Obesity a killer?

The Washington Post put it all in the context of "preventable" deaths. In that category they included some odd choices such as traffic fatalities and homicide. Personally, I would call a cause of my death "preventable" only if I can "prevent" it by making reasonable choices, not by never leaving my house.

But even with that expansive definition, their "preventable" deaths only total somewhat more than one million per year, about ten percent of the total U.S. death rate. I guess that means most of us are going to die of "unpreventable" causes -- like getting old and feeble.

I still hew to a bit of wisdom passed down to me many years ago.

You can give up smoking and drinking, and while you're at it, all the other drugs that are less dangerous but illegal. Stop eating red meat (I told you this was many years ago, today it would be bread). Take up jogging, spend at least ten hours a week at it. Give up that stressful high-paying job and take a more prosaic one with fewer headaches. Ride the nice safe bus and get some extra aerobics by always using stairways. Stop staying out late and fooling around with people who you don't know where they were last night. Marry a nice girl or boy that your mother likes, and settle down. Keep regular hours and don't hang around with people who expose you to temptation and risk.

No, it may not actually make your life any longer. But it will sure FEEL like it!

(Actually I did marry a nice girl that my mother liked and we've had a happy life for more than 25 years. Not all hokey advice is bad. But we never exactly "settled down" and we eat both red meat and bread. ^_^)

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.......waiting for something to kill it.

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Bad news: Americans are eating themselves into early graves.

Good news: It will be less of a strain on our already overburdened Social Security system.

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Bad News: Attorneys who successfully sued the tobacco industry for pushing a deadly addictive substance have now set their sights on fast food and other junk-food purveyors.

Good News: Consumers will not be able to sue and blame the food and restaurant industries for their obesity under a bill approved Tuesday by a state Senate committee. The measure has been approved by the Florida House.

Bad News: Litigation isn't going to make a single person skinnier," said Keller, an Orlando lawyer before he was elected to Congress in 2000. "It's only going to make trial lawyers' wallets fatter."

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Bad News: About 400,000 people died from poor diet and lack of exercise in 2000.

Good News: About 400,000 people were free to make the choice (in this land of abundance) to die from poor diet and lack of exercise in 2000. (Despite the non-stop information regarding the risks.)

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Doesn't is seem rather ironic that, on one hand, the collective "we" are always looking for ways to extend other people's lives, but on the other hand, the collective "we" are always struggling to find ways to make other people pay for it?

Doesn't it seem rater ironic that, on one hand, the "do-gooders" claim that about two-thirds of Americans are over-weight, but on the other hand, some other "do-gooders" claim that there's a hunger crisis in America.

I wonder how many of these "overweight" people are issued government food stamps?

To me I think alot of these statistics are skewed. Do I see fat people or people with guts? Yes, do I see more people like this or more beautiful people everytime I go out to a store or night on the town, but its few and far between. I rarely see an obese child but constantly I see reports that children are really obese that this is a serious matter and I just dont see it often enough to warrant a war on fat. Most adults waistline has been increasing due to more and more desk jobs. I know that ever since I joined the cubicle community I grew my gut that I cant get rid of like when I was twenty. Most people that have these jobs dont get the opprotunity to exert themselves like someone in retail constantly moving and picking things up. I work out really for 1 reason, asthetic beauty not health, I know when its my time to go its my time to go and nothing can change that. I do acknowledge that doing things harmful to my heath makes me more ceptable to things going bad like smoking, drinking, yadda yadda. I feel that we are pressuring society to hate themselves and gain a its not my fault attitude at an early stage that generates major money for support of these hangups. Years before I've always seen grownups with a belly or midly plump as their bodies slowdown as natural, why not now?

Were you trying to feed a houseful of kids? TV and the couch can certainly have an adverse effect, but it's unfair to say that is the likely reason. Poor or not, all people are not created equal. I know many heavy people, and most of them aren't lazy slobs. My husband was quite heavy and had a very difficult time losing weight until he learned that he had some food allergies that were a contributing factor. I had thyroid cancer and have had to make major changes in my life to keep myself at a decent weight (something I never worried about until my surgery) And there are some people who are just bigger. The really aggravating and unfair thing is when people assume they are just lazy. Unless you've ever had to struggle with weight, it's best not to judge, because it's possible that you have no idea of what you talking about.

I knew several people who worked in mental institutions during the pre-Carter era. For every one inmate who was glad for the help they wouldn't have gotten otherwise and was relieved to be purged of their demons, there were a hundred who were simply drugged into tractability and waiting to die.

We all were convinced that the mass institutionalization was practiced not to help the mentally ill, but to spare the rest of us the experience of seeing them shouting on the street corners. It's hard to say which life the person would have chosen in a lucid moment, because if they were prone to having lucid moments they would be a different person.

Feeling as you do about the diseconomy, inaccuracy, and disastrous second-order effects of government charity, I vote reluctantly for giving them their freedom as long as the worst thing they do is shouting on the street corner and being unskilled at panhandling.

I must say that having them be part of my life makes me appreciate my good luck just a little bit more. Perhaps they're unintentionally doing humanity a big favor. What more can any of us aspire to?

They will offer the exact same 7oz size as always, but instead of it being CALLED Super size they will now be called Large. Originally this was supposed to be a reduction from the 7oz Supersize to a smaller 6oz Large size (yeah, big help)but recent radio interviews and reports from McDonalds have said they will remain the same size yet be renamed to reduce the perception of added value for money.

Either way you slice it, having kids blame MacDonalds for making them fat is just another copout from parents to have the governments held responsible for thier own mistakes.

Every kid want MacDonalds, even the marketing behnd the MacDonalds colors was stragegically targeted at the 4-7 years old, even INFANTS choose the red and yellow as thier favorite primary colors.

MacDonalds has become North America's babysitter. The kids cry in the back seat and people warn them, NO MacDonalds if you aren't well behaved! or If you are REALLY good today, we will go to MacDonalds, I'm sure you've ALL heard or seen this if not been gui;ty of it yourself.

WE train kids to love MacDonalds, and MacDonalds just makes themself appeal to children.

Parents use the MacDonalds playground as a way to get antsy kids out of thier face for a while, they use the food (especially the fries) as a reward for good behaviour. Good thing we don't use fast food to train the pets in our lives, our dogs would be biting off our hands in protest.

WE make people obese, not teh fast food restaurants, they are simply meeting a demand, just as any legitimate and upstanding business does.

If parents would accept more responmsibility and stop expecting the government to address these issues, it is possible that our governments may actually get something done for a change instead of chasing ridiculous lawsuits in circles.

It's not MacDonalds responsibility to watch your weight, they keep yuor kids quiet, they reward you children and keep them entertained with thier playgrounds and mascots. They contribute enormous amounts of money to childrens charities, MacDonald House etc. Sure they make those disgusting simulated meat cookies that some call hamburgers but we can't sue them if we fuel the fire.

If people are fat, they need to get out and be more active, park the freakin car already and walk your lazy ass across the street. Make you kids walk to baseball, or walk with them if it is unsafe. Don't drive the kids everywhere! I walked or rode the bus, there were still maniacs on the street but we were just aware of how to deal with strangers and not be the all naive and accepting idiots they prey upon.

Get outside and take the damn kids with you!!

Don't let you kids play Ninbimbo all day and turn into vidiots by the tme they are 11.

We let our kids get fat, we let our kids get lazy, we drive our kids everywhere as if they are crippled, why not educate the kids, teach them to get off thier lazy asses and get a move on?

You may want to start by setting an example yourself though.

I quit smoking for a year and a half once (why did I start again!!!??) during that time, I had uncontrollable appetite. Also during this time, I was going through a divorce, splitting up my life's worth and all that horrible stuff.

I started on chocolate binges, then everything else I could consume, including drugs and alcohol.

I noticed I was in a downward spiral and decided to do something about it myself.

Sure a burger at MacPukes is cheap, but ten minutes later you're hungry again. i started the veggie binge. I'd go for a bike ride and instead of taking junk food for thet artificial 'energy' excuse, I would take carrots (damn good munchies by the way). I know it is sick and even I frowned on the sucky carroy idea but it worked.

As I was quitting smoking at the time, food tasted better anyhow and I really started to get off on veggies. sure I'm a stek and potatoes guy too, but the veggies were affordable and cheaper than junk food or a mega high carb diet.

I ran screaming from spaghetti and other starchy pasta, (OK I do make my own pasta, as i prefer fresh to dry and it's just as cheap and easy)but I generally made a concious effort to eat better and get outside.

Yu don't need ANY budget for exercise. Outdoors is free, fresh air is a privaledge that we can still enjoy for now, and kicking a ball or walking isn't too expensive at all.

so while diest IS important, excercise is the main one. Kids never USED to be fat, they didn't have video games either.

When my son was younger, he was allowed two hours of vids a day, no more, no matter what.

On weekends I wouldn't let him play vids at all as we were ALWAYS out doing something. I'm no happy venturer, vegan, tree huger by any means but I do understand the importance of gettng outside with teh kids. As a kid myself, I was NEVEr at home, unless being puinished for something. baseball, soccer, hockey, swimming, scouting ANYTHING but sitting at home. Sure I had one of those fancy high tech Atari 2600's with many cartidges but it bored the hell out of me compared to camping or lpaying with friends.

I think parents use the 'it's not safe outside' excuse WAY too often and don't educate thier kids on how to handle being in public.

They also rely on the Ninbimbo babysitter too often and don't smack thier kids silly for sitting inside on a nice day. I remember I'd be outside from dawn til dusk and beyond, until someone came and dragged me home.

Nowdays it seems people have to force thier kids to go outside, what have we done to this generation? We've taken thier freedoms and replaced them with 'safe indoors' activities.

FUN is free welfare or not. It doesn't cost money to stay healthy.

They only "Think" they know how to fix things when in actual fact they know bugger all about anything and are not prepared to admit it.

Col

And look at the facts. Weight was never an issue until the Government started telling us all what we should be and should not be eating and they got the Medical community to go along for the ride.

Sure there where a few fat people way back then but they where not the "Normal" they where at the extreme end of the spectrum and most where in the middle with what then was an acceptable weight.

Over the last 30 odd years we have been constantly bombarded with what is good for us and what to eat to be healthy but over that same period of time the weight of the general population has been increasing till it has got to the stage it has today. If you where to follow this through then the ultra rich who had servants do everything for them and led a life of decedents as far as food goes should have been vastly overweight which most of them where not.

I think that the problem started when we allowed ourselves to be governed by others in what was good for us and I've always stuck to the old rule everything in moderation and you can not go wrong. Forget what you are being told and do what you want to in moderation as far as eating goes as the recommended diet has changed drastically over the years from the "So Called" experts. What we where originally where told was bad for us and never to eat is now considered as good and what was supposed to be good is now bad.

Isn't it funny now that we are in an affluent faze of the Western Worlds development that we have far more eating disorders than we ever had previously, these range from both ends of the spectrum from not eating at all to binge eating. Seems that the "Middle Ground" has disappeared and we only have one of the two alternatives left to us.

Col

That IS another way of putting it.

Since the dawn of civilization around 8,000BCE, man has become a significant factor in the changing of his own environment. We kept improving our ability to change our environment until we unwittingly reached a state where our environment is changing more quickly than we can adapt to it.

A simple, obvious, yet generally overlooked example, if you need one, is the fact that we are hard-wired to be at ease in communities of a few hundred. Everyone knows everyone else at least in passing, most people are at least distant blood relatives. A clan, in other words. The social units of our Mesolithic and early Neolithic ancestors. Violence and cheating were rare and usually mild. To this day we have trouble feeling kinship with people we didn't grow up with, people who look different from us, people who have different ideas about how a clan should be run and different legends about how the clans got to be here. Much less, kinship with people on the other side of the planet who don't even speak our language and are little more than abstractions to us.

We're just as Neolithic in our hard-wired eating habits. For all but the last few eyeblinks of human history, food was scarce. Any clan who got hold of some extra food simply ate it and put on a layer of fat, to be used up during the next famine. Even in medieval times, fat people were looked up to as fortunate, prosperous, successful people: people who had escaped famine and were well prepared in case one occurred. No one was EVER criticized for being fat. It was a gift.

(Yes, the Bible called gluttony a sin. But that was in the days when one man's feast was at the expense of another's hunger. Gluttony was cheating. It had nothing to do with the entire clan having to adapt to a constant food surplus.)

Today we are told that eating more than the day's minimum nutritional requirements is unhealthy, irresponsible, downright shameful.

At the same time that much of humanity is experiencing a food surplus that it's not physically or psychologically equipped to handle, it is also experiencing a sedentary lifestyle which our bodies, cardiovascular systems -- and even our spirits -- are not prepared for for. And on top of that a huge amount of leisure time, which may be natural for a feline -- a predator with a high-protein diet who simply naps when he's full, but not for an ape -- a grazer with the instinct to spend most waking hours eating.

See the book "Man's Presumptuous Brain" to discover more about the Neanderthal inside us.

For a quick confirmation, compare our closest companions, our dogs. They domesticated themselves around 10,000BCE and have been undergoing selective breeding since then, at the rate of about 80 generations per century: 10,000 generations of being bred to the life we've made for them. Yet when humans encounter hard times and let their dogs fend for themselves, they form packs that behave almost exactly like packs of wolves. Just a tiny bit more gregarious, perhaps twice the size of a wolf pack. That's the total extent of their adaptation to civilization.

But we've been getting only six or seven generations to a century, and in this enlightened era only four or five. Homo sapiens has undergone only a few hundred generations during that same time period, and with very little "selective breeding."

Is it any wonder that it's difficult for us to adapt to a world and a lifestyle that our Neolithic ancestors would not even recognize?

Expecting people to "just say no" -- to carbohydrates or anything else -- is expecting them to buck millions of years of evolution, to deny their basic nature. That's a tall order. A "supersized" order, even.

As someone who just hoovered up an entire tube of Girl Scout cookies this morning for breakfast (mmmm - Thin Mints), I know that I'm gonna have to hit the pavement and run a couple of miles tonight. Wouldn't dream of holding the Girl Scouts liable for that 2,520-calorie bit of bliss.

I don't think it's that odd for me to agree with Max, I have agreed with him on several views (if not wholy at least partially), except political of course but that's not the edge here.

in Canada, we can smack our kids. They just dragged that one through the courts again and it has been upheld, we can hit our kids as long as it isn't with (I think, a ruler, stick, strap and uuuuhhhh, a couple mroe specific noted items.) This allows a teacher to grab a kid and throw him out of classs if needed, drag him/her to the principals office etc. I remember an incident in music class where I ended up going toe to toe with the teacher, we both gave and took a few good shots and got a good talking to by the principal but nobody was fined or anything.

No I didn't get sexually excited from hitting the dummy either, old fart I can STILL picture his stupid face in my mind, and all because we had one of those 'slap' "pass it on" things going down the line and a girl was beside me, I didn't belt her but as I was participating and timing was bad one thing lead to another and the old fart and I were going at it pretty good.

I don't hold it against the teacher (well I sorts do) but the fight was fair and mutual, well he grabed me first but that's no relevant, I smacked him back first.

Canada rocks that way, people are understood by the government and left out of the equation, not controlled by it. Sure we pay too much in tax but it's worth it to be left alone.

Same in England (from what I remember), you can toss you kids around if the act up and if they complain everyone just tells them they shouldn't have played up in the first place.

I am not a "green", and I don't believe in "jogging" = health.
I rather like to go out in the mountains to fill up my lungs with fresh air than to inhail the same gas-oil air in the city doing jogging(luckely - Montreal is a really "green city" (lot of green on the streets -> trees, parcs), much more than a lot of others I have visited).

I had a young Doctor {female} examine while I was in a hospital. Now I have a heredity back injury and she wanted to examine me and was at first horrified that I took my shirt off as she claimed the we where in a "Mixed" environment "BIG THRILL" in my books as it was only a shirt and anyone who would get worked up over something as simple as this needed severe treatment in the first place anyway so I just asked her how she proposed to examine me if I was fully dressed? she claimed that she could lift my shirt while I was lying face down on an examination bed "miles too painful for me."

But what really impressed me was her attitude that I was fat I'm 10.5 stone 6 foot tall and was then in my mid 40's and constantly being told I was under weight but to her because I didn't fit into her "Ideal" body shape I was fat. When I replied it was just age and did she honestly expect that her breasts would look the same when she was 45 as they did now in her early 20's she took offense but then again she never did understand that as we grow older the body changes no matter how much we would like it differently and I'm not the type to resort to surgery to stop what is natural.

I just get sick and tired of constantly being told I'm either over weight or as is the point now that I'm under weight and then wanting to perform invasive tests on me. Seems that no matter how you are the quacks are only too willing to spend you're money in an attempt to justify their need to be there.

Col

that the Democraps are running around with the notion that we are running out of food. I heard a battlecry that Earthlings will be starving in the next 20 years. There will be no food. What are going to do?

Looks like a grand oppertunity for another "sin tax", just like tobacco and alcohol. How about an extra $2.50 for state and federal tax on a big mac and $.75 for fries. I think the brocolli and apple lobby would support that, we have set a precedent for this approach. All we need to do is tax all those evil doers into submission and compliance. And while we are at it the attorney general should start a class action suit against the purveyors of this poison, they knew it was harmful and denied it. It is the governments job to protect us from all manner of sin, debauchery and even gluttony. Only the US could underwrite unfettered access to assult rifles and regulate fat as a danger to society.