"Beating Obesity"--great article from The Atlantic

[duff]

I just read this long and interesting article on the obesity problem in America that I thought other forum members would enjoy:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2010/04/beating-obesity/8017/

[GB]

Duff,

Thanks – interesting article and video.

GB

[MikeNY]

Duff a great article; in the video his transformation was startling to say the least. He looks so much healthier and happier.

[Johnny]

Thanks for sharing!

[John Peterson]

Hey Duff,

Fantastic post! Now I am curious. I would like for our friends to read this first statement that starts the article, "By 2015, four out of 10 Americans may be obese. " And I am curious to know which of the following makes a bigger impact on you psychologically and which do you feel is harder hitting.

Option #1) "By 2015, four out of 10 Americans may be obese." or Option #2) By 2015, 40% of all Americans may be obese.

---John Peterson

[jeremyelder]

Hey Duff,

Fantastic post! Now I am curious. I would like for our friends to read this first statement that starts the article, "By 2015, four out of 10 Americans may be obese. " And I am curious to know which of the following makes a bigger impact on you psychologically and which do you feel is harder hitting.

Option #1) "By 2015, four out of 10 Americans may be obese." or Option #2) By 2015, 40% of all Americans may be obese.

---John Peterson

Even though they are mathematically the same, option two seems a much larger number to me. Perhaps because I am thinking of 40% of an entire population instead of just a pool of 10 people.

[djanello]

Bill Sardi has an article on the same topic with a slightly different take than that of the Atlantic.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/sardi/sardi155.html

Note how his diet recommendations are almost identical to the ones in GUTs but with one additional item: rice bran. I've been experimenting adding this item to my diet and it tastes great!

One thing that makes no sense in the obesity articles is that lots of Americans up until 1980 ate at greasy spoon diners, hamburger joints and were really out of shape but still skinny.

Last year I was in St. Maarten which is half Dutch and half French, and on the Dutch side everyone looks just like in the USA, and the minute you cross over to the French side the fat vanishes.

I'd be interested to hear what other folks think about the Sardi article.

[John Peterson]

Hey jeremyelder,

Thank You for responding. You obviously understood what I was driving at. But get this, according to the CDC there are currently 34% of all Americans that are now clinically obese and 33% that are considered over weight. That article that Duff has posted is in essence stating that in less than five years obesity in America will increase by 6% which I find mind boggling but probably true.

One other thing, I'm curious what you and our other friends thought of the video clip where the one very fit woman was barking out the orders at the obese woman. From my perspective, that was doing the most counter productive thing imaginable to that young obese woman. Even though it made me laugh I have to say that the only thing missing was a bull whip in her hand. That woman was a witch with a capitol "B". She was literally anchoring in that young woman that exercise and humiliation go together like hand in glove. NOT A SMART WAY TO MOTIVATE POSITIVE AND LASTING CHANGE FOR SOMEONE THAT IS STUCK IN HABITS OF SELF DESTRUCTION.

---John Peterson

[jonlclay]

What struck me was the endorsement of the gastric bypass surgery. Wow, what a extreme way to lose weight, IMO. I guess if you are really obese and have tried everything you can think of it is an option. But maybe I missed something as I read it that he'd like to see this surgery available to everyone and covered by insurance.

I guess personal responsibility is out the door when you can fix things by taking pills or having surgery.

Jon

[duff]

She was literally anchoring in that young woman that exercise and humiliation go together like hand in glove. NOT A SMART WAY TO MOTIVATE POSITIVE AND LASTING CHANGE FOR SOMEONE THAT IS STUCK IN HABITS OF SELF DESTRUCTION.

I couldn't agree more, John. This forum is like the complete opposite of that kind of nonsense, which is why I appreciate the positive encouragement and sensible training methods emphasized here. Yelling at people who already hate themselves and their bodies isn't going to encourage personal responsibility, only fuel inner conflict.

[jaymo]

I enjoyed the Atlantic article, but disagree with the author's solution. Stomach reduction surgery??
I have witnessed the results of such radical surgeries, & long term it appears very harmful. Weight is lost quickly, giving the patient the idea that :

"wow! Now I can eat anything!!l

And so they do- chips, pop, candy...they don't gain weight(in fact they lose muscle mass). But over time, they seem to age drastically, probably because it is now so Hard for them to extract nutrients from food, since they have surgically made themselves "digestively challenged".

I think this is a travesty!

My own take is to go strictly Paleo, or hunter/gatherer in our diet. Lean meats, seafood, nuts, and LOTS of fruits and vegetables are really all that our bodies are programmed to eat. And, on such a nutrient rich diet, ultimate robust health is possible!

We really can't properly digest grains- only by laboriously milling, and then cooking or baking the grains do they finally become digestible- but, ALL the lectins (anti-nutrients within the grain that made it uneatable raw) aren't eliminated- only some!

That's enough for now- eliminate grain products (bread, pasta, cereals, etc) and you will be amazed at your physical transformation from just that one change alone!