The stat in the papers this week, is that for the first time in history, the number of overweight is larger than the number of under nourished.

We call the fat overlapping the midsection 'muffin tops'

no, it's calories in liquids that the body doesn't regulate very well. eating a lot of HFCS contributes to obesity because it is calorie-dense. it's also in just about every processed food in any american grocery store.



obesity is so common because of american culture. if anyone here thinks that being mean to fat people is going to make fat people lose weight, then that person is fooling himself. it isn't going to happen. most fat people are mean enough to themselves without your help, and it hasn't lost them any weight. just about any fat person wants to lose weight, and probably most of us are trying to. if you want fat people to get healthy then find a productive means to that end rather than looking for a way to be rude to other people without feeling bad.

as far as attractiveness goes, being a superficial dick is a lot less comely than being fat, i tell you what.

I'm NOT surprised.

So ... do you think governments and other charitable organizations are going to start pouring money and resources into dealing with the North American obesity problem the way they did (or perhaps are still doing) for the under nourished?

Never.

People starving in a 3rd world nation have not become that way by choice, and cant reverse their plight thru willpower. Obesity can be overcome by pretty much every person afflicted with it. And few are born into obesity with no choice but to succumb to it.

Its also a lot more fashionable for those 'who have' to be seen in a poor country giving aid, than to be seen at a buffet in arkansas trying to help the obese :)

And knowing which clothing cuts look awful on certain body types, although this may be an issue for more women than men. Low-rise jeans look terrible on some, even if they are not overweight. I can't help but wonder why so many people these days have no sense of dignity. It sure shows in their dress.

I'm glad i took up cycling/triathlons. It gives me a reason to stay fit. :D Though i really wish i could do something about my 3 1/2 pack abs...

Being a college kid, i can relate to what i've read here. The food i eat isnt healthy (good thing i dont drink) and combined with an ankle injury that sidelined me from April all the way through the summer until about a month ago, i've put on a little weight. If you saw me, you'd think i was pretty skinny. Skinny legs, skinny arms - neither of which are flabby but are toned. All the weight seems to go to my gut though....something the SO comments on and calls 'buddha-belly'. Its not huge, but definatley a lot larger then it was in HS....i'm sure if i got rid of most of it, i'd lose 10 - 15 lbs, which is my goal for the new year. Dont know how i'm going to do it, but i guess heading to the gym might be the best way to start. 5'10", 155lbs FYI.

Women are taught to be confident
Instead of doing the work required to actually form a healthy/positive body image
They do the easiest thing possible
and simply throw their imperfections into the face of others
Usually accompanied by a global Jerry Springer-like "In yo face, *****" attitude

They confuse that with being confident.

My theory

I agree. I like fit, athletic women as well. Pole vaulters and sprinters in particular.

However, depending on the situation, and in moderation, I can appreciate a bit of excess flab around the waist. It can look cute, somehow. In my opinion, there are two kinds of women. Those who look like they really should be fat no matter what their weight is, and those who look like they should be thin, no matter what their weight is. Some women look fantastic even with substantial amounts of excess body fat, while others look bad even with a little. Depends on the general body structure. Muscle mass, limb/torso proportions, waist-to-hip ratio, skin smoothness and so on, all play a part.

I agree with the fact that some overweight people have a love my fatness/in your face attitude BUT I have to disagree with the women are taught to be confident thing-- I think many to most women have confidence issues-- especially related to their bodies. I think many to most, especially the overweight ones, try to cover up their fat as much as possible. If you go through your day and take notice, you'll probably see that most of the big girls are pretty covered-- I think the few that aren't just (unfortunately for all) tend to get your attention because you're pretty grossed out by the display.

While we're talking about body image-- I know alot of girls get all stressed out about looking like the models in magazines. They should see how much help the models get -- check out this link:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca/...creen_evo.html

As Mrs. Caloso often says, a cardinal rule of fashion is that a skirt should never be wider than it is long.

Tangentially related and interesting regardless: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=6549015

"Women and the rise of Raunch Culture"

Wow. And the girl had some acne/blemishes and was a little bit dumpy in the actual photoshoot. Although, to be fair, I've seen a lot of beautiful girls in natural settings around campus - i.e. the track, field, pool, and gym.

i have to say, i'm fed up with the low-slung, underwear showing pants. I have seen more butt cracks than I ever wanted to. Along with camouflage and four inch heels with shorts, that's the worst.

But i agree about the slack look. Okay, we don't all have to be built like athletes. But when I see kids who already flabby at 17 I wonder, how healthy they'll be in a few years. When i see really overweight people I don't think how unattractive, i think how unhealthy. I think of the diabetes and heart disease, etc.

Sodas, energy drinks, and coffee are only thing that kept me awake most of the time. :D At some point a large cup of strongly brewed coffe (almost bitter), didn't do anything for me. I could drink it and still fall a sleep 10 minutes later. Ah college life.

What about college did you have to give up sleep for? I went for 5 years + summer school and always got a minimum 8 hours every night: 3 AM to 11 AM or noon.

Lack of sleep is another reason why there are more overweight young people. Not only do you eat more if you are awake, your body doesn't regenerate / cleanse itself unless you are sleeping. And a lack of sleep makes it harder to exercise the following day.

That's because caffeine, like every other stimulant acting in the same way, only has a "positive" effect when you begin to use it. After a while, the body adjusts to a steady supply of caffeine, and needs it regularly to even get to its normal alertness. That's why all stimulants are bad, and why you should NEVER use them.

Within a few weeks or months of regular use, you have gained nothing but a costly habit.

I like skinny women...I also don't think Sarah Michelle Gellar is too thin -I think its actaully normal. I was never fat when I was young (past tense -I sit in front of a computer now) because I was outside all day and I even had Atari!! Our viewpoints on what is normal has changed to accepting fat people with tight pants and blubber bulging everwhere.

Today's issues are many but mainly out of laziness and what I believe at the core is a result of the parents. Parents don't have time to do the things they should be doing. We are too obsessed with having the big house, nice cars, flat screen TV etc....but in order for the average Joe to have these items, BOTH parents have to work to afford them. Where does that leave the parents? It leaves them stressed, tired, and distant from our proper caretaking rolls. Parents come home from work, slap together, what is usually a poor dinner, maybe do some laundry, clean up a bit, take care of homework, and that doesn't leave much time for parents to interact with there kids and have play time. On top if that, parents have a overwhelming fear of leave there kids outside without being supervised (no time, hijackers etc...). Whats the answer....here's a computer and TV, knock yourselves out. Poor habits equals lazy overweight children.

I don't what this to turn into a sexist thread, I don't care if you substitute fathers staying at home and women going to work. I'm just saying my father went to work and my mother too care of the home front. We weren't rich, unhappy and we didn't have all the toys but we were taken care of and were never fat! I even had rich friends and I used to wish I could have what they had but they never looked down on my like I was inferior and I treated them like there were everyone else. There wasn't this need to have everything. Out of all my friends, I had maybe one that was fat. Today its the complete opposite. Kids are obsessed with being rich and displying it forcing parents to work more. What happened to no you can't have that or we can't afford that? There was no shame in saying that when I was young. Now we just buy on credit to fulfill our endless desire for more.

North Americans consume 2/3rds of the wordls food supply and gobble materialist items for dessert. We seem to be on this "if your not in this group" or "level" of coolness or richness your not good enough. We sacrifice our health and social skills to achive this. I say we may need to take a step back and get back to basics.

Children are one of the greatest scrafices in life. As parents we need to realize they are the future and invest in them wisely. Lets start by at least giving them the health they need to survive.

just my .02 and sorry for the long post...please don't shoot me.

Having children is not a sacrifice...


... unless you slaughter the virgins as offerings to the gods to ward off a bad harvest....

You sound like an old fart.

I agree with others...it's the low-cut jeans/bare midriff fashion that is responsible. People with "normal" flab used to cover it, now they don't.

[QUOTE=DannoXYZ]Having children is not a sacrifice...


If stop doing many of the things you enjoyed doing to have chirldren is that not sacrifice? Don't you give up alot to have and care for children that you wouldn't normally do?

Older than the hills my friend...:rolleyes:

I agree we are slaves to fashion.....even if we don't "fit" in them.

I don't think it's a sacrifice in that it shouldn't be an either/or scenario. When I want to have kids, that's becasue I'll probably don't want to go out partying and playing every single night anymore. I'll have stopped those activities before I have kids. So it's one step after another, but one doesn't preclude the other. Then there's always nannies.

I live in flabby central- a.k.a Wisconsin. I think kids here learn how to eat and exercise from their parents. If mom and dad don't eat well and exercise can we expect kids to? Check this out:
"In a trend that shows no sign of relenting, 59% of Wisconsin adults already are either overweight or obese. Generally defined as at least 30 to 40 pounds overweight, obesity nearly doubled in Wisconsin in the decade ending in 2001, from 12.7% of adults to 21.9%. Nationwide, obesity stood at 20.9% in 2001 - more than 44 million Americans." From: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=153080

The days of running around outside burning calories seem to have gone the way of "play dates" and X-box. Who is teaching them what is right?