kim said. "But we have yet to pinpoint exactly what it is that causes, say, the Smith family to splash about their backyard pool blissfully unaffected while, just over the fence, the Jones family languishes 30 percent overweight on their barbecue deck."

Marge Hampton is an obese American who has responded to the epidemic by trying to raise awareness and money for obesity research. In May, Hampton coordinated the Obesity Awareness Five-Mile Fun Ride, which led participants on a motor tour of Chicago's waterfront parks, and she orchestrated an obesity-awareness bake sale last month.

"We used to think obesity was a condition that only affected people with glandular problems, but health officials are now seeing just how widespread the epidemic is," Hampton said. "There's a myth that obese people don't want to change. They do—they just lack the information about how to do it quickly and easily."

Kim's research team has explored preventative measures.

"It would be wonderful if we could find some way to prevent individuals from getting this horrible condition in the first place, perhaps with something akin to a vaccine or a flu shot," Kim said. "We've pursued every avenue—pills, topical creams, nutritional shakes, even holistic cures like vitamin regimens and massage—but nothing has worked."

While others might have been discouraged by failure, Kim has intensified his efforts.

"I'm in the lab day and night," Kim said. "The other researchers will say 'Come have dinner with us,' but I'm so busy that I have to just grab some yogurt from the vending machine. I'm just too busy running over to the research facility on the west side of campus or carrying samples to the lab up on the fourth floor. I've lost 20 pounds since starting this project in January."

Even though he expressed concern about his recent weight loss, Kim said he will continue his work unabated.

"I can't worry about me right now; finding a cure for obesity is far too important," Kim said. "And, honestly, I feel better than I've felt in years. My work, although difficult, is energizing. I can't turn my back on my research while, all around me, Americans are dropping like enormous flies."