Obesity

[kipperfan]

Originally Posted by bcsoda

Just personal thoughts, I don't have any stats or reports or research to back this up, but...I've heard that Asians naturally have a smaller build than Europeans. Despite this, the same measurements and the same cut offs are used for BMI. Maybe it takes a lower weight/BMI for an Asian to be considered "overweight", but since we use standardized BMI stats it isn't going to show that.

Having walked the streets of many Asian and eastern European countries I can tell you I have a hard time believing that. The difference is stark and immediately noticeable in a lot of these countries, to be quite honest on a few of my trips, seeing an obese person was so rare I would literally do a double take the few rare times I saw one.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

dude..........that is the laziest of efforts..........

Coincidence? I think not...

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by kipperfan

Having walked the streets of many Asian and eastern European countries I can tell you I have a hard time believing that. The difference is stark and immediately noticeable in a lot of these countries, to be quite honest on a few of my trips, seeing an obese person was so rare I would literally do a double take the few rare times I saw one.

It wasn't like I was in Asia for very long recently, but there is certainly a bit of "culture shock"(?) coming back just to Calgary and it was pretty obvious how much bigger people are here. The waist size is what you notice certainly not as much when it comes to a slightly lower height.

[Erick Estrada]

I'm on the fence with this discussion as IMO for every one person that has a legitimate excuse to be fat five other people are fat because of poor diet and lack of exercise. I see the same fat people every morning (double doubles are my vice) line up at Tim Hortons and every day get those artery clogging breakfast sandwiches. I eat one of those every 6 months and feel dirty for it yet these people eat that crap every day. I see the same fat people at work never bring a luch and always eat out at McDonalds, Wendy's, etc. Being obese for most is simply a lifestyle. They have chosen not to lead a health lifestyle.

[bradster57]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm on the fence with this discussion as IMO for every one person that has a legitimate excuse to be fat five other people are fat because of poor diet and lack of exercise. I see the same fat people every morning (double doubles are my vice) line up at Tim Hortons and every day get those artery clogging breakfast sandwiches. I eat one of those every 6 months and feel dirty for it yet these people eat that crap every day. I see the same fat people at work never bring a luch and always eat out at McDonalds, Wendy's, etc. Being obese for most is simply a lifestyle. They have chosen not to lead a health lifestyle.

Yep the rates of obesity are skyrocketing, not all of them can be due to genetic issues.

And by the way, I'm one of those who orders a breakfast sandwich with my coffee- mostly because I never have cash and don't like doing debit for $1.75 purchase. And yes, I am getting quite sick of them too.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by chemgear

It wasn't like I was in Asia for very long recently, but there is certainly a bit of "culture shock"(?) coming back just to Calgary and it was pretty obvious how much bigger people are here. The waist size is what you notice certainly not as much when it comes to a slightly lower height.

You know what else was a shock for me coming back from China? How badly the food here made me feel compared to the food in China. I've seen their markets, I know how infrequently they use refrigeration, I would have expected their food to make me feel sick, but North American food? I was floored at how much better I felt on the chinese-deep-fry-everything-covered-in-oil diet, than I was on North American food. It took me longer to stop feeling sick coming back than it did heading there. And when I felt sick over there, it was when I had a burger, or a pizza, or something "western".

It's not the calories, it's our food. There is something wrong with our food.

[bradster57]

Originally Posted by Knalus

You know what else was a shock for me coming back from China? How badly the food here made me feel compared to the food in China. I've seen their markets, I know how infrequently they use refrigeration, I would have expected their food to make me feel sick, but North American food? I was floored at how much better I felt on the chinese-deep-fry-everything-covered-in-oil diet, than I was on North American food. It took me longer to stop feeling sick coming back than it did heading there. And when I felt sick over there, it was when I had a burger, or a pizza, or something "western".

It's not the calories, it's our food. There is something wrong with our food.

Even so, I'd still choose a burger or pizza over chicken feet.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by bradster57

Even so, I'd still choose a burger or pizza over chicken feet.

Chicken feet never made me feel ill. The burger did.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Knalus

You know what else was a shock for me coming back from China? How badly the food here made me feel compared to the food in China. I've seen their markets, I know how infrequently they use refrigeration, I would have expected their food to make me feel sick, but North American food? I was floored at how much better I felt on the chinese-deep-fry-everything-covered-in-oil diet, than I was on North American food. It took me longer to stop feeling sick coming back than it did heading there. And when I felt sick over there, it was when I had a burger, or a pizza, or something "western".

It's not the calories, it's our food. There is something wrong with our food.

3.5 words:

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by blankall

3.5 words:

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

I used to be the type that laughed things like that off as if it were some kind of conspiracy. Now, I'm more inclined to believe you.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Knalus

You know what else was a shock for me coming back from China? How badly the food here made me feel compared to the food in China. I've seen their markets, I know how infrequently they use refrigeration, I would have expected their food to make me feel sick, but North American food? I was floored at how much better I felt on the chinese-deep-fry-everything-covered-in-oil diet, than I was on North American food. It took me longer to stop feeling sick coming back than it did heading there. And when I felt sick over there, it was when I had a burger, or a pizza, or something "western".

It's not the calories, it's our food. There is something wrong with our food.

Is it the food or the preparation of the food?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Knalus

I used to be the type that laughed things like that off as if it were some kind of conspiracy. Now, I'm more inclined to believe you.

It's not just HFCS, but the North-American diet in general is all about stuffing processed sugars, flours, and oils into our foods. I'm pretty pragmatic with my own diet, and a calorie is a calorie. There are studies that show that HFCS can actually increase appetite, as oppossed to satiate it.

It'd even be possible to prepare unhealthy foods like burgers in much healthier ways without all the processed sugars we find in most breads today.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by blankall

It's not just HFCS, but the North-American diet in general is all about stuffing processed sugars, flours, and oils into our foods. I'm pretty pragmatic with my own diet, and a calorie is a calorie. There are studies that show that HFCS can actually increase appetite, as oppossed to satiate it.

It'd even be possible to prepare unhealthy foods like burgers in much healthier ways without all the processed sugars we find in most breads today.

Is HFCS a common in Canada as the US?

My buddy's wife (she is a valley girl) and she was saying that she loves coming up to see his family in Canada, cuz there is so much less HFCS in things. I don't know but she is very tuned in to what she and her family eat (or appears to be at least).

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Is it the food or the preparation of the food?

Everything in China was coated in cooking oil. You go to the grocery store, and it's not an aisle of cooking oil, it's a full section of the store. I was under the impression that oily, heavy foods were bad for you, and that a calorie was a calorie. Now, I figure it's both - the preparation of the food is key. They never let things sit, they prepared it fresh as they could. Is that why their food made me feel better? Possibly.

[Knalus]

Oh, and even without the feeling better or not, I did lose 10 pounds on vacation. That was an awesome feeling when I got home, and needed new notches on my belt.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Is HFCS a common in Canada as the US?

My buddy's wife (she is a valley girl) and she was saying that she loves coming up to see his family in Canada, cuz there is so much less HFCS in things. I don't know but she is very tuned in to what she and her family eat (or appears to be at least).

I have no idea what the frequencies are. I do know it doesn't appear on Canadian labels as HFCS though. It's called "glucose-fructose" up here.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm on the fence with this discussion as IMO for every one person that has a legitimate excuse to be fat five other people are fat because of poor diet and lack of exercise. I see the same fat people every morning (double doubles are my vice) line up at Tim Hortons and every day get those artery clogging breakfast sandwiches. I eat one of those every 6 months and feel dirty for it yet these people eat that crap every day. I see the same fat people at work never bring a luch and always eat out at McDonalds, Wendy's, etc. Being obese for most is simply a lifestyle. They have chosen not to lead a health lifestyle.

For that "five other people", I'm assuming you have some scientific research to back that up. Because if we are just going to throw out anecdotal evidence, I work with people who are trying to lose weight, and most of them eat not because "they are lazy", but to fill some kind of void in their lives or to fulfill some emotional need/craving.

For many is it a crutch, one that will eventually kill them. They choose this crutch as much as a gambler chooses to gamble, an alcoholic chooses to drink and an addict chooses to get high. While the addiction may not be as much physical as it is emotional, it is still an addiction. It's why groups like Overeaters Anonymous exist. I was actually shocked to find out just how many chapters there are. There are many people who have realized that it is an addiction that fills some kind of emotional void.

But I guess it's easier just to call them lazy slobs so you can feel free to condemn them. I swear, the gamblers, alcoholics and drug addicts get treated better.

[#22]

^^^
An addiction it is, and the worst kind. I mean, it's not like you can tell a food addict to just stop eating. A person has to eat every day to survive, so they are confronted with temptation every day of their lives.

It's like getting an alcoholic to quit being an alcoholic by asking him to just drink less, or to only drink beer and not whiskey. Oh, by the way, you still have to come hang out in the tavern with us and you must do your shopping at the liquor store.

I can't imagine what a struggle that must be, and my hat goes off to all that are dealing with this.

[bcsoda]

I don't know how accurate Cracked is with everything (though they appear to do their research), but they posted a relevant article today: http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/f...ng-to-science/

[kipperfan]

Originally Posted by bcsoda

I don't know how accurate Cracked is with everything (though they appear to do their research), but they posted a relevant article today: http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/f...ng-to-science/

So according to this article, it is inevitable and only a matter of time before our very own Devils Advocate gains back all the weight he worked so hard to lose and becomes fat again.

That reads more like an opinion piece then anything scientific. The "studies" quoted seem dubious as well.