65 replies to this topic

[AxlsMainMan]

I think the obesity pandemic is largely correlated to the misconception people have of being immortal. Just as people drive like kamikazes in their little Hondas on the freeway thinking they're invincible, so too do people throw caution to the wind when it comes to their diet, and think they'll be able to eat as much as they want of whatever they want, and all will be fine at the end of the day; even if the inside of their arteries are more plugged than the spout of a 10 year old ketchup bottle.

[Mr. Roboto]

I think the obesity pandemic is largely correlated to the misconception people have of being immortal. Just as people drive like kamikazes in their little Hondas on the freeway thinking they're invincible, so too do people throw caution to the wind when it comes to their diet, and think they'll be able to eat as much as they want of whatever they want, and all will be fine at the end of the day; even if the inside of their arteries are more plugged than the spout of a 10 year old ketchup bottle.

Is Canada getting supersized much like we are?

[LISA]

on the whole I think we aren't much different...but then again, Canada is very health concious and has been for many yrs..I think we were the first to ban smoking inside any restaurant,bar,nightclub,government building and hospitals as well as the ground surrounding hospitals...You see obese people here like anywhere but I honestly do not think it is a great a problem as in the US..for example, the city I live in, there is ONE Burger King and they ran the last Taco Bell out of town about 5 yrs ago. Every restaurant and fast food place has to have nutritional info available for their complete menu upon request and every restaurant and fast food place has to offer a healthy alternative. Ontario is very big on Organic and Whole foods as well. I never really worried or thought about it much but now that this is mentioned, I plan to look a little deeper and see what I can find.

[AxlsMainMan]

I think the obesity pandemic is largely correlated to the misconception people have of being immortal. Just as people drive like kamikazes in their little Hondas on the freeway thinking they're invincible, so too do people throw caution to the wind when it comes to their diet, and think they'll be able to eat as much as they want of whatever they want, and all will be fine at the end of the day; even if the inside of their arteries are more plugged than the spout of a 10 year old ketchup bottle.

Is Canada getting supersized much like we are?

Yes. Makes me sick when I see the 500 pound parents taking their 300 pound 6 year olds into McDonalds.

[TAP]

I think the obesity pandemic is largely correlated to the misconception people have of being immortal. Just as people drive like kamikazes in their little Hondas on the freeway thinking they're invincible, so too do people throw caution to the wind when it comes to their diet, and think they'll be able to eat as much as they want of whatever they want, and all will be fine at the end of the day; even if the inside of their arteries are more plugged than the spout of a 10 year old ketchup bottle.

Is Canada getting supersized much like we are?

Yes. Makes me sick when I see the 500 pound parents taking their 300 pound 6 year olds into McDonalds.

And then order diet cokes

[MrsBrisby]

I don't know if obesity has a specific demographic. It seems to be a problem for various classes of people. I think in some cases it's about convenience. With all the fast food places, it's a lot easier to pick something up on the way home and eat it right away. I'm guilty of buying vegetables with the intentions of making something healthy, but end up throwing a frozen pizza in the oven instead. It's just a bad habit. I agree with AxlsMainMan. A lot of people have a sense of invincibility. But all that catches up with you eventually.

[*D*]

I think here, we associate food with happiness and sadness.. we eat to celebrate, we eat for comfort and we develop those habits so when something great happens we are programmed to eat.. when something bad happens, we are programmed to eat. Think about it. Holidays, HUGE meals, special occasions, HUGE MEALS.. fucking funerals.. HUGE MEALS obesity is taught and i think can be untaught if people get smart about it. If i ever a child, he will drink water,OJ,Skim Milk no soda, none of those sugary drinks. Won't reward them with candy and junk etc.

[Mr. Roboto]

My MiL equates food with love. She won't hug her daughter (very rare) but she tries to stuff her with bad dessert type food all the time. Tell me that's not jacked up.

[TAP]

I don't know if obesity has a specific demographic. It seems to be a problem for various classes of people.

It's a problem for everyone, but it definitely hits some demographics (location, gender,race) worse than others.

[TAP]

I think here, we associate food with happiness and sadness.. we eat to celebrate, we eat for comfort and we develop those habits so when something great happens we are programmed to eat.. when something bad happens, we are programmed to eat.

Think about it. Holidays, HUGE meals, special occasions, HUGE MEALS.. fucking funerals.. HUGE MEALS

Obesity rates have skyrocketed in the last 25 years or so, holidays and funerals predate that.

[freedom78]

I dispute your facts sir! 25 years ago we reached "Earth FUll" status and began implementing systemic obesity to kill ourselves off. This is when funerals and holidays began.

[cousin it]

Shit, it is economics. You pay someone $7.50/hour, and that person can feed a family of 4 for less than $10??? Fuck! What would you do? Lisa, Taco Bell??? Hell, that place is beans and rice.

[TAP]

Shit, it is economics. You pay someone $7.50/hour, and that person can feed a family of 4 for less than $10??? Fuck! What would you do?
.

So in the past, people got paid more and ate more sensibly. It's not just the USA, obesity rates everywhere have risen sharply very recently - supposedly there are now more overweight than starving people in the world. How did the global economy reach this state in such a short period....

[Mr. Roboto]

Shit, it is economics. You pay someone $7.50/hour, and that person can feed a family of 4 for less than $10??? Fuck! What would you do?
.

So in the past, people got paid more and ate more sensibly. It's not just the USA, obesity rates everywhere have risen sharply very recently - supposedly there are now more overweight than starving people in the world. How did the global economy reach this state in such a short period....

Well over the last couple of decades I think it's fair to argue that there is an abundance of cheap processed food and that's what lower income people tend to buy. They COULD buy cheap cuts of meat, simple grains, frozen veggies etc, but they don't. I can only guess that lack of education, and the way you were raised plays a role in that. One of the other tough things about not having an education, or simply being stupid (and I don't mean that in a cruel way), is that you lack the ability to manage money. Most of us here could take a low budget and still figure out a way to live well and eat right. Some people simply don't have the capacity to do that. It may never occur to them that you could eat nutritious meals for nearly the same price as processed food. My Aunt in law recently said at dinner (ironically) that if you're stupid you had better be tough, lol, there is a lot of truth in that.

Ignorance regarding food isn't exclusive to the poor and uneducated though. My wife works with a girl who is getting ready to get married and trying to lose weight. Everyday the Missus comes home with stories about this poor girl, college educated, that doesn't understand that cream based soup has fat in it, soda is bad for you, or that eating a salad topped with ranch and bacon isn't healthy. She is often shocked when Nina says "No, you can't eat that if you want to lose weight, it's bad for you." Also, neither her nor her boyfriend cook...at all. I think that represents a lot of Americans now.

[TAP]

Certainly education plays a part. I was much thinner and poorer when I was a student than I am now. But what level of education do you need to realize that you should eat less/differently when you can't see your own feet?