Exercising & Being Health Conscious

[blinkwatt]

At my new job I'm starting to notice something,70% of the employees are fat,not chunky,fat. I have to walk behind some of them in the hallways,it's not an option to walk on along their side. I see employees bringing back fast food none-stop. Heck they even celebrate peoples birthdays; bring cakes, sodas and such.

Now this isn't just at my job,the U.S. society in general is overweight and unhealthy.

I've only been out of high school for 3 years and a lot of my friends that were skinny are turning overweight now. :confused:

Has it always been like this? Did this all start with McDonalds? Are people aware of the dangers of being overweight?

[racer_d]

wow.. americans are getting fatter? Why don't I hear this constantly on TV, or in the paper? or on the internet. Oh yeah. We do.. Guess you just finially noticed. Been going on for decades young man.

[timothy]

I'm a very fit skinny person. One of those guys with a six pack on his abs, not in the fridge. Therefore I am both biased and opinionated.

Yes our culture sadly evolved to the the point where growing fat is the accepted norm. It is not issolated to the US either. I hear people blame it on everything but themselves: medicine or genetics for instance. But you know what, how many of those same people have a history of eating very healthy, exercising vigerously, and are still fat. Less than 1%?

Consider an average person's day: wake up exhausted, skip breakfast or have something packed with simple sugars, spend the day in meetings, the car, and at a computer. At night either sit in front of the TV or exercise but not enough to make up for what went in -- the McDonalds or comparable meals. Sound familiar? We're all busy and I'm definitely guilty of that from time to time. Where is the exercise? Where is the healty diet low in fats, low in salt, high in protein, fibre, and complex carbohydrates?

I see obesity as an evolving problem because children are first exposed to diet and exercise in the home and many kids lack good role models.

[Perfectlap]

I went to Disney World for the first in about 15 years recently.

What an eye opener. on my last visit there most people were average weight (no gut) and 99% of the kids were not fat.

This time around I think 1 in three people had guts and I'd say a solid 40% of the kids were chubby.

I think Disney World was a good case study because people from all over the country go there.

The big reason for the fat factor is the elimination of real sugar from our foods and how its subsitituted with corn syrup. 10 years agos Most meals were also home cooked and nowadays most meals are purchased already made either as take out or eaten in restaurants.

The 2nd big factor is size of helping when people eat. I visited the "olive Garden"* last weekend and I was having dinner with my folks who live abroad. I had to order one entree for them and have them share it because they were astounded at the size of plate.

This happened every place we ate.

Now most Americans don't do that, they eat the whole plate themselves.
As a general rule you are supposed to fit each food component (meat, vegetable,starch) in the palm of your hand. And your beverage should not exceed 12 ounces for one meal. Longevity studies reveal that patients who lived the longest ate the smallest servings of food at each meal.

*for the record I do not condone the Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, etc. as an acceptable form of Italian cuisine.

[TriGem2k]

Blinkwatt/Robert, you bastard, leave us fat people alone!

[Grizzly]

Is it wrong to be reading this thread over a ginormous piece of apple pie a la mode?

[turbo23dog]

Is it wrong to be reading this thread over a ginormous piece of apple pie a la mode?

Yeah, pass the ice cream this way!

[Perfectlap]

Is it wrong to be reading this thread over a ginormous piece of apple pie a la mode?

not if you fit the pie in one hand and the ice cream in the other hand.

[blinkwatt]

If any of you eat at Jack in the Box check this out.

http://www.jackinthebox.com/ourfood/dynamic/nutrition.php?cat=2

http://www.jackinthebox.com/ourfood/dynamic/nutrition.php?cat=4

Look at the trans fat content.....that's disgusting. :eek:

@ Perfectlap,

Lol. Funny you mention Disney places, I'm going to Disneyland in a couple of weeks and all I'm gonna pay attention to is the fat:skinny now.

[blkboxster]

This thread makes me want to eat ribs :D

[fatmike]

I'm offended.

[timothy]

If any of you eat at Jack in the Box check this out.
Look at the trans fat content.....that's disgusting. :eek:


Scary :eek: "We hope this nutritional information will help you satisfy your dietary needs at Jack in the Box®." They can't possibly be serious. I figured the ciabatta with grilled chicken would have to be the "healthy" choice. 28 grams of fat composing 36% of calories, topped off with 1.85 grams of salt. About the only thing it does have going for it is 44 grams of protein.

[cvhs18472]

Mr. Bruce, Mr. Bruce, They're not talking about Porsches

[fatmike]

Mr. Bruce, Mr. Bruce, They're not talking about Porsches


Exactly. And now I'm really offended. I'm going to go take it out on a helpless cat.




(ps - I'm not really fat and actually exercise quite a bit -- much more than most)

[JackG]

Most of those people are racing to be fat in public, and they are breaking triple digits. Someone might die. ;)

:dance:

[NickCats]

Cvhs – the lounge is open to discussion of non- Porsche topics !!!

We all know Bruce never responded to your comment in the Joe Torre thread. Let it go :o

Blink,

I think what it boils down to is that people are lazy. I spend about 6 hours a week in the gym, and even though I eat like crap, I’m in good shape ( 5’ 9”, 195 lbs, very little body fat ). One thing I have noticed is it gets a lot harder as you get older to keep the weight off. I never used to do cardio, then once I hit my 30’s it became a necessity. While I used to get away with 20 minutes a day, now I have to do 40 just to get the same results :mad:

Nick

[bmussatti]

Obesity rates seem to be leveling off

11/29/2007-Obesity rates in the U.S. seem to be leveling off, according to the latest date from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

After a quarter century of increases, obesity prevalence has not measurably increased in the past few years but levels are still high –- at 34% of U.S. adults aged 20 and over, according to the report, "Obesity Among Adults in the United States -- No Change Since 2003-2004." The report is the latest analysis based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, conducted by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

Obesity rates have increased over the past 25 years. Among men, there was an increase in obesity prevalence between 1999 and 2006. However, there was no significant change in obesity prevalence between 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 for either men or women.

[bmussatti]

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/07newsreleases/obesity.htm

[blinkwatt]

Where is the line drawn between overweight and obese? :confused:

[bmussatti]

Where is the line drawn between overweight and obese? :confused:

Blink, there is some good info here:

http://www.phentermine.com/overweightvsobesity.htm

In general, a person who is 25-30 pounds over their ideal weight for age & height is considered "overweight". When that exceeds 30 pounds the term "obese" is used. There is even morbidly obese.

One has to consider the BMI too. Body Mass Index.

[Chills]

The whole BMI calculator is not very accurate.

I'm 5'8" and weigh 180lbs. According to the calculator I'm "overweight" and close to "obese." That's a bunch of bull. I am in excellent shape, work out 5-8 times a week, and am very active. Right now I'm training for my next mountain, so my body fat % is dropping from its already below-average spot.

I do agree that there are a lot of big people out there. It is not isolated to the US, though. Check out the latest from our European cousins. They are dealing with the same problem: fatty fast food, lack of exercise, and sedintary lifestyles.

Hopefully the trend will reverse since it is currently at a plateau.

[bmussatti]

One of the rising health concerns in China is obesity. Why?

Some say it is because more and more people are reaching a higher level of financial success.

[Topless]

I too worry about this subject. I have 3 adult daughters. I love all of them equally. Two are collegiate athletes and one is obese. The lifestyle differences are clear. The two athletes are very careful about what goes in their mouth, eat very balanced varied diets and train 3-5 hrs each day. They are as close to ideal fitness as they can get. Not skinny by any measure.

The obese daughter eats horribly, supersize fast food almost exclusively, and her daily exercise is walking out to her car in the morning. She is now 29 and I worry that I may outlive her. At best she is facing a life of joint pain, back pain, foot and knee problems, heart problems, risk of stroke, probable diabetes. A sad fate for such a bright beautiful young woman.

The solution is so so simple. If you take in more calories than you burn during exercise you will gain weight. If you burn more calories during exercise than you take in you will lose weight. The devil is in the details. Eating carefully for one, bringing home 1/2 of your dinner when dining out, and a brisk 40 minute daily walk is a good place to start.

[dmcutter]

The Chinese used to routinely use bicycles for commuting and now they drive. That's one reason the demand for oil has increased so rapidly. I guess having a car instead of a bicycle is an offshoot of increased affluence (although 3 bicycles are worth considerably more than my everyday driver Rodeo.)

[Topless]

One of the rising health concerns in China is obesity. Why?

Some say it is because more and more people are reaching a higher level of financial success.

I have been to China. The only overweight people I saw were British and American tourists. Seriously, we looked like a heard of elephants walking through town compared to the Chinese people. One person in our group spoke fluent Mandarin and said the Chinese often commented on how HUGE we were and how much food we ate.

[Perfectlap]

The body mass index is flawed in my opinion.
I went onto that website mypyramid.com and I think it uses the BMI. It tells me I should see a doctor to manage my weight because they say I'm to heavy.
Meanwhile My year round average body fat is well below the average males, low teens. I'm 5-7 about 170, during the summer my body fat is 9% and in winter I get lazy and it gets as high as 17%. I go through extremes because I shamefully avoid cycling in the winter and during the summer I'll put in long rides each night and sometimes 100 miles on the weekend. I'm going to buy a mountain bike and join a club. I really hate running.

[Grizzly]

I have to agree with Chills and PL. The BMI is not very realistic. The attached picture of me is a couple of years old, but it's what I have handy. O.K., I've gained a few pounds since this photo was taken, but not many. I am almost 50 pounds over the high end of the BMI for my height. That would make me obese. Do I look obese to you?

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k2/grizzly_011/Crop1.jpg

[blinkwatt]

The solution is so so simple. If you take in more calories than you burn during exercise you will gain weight. If you burn more calories during exercise than you take in you will lose weight. The devil is in the details. Eating carefully for one, bringing home 1/2 of your dinner when dining out, and a brisk 40 minute daily walk is a good place to start.
I went from 5' 8" at 160lbs. at 12-15% bodyfat to 144lbs(did drop to 135lbs at one point) at 6-7% in short time w/o any form of cardio whatsoever. In that time from I'd eat up to 2-3lbs. of fruit a day at least, 1-2 cups of unsalted peanuts,1/2 gallon of fat free milk and several pounds of meat;skinless chicken breast,egg whites + ground beef. (gee I wonder who taught me these eating habits :D )

I think this is where people get tripped up into not wanting to diet; they think diet=less or no food and crappy food. When truth is, when it's real food it doesn't even matter eat all you want and you body will take of itself. Your only as healthy as what you eat.

[Chills]

hahahahaha@ Griz. Man, you look like you should have an earpiece and curly wire going into your jacket.

[Grizzly]

hahahahaha@ Griz. Man, you look like you should have an earpiece and curly wire going into your jacket.

I do. It's on my left side. ;)

[Moostang]

This was always my fear after graduating high school... becoming fat.

Coming from the mid west ( Michigan ) Its very easy to let loose and become fatter. I saw it happen all around me. I even became some what of a victim... late work nights... chinese and pizza mmmmmmm... added me to a lazy fitness sched. and i am 5'7''.. i think i hit 160+ . I moved to San Diego 4 yrs ago .. and i got back on track. I dropped to 148 lbs with 9 % fat. Avid weight lifter and running at the ocean .. i only really noticed how big I was ( to me atleast )when i saw pictures and went back to visit.
I couldnt be happier with being healthy and having an active life. It does get tougher as the yrs add on. I still enjoy my chinese and pizza from time to time.. ( at best .... once a week ) during football etc. BMI test doesn't take into account muscle weight really so an athlete will have numbers that are off.. IMHO

[JackG]

Hey! I think I've figured out who Griz really is!

Add sunglasses, slightly different hairdo, and he's an FBI agent to boot...

:D

[Grizzly]

FBI??? Damn Jack, I thought we were friends.

[Perfectlap]

I went from 5' 8" at 160lbs. at 12-15% bodyfat to 144lbs(did drop to 135lbs at one point) at 6-7% in short time w/o any form of cardio whatsoever. In that time from I'd eat up to 2-3lbs. of fruit a day at least, 1-2 cups of unsalted peanuts,1/2 gallon of fat free milk and several pounds of meat;skinless chicken breast,egg whites + ground beef. (gee I wonder who taught me these eating habits :D )

I think this is where people get tripped up into not wanting to diet; they think diet=less or no food and crappy food. When truth is, when it's real food it doesn't even matter eat all you want and you body will take of itself. Your only as healthy as what you eat.

That's because you have the good fortune of hyper active metabolism.
Some people can't get away with eating healthy but in large portions. Milk and fruits contain high levels of natural sugars that some people can process as well and it turns to fat quickly. That south beach diet guru was actually onto something when he made a mint on rooting out high glycemics.

If you follow cycling you'll know that Lance Armstrong during the Tours, despite grinding out 6 hours of race pace and burning untold numbers of calories was still weighing his food each night! You've got to put as little in the tank as necessary to perform at an optimum level.

p.s.
I also read that if you sit in a chair too long without interruption on a daily basis you'll cut your ability to metabolise food. You need to get up often, like every half hour or so.

[JackG]

FBI??? Damn Jack, I thought we were friends.

Hey, it was either that, or this guy... :eek:

[blinkwatt]

That's because you have the good fortune of hyper active metabolism.
Some people can't get away with eating healthy but in large portions. Milk and fruits contain high levels of natural sugars that some people can process as well and it turns to fat quickly. That south beach diet guru was actually onto something when he made a mint on rooting out high glycemics.

I'm going to play the Devil's advocate for a second.

If I lost weight do to my hyper active metabolism, how did I gain all that weight w/ the same metabolism? The only variable that changed was the food I was putting in me. Before all I ate was crap around the clock, cinnamon rolls,chocolate and such that a high school kid would eat. Funny thing is before,when I was in high school,played football,lifted weights,rode a bike to friends houses and such. Now I sit on my butt all day at work and eat cans of tuna w/ spelt or corn tortillas and eat fruits and I'm still losing bodyfat and go to the gym for 30 minutes-1 hour a day and somehow I'm in a lot better shape then I was when I was.

Nutrition/eating habits are a very interesting subject.

[Brucelee]

Hey, I am slender and fit.

What can I say that won't get me in trouble? :D

[Grizzly]

Hey, it was either that, or this guy... :eek:

Casual Friday, baby!!!

[Jump]

The BMI is absolutely worthless. There is absolutely no way you can equate height and weight and determine if you are obese or not (said by someone who spent 13 years as a medically based exercise physiologist). While it is far from perfect, identifying your body fat % is still the best indicator. Things may have changed since I left the field, but hydrostatic weighing (underwater weighing) was considered the gold standard to identifying body fat. The most common method (and still fairly accurate if you have an EXPERIENCED tester) is skinfold measurements. But, most gyms, YMCAs, etc. who offer this have very inexperienced testers so be careful how you interpret the results unless you know the background of your tester (minimum of an MS in Exercise Science).

[IowaS]

My BMI is 26 or overweight....I just got done running my first marathon in Philly about 2 weeks ago...I am NOT overweight. I too have found the older I get (almost 35) I really have to watch my food intake..even running 30-40 miles a week I can still gain weight if I get lazy.

Any (road) bike riders should come up to Iowa next year for RAGBRAI..google it....hey Lance does it and its a total blast.....probably the ONLY reason to visit Iowa. :D

[cvhs18472]

Cvhs – the lounge is open to discussion of non- Porsche topics !!!

We all know Bruce never responded to your comment in the Joe Torre thread. Let it go :o

Blink,

I think what it boils down to is that people are lazy. I spend about 6 hours a week in the gym, and even though I eat like crap, I’m in good shape ( 5’ 9”, 195 lbs, very little body fat ). One thing I have noticed is it gets a lot harder as you get older to keep the weight off. I never used to do cardio, then once I hit my 30’s it became a necessity. While I used to get away with 20 minutes a day, now I have to do 40 just to get the same results :mad:

Nick
It's not Joe Torre, it is Global Warming. Take that to the lounge.

[Brucelee]

It's not Joe Torre, it is Global Warming. Take that to the lounge.


Global Warming thread is no more! :)

[wild1poet2]

I think the mirror and your heart are the best ways to assess your condition. The mirror don't lie. And your heart rate during a cardio workout will let you know your conditioning.

As a species we're evolved to easily store up fat. It was an advantage 500,000 years ago. So with an abundance of processed foods constantly tempting us it's no surprise we gain weight. Not to mention we have gotten more sedentary.