Why are Americans getting so fat these days

I recently visited the States after a very long absence and like "wow" wtf happened. More then 7 out of 10 people in line at the grocery store could barely squeeze through the checkout counter without having the cart in front of them. I just couldn't stop laughing and when I got to the register the cashier ask me why I was laughing. I said that pigs are getting smaller these days but people are starting to look like hogs. She looked at me and asked me "what is a hog". Wow! I guess the fat is also dumbing down the brain, too.

a reply to: musicismagic

Too much food. The wrong kind of food. Most people don't actually cook, for example, they load up on cheap convenience dinners (or not so cheap). Those things can be expensive.

Not enough exercise.

a reply to: musicismagic

Same as most places, poor diet and lack of exercise.

The human body doesn't need so much fat and sugar, nor does the average heart beat at the rate our ancestors did whom did a lot of running.

In short what you saw was evolution.

a reply to: musicismagic
One of the factors must be wealth (in comparison with the rest of the world).
The wealthy classes have always tended towards corpulence (see Henry VIII).

a reply to: musicismagic

Wow, it´s so cool to laugh about others.
I bet someone behind you thought something similar about your behavior. Goto 4chan, there are people like you.

Because they are on ATS pissing about talking about rubbish rather than getting out there and doing something with their life......



RA

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: musicismagic
One of the factors must be wealth (in comparison with the rest of the world).
The wealthy classes have always tended towards larger bellies (see Henry VIII).

Wealth is definitely a worthy factor, stress is also and of course culture.

Henry VIII had a huge appetite (culture and wealth) though it's probably worth noting that genetics and age would have played a role in his weight gain in later years. Culture can help define our diets, for instance Japan has it's own unique food culture and actual culture, being large in weight isn't exactly acceptable and their diets usually don't lend to it.

Another thing that springs to mind is weight issues amongst Samoans, again it tends to be a mix of things that ultimately lead to weight issues. Culture, genes and modern trade have had a drastic effect upon the Samoans... It's never as simple as the obese eat too much.

originally posted by: musicismagic
I recently visited the States after a very long absence and like "wow" wtf happened. More then 7 out of 10 people in line at the grocery store could barely squeeze through the checkout counter without having the cart in front of them. I just couldn't stop laughing and when I got to the register the cashier ask me why I was laughing. I said that pigs are getting smaller these days but people are starting to look like hogs. She looked at me and asked me "what is a hog". Wow! I guess the fat is also dumbing down the brain, too.

You only been back a short while? Wait till the fat ingredients in the many foods stocking the shelves get inside you.

Especially if you find yourself on an ever tighter budget and can't afford ever costlier products that aren't as fattening.

Sweeteners like Aspartame are beginning to be suspect in the way they affect people who take diet drinks.

This study had this conclusion,

"Participants in the San Antonio Heart Study who drank more than 21 diet drinks per week were twice as likely to become overweight or obese as people who didn’t drink diet soda."
One reason is that Artificial sweeteners are very potent in their sweetness, and it is thought that sweetness becomes the standard for the taste, and so apples and pears and sweet fruits has less appeal, while being a good health food.
In other words, use of artificial sweeteners can make you shun healthy, filling, and highly nutritious foods while consuming more artificially flavored foods with less nutritional value.
Another reason might be because people who use sweeteners might think it's OK to have a splurge on cake now and again, but that is a bit subjective.
The sweeteners may have other hidden hazards like diabetes, and could be addictive.

People that have no good income have poor resources for food..
frac.org...

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: musicismagic
One of the factors must be wealth (in comparison with the rest of the world).
The wealthy classes have always tended towards corpulence (see Henry VIII).

Yes and no.

For one thing, it's often the poorest who are the most overweight. Part of the reason for this is that it's hard to convince people that you actually can come out relatively close to the cost of buying a stack of Hungry Man TV dinners (tend to run $1.99 or less per dinner for meat and side) if you invest in meat and ingredients to actually cook a large portion of a soup or casserole that could be portioned out into dinner size servings with some cut veggies on the side.

Most people see one piece of meat that is going to cost them $10+ and the cost of ingredients plus cost of veggies versus the low cost of the TV dinner. Plus they likely aren't going to know how to cook the actual casserole or soup in the bargain. They see one meal, not multiple and think it's too expensive.

So they buy the garbage food.

originally posted by: verschickter
a reply to: musicismagic

Wow, it´s so cool to laugh about others.

I bet someone behind you thought something similar about your behavior. Goto 4chan, there are people like you.

Look, I understand there are medical conditions and I would never bring a public insult towards such a public opening, but that wasn't my point here. I've been absent for many years in the States and recently visited. I went to the grocery store and was observing "accidentally" by the way that many of the people in line could not take the food out of carts unless they back themselves up out of the lane and then got in front of the cart. Perhaps my words on this thread should have been colored differently, like "wow" I really feel compassion for these people because well, it's personal. Sorry if I offended anyone here who has a weight problem. That wasn't my point. My eyes just hadn't adjusted to the obesity since my last visit to the States and , yes, it was an experience for me. Asian people here are on average kind of what I would say "healthy looking".

It has been a stereo type around the world for a long time that Americans are fat and loud.

If you tell someone they are something (even if they are not) for long enough then they usually become it.

But yes, it is the food in the supply chain that is creating the epidemic of excessive weight. Look at what has happend when western foods have been introduced to native peoples around the world. The weight follows the food.

a reply to: musicismagic

I did not wrote this post because I have weight problems. But I see your way of thinking. You are saying you would never bring a public insult? What where you doing by laughing and saying to the cashier:

" I said that pigs are getting smaller these days but people are starting to look like hogs."

No, just because you do not have the spine to tell them in the face, it´s still an insult. You called them pigs/hogs and you thought it´s funny. Let me tell you it is not.

Don't know. I still wear the same size jeans I wore in high school. 32 inch waist - 32 inseam. 44 inch chest, so I wear a large shirt.
Someone called me "thin to win"....lol I had to look that up. And if you think I'm bragging.....yeah....little bit. I'm 52, so I think I'm still in pretty damn good shape, considering.

This thread is written in a way that is extremely bad taste, which Imo is not the ats way.
The question could still be asked but in a more polite and admirable way.
People like this are more suited to the YouTube comments section and not within our community.. If I had my way we would boycott it and let it fall to the bottom of the barrel with all the other hate/racist/homophobic Crap..

originally posted by: Misterlondon
This thread is written in a way that is extremely bad taste, which Imo is not the ats way.
The question could still be asked but in a more polite and admirable way.
People like this are more suited to the YouTube comments section and not within our community.. If I had my way we would boycott it and let it fall to the bottom of the barrel with all the other hate/racist/homophobic Crap..

fine, I'll ask the mods to delete it

I tried to explain in better taste, but the damage was done already.

Please do your best to have this thread removed if I'm not successful at it.

a reply to: musicismagic

Did you ever think they've made the check out aisle smaller, so they can put more in? They treat shoppers like cattle..get the most through the line in the least amount of time. Smaller aisles, room for more of them. I gave my size in my last post and many times, I have to go in front of the cart, because there's no room for both of us.

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: musicismagic

Did you ever think they've made the check out aisle smaller, so they can put more in? They treat shoppers like cattle..get the most through the line in the least amount of time. Smaller aisles, room for more of them. I gave my size in my last post and many times, I have to go in front of the cart, because there's no room for both of us.

I mentioned I've been out of the States for many years and I guess I was in "culture shock" of the change and just kind of let loose of like "what the heck happened here" over all these years, my goodness.

originally posted by: greydaze
People that have no good income have poor resources for food..
frac.org...

Good article, people should take the time to read it.