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[Bulk_Rate]

of course we have that here lol

or at least a coke line in draft system

i thought it was a fountain in the streets pumping out soda

No but America will probably have THAT soon at this rate !

I just recall the places I saw - even "fast food" like Pizza, or even nicer fast food like Nordsee, sold bottles of coke vs. the fountain.

Remember, here in the US a medium soda is 950ml on average.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

I have the hardest time controlling portion size. Sometimes I just crave snacks and start binge eating. I get full meals and just have to eat it all. I can't save it for later. And throwing food away is wasteful.

Probably th biggest factor in me not losing weight.

Sounds like you need more protein and things that provide the most satiety in your diet

 

[Fast Forward]

OK.

So how?

Like, you do understand you only came here to say "being poor doesn't matter because I was poor and I didn't get fat". You've added zero value.

Which is why their purchased a lot. You still have snacks, other meals, breakfast (which is usually cereal), etc which still bring that down. Eating well most of the time is expensive so folks choose between buying a tub of spaghetti sauce or paying way more to make it for 1 meal.

And even then, does not help to eat said frozen veggies when your average American is putting gobs of butter and salt on it.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

And even then, does not help to eat said frozen veggies when your average American is putting gobs of butter and salt on it.

A bit of salt is fine.

I don't see any need to add butter to veges though. But that's probably not the killer as it's a relatively good fat, the added sugar and high gi carbs are.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

I think until there are enormous systemic changes in the United States, this is going to keep getting worse. Even as someone who cooks most every night and avoids most sugary foods, avoiding foods that I know are bad for me is like avoiding land mines.

And now, due to having too many obese people, their children are going to be more genetically predisposed to being obese as well. Fighting both an environment that makes it easy to gain weight as well as genetics that make it easier to gain weight is a time bomb.

 

[TheExodu5]

Are we really that much more sedentary than in the 1970s? Or are we just eating more?

I start gaining over 1 lb of body fat per week if I increase my calories by 800 per day.

3900 calories per day? Holy shit. That's an extra 1-3 lbs of weight gain for the average individual per week. No wonder people are fat.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

3900 calories per day? Holy shit. That's an extra 1-3 lbs of weight gain for the average individual per week. No wonder people are fat.

4000 calories a day can't be the norm. Surely.

Do people realise how much energy that is?

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

4000 calories a day can't be the norm. Surely.

Do people realise how much energy that is?

I don't think any of that chart is true, or maybe I'm reading it wrong. 3400 calories a day during the Great Depression? That seems hard to believe.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

I don't think any of that chart is true, or maybe I'm reading it wrong. 3400 calories a day during the Great Depression? That seems hard to believe.

Good pick up.

Nothing about this chart seems correct

 

[Beer Monkey]

I apologize for chart. Apparently it is available calories per day aka includes waste.

Edit: Here is a different chart adjusted for waste.

Source

 

[ChubbyHuggs]

I'm obese!!! D;

 

[Joni]

Are we really that much more sedentary than in the 1970s? Or are we just eating more?

Assuming the chart is correct which would be weird with that starting point, this is partially because the average piece of food contains way more calories than back then. At the same time, even health food like fruit is less healthy than back then. It is not just more consumption but it being more difficult to consume less.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Assuming the chart is correct which would be weird with that starting point, this is partially because the average piece of food contains way more calories than back then. At the same time, even health food like fruit is less healthy than back then. It is not just more consumption but it being more difficult to consume less.

I apologized for the misleading chart that includes waste.

Anecdotally, serving sizes seem much larger now than when I was a kid in the 70s.

Fruit isn't exactly 'health food' as it contains a lot of sugar and should be consumed in moderation, but I'd like to know a source for fruit being 'less healthy' now.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

I apologized for the misleading chart that includes waste.

Anecdotally, serving sizes seem much larger now than when I was a kid in the 70s.

Fruit isn't exactly 'health food' as it contains a lot of sugar and should be consumed in moderation, but I'd like to know a source for fruit being 'less healthy' now.

LOL

 

[Zoe]

I don't think any of that chart is true, or maybe I'm reading it wrong. 3400 calories a day during the Great Depression? That seems hard to believe.

Good pick up.

Nothing about this chart seems correct

I apologize for chart. Apparently it is available calories per day aka includes waste.

Here is the actual study the chart was pulled from (page 11).
https://publications.credit-suisse....fm?fileid=780BF4A8-B3D1-13A0-D2514E21EFFB0479

I'm not seeing anything about waste being a component:

In parallel with the increase in obesity, there has
also been a dramatic rise in the total amount of
calories being consumed each day. The number of
calories needed for the average male according to
the UK NHS (National Health Service) is 2500,
though the US authorities recommend 2700. What
is generally agreed is that sugar should account for
no more than 10% of caloric intake.
Actual consumption is now significantly ahead of
this in virtually every market, peaking at 3700 per
head per day in the USA. The emerging markets
have generally low per capita consumptions and the
developed world generally higher.

 

[Broken Hope]

Remember, here in the US a medium soda is 950ml on average.

Compared to the UK

http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/w...small-medium-and-large-fizzy-soft-drinks.html

 

[Joni]

Fruit isn't exactly 'health food' as it contains a lot of sugar and should be consumed in moderation, but I'd like to know a source for fruit being 'less healthy' now.

Fruit and vegetables contain less vitamins and minerals. You need to eat drastically more of them than in the past for the same health benefits.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

Chicken is also fatter. That was once a healthy alternative to red meat. It is still considered the diet option. Unjustly so.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/may/15/foodanddrink.shopping3

Also fruit contains less fructose and glucose than other food while containing a lot of fiber and huge amounts of water counteracting that glucose. It is the package that counts, not just the sugar.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

Fruit and vegetables contain less vitamins and minerals. You need to eat drastically more of them than in the past for the same health benefits.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

Chicken is also fatter. That was once a healthy alternative to red meat. It is still considered the diet option. Unjustly so.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/may/15/foodanddrink.shopping3

Also fruit contains less fructose and glucose than other food while containing a lot of fiber and huge amounts of water counteracting that glucose. It is the package that counts, not just the sugar.

And that's why eating whole fruit is much better than juicing it

 

[Beer Monkey]

Fruit and vegetables contain less vitamins and minerals. You need to eat drastically more of them than in the past for the same health benefits.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss/

There are a lot of problems with that article, well discussed in the comments.

My biggest beef is with this:

What can be done? The key to healthier produce is healthier soil. Alternating fields between growing seasons to give land time to restore would be one important step. Also, foregoing pesticides and fertilizers in favor of organic growing methods is good for the soil, the produce and its consumers. Those who want to get the most nutritious fruits and vegetables should buy regularly from local organic farmers.

That is literal bullshit propaganda. Organic farming = more tilling = more runoff = depleted soil. Better to use glyphosate where applicable and go full no till.

Do note that the article is written by EarthTalk (not credible, pushing an agenda).

Also fruit contains less fructose and glucose than other food while containing a lot of fiber and huge amounts of water counteracting that glucose. It is the package that counts, not just the sugar.

I can get fat as fuck, and have, eating all the grapes and cherries I like. I do eat fruit daily but I control my intake and limit it to apples, bananas, and the occasional orange for the most part.

 

[Jasup]

Well, yeah. Maybe i said it wrong: I see a lot more skinny or athletic people exercising than ever before. Our school foods are definitely not to blame for this one.

I agree with the second point, our school food is well varied and quite healthy.
However the first point is something I'd like to tackle. I can agree that I too see a lot more people exercising by than before. However those people are not who we should worry about. It's the people we don't see out and about.

There has been a trend towards extremes in lifestyles. Yes, more people are aware about nutrition and exercise and more people get on it and adopt healthy lifestyles. However there is also more people who have bad eating habits and live more and more sedentary lifestyles. We shouldn't be looking at the amount of skinny or athletic people outside exercising, we should be looking at the amount of "normal" people in general out doing their daily chores by walking or by bicycle or have generally acceptable diets - basically those whose lifestyles are passable from health point of view. It's this group we're gradually losing.

 

[Peltz]

I agree with the second point, our school food is well varied and quite healthy.
However the first point is something I'd like to tackle. I can agree that I too see a lot more people exercising by than before. However those people are not who we should worry about. It's the people we don't see out and about.

There has been a trend towards extremes in lifestyles. Yes, more people are aware about nutrition and exercise and more people get on it and adopt healthy lifestyles. However there is also more people who have bad eating habits and live more and more sedentary lifestyles. We shouldn't be looking at the amount of skinny or athletic people outside exercising, we should be looking at the amount of "normal" people in general out doing their daily chores by walking or by bicycle or have generally acceptable diets - basically those whose lifestyles are passable from health point of view. It's this group we're gradually losing.

We should just encourage more people to exercise and adopt an active lifestyle. There sort of is no middle ground these days.

 

[Joni]

That is literal bullshit propaganda. Organic farming = more tilling = more runoff = depleted soil. Better to use glyphosate where applicable and go full no till.

Shooting at the proposed solution doesn't change the explained problem, as in the study linked there.

I can get fat as fuck, and have, eating all the grapes and cherries I like. I do eat fruit daily but I control my intake and limit it to apples, bananas, and the occasional orange for the most part.

You can also overdose on Vitamin C or die drinking water. The amounts required to reach that are just simply ridiculous. You'd be looking at 20 apples a day just for maintaining an average weight.

 

[Beer Monkey]

You can also overdose on Vitamin C or die drinking water. The amounts required to reach that are just simply ridiculous. You'd be looking at 20 apples a day just for maintaining an average weight.

An all-fruit diet? Talk about asking for malnourishment.

I'm saying I absolutely must monitor my fruit intake as grapes and cherries especially can easily put me 200-300 calories over my daily limit if I snack on them mindlessly. Count. Every. Calorie.

 

[Jasup]

We should just encourage more people to exercise and adopt an active lifestyle. There sort of is no middle ground these days.

The problem is that it doesn't work on a large scale. There has never been so much education and encouragement for people adopt more active lifestyles, but the results are very much lacking. What we need to do is change the way we build our living environment.

For example I don't exercise, but I still get much more physical activity per day than the recommended minimum. It's because using my car daily would be inconvenient for me, so I don't use it. Shops are easily accessible by foot or by bike around here (and I have quite a few nearby), and because I'm ther on foot or by bike it limits the amount of food I buy. I very rarely buy fizzy drinks just because they're a pain to carry back home. Because I shop more often I steer towards more fresh produce, partly because my fridge isn't that big - I buy for only few days a time. But it all comes down to it being just easier to take healthy choises in my everyday life than unhealthy ones. I'm lazy like that.

 

[pa22word]

I don't think any of that chart is true, or maybe I'm reading it wrong. 3400 calories a day during the Great Depression? That seems hard to believe.

It's not that hard to believe when people were mostly working in heavy industry or on farms. Working 8-12 hours a day hard labor burns a fuckload of calories.

 

[Ghostshark]

I am no longer in the obese category as of a few days ago. I started at 285, and just got down to 213 since last July. I stopped snacking, switched from regular coke to diet coke, and started playing pokemon go for 30 minutes minimum a day (been more like an hour and a half a day with the event going on in the game.) For exercise, I think more AR games should be developed that gives you a reward for walking, which could help people get outside.

It was really, really hard at first, but it became a lot easier as time passed. It's easier to just flat out move around, I save money from not buying snacks, and I just feel better overall. I have to get to 180ish to move from the overweight catagory and I am able to sustain my current lifestyle indefinitely, so it's safe to say I'll hit that target and stay there.

 

[Alter_Fridge]

I am no longer in the obese category as of a few days ago. I started at 285, and just got down to 213 since last July. I stopped snacking, switched from regular coke to diet coke, and started playing pokemon go for 30 minutes minimum a day (been more like an hour and a half a day with the event going on in the game.) For exercise, I think more AR games should be developed that gives you a reward for walking, which could help people get outside.

It was really, really hard at first, but it became a lot easier as time passed. It's easier to just flat out move around, I save money from not buying snacks, and I just feel better overall. I have to get to 180ish to move from the overweight catagory and I am able to sustain my current lifestyle indefinitely, so it's safe to say I'll hit that target and stay there.

Try and switch to water if you can, there are studies out there that show the chemicals in diet sodas fuck with your hunger hormones and make your body tell you you're hungry when you're not really.

 

[Trojan]

Crazy to think that many people who don't care about their weight and health live in a country with expensive healthcare. Does that never cross your mind?

It should cross the mind of every US citizen because we all pay for the extra healthcare from fat people.

 

[Madness]

I didn't even know the situation is that bad. I really don't see it when I go outside. A lot more people seem to be exercising compared to like 15 years ago.

Finland has long struggled with obesity. The only thing that slightly made a difference was greater focus on being active during heavy winter, getting people moving, cross country skiing. But Finns also have a huge issue with alcohol consumption. But I will continue with this point in the next point.

I'm surprised that Australia is so high - I thought they led healthier lifestyles, being more outdoorsy and sporty?

This is one issue. You have just never bothered to look or have avoided it. I think the normalization of fat and obesity has lead to this. When we think of Australia we think of beaches and volleyball and whatnot. But we probably ignore the the millions of rural australians living on farms, suburbia. Look at Canada and Mexico. So high and growing. Maybe because also our perception of obese is super obese or morbidly obese that we have forgotten that the average woman should be 120 pounds at average height and the average man at 150 pounds at average height.

It should cross the mind of every US citizen because we all pay for the extra healthcare from fat people.

Especially if in 13 years the percentage hits 50% or more. When the majority of a country is obese, it is a national emergency epidemic. How many heart attacks, cholesterol medication, knee and hip replacements, hospital visits, this will all add up.

 

[TheExecutive]

Are we really that much more sedentary than in the 1970s? Or are we just eating more?

I start gaining over 1 lb of body fat per week if I increase my calories by 800 per day.

Holy FUCKING shit. People eat 3900 calories a day?! No wonder. I try to stay between 1500 and 2000 calories a day and refuse to eat a meal over 800 calories more than once a week.

 

[Madness]

I believe that is wrong. What has been proven is Americans are eating as many as 600-800 calories more than their counterparts in the 70's. If 3500 calories equals one pound, every week you are eating more than 1 pound than someone in the 70's. You are also probably walking less, doing less exercise and more sedentary than someone in the 70's. Portion size probably a big factor too. Imagine a burger meal in the 70's versus a burger meal now.

 

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

Try and switch to water if you can, there are studies out there that show the chemicals in diet sodas fuck with your hunger hormones and make your body tell you you're hungry when you're not really.

The studies on diet soda pretty clearly indicate that people who drink it do not weigh less, but I have seen very little that is credible suggesting diet soda has any effect on leptin or ghrelin.

What research is out there DOES suggest it may negatively impact intestinal flora, but that's a different matter entirely.

 

[Fast Forward]

BMI is flawed but arguing that it's so flawed this research doesn't paint a pretty accurate picture of the health of our country is just nuts. Almost half the country is horrifically unhealthy.

Yep.

People trying to discredit the BMI drive me CRAZY. Yes, some people are definitely outlines, like say if that someone who is ripped with muscles. However, that's the exception, not the standard. For the most part, for the average American, if their BMI says they're fat chances are they're fat.

 

[Joni]

An all-fruit diet? Talk about asking for malnourishment.

I'm saying I absolutely must monitor my fruit intake as grapes and cherries especially can easily put me 200-300 calories over my daily limit if I snack on them mindlessly. Count. Every. Calorie.

A single grape is about 3 calories. A cherry has 4. That is about 100 grapes or 75 cherries you would be eating. I suggest some perspective on what you'd call in moderation.

 

[Albino_Yeti]

I'm always surprised to see the UK so high up the list, when I moved to London a couple of years back I was expecting to be surrounded by obese people, but that's really not the case at all (and I would have noticed, since the region of Italy I'm from has like a 8% obesity rate.
Are all the fatties living elsewhere in the UK or something.

Also interesting how the most obese countries tend to be English speaking.

I'm surprised they aren't higher myself. I studied abroad in the U.K. last summer and my god. The portion sizes for meals were enormous! Couple that with the preferred drink of beer and I'm impressed that U.K. folks manage to keep obesity levels down at all. Plus the food was delicious, so that's a further reason I'm shocked they aren't higher lol.

 

[PatzCU]

Soda should be taxed like cigarettes in the US.

 

[chromatic9]

I'm always surprised to see the UK so high up the list, when I moved to London a couple of years back I was expecting to be surrounded by obese people, but that's really not the case at all (and I would have noticed, since the region of Italy I'm from has like a 8% obesity rate.
Are all the fatties living elsewhere in the UK or something.

Also interesting how the most obese countries tend to be English speaking.

Yup. Crazy how big the difference is when you get out of London. I'm always surprised when I head back home to visit the parents.

No. The stats show London is actually very close to many other parts of the UK

 

[PerkeyMan]

Fruit isn't exactly 'health food' as it contains a lot of sugar and should be consumed in moderation, but I'd like to know a source for fruit being 'less healthy' now.

No, you don't have to worry about fruit at all. Please provide studies that suggest otherwise. If you add fruit to a diet you will most likely eat less calories in total.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19413705
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26115001

Observe that the two links are epidemiology studies so cause and effect is always an concern, but intervention studies suggest the same pattern: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18439712
http://forskningsdatabasen.dk/catalog/2185776889

More studies examining the effects of fruit during weight loss:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21621801
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16395633
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23497350

Conclusion: Eat fruit for Gods sake

To often I see these kind of statements regarding "fruit contains sugar so you have to eat a moderate amount" which simply isn't true because you cannot compare added sugar and fructose in fruits.

Studies examining fructose in diets often use a dosage so high it's impossible to reach eating fruit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25988140/

There's alot of foods you should be concerned overeating. Fruit is not one of them.

 

[PerkeyMan]

World Health Organisation report about fruit and vegetables:
http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/f&v_promotion_initiative_report.pdf?ua=1

Eat. Fruit.

This is one of the reasons I can't stand LCHF and their ACAB (All Carbs Are Bastards)-cruzade.

 

[Ghostshark]

Try and switch to water if you can, there are studies out there that show the chemicals in diet sodas fuck with your hunger hormones and make your body tell you you're hungry when you're not really.

I appreciate the advice. I've read a lot about this, but it doesn't have that effect on me. If I have a craving for something sweet, I go for a diet coke. At my current weight, I've lost 2 pounds every week for the last two months, which is the max safe loss I think, so I'm not sure if eating even less would be healthy.

 

[Miles X]

So England is around 24% but is dragged down (or up) by Scotlands 29%. Interesting!

 

[Kevtones]

Crazy. How is LA vs. the rest of the US??


Fun part is I'm an American with a Japanese girlfriend.

 

[TheOctodad]

I remember living in the south my girlfriend (now wife) always got told she is "too skinny" and asked if she was anorexic.

She was totally normal. She's short so she didn't weigh a lot, but she was very active and ate like a normal person. But since she was fit and fat is "normal" and obese is "fat." She got comments constantly.

I'm still paying for my family's lack of discipline with food (and mine too, I take responsibility). Portion control is tough for me and small deviations from controlled diets really cause me to gain weight. I've come a long way and work out 5 days a week, lift, run, etc. but I still carry a bit more weight than I want. It's a constant battle for me.

 

[MNC]

I almost find this worse than any other world damming cause.

Y'all are fucking up our species' evolutionary chain

 

[Fine Ham Abounds]

Crazy to think that many people who don't care about their weight and health live in a country with expensive healthcare. Does that never cross your mind?

Maybe if people stopped eating so much avocado toast they could afford health care

 

[Skinpop]

sugar should have an age restriction, just like alcohol.

 

[Pankratous]

sugar should have an age restriction, just like alcohol.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh no

 

[Skinpop]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh no

I'm not serious, but I seriously believe something like this would be necessary for any kind of meaningful short term results.

Anyway I'd vote for a proposal like that.

 

[Circinus]

I almost find this worse than any other world damming cause.

Y'all are fucking up our species' evolutionary chain

What do you mean by that?

 

[SeriuzBiznus]

I appreciate the advice. I've read a lot about this, but it doesn't have that effect on me. If I have a craving for something sweet, I go for a diet coke. At my current weight, I've lost 2 pounds every week for the last two months, which is the max safe loss I think, so I'm not sure if eating even less would be healthy.

Damn dude, great work!

Just a heads up as someone that lost 80 pounds a few years ago, you might wanna slow your weightloss and transition to a reverse diet as you approach your goal weight. Try to do some strength training/weightlifting exercise as well. I had a bunch of loose skin that's taken me ages to reduce because I lost the weight so quickly and was only doing cardio (building muscle mass helps a ton with reducing saggy skin).

Congrats on all your hard work so far mate!