The Obese Outnumber Those Who Are Overweight

[John Peterson]

Hey Friends,

Yesterday, as I was reviewing The Drudge Report for possible news articles that I may want to read I came across one that stated that the number of people that are clinically obese in the USA is at 34% and those that are overweight at 32.7%. And of course the point was that those who are obese now outnumber those who are merely overweight. By putting the two statistics together I came up with 66.7% or two thirds of adults in the USA that are supposedly obese or overweight. I'm not sure that I believe that it is really that high of a percentage but if it truly is that high then I can tell you right now that there are a tremendous number of people that are or will be experiencing joint pain and other issues that are the direct result of carrying too much weight beyond which their skeletal structure and muscular system can comfortably accommodate. Not to mention the strain it would place on America's health care system.Bottom line: There ain't no easy answer to the problems confronting America. And this is just one of many.


---John Peterson

[JoeJustice]

John,

What would you say in the #1 thing the Government could do to curtail the obesity problem?

Me, I think reorganizing the Food Pyramid would be the place to start. Stop people from being terrified of fat and get refined sugars and grain products as far away as possible! I really think the biggest problem with Americans is the fact that a box of candy says "A fat free food" on the package and people honestly think it's healthy.

-Joe

[gruntbrain]

Add "skinny fat" folks to the country's woes

[stingray]

There should be a luxury tax on sugar, or corn syrup. The intake of sugar is off the charts.

[John Peterson]

Hey Joe,

I'm tracking with you and I agree. In order to fatten cattle for slaughter they are fed grain. But to the best of my knowledge they don't add high fructose corn syrup to the grain they feed cattle, that they reserve for children and people that know no better. Seriously, I agree with you across the board.

Physical fitness on the other hand, is a whole different issue and the guys here know exactly how to fix that because they have done it for themselves. In fact that brings up a point. I'm often accused of being "old School" and "Retro" . Frankly, I take that as a compliment. Like Charles Atlas's methods, mine are about self reliance and self realization. Both of which can never be obtained if one is constantly looking for someone else to grant them permission or to give them the answers. Bottom line: if people want the truth about how to succeed, it all comes down to one thing. It's an inside job. And it always has been.


---John Peterson

P.S. I had a guy send me a hate e-mail once because I said on the forum that Nutri-Systems and programs like it are not a long term solution. He wrote me this long whiny e-mail about how he didn't have time to fix food for himself and on and on. But think about it. What happens when one's state of existence dramatically changes and one can no longer afford prepackaged food? Or how about when someone can't afford a personal trainer any longer? What then? I'll tell you 'what then?' You'll either become smart and self reliant or you'll fail. From my perspective, what we teach and embrace should always be a man's first direct approach to self empowerment and not his last desperate hope...although for some guys, it's better that they show up late than not at all.

[gs300tx]

Great topic John, I was gonna post the exact same study today but could not find the article. Here is what I find interesting. I go to the University of Houston and most guys/girls that I see in my school seem to be in good shape, which leads me to believe that obesity/being overweight might be something that hits most Americans after they graduate from college and start their professional careers/family etc. What are your thoughts on this guys.

[Flash11740]

By putting the two statistics together I came up with 66.7% or two thirds of adults in the USA that are supposedly obese or overweight. I'm not sure that I believe that it is really that high of a percentage

If it doesn't seem that way then it's probably because more than 50% of all fat people are based in Florida.

[ShrinkingGuy]

What happens when one's state of existence dramatically changes and one can no longer afford prepackaged food? Or how about when someone can't afford a personal trainer any longer? What then? I'll tell you 'what then?' You'll either become smart and self reliant or you'll fail. From my perspective, what we teach and embrace should always be a man's first direct approach to self empowerment and not his last desperate hope...although for some guys, it's better that they show up late than not at all.

Preach on Brother Peterson!

[Aaron Hoot]

Great post! Until people start taking responsibility it is only going to get worse. One thing that I noticed when people come down here to visit and our short time in the states, is that most people don't think that they are overweight. We have one friend that we tried to help that is probably 30 pounds overweight that think they look great. We don't have a lot of people that come down to see us but some and I am shocked at how many people drink sodas for every meal! More than once we have had adults and children almost get dehydrated because they would only sip at their water when we were out doing work. I would almost beg them to please drink the water so they wouldn't get dehydrated. They wouldn't listen and when we would get back to where they could buy a soda they would buy three or four and chug them. About two months ago we had three men come down for the medical clinic. These are very nice men. I tried to get them interested in exercising with me in the mornings and they were interested but said that they just didn't have the energy from the hours that they were working the clinics. The same things happened with some of the teenagers that come down here. They want to get as strong as my boys but they don't have the energy for the workouts because they are practically on a sugar diet. These men before they came I asked them what they could eat and they told me "anything you eat". Well they didn't like beans that much, rice, broccoli, green beans, beets, oatmeal, many of the fruits and practically all vegetables. When we got close to Santo Domingo where we have a lot of fast food places, these guys went crazy at McDonalds like they hadn't eaten in months! I am not making fun of these guys because I really like them. I was in the same boat as these guys at one time and so was my family. I remember when John first contacted me and I gave him a call we talked for awhile and I remember mentioning poptarts and how I liked them and one time I joked about them on the forum for those of you who remember. John and many of you took the time to help me out. In the end it was still my decision to do what was right or what was best for myself and an example to my family. The problem is that we train our bodies to like a certain diet and to exercise or not . Our bodies are wonderful gifts that God has given us and they will respond accordingly. While I was in the states my wife's family gave us poptarts one morning for breakfast. They were shocked that there was a lot of them left afterwards. They were also shocked that they couldn't keep enough fruits and vegetables in the house. We have become so accustomed to eating them regularly that we just don't enjoy the taste of poptarts and junk as much. I still do like a big helping of biscuits and gravy occasionally.

Your friend,
Aaron

[JoeJustice]

I think Justin really hit on something and that's price!

Why is it that high fructose corn syrup is used? Because it's cheap, but it's not cheap because it's cheap to make, it's cheap because of tariffs on cane sugar and corn subsidies. If you really think about it, agricultural subsidies are probably the #1 reason for obesity in America. The idea behind them is good and noble, make food cheap so people don't starve. But we're so affluent in America today that starvation is almost non-existent. And if you don't believe me just look at statistic, what is the #1 health problem among the poor? Obesity!

But like ethanol, there are too many politicians and too much big business working hand in glove to ever change anything in regards to agricultural subsidies.

I think if food cost what it really cost, then people would eat less.

Alright, I'm stepping off the soapbox now.

-Joe

[ShrinkingGuy]

The food producing industry in the U.S. puts profit above all else. Hydrogenated plastic oils don't spoil...microbes can't eat it. So food can be stored without refridgeration. Nevermind that it destroys cell wall permiability, making tissues insulin resistant....it saves money.

Nail on the head.

Mac n cheese, grits n margarine, sugar saturated peanutbutter on bleached white bread. Cheap and deadly.

[JoeJustice]

Pop Quiz: Does anyone know what hydrogenated oils were made for?

Ski slopes?

-Joe

[JoeJustice]

Well, speaking for myself, I will say that it was largely health care cost that caused me the change my behavior. But I didn't have health insurance at the time and Nexium costs $145 a month. So maybe I'm making your point.

-Joe

[Andy62]

Health care costs may be the ultimate challenge for modern society. If you look at all of the mature industrialized societies of the world they all have aging populations. Even the countries that have universal health care are having trouble with it. They have to ration care and they are having trouble attracting doctors. The doctors that remain are putting 80 hour work weeks with underfunded programs and inadequate facilities. Their populations are increasingly urbanized and physically passive with little exercise and bad eating habits.