WebMD Community Talk Show

It's not really a big mystery. Basically, ... food ... tastes ... good! We've been programmed by nature to eat things that taste good, which in nature are more nourishing, and to eat when food is available, as it might not be available tomorrow. Every other "reason" is just how modern business has capitalized on this simple fact. Sugars taste good because sweet foods are ripe and have more nutrients and fast energy, so we have cakes and ice cream and candy. Fats and proteins taste good to us because they provide energy and long term sustenance, so we have hamburgers, fried chicken, and butter. In addition, nature makes us inherently lazy. The lack of exercise is an "energy saving" mode that all creatures use so that they have strength for those times when they must exert themselves for their survival. We are gaining weight because we don't have the discipline to fight against nature.

Many Americans do not understand food. Instead of seeing food as an energy source and a nutrition source, they cannot seem to get passed "mmmm, that looks amazing; I must have it."

To break it down, all of the previous points do factor into the equation, however the key factor is that Americans are undereducated or miseducated about food nutrition.

The bad proccessed foods and deep fried foods and sugary foods are everywhere, but the good stuff is out there too, the general public just doesn't know what to look for.
or how to find it.

To stop the obesity epidemic, we need nutrition classes implempented in various levels of our k-12 schools. I suggest a starter course in jr high and later a full course emphasising nutrition and exercise as a high school freshman.

I have been obese all of my life,and now at 51, my body is broke down because of all the weight I have been carrying all these years. I wish I could tell the world about all the things wrong with me, so people would stop eating so much.

Technology overload. Too much technology for young people means they are sitting on their butts more and not getting fresh air and exercise. Think about it: 25 years ago it was rare to see a child overweight. Now with all the advances in technology that kids have no one wants to simply go outside for a walk, ride a bike, etc as kids used to do. Unplug whatever techno gadget you have and get fresh air!!

I also think American parents are working longer and longer hours to make ends meet which means no one is at home making a good, wholesome dinner at home. This means more fast food. Perhaps if the economy improved to the point where one parent was able to work, one stayed home things would improve. Luckily for my family I am able to stay home; we are far from rich but I am able to stay home and cool good, wholesome meals. My kids are not fat, overweight, obese, etc. Fast food places (McDonalds, Burger King, etc) have been around since the 1950s so they are not solely to blame. In those days, fast food was an occasional treat not a replacement for home cooked meals because mom was the homemaker, making most of the meals every day. Now both parents are working 12 hour days, some parents are working 2 jobs just to make ends meet. I'd hardly call this lazy Americans. When the price of everything is going up and you're working double the hours or more than one job to make ends meet (the basic essentials: housing, food, electricity, gas, water) some part of the scenario is not getting the full attention it deserves and in this case its cooking at home.

I also think all the fad diets are too blame. Again, go back 25 years ago and there was simply aerobics. Simple exercise. No fad diets, "eat this, don't eat that" that changed every single day. Now we live in a society with one crazy fad diet everyday that are constantly changing what we should and shouldn't eat, what is good for you one day, not the next day. Its like we're a country obsessed with diets. Perhaps if we just simply encouraged exercising (even just walking 30 minutes a day), smaller portions, and encouraged MODERATION. We live in a society that goes to one extreme or another; either we become food nazis counting every carb, calorie, fat intake, salt intake, etc to the point of obsessions or we go to the other extreme and become fat slobs. MODERATION IS KEY. Eat healthy most of the time, moderate excursive is wonderful, the occasional treat will not kill you. Perhaps if we were not so obsessed with image and dieting. I thinking the constant fad dieting plus the media constantly showing anorexia as beautiful is having a negative affect. Sort of reverse psychology; glorify anorexic looking people on tv/movies, regular people are now overweight.

I think a lot of it has to do with changing what is considered obese, overweight, fat, etc. Go back to the 1950s people like Marilyn Monroe was a size 12 or 14; if she were around today, she'd be considered obese by medical professionals. This is insane. This is how women are supposed to be built with curves.

Another thing why is it always "obese". It used to be a person was just "fat", now everyone is obese. Obese is defined as EXTREMELY fat and overweight, yet I here this term for someone who just a couple pounds overweight. Is this the politically correct term for "fat"?. If so, perhaps we should get off the politically correct BS and not classify everyone that wears a size 8 or above as obese.

I am 5ft 9, 140lbs wear a size 6 or 4 depending on what I'm wearing/brand, no health problems, and I was recently told I was overweight.

It is my belief, that Americans are fat for various reasons. First, when I was growing up as a young child, it was mandatory that yyou had to eat everything on your plate before you could leave the table, despite how full you were. So, I developed my bad eating habits early in life. Also, most often people stress eat when they are depressed and worried, not to mention all the unhealthy fast food choices that surround us every day.

I totally agree. I fight with these issues daily.

I agree completely on all counts, Anon_183567. I read an earlier post that suggested that people spend too much time at work because they spend too much time on the internet?!? I spend 11-12 hours a day at work because I get paid by the hour and need the money so, if the OT is available, I sign up! I'm lucky that I have a good job and that my husband is able to stay home with our young son and he cooks so, no fast food but, some of my friends aren't so lucky. One point though, everyone has talked about unhealthy eating, and laziness as if those are the only reasons for the obesity epidemic. What about the above mentioned anorexia which lowers the metabolism? We have an entire generation of children who are on ADHD meds which are in a class called anorexics. I'm willing to bet that when they no longer take the meds they will gain weight like crazy because their metabolism is shot. Which brings me to my next point, Americans are on so many medications for so many different conditions and quite a few of them cause weight gain. I agree that 90% of the obesity problem is due to an unhealthy attitude towards food and exercise but, to label all obese people as lazy, undisciplined individuals just discourages the folks that are really trying to change their lifestyles to say nothing of what it does to the self worth and confidence of the aforementioned 10%. I can tell you as someone who is working hard to change my lifestyle in order to lose weight and raise my children with a healthy attitude towards food, reading these posts and knowing what the average person thinks of me and of my character is extremely disheartening!

wow...lots of vitriol in your reply. but i couldn't find any rebuttal to my answer.

let me restate why i think American's are obese...this time, tell me why each of the below items is incorrect (and save your regrets for humanity for someone else)

• because they are not smart about what they eat.
• because they don't exercise.
• because they blame others for the poor nutritional value in their food choices.
• because they had parents who didn't raise them to know any better

"I also think all the fad diets are too blame. Again, go back 25 years ago and there was simply aerobics"

Seriously? Then you have a very short memory. Don 't you remember the banana diet? The "mayo diet" (that had nothing to do with the Mayo clinics)? The fruit diet? The diets where you only ate 800 calories max? Fad diets have been around for MUCH longer than aerobics... And aerobics were far from being the only type of exercise that could be found.

This is an interesting thread. Fun to see what everyone thinks is the reason.

Here's my two cents:

Time.

As Americans, we are all in a rush to get everything done. In our rush we pick up MORE fast food than ever before. We buy processed foods in the grocery so that cooking dinner doesn't take so long. We even eat faster than people in other countries.

When my husband was in the Army, we lived in Germany and traveled around Europe. Everywhere we went, people took their time over a meal. You didn't shove it all down in an hour and run out. You would spend a couple of hours slowly enjoying your meal while talking and making it an event. This is why family dinners are so important. Think about it...don't you eat slower when you are sitting around the table with family and friends than you do when you're sitting in front of the TV with your plate? When you eat more slowly, you have time for your brain to register that you're actually FULL.

Lack of time also leads to less exercise. Who has time to take a hour or two of your day to work off those extra calories?

The Answer: Make Time.

It's hard, and most of us are so used to blazing fast internet and food in five minutes that we don't want to slow down and do what's best for our bodies. That includes ME. Totally guilty of the very same issues.

I'm changing my habits, but it has been in baby steps. I started with a pedometer. It challenges me to see if I can get a few more steps onto it each day. And, we have started having family dinners again at least 4 times a week. I have to do most of the cooking, and that is a drag, but I am really finding that I am eating better and LESS.

Haven't seen a lot of results yet, but I am hopeful. Sure would like to avoid diabetes if I can.

Butterfly

Americans are becoming overweight because we have created too many ways to take care of things in a convenient, non-moving way-- if we have lawns (even as small as half an acre), we'll buy a riding mower rather than getting a pushing one to cut it, and rather than finding ways to spend time with our friends getting exercise (even a short game of basketball or tennis), we'll go out to lunch and a movie. We need to find ways to spend time moving (like walking) to do things together rather than driving everywhere we go; we have made our lives all too convenient, but have not increased our activity to make up for all this convenience. If every American had a watch that would ring or beep an alarm to tell up when we were doing something calorie-burning, then we could have a number to put with all the calories we took in or burned; I am waiting for the day when such a thing can be invented.

Because healthy alternatives are very expensive. Trying to keep a healthy lifestyle is difficult if you're low middle to poor class status. Foods that have no nutritional value are less costly than those that do. If society is trying to pinch pennies it will stay fat because junk food and fast food is cheap and readily available.

people need to realize that they need to exercise and eat healthy in order to live a better lifestyle. Lifting weights and running are two things I do multiple times per week, many Americans are just plain lazy and cheat themselves from a workout and indulge in guilty pleasures

So true.. I wonder why nobody mentioned that? I know so many people who want to eat healthier but can't afford it.. I always buy the healthiest options when I can afford it but, sometimes when I'm done paying bills, I have $20 for groceries for the week.. that translates to white bread, beans and ramen.. not great for the body but at least it'll last the week...