Anonymous wrote:Why does it make you sad? Unpack that.

Huh? I’m not OP but anytime I see someone who’s health is destroyed it’s sad.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is significantly overweight will have spend the rest of their life fighting their body to retain their set point weight. Like, significant mental energy dedicated to it every single day. Most people simply aren’t capable of it. Without bariatric surgery or lifelong medication to treat it is statistically nearly impossible. The new GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide) are quite promising but they will need to be taken forever.

For those who are obese and overweight already the focus for individuals needs to be on improving health and mobility regardless of body habitus with diet and exercise, and treating obesity with surgery and/or medication.

We need to figure out on a population level what is making us obese. The truth is we just don’t know.

Well, it is very complicated, but I would not go as far to say “we just don’t know”. From what I understand, when obese people are put on verifiable healthy but strict diets, (either institutionalized or rigorously monitored in regards to their food intake) they do lose weight essentially all of the time. Of course that is not a realistic or repeatable solution for obesity problems at a societal level. While I agree that “we just don’t know” a good solution, I believe that we do know the culprit for the vast majority of cases.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This I definitely believe. Once I leave the DMV area, I end up looking downright skinny with my 5'4" 170 lb body.

I'm originally from the Bay Area, grew up in Socal coastal area, and when I moved to the DC area we went to a fair, and omg... I was shocked at how there were so many obese people.

Large metro areas tend to have less obese people. Once you get out of the large metro areas, it's really shocking.

I don’t know why this map is labeled as metro vs rural. It looks to me like there are a lot of rural areas out west with low obesity rates.

Frankly, it looks like there are higher rates of obesity where black and Hispanic people live. Maybe that is because all of our initial data on creating the BMI comes from white men in the 1950’s.

That is not surprising. SES and obesity go together like cheeseburger and fries.

The relationship between SES and obesity is not cut and dry. It seems to be more somewhat more related to educational attainment.

“Similar to results based on data from 2005–2008 (4), during 2011–2014, obesity prevalence was lower in the highest income group among women, but this was not the case among men. In fact, among non-Hispanic black men the prevalence of obesity was higher in the highest income group than in the lowest income group. Both women and men who were college graduates, on the other hand, had lower prevalences of obesity than did persons with less education.

In general, prevalence of obesity among women was lowest among college graduates, although among non-Hispanic Asians there was no difference in prevalence by level of education. This relationship was not seen when obesity was examined by income level. For example, obesity prevalence was lower in the highest income group among non-Hispanic white women, but among non-Hispanic black women, prevalence did not differ between the highest and lowest household income groups. In contrast, among both non-Hispanic black women and non-Hispanic white women, the prevalence of obesity was lower among college graduates than among women with some college. This difference in the relationship between obesity and income and obesity and education has been reported in at least one other study (7) in children. These findings demonstrate that lower levels of income and education are not universally associated with obesity; the association is complex and differs by sex and race/Hispanic origin.”

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6650a1.htm

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is significantly overweight will have spend the rest of their life fighting their body to retain their set point weight. Like, significant mental energy dedicated to it every single day. Most people simply aren’t capable of it. Without bariatric surgery or lifelong medication to treat it is statistically nearly impossible. The new GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide) are quite promising but they will need to be taken forever.

For those who are obese and overweight already the focus for individuals needs to be on improving health and mobility regardless of body habitus with diet and exercise, and treating obesity with surgery and/or medication.

We need to figure out on a population level what is making us obese. The truth is we just don’t know.

Its not a mystery, racism and poverty wages are making Americans obese. You know, because we are constantly stressed out and working. And for much of the population, cooking at home from whole foods is out of reach. My family is southern and most of the adults are obese. My brother and I are not, and my kids are not. We live in the city, the public charter school lunch is cooked on site, and we try to walk and be active. Hoping to break the cycle.

It isn’t a mystery you are right. But it is laziness, not poverty. People, all people of every income, are programmed to want to do the least work possible. Cheap and very easy and attainable food is in abundance here. It is tasty too. So of course, time and time again, that will be picked over heathy options that take time to prepare and maybe are boring and not as “tasty” as the things filled with fat, sugar, and salt. But they certainly are available to all. Oats, lentils, beans, rice, canned/frozen/seasonal produce, eggs, milk, is readily available to all people at all income levels. But it takes more time and if working with limited ingredients, may not be as appealing to all- but to say people can’t eat heathy bc they don’t have access to any heathy food just isn’t true

No, they’re not. You just can’t imagine a world in which they aren’t bc you’ve never lived that reality.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is significantly overweight will have spend the rest of their life fighting their body to retain their set point weight. Like, significant mental energy dedicated to it every single day. Most people simply aren’t capable of it. Without bariatric surgery or lifelong medication to treat it is statistically nearly impossible. The new GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide) are quite promising but they will need to be taken forever.

For those who are obese and overweight already the focus for individuals needs to be on improving health and mobility regardless of body habitus with diet and exercise, and treating obesity with surgery and/or medication.

We need to figure out on a population level what is making us obese. The truth is we just don’t know.

Its not a mystery, racism and poverty wages are making Americans obese. You know, because we are constantly stressed out and working. And for much of the population, cooking at home from whole foods is out of reach. My family is southern and most of the adults are obese. My brother and I are not, and my kids are not. We live in the city, the public charter school lunch is cooked on site, and we try to walk and be active. Hoping to break the cycle.

It isn’t a mystery you are right. But it is laziness, not poverty. People, all people of every income, are programmed to want to do the least work possible. Cheap and very easy and attainable food is in abundance here. It is tasty too. So of course, time and time again, that will be picked over heathy options that take time to prepare and maybe are boring and not as “tasty” as the things filled with fat, sugar, and salt. But they certainly are available to all. Oats, lentils, beans, rice, canned/frozen/seasonal produce, eggs, milk, is readily available to all people at all income levels. But it takes more time and if working with limited ingredients, may not be as appealing to all- but to say people can’t eat heathy bc they don’t have access to any heathy food just isn’t true

I just can't get behind this idea that comes up over and over again that food is to be eaten as a reward when you are doing well or stressed out or any number of reasons. That is why people can't seem to choose cheap but healthy foods like oats/lentils/eggs etc. Even McD has salads but how many people choose that over fries? Food is to nourish your body so you are healthy and can participate in rewarding pursuits. Sure the occasional birthday cake or treat is fine but just eating junk food and soda daily? Why can't people listen to music as a reward? or read a book or even watch some random tiktok vidoes? Why does it have to be food? You don't live to eat and all that..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is significantly overweight will have spend the rest of their life fighting their body to retain their set point weight. Like, significant mental energy dedicated to it every single day. Most people simply aren’t capable of it. Without bariatric surgery or lifelong medication to treat it is statistically nearly impossible. The new GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide) are quite promising but they will need to be taken forever.

For those who are obese and overweight already the focus for individuals needs to be on improving health and mobility regardless of body habitus with diet and exercise, and treating obesity with surgery and/or medication.

We need to figure out on a population level what is making us obese. The truth is we just don’t know.

Its not a mystery, racism and poverty wages are making Americans obese. You know, because we are constantly stressed out and working. And for much of the population, cooking at home from whole foods is out of reach. My family is southern and most of the adults are obese. My brother and I are not, and my kids are not. We live in the city, the public charter school lunch is cooked on site, and we try to walk and be active. Hoping to break the cycle.

It isn’t a mystery you are right. But it is laziness, not poverty. People, all people of every income, are programmed to want to do the least work possible. Cheap and very easy and attainable food is in abundance here. It is tasty too. So of course, time and time again, that will be picked over heathy options that take time to prepare and maybe are boring and not as “tasty” as the things filled with fat, sugar, and salt. But they certainly are available to all. Oats, lentils, beans, rice, canned/frozen/seasonal produce, eggs, milk, is readily available to all people at all income levels. But it takes more time and if working with limited ingredients, may not be as appealing to all- but to say people can’t eat heathy bc they don’t have access to any heathy food just isn’t true

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who is significantly overweight will have spend the rest of their life fighting their body to retain their set point weight. Like, significant mental energy dedicated to it every single day. Most people simply aren’t capable of it. Without bariatric surgery or lifelong medication to treat it is statistically nearly impossible. The new GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide) are quite promising but they will need to be taken forever.

For those who are obese and overweight already the focus for individuals needs to be on improving health and mobility regardless of body habitus with diet and exercise, and treating obesity with surgery and/or medication.

We need to figure out on a population level what is making us obese. The truth is we just don’t know.

Its not a mystery, racism and poverty wages are making Americans obese. You know, because we are constantly stressed out and working. And for much of the population, cooking at home from whole foods is out of reach. My family is southern and most of the adults are obese. My brother and I are not, and my kids are not. We live in the city, the public charter school lunch is cooked on site, and we try to walk and be active. Hoping to break the cycle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Compare the Sidwell lunch menu to your local public and you have your answer. Add in food deserts, too.

I work in a Title 1 school and see what they serve the kids for free breakfast, lunch, and snack. All microwaved processed foods like hot dogs, cheesy pretzels, chocolate milk, nachos with cheese dip, etc.

This is what they offer to ALL kids at ALL public schools now.

The food is definitely terrible, but the parents contribute to make it even worse. I was giving my kids a small pack of goldfish and a banana for snack. Their friends are almost uniformly bringing skittles, pockies, gummy bears, and other bullsh*t so I'm constantly getting told how I'm such a strict parent. I pointed out that like half the kids in their school are fat and they rebut with "not in our class" (they are in the AAP class where somehow the kids eat garbage for snack and are still thin). My response is that their friends will have diabetes soon after college. It's so unfortunate what we are doing to our kids in America. I went to school in Germany as a kid and the food there is actually like a home-cooked meal with actual food groups compared to what we get in the US.

You know, I’m not sure that I buy this narrative.
They have done twin studies with genetically identical twins growing up in different households, and their BMI’s are pretty much the same when they get to adulthood. You actually can’t say this for very many other things that we tend to think of as genetic disorders, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

I don’t know what’s going on at a population level, but I don’t think that you can blame this all on individual parents and their snack choices.

Genetics don’t make you fat, but genetics can play a large role in your appetite and how your brain signals you’ve had enough food. In other words, some people are pre-disposed to over eating. And in the US where cheap garbage food is pretty much limitless and takes nearly zero effort to get- disaster. BUT this can be over come with lifestyle changes and making a conscious effort to eat (perhaps a lot) less than maybe what you want to eat. But that is hard to do, as a result, people end up overweight by default

So, you are saying that children’s satiety signals are messed up due to genetics, and because they have limitless access to garbage food, this is what’s making them overweight?

So, your answer is to, what? Put children on a calorie restricted diet from birth? Even if that makes them very uncomfortable?

Frankly, your solution sounds abusive and like a much bigger disaster than a bunch of size 16 ladies walking around. Also, you have absolutely zero evidence that putting children on a calorie restricted diet makes them physically healthier as adults.

The answer is stop giving kids garbage food at home AND at school. IF they are going to be eating something high in calories/low in nutrients, it shouldn't be limitless. Children absolutely need to learn early on which foods they can eat as much as they want of and which foods you have on occasion and stick with a set portion.

And really, schools should just stop giving kids food all together. No vending machines. No "free" crap at all. They are only overweight kids even more overweight. They are not keeping anyone from starving, quite the opposite.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Compare the Sidwell lunch menu to your local public and you have your answer. Add in food deserts, too.

I work in a Title 1 school and see what they serve the kids for free breakfast, lunch, and snack. All microwaved processed foods like hot dogs, cheesy pretzels, chocolate milk, nachos with cheese dip, etc.

This is what they offer to ALL kids at ALL public schools now.

The food is definitely terrible, but the parents contribute to make it even worse. I was giving my kids a small pack of goldfish and a banana for snack. Their friends are almost uniformly bringing skittles, pockies, gummy bears, and other bullsh*t so I'm constantly getting told how I'm such a strict parent. I pointed out that like half the kids in their school are fat and they rebut with "not in our class" (they are in the AAP class where somehow the kids eat garbage for snack and are still thin). My response is that their friends will have diabetes soon after college. It's so unfortunate what we are doing to our kids in America. I went to school in Germany as a kid and the food there is actually like a home-cooked meal with actual food groups compared to what we get in the US.

You know, I’m not sure that I buy this narrative.
They have done twin studies with genetically identical twins growing up in different households, and their BMI’s are pretty much the same when they get to adulthood. You actually can’t say this for very many other things that we tend to think of as genetic disorders, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

I don’t know what’s going on at a population level, but I don’t think that you can blame this all on individual parents and their snack choices.

Genetics don’t make you fat, but genetics can play a large role in your appetite and how your brain signals you’ve had enough food. In other words, some people are pre-disposed to over eating. And in the US where cheap garbage food is pretty much limitless and takes nearly zero effort to get- disaster. BUT this can be over come with lifestyle changes and making a conscious effort to eat (perhaps a lot) less than maybe what you want to eat. But that is hard to do, as a result, people end up overweight by default

So, you are saying that children’s satiety signals are messed up due to genetics, and because they have limitless access to garbage food, this is what’s making them overweight?

So, your answer is to, what? Put children on a calorie restricted diet from birth? Even if that makes them very uncomfortable?

Frankly, your solution sounds abusive and like a much bigger disaster than a bunch of size 16 ladies walking around. Also, you have absolutely zero evidence that putting children on a calorie restricted diet makes them physically healthier as adults.

The answer is stop giving kids garbage food at home AND at school. IF they are going to be eating something high in calories/low in nutrients, it shouldn't be limitless. Children absolutely need to learn early on which foods they can eat as much as they want of and which foods you have on occasion and stick with a set portion.

There is lots of science examining what causes obesity with much of the research yet unsettled.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-obesity-era?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently the average american woman now has a 37.5 inche waist, up 2 inches, and now wears a 16 to 18. I find this really surprising, and a bit sad. Since the average American woman is also 5'4", that can't be good.


https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17543266.2016.1214291?journalCode=tfdt20

Your link was published in 2016. Trying to rev up site views for ad revenue, eh?

And the survey ended in 2010. It must be worse now. So sad for our country, the future of healthcare and our military.

Socialized medicine will bring about positive peer pressure for people to stop smoking and live healthier lives.... in addition to other things, like lower Healthcare costs on a national basis.

I don't understand people who believe this.

While our healthcare isn't socialized, our insurance is socialized. The premiums you pay don't go into a fund that your insurance company holds until you need a service covered. No, everyone's premiums are pooled together and used to pay for the care of all others. Your premiums that you pay now are already being used for cancer treatments for a lifelong smoker or type 2 diabetes management for someone who is obese. There's no positive peer pressure now for people to live healthier lives. I don't see it happening if we ever get universal healthcare.

I was very shocked to learn that many people don't really understand how insurance works. I've talked to lots of people who either didn't realize or connect the dots that their premiums are already covering the healthcare needs of others. That's why there's a whole host of "elective" procedures that insurance won't cover (or fight to cover) - if they covered it for one person, everyone would want that procedure, and then the insurance of course wouldn't make as much $$.

What is different with universal healthcare is the government regulation. Them saying insulin cannot be sold for more than $25/vial. Or the cost of 2 Tylenol is $1.50/tablet. Big insurance doesn't want this because then there's price equality and less profit.

You apparently don’t know what socialized means (it does not mean pooled risk) and your understanding of health insurance is fuzzy too. When care is expensive and outcomes are low, insurance companies do lose money. They miss out on incentive payments and are pressured to reduce costs.

Anyone who is significantly overweight will have spend the rest of their life fighting their body to retain their set point weight. Like, significant mental energy dedicated to it every single day. Most people simply aren’t capable of it. Without bariatric surgery or lifelong medication to treat it is statistically nearly impossible. The new GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide) are quite promising but they will need to be taken forever.

For those who are obese and overweight already the focus for individuals needs to be on improving health and mobility regardless of body habitus with diet and exercise, and treating obesity with surgery and/or medication.

We need to figure out on a population level what is making us obese. The truth is we just don’t know.

I'm relieved to find out I'm just an average American woman! And here I thought I was fat!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This I definitely believe. Once I leave the DMV area, I end up looking downright skinny with my 5'4" 170 lb body.

I'm originally from the Bay Area, grew up in Socal coastal area, and when I moved to the DC area we went to a fair, and omg... I was shocked at how there were so many obese people.

Large metro areas tend to have less obese people. Once you get out of the large metro areas, it's really shocking.

I don’t know why this map is labeled as metro vs rural. It looks to me like there are a lot of rural areas out west with low obesity rates.

Frankly, it looks like there are higher rates of obesity where black and Hispanic people live. Maybe that is because all of our initial data on creating the BMI comes from white men in the 1950’s.

That is not surprising. SES and obesity go together like cheeseburger and fries.

Yes. It’s a hell of a lot easier to get ahead of you are white and thin. But neither of those things makes you special or morally superior. Sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This I definitely believe. Once I leave the DMV area, I end up looking downright skinny with my 5'4" 170 lb body.

I'm originally from the Bay Area, grew up in Socal coastal area, and when I moved to the DC area we went to a fair, and omg... I was shocked at how there were so many obese people.

Large metro areas tend to have less obese people. Once you get out of the large metro areas, it's really shocking.

I don’t know why this map is labeled as metro vs rural. It looks to me like there are a lot of rural areas out west with low obesity rates.

Frankly, it looks like there are higher rates of obesity where black and Hispanic people live. Maybe that is because all of our initial data on creating the BMI comes from white men in the 1950’s.

That is not surprising. SES and obesity go together like cheeseburger and fries.