Obesity in the United States

[LedMatrix]

More than two-thirds (68.8%) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than one-third (35.7%) of adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3%) have extreme obesity. Almost 3 in 4 men (74%) are considered to be overweight or obese.

An estimated 45 million Americans diet each year and spend $33 billion annually on weight loss products. Yet, nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.

In the 1960s, plates were roughly 9 inches. In the ‘80s, they grew to around 10 inches. By the year 2000, the average dinner plate was 11 inches in diameter, and now, it’s not unusual to find dishes that are 12 inches or larger. And that’s aside from restaurant plates, which can sometimes be 13” and larger. And of course, the larger the plate, the calories of the food that’s on it can really add up.

Our plates are getting bigger, our food is getting bigger and we’re getting bigger. If you do the math, DIETS DON’T WORK. Most diets don’t address or fix behavior. We must make up our minds that we are going to live a healthier lifestyle. Make exercise, the eating of healthy, nutritious foods and portion control a manner of life. When we think “diet” our minds translate that to such things as “difficult” and “sacrifice”.

Additionally, when we “diet” we tend to have an end goal in mind such as hitting a certain weight, or “dieting” for a certain period of time. What happens when you reach that goal? Well, your brain says, “Ah, did it! All done.” Then all of sudden, before we know it, we’re switching back to “fat mode,” reverting to the very things that made us fat, sick or just generally unhealthy.

On the other hand, making our living and eating practices a lifestyle, we will tend to stick with it. So determine to take control of your life, and make healthy living an enjoyable lifestyle choice, rather than a burdensome diet doomed to fail.

[iMike]

Good point about dinner plates.  I've started eating my dinner on a salad plate so that I don't fill up as much.

[OCDOC]

Interesting reflection. Here's the obesity curves you allude to:

Note the dietary guidelines were introduced just before the explosion, and compliance was high. Here's a study re obesity related to intake and activity from 1988 to 2010: http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(14)00191-0/abstract Note that total calorie intake did NOT go up in this time; exercise did drop off. There's much more at play, but excessive portion size is definitely an issue (despite the study results). RK

[LedMatrix]

@iMike

If I wasn't counting calories I would probably go to smaller plates to gain that psychological advantage. 😄

[LedMatrix]

@OCDOC

Good find.

I also found this, (http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/328685/efan04004b_1_.pdf) 

When you couple that with our decreasing activity levels, it's easy to see why we're getting huge.

And I'm sure the increasing use of technology to do the jobs we used to do by hand doesn't help. And we're raising a generation of children now that isn't aware there is a whole wide beautiful world out beyond the small screen they're holding in front of their face.

[emili]

its heartbreaking to me when I see an entire family loading up their plates with food that is zero nutrition and 100% fat, sodium, and preservatives. the kids are overweight, the parents are overweight. I feel like yelling at them to look at their kids and see what they are doing to them. as an adult if you choose to eat like that- well you are old enough to know better. But a kid? pisses me off each time.

[OCDOC]

@LedMatrix

Nice report re 'snacking' and 'ease of access to crappy food' being parts of the obesity epidemic. Makes perfect sense!

When I was a kid (ages ago... 😞  ) my mother would never allow us snacks that would 'ruin our appetite'. Similarly, we ate 3 homemades a day, with maybe a banana or a bowl of cheerios as a 'bedtime snack'. Delivery pizza, Burger joints etc were a RARE treat (once or twice a month...not every second day!). Coke and other fizzies? Forget it.

My dad still eats that way, and is fine at 83 yrs old. When we go to (eg) Bob Evans he laughs at the portion sizes ("This would last me a week!").

I agree with your position; I didn't start packing on the weight until I moved out and abandoned my mom's 'Ozzie and Harriet' diet. Once I lose weight and get to 'normal', I hope to spend the rest of my life eating the way my mother raised me 🙂

Great thread!!

[Atomic77]

I was really quite slim for while then I really gained alot of pounds even after exercising. I found I had a underactive thyroid. so for some people obesity is not just because we eat so much it can be other issues too. Now im on a life long pill along with my daily walks and the pounds are starting to come down a bit.

[JohnRi]

Well said LedMatrix.  And Atomic, there are some people with health issues or medications that cause weight gain.  However, most people are overweight for a simple reason.  They just eat too much.  I myself from 2007 to 2015 gained over 60 lbs.  I did this by eating around 3000-4000 caloires a day.  I slowly gained weight every single day, by eating pooring, and portion sizes too big.

It's taken me six months to lose 41 lbs.  It's going to take several more months, maybe a year before I get into the Normal range for height and sex...  I'm 21 lbs from being just overweight...  I've lost 42% of the weight I'm going to lose....  I can't wait until I've dropped 51%... 

Today, with the insane day of 25,000+ and over 12 miles...  I should be back into the 230's.  For the first time since 2007...

Bottomline I've changed my diet forever.  Diets do not last a few weeks, or months...  Diet changes are forever.  And that is the only way to lose weight and keep it off.  Go back to your old habits and 94% do just that, and gain it all back plus more.

I'm am Extremely fit Obese man today.  My new lifestyle will get me my goal. 

[RexFeral]

For me, I never thought the dinner plate was the problem. The problem is that there are NO plates. Everything is in a paper bag, a foam container and wrapped up in a bread, tortilla or some other grain contraption. Not to mention all of the cups with straws going around. You can basically have a week's meal at Starbucks by just ordering a cup of their sugar junk.

Lets face it. The American population are a bunch of corn fed ruminants. So they behave as such. Grazing, laying around, not moving and of course, expanding. That's just the reality. It's certainly not their fault but it goes way beyond portion sizes.

The return of the dinner plate can actually be America's salvation. All the plate needs is REAL food on it.

[bcalvanese]

I was one of those obese people a year ago. I got a cushie desk job and never changed my diet. Over 20 years or so, I gained about 75 lbs.

I got a fitness tracker and set it to lose 1 lb. per week. I started eating healthier, but more importantly I started power walking every day. When I first started, I could only walk 1 mile at a 3 to 3.5 mph pace before feeling like I was going to die, and had to lay down for an hour. Now I can power walk over 8 miles at a 4.5 mph pace with no problem. I burn so many calories that I can eat pretty much what I want and still lose weight.

Over the past year I have lost 57 lbs. which is right about 1 lb. per week.

The trick is to lose at a slow pace, and use that time to turn bad habbits into good ones.

I agree with the main message of this thread, but would also like to put half the blame on the fact that we have become a very lazy society too. We just sit on the couch and eat.

A combination of exercise and diet are key to achieving & maintaining a healthy fitness level & body weight.