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Average American Woman Today Weighs Same As The Average Man In The 60s.

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Hycran

Banned
Hard to imagine? Isnt that type of body extremely common in the USA? Assuming you are american (majority of gaf).

I'm canadian so the problem is getting worse by the day. I mostly meant I can't imagine living a lifestyle like that.


:| 140 lbs at an average of 5'3" is a BMi of 24.8 which is in normal weight range.

Christ and people wonder where the pressure for women to be thin comes from.

I doubt a woman who is 5'3 140 is healthy. BMI is a completely useless tool for determining health. If someone is packing a few extra pounds but has a 40 heart rate, that is more important than some arbitrary bmi number.

The pressure to be thin should only come from one source: yourself and for only one reason: to be healthy. Pointless vacillating about body image and societal pressure does not take away from the fact of being healthy.

Of course. I bet fast food culture has grown proportional to that as well.

This really can't be overstated. I'm still amazed that people eat fast food in this day and age. I understand that for some people it really is a cost saving exercise, but there are some vegetables that are as cheap as garbage and that are extremely healthy, like cabbage.
 

Kama_1082

Banned
This really can't be overstated. I'm still amazed that people eat fast food in this day and age. I understand that for some people it really is a cost saving exercise, but there are some vegetables that are as cheap as garbage and that are extremely healthy, like cabbage.
Because people are lazy. It's easier for them to buy a $7 cooked meal than it is to go to the store, buy the stuff and then cook it.
 
I'm canadian so the problem is getting worse by the day. I mostly meant I can't imagine living a lifestyle like that.

Ah ok i see what you mean. I too dont know how these people get so out of control in regards to what and how much they eat. Its pretty alien to me as well.
 
It's not completely black and white. Years ago doctor said for my height at 5'9 that I was overweight at 180 ignoring the fact that I was into bodybuilding and barely had any fat on me.
 
It's not completely black and white. Years ago doctor said for my height at 5'9 that I was overweight at 180 ignoring the fact that I was into bodybuilding and barely had any fat on me.

I'm sure that's the case with everyone, as in a very small minority.

You guys should try to ban extra large and free refills unless its water.
 

a916

Member
It's not completely black and white. Years ago doctor said for my height at 5'9 that I was overweight at 180 ignoring the fact that I was into bodybuilding and barely had any fat on me.

I'd be more impressed if they started analyzing BF% and not some archaic system like the BMI index with such clear flaws.
 

way more

Member
ronda-rousey-entourage-video.jpg


I do not fear such a world as other men who would cower.
 

S-Wind

Member
Everyone smoked cigarettes up until the 1980s and then the government realized how much they were spending on smoker's healthcare.

When they got people to quit, those people gained weight as that's what usually happens to anyone I know who has quit.

That's one theory anyway.

Not everyone.
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
I'd be more impressed if they started analyzing BF% and not some archaic system like the BMI index with such clear flaws.
The accurate tests are expensive so you literally have to eyeball it with BF%. If you have visible abs then chances are you're not overweight / obese. BMI isn't the end all be all when it comes to body composition, but it can be a warning sign.

I'm not sure why we always end up in that conversation though. The US is not a nation of fit body builders.
 

a916

Member
The accurate tests are expensive so you literally have to eyeball it with BF%. If you have visible abs then chances are you're not overweight / obese. BMI isn't the end all be all when it comes to body composition, but it can be a warning sign.

I'm not sure why we always end up in that conversation though. The US is not a nation of fit body builders.

They should cracking on a better method then :p

It's not, but we have no idea how inaccurate these studies are.
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
They should cracking on a better method then :p

It's not, but we have no idea how inaccurate these studies are.
Well, it's not like the people on the borderline are the issue. More than one third of American adults are obese. All you need to diagnose that is passably good vision. Obesity is so prevalent that I'm overweight and everyone says I'm too skinny.
 
To give his opinion that fast food doesnt taste better than healthy food. I agree with him.

That not everybody likes the taste of shitty food?
It adds absolutely nothing to the discussion. We're talking about the differences in society now from 40+ years ago. The vast majority of (American) people would rather eat a greasy burger than a homemade sandwich or salad. Part of that is the convenience and the time, but a huge part of it is that fast food is engineered to hit all the tastebuds the right way. People buy it because they find it delicious.

In a thread on how we can best counter this phenomenon, it is so pointless, and likely harmful, to go "Nuh-uh!! It's not more delicious! Those people are wrong."
 

jerry113

Banned
Because people are lazy. It's easier for them to buy a $7 cooked meal than it is to go to the store, buy the stuff and then cook it.

A lot of people in poverty also live in places that are essentially food deserts which lack reliable and physically close access to grocery stores that sell fresh produce. Sprouts and Farmers markets don't like to open up shop in places with poor people. But they do have Mcdonalds...
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
I feel like there's a new thread on this every day. It's really really sad at this point :/

It's also why I'm against the fat acceptance movement. We're eating ourselves into an early grave. It's not acceptable.

Seriously. I understand accepting and being happy with yourself. But being overweight just causes a whole mess of problems. Half the reason I started lifting was so I wouldn't shoot myself in the foot and get avoidable health problems.
 

Zoned

Actively hates charity
Fast food is cheaper, easier, and tastes dramatically better than healthier foods, and most americans are overworked and have lots of kids so they arent going to go home and workout.

Only if you are into highly processed crap loaded with sugar, salt and grease.
 

entremet

Member
It's pretty sad to see how my country is getting lazy and fat. Hopefully everyone snaps out of it soon.

We're not getting lazier. We work pretty hard actually.

It's our environment. It's toxic to normal weight attainment without proactive measures--sedentary jobs, car culture, food engineered to be addictive, two income families and the focus on convenience foods.

Our incentives are messed up.

You can maintain a healthy weight, but you need to actually make efforts to do so. Our grandparents never read or had nutritional labels, count calories, have gym memberships, do fad diets, and they were relatively slimmer?

Why? Their environment were more cohesive to healthy behaviors.

If am an obese person today I will have to:

--Navigate the landmine filled world of fast food, processed foods and office treats.

--Learn to cook and more importantly shop

--Find a sustainable workout program

--Fight hunger pangs

I'm doing that all at the same time. That requires tons of willpower, along with doing day to day stuff of working, having social life, family, rest and relaxation.

That's why long term weight loss is about adopting healthy habits, little by little.

The problem is that our environments makes sticking to it hard.
 

SeanR1221

Member
We're not getting lazier. We work pretty hard actually.

It's our environment. It's toxic to normal weight attainment without proactive measures--sedentary jobs, car culture, food engineered to be addictive, two income families and the focus on convenience foods.

Our incentives are messed up.

You can maintain a healthy weight, but you need to actually make efforts to do so. Our grandparents never read or had nutritional labels, count calories, have gym memberships, do fad diets, and they were relatively slimmer?

Why? Their environment were more cohesive to healthy behaviors.

If am an obese person today I will have to:

--Navigate the landmine filled world of fast food, processed foods and office treats.

--Learn to cook and more importantly shop

--Find a sustainable workout program

--Fight hunger pangs

I'm doing that all at the same time. That requires tons of willpower, along with doing day to day stuff of working, having social life, family, rest and relaxation.

Excellent summary. Another point is the associations made with eating.

"It's Friday, time to go out"

"I hear that jingle, I want X food"

The conditioning is strong.
 

MaddenNFL64

Member
We just eat more garbage then they did 55 years ago. My take on it anyway. Its definitely not because we all became athletes.
 
It adds absolutely nothing to the discussion. We're talking about the differences in society now from 40+ years ago. The vast majority of (American) people would rather eat a greasy burger than a homemade sandwich or salad. Part of that is the convenience and the time, but a huge part of it is that fast food is engineered to hit all the tastebuds the right way. People buy it because they find it delicious.

In a thread on how we can best counter this phenomenon, it is so pointless, and likely harmful, to go "Nuh-uh!! It's not more delicious! Those people are wrong."

He stated that as a fact. Fast food is tastier. The poster noted that and gave his opinion to show that it was not an indisputed fact. If that was pointless your post is even more pointless because if you didn't respond that post would have gone unnoticed and we wouldn't be having this off topic conversation.
 

Azulsky

Member
I think absolute best case high levels of obesity are going to last for the remainder of Gen Y. The real question is when will we reach peak obesity, signalling that younger age groups are ridding themselves of the problem.

The best way to fix obesity is to never have it in the first place, because the potential for a person to keep off any serious amount of weight longterm is close to nil. Prevention is something that needs to come from parents being educated. Hard when the parents are suffering as well and passing on habits.


Steps to fix:

1) We eventually saturate the problem enough in the media that people pick up on it, coupled with peer pressure and I would say better public knowledge of nutrition(though still nascent), late millennials and gen z(already 9 million kids ovw or obese) get their shit together.

2) Current generation of not able to changers pass away in a timely or untimely manner

3) Obesity levels decline
 

Al-ibn Kermit

Junior Member
I think the main problem lies with parenting and people not learning portion control from a young age. Later as adults, these are hard habits to change and of course it's a lot harder to lose weight than gain it since your body is fighting you.

I think it's wrong to try to be sensitive and from a young age, like before puberty, kids should be taught that it's important not to be fat, for health reasons and so other people don't judge them negatively. It does feel mean but self-control and shame are things most people only learn when they're young.

I'm not saying that will make them into better people but it seems like the only realistic solution and what probably explains the reason why countries like Japan don't have this problem, people would be afraid of looking out of place.
 

entremet

Member
I think the main problem lies with parenting and people not learning portion control from a young age. Later as adults, these are hard habits to change and of course it's a lot harder to lose weight than gain it since your body is fighting you.

I think it's wrong to try to be sensitive and from a young age, like before puberty, kids should be taught that it's important not to be fat, for health reasons and so other people don't judge them negatively. It does feel mean but self-control and shame are things most people only learn when they're young.

I'm not saying that will make them into better people but it seems like the only realistic solution and what probably explains the reason why countries like Japan don't have this problem, people would be afraid of looking out of place.

The issue is that we naturally regulate hunger. Eat a meal consistenting of chicken breast, broccoli, and brown rice--that's the classic bro meal--bro in terms of recreational lifter/bodybuilder.

It would be satiating .

However, try to portion control at McDonald's. It's difficult because those foods were designed to be addictive.

Try doing the same with a bag of potato chips or a milkshake.

Doesn't work.

When I'm eating whole foods. I really don't need to practice control. It happens naturally.

Yet when I eat fast or processed food, I can easily go to town because that food was engineered to trigger parts of the brain that wants to eat more food.

When that type of food makes up most of your food landscape, you can see how easy overeating has become.

Again, tackling our environments over willpower is gonna be the best solution.

Why do you think weight loss books and gurus always recommend cleaning out your kitchen from junk food? It's easier to change your environment than force willpower, which is finite as a mental resource.
 
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