Hey FATSO! Get OFF the couch!!!

Report: Fat Americans getting even fatter
Extreme obesity is ballooning in U.S. adults
Tuesday, October 14, 2003 Posted: 9:11 AM EDT (1311 GMT)

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Americans are not just getting fatter, they are ballooning to extremely obese proportions at an alarming rate.

The number of extremely obese American adults -- those who are at least 100 pounds overweight -- has quadrupled since the 1980s to about 4 million. That works out to about 1 in every 50 adults.

Extreme obesity once was thought to be a rare, distinct condition whose prevalence remained relatively steady over time. The new study contradicts that thinking and suggests that it is at least partly due to the same kinds of behavior -- overeating and under-activity -- that have contributed to the epidemic number of Americans with less severe weight problems.

In fact, the findings by a RAND Corp. researcher show that the number of extremely obese adults has surged twice as fast as the number of less severely obese adults.

On the scale of obesity, "as the whole population shifts to the right, the extreme categories grow the fastest," said RAND economist Roland Sturm. He added: "These people have the highest health care costs."

Sturm said health problems associated with obesity -- including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis -- probably affect the extremely obese disproportionately and at young ages.

Sturm analyzed annual telephone surveys conducted nationwide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His report covers surveys from 1986 through 2000. The findings appear in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.

In 1986, 1 in 200 adults reported height and weight measurements reflecting extreme obesity, or a body-mass index of at least 40. By 2000 that had jumped to 1 in 50, Sturm found.

The prevalence of the most extreme obesity -- people with a BMI of at least 50 -- grew fivefold from 1 in 2,000 to 1 in 400, Sturm said.

By contrast, ordinary obesity -- a BMI of 30 to 35 -- doubled, from about 1 in 10 to 1 in 5, based on the same surveys.

Body-mass index is a ratio of height to weight.

Understating the problem
Americans tend to understate their weight, and a recent study based on actual measurements found an obesity rate of nearly 1 in 3, or almost 59 million people. Sturm said his findings probably understate the problem for the same reason.

The average man with a BMI of 40 in Sturm's study was 5-foot-10 and 300 pounds, while the average woman was 5-foot-4 and 250 pounds.

Dr. Mary Vernon, a trustee of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, said the study reflects what doctors who specialize in treating obesity are seeing in their offices. Vernon said the number of her patients weighing 300 to 350 pounds or so has doubled in the past several years.

She said thinking has evolved from a generation ago, when many doctors believed extreme obesity was due to hormonal abnormalities or other distinct conditions.

Now many believe it is a combination of lifestyle factors and genetics, as well as a propensity for some people's bodies to be hyper-efficient at storing calories. This tendency would benefit people in societies where starvation is rampant but is a huge problem in developed countries where food is plentiful and lifestyles are increasingly sedentary, Vernon said.

Vernon said the biggest challenge in treating severely obese people, who typically have tried mightily to lose weight, "is giving them enough hope that it's worth trying again."

Obesity more than doubles for men since '85

By DENNIS BUECKERT

OTTAWA (CP) - The fat isn't just creeping up on Canadians, it's galloping.

The prevalence of obesity among Canadian women has doubled over the last 15 years, new data show. For men it has more than doubled. "It's astounding," Heather Maclean, of the Centre for Research and Women's Health at the Sunnybrook and Women's Hospital in Toronto, said Wednesday.

Many people are too busy to exercise or to cook properly and there is greater dependence on fast food, she said.

"We are steadily gaining weight, and of course it's happening to children as well. You see it, and it's scary."

From 1985 to 2001, the prevalence of obesity increased to 14 per cent from seven per cent among women, and to 16 per cent from six per cent among men.

Under Health Canada guidelines, a person with a body mass index of 30 or over is defined as obese. The index relates a person's height to their weight.

"This is really a national health emergency."said Donna Stewart of the University Health Network at the University of Toronto, co-author of a report on women's health in which the figures are cited.

She noted that obesity is a factor in many serious health conditions, from diabetes to heart disease.

Canadian men continue to be fatter than women on average, but women are catching up.

Forty per cent of men were overweight in 2001. From 1985 to 2001, the percentage of women defined as overweight increased to 26 per cent from 19 per cent. Health Canada guidelines define overweight as a body mass index of 25.

Population aging is one factor in the flab epidemic, but it can't explain such a dramatic increase, said Stewart.

Maclean said women are much more aware of weight than men, which has resulted in lower obesity rates among women, although it has also contributed to eating disorders.

"I think we have a lot of cultural shifts to make," she said. "We live in a culture that promotes gluttony but glorifies thinness."

She said the immense interest in dieting is basically misdirected.

"Weight loss per se is notoriously unsuccessful. As trite as it sounds, it takes a lifestyle change. You have to increase your activity - you can't just diet."

Maclean said many people are too busy to get exercise, and many can't afford to join a gym.

She said communities should do everything they can to provide inexpensive opportunities for exercise, for example by opening school gyms at night.

She lamented the federal decision to shut down the Participaction program, which promoted exercise, and the reduction of physical education programs in many schools.

What is this a competition or something? Gold medal goes to the country with the most heart attacks? Bronze for most diabetics? Some people have good excuses for getting big, MOST DO NOT! This is when health care kinda sucks, people who do not take care of themselves get free rides. Like I said, a few people have excuses (injuries etc.), if this post ticks you off, you are more than likely a couch potatoe, eh!

Actually I'm more of a desk potato than a couch potato.

I don't disagree with the post at all Robair.

I was 160 when I got married...a skinny little kid. I was 180 when I became a tech...a pretty good weight for somebody my height and build in a basically non-physical job. Being a tech required me to be on the road a lot. I discovered the beer and pizza diet. When I was done being a tech, I was around 240. I started a reno company and began whacking things with a hammer. I dropped to 200, but my muscles were bigger so it was, again, a good weight. My back quit hurting (except for actual injuries) and I felt better, more alert.

I've got arthritis now so I'm not in a really physical job anymore, but I make sure to do yardwork and work on the house and I am on my feet all day. I still drink a lot of beer and, although I don't watch my diet, being at home means I fill up on home-grown veggies and other healthy foods. That isn't by design, it's because they are easier to get and much tastier than veggies you get on the road. I'm still around 200. It isn't as healthy a 200 as it was before, but it ain't bad for somebody who needs three days to do a day of physical labour either.

I can understand how people get fat. I was there. It's easy, especially with our current lifestyles. You don't even realise it's happening.

Everyone in my family was raised to do physical labour...look what happened when I got out of that habit. The thing is that our society still looks down on physical labour. We hire people to cut our lawns, build our sheds, trim our hedges while we sit on the couch. Then, if we want to stay fit, buy a gym membership that we might get around to using.

Part of it is how busy we are. Much of it is how lazy we've become as a society.

About 4 or so months ago I weighed in at about 282 lbs... I was having problems findsing a pair of my jeans that fit and went to Value Village to find jeans that fit... Well to day I am now down to 246 lbs and had to buy a belt to keep up the old pant I didnt wear any more. Ive been wearing nice shirts that have been sitting in my closet for that last few years I couldnt wear. Even the wife has noticed a big difference. My knees still hurt but maybe not quite as bad, I notice I have more wind again.. and feel better about myself too.... It was an expensive diet plan thoigh I must add........IF any one wants to know how I did it just ask here....

I think that a big part of the problem is not just lack of activity but the eating habits. Society today does not need to eat protein with every meal. Especially if you sit at a desk all day. That big steak, or half a roast chicken is not required by your body.

Something should also be said for the fact that people today do not have to work so hard to have the basics. We are a through away society. I wonder how much of the pressure to be skinny and slim actually has the reverse effect? I also wonder how much of an effect feeding a baby at every cry has on that same child later eating to satisfy emotional deficiencies? I'm sure you've seen parents who's first response to their child crying is to either stick a bottle in it's mouth or a cookie in its' hand.

Personally for me, I have the exact opposite problem. I once weighed 150lbs (I'm 5'5) But about a month after I gained this weight I taken to the hospital because of severe pain and about 15 hrs later gave birth!! lol
I remember being told to NOT bring in clothes that I'd worn before the pregnancy as they wouldn't fit ( we're were told that you do not get a flat stomach again as soon as the baby is born). So I figured I'd just wear the same pants home. I had to bunch the waist in my hand to hold them up when I left! I left the hospital weighing 120lbs.

I'm fortunate I have a high metabolism. I also am keenly aware of what my body requires. I don't eat if I haven't worked because I'm not hungry. I don't eat breakfast as soon as I get up, I have to wait until I've been up a couple of hours to build up an appetite.

I use to complain about not being able to gain weight. There are simply no programs gaining weight. I use to buy the supplements for body builders and I'd work out everyday (we had a home gym) However I found that I'd drink the protein shakes and then not be hungry enough to eat dinner. I also didn't get bigger.

I'm now ok with my weight. I still hate having people ask me how come I'm so skinny. And I have to bite my tongue when these same people ask how they can get skinny like me. They don't really want to hear the answer. They want some miracle cure. They don't want to have to change their life style. Which is what is required.

Life style and genetics have allot to do with it, no doubt about it.
Twila a few of the one looking for the magic potion are probably a little jealous of your jeans........sorry I meant genes. :lol:

You're right Robair it is hard work but it pays off. A couple of years ago I went 100% to the letter using the Zone Diet. It wasn't for loosing weight that I was doing it for, it was for cycling and making sure I had enough gas in the tank to do the distances I wanted to do. I had to eat literally twice the food I normally ate, even just before going to bed! It worked unbelievably and I did loose weight, but I was in the best shape of my life and could compete with guys 10-15 years younger. (I'm 44 now) The biggest thing I remember is that is was hard at first but it became easier and easier. The lowest I think I got to was about 165lbs (5'10") which was less than I weighed in high school but not my ideal weight. Once you're at that level it's easier to keep it off too. I was able to keep it at 180ish which is where I prefer it until I had a reoccurrence of a neck injury and too many vacations and road trips. There's where the lifestyle kicks in, now I'm hovering at the 190 mark and it's pure life style.

I'm still very active, I play hockey about 4-5 times a week when I'm home........thing is I'm hardly ever home these days.

My .02 - People eat far too much. Why? Consumerism. I think most people deep down are lost and fell empty inside, disconnected from family, friends and even themselves. It is a void and marketing tells us " buy this and you will feel better". Have you ever seem a commerical where the people didn't look deliriously happy after buying something?

Another theory could be that we are just bored (and boring) and eating is a way for us to pass the time. Nothing to do between watching game shows? How about a pizza. There is a reason most bars keep the music turned up loud. It discourages conversation. People feel they have to do something and if you can't talk then what? Eat and drink.

You know, when my wife and I moved to WA, the first thing we noticed was how large the portions were in restaurants compared to AB/SK. Anybody else notice this?

I was brought up to eat everything on my plate. The less you put on your plate, the less you will eat, but still feel "full". That's my theory. We eat waaaaaaaaaaay too much for the amount of activity we do in today's world.

-m

Robair's post was just another slag on the U.S., poorly disguised. Give Robair a couple of years, and that fish-belly he got will be augmented by a couple of nice round teets! For the record, 40 yrs, 6' 4", 235, nine hours a week in a gym, a real gym, not a fucking yuppie juice-bar, & nasty as your ex-wife. Its called motivation! Wanna be something? Do it! Want a nice house , get it! I work out at a boxing gym, I used to box, & I can't box with the big boys anymore, but I still train & spar. Hell, the strippers tell me I don't look a day over 39....lol