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May 7th, 2012
12:22 PM ET
42% of nation to be obese by 2030, study predictsAfter years of rising obesity rates in the United States, recent statistics show the rates may have steadied. But that may not be enough, according to a new report released on Monday - it estimates about 42% of the U.S. population will be obese by 2030. The report suggests an additional 30 million Americans will be obese in 18 years. This would cost an additional $549.5 billion on medical expenditures, according to the report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “If you could keep the obesity rates at today’s level, you would save $550 billion,” said Eric Finkelstein, lead author of the report. About 35% of U.S. adults are obese today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Finkelstein and co-authors estimate that 11% of the population will be severely obese by 2030. Severe obesity is defined as a body mass index over 40 or being roughly 100 pounds overweight. Obese people have shorter life expectancies and greater lifetime medical costs, “suggesting that future healthcare costs may continue to increase even if obesity prevalence levels off,” wrote the authors. “Those individuals have much greater risk of early mortality, diabetes, heart disease,” said Finkelstein. “They’re much, much more expensive and they’re on the rise, partly because 50 years ago, it was really, really hard to weigh that much. You’d have to eat all the time.” But modern convenience has made an abundance of cheap and easy calories available, he added. The authors calculated the future obesity and severe obesity prevalence based on population factors such as gender, age, race, ethnicity, employment data and recent trends. Prior estimates assumed the level of obesity would continue unabated. “We thought those estimates were too high,” said Finkelstein, health economist at Duke Global Health Institute. “A better way would be to look at underlying factors of obesity like fast food prices, price of alcohol, internet access, changing demographics.” They also looked at variables such as the cost of healthy food, grocery prices, the number of fast food restaurants and annual household income. The projections were based on data from a 2008 study of adults. It did not include children - where one out of three is overweight or obese. “We just looked at adults,” said Finkelstein. “The reality is obese kids almost certainly become obese adults. Our estimates may be conservative.” “We’re almost surely wrong in our forecast,” he added. “That’s the thing about forecasts - they are guesses. This is our best guess. The world changes, if new drugs or technology comes out, if the government comes out and makes major changes, lots could happen. If in fact we’re wrong and obesity rates are less, I’d be happy.” Anti-obesity efforts such as recreational facilities, better urban design, work site health promotion, new drugs and technologies could help, wrote the authors.
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. Recent Comments
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People complain about the media making skinny people out to be more attractive than fat people(full bodied people).. Well i say good! Although i do disagree with skeletons being attractive, it should be a healthy lean image that is on the magazine covers. Fat equals laziness or a lack of care. In the rare occasion when it is do to a medical problem, than my heart goes out to the person and in no way are my remarks directed towards them. To everyone else that chooses to eat fatty foods and not exercise, you have chosen your fate and have earned the stares and snickers from all the school children. If you must eat a unhealthy diet you better hit the track and run off those extra calories. Parents do your part and teach your children healthy habits from a young age. Now that i have gone on my fat rant, I will leave the library and go get the taco bell I earned in the gym today(ahh the life of a college student).
nature will run it's course. you fatties have done it to yourselves, except for those few with serious medical conditions. Fat people will feed the economy with all their efforts to drop the pound quick and easy. And eventually those who dont realize you control what goes in your body and how much you burn, will suffer heart attacks or acquire various other yuckies and perish.. GET OFF YOU ASS GO FOR A WALK, MAKE A PLAN.
The cause couldn't be related to the death of the 40 hour work week. I'm guessing all the skinny people put in their forty and go home or work physical jobs. Like so many others I've been stuck in front of the computer 60 hours a week for five years now and have gained fifty pounds. We don't need a manditory work week rules because companies would never abuse their employees as people will find other employment. Nice theory but not working out to well in reality with this economy.
I am overweight, not obese yet. I am watching what I eat and I have been running the mile at least a few times a week. It is so HARD to eat healthy. EVERYTHING has a ton of sodium in it. It is cheaper and quicker to grab a 99 cent burger from a fast-food joint then either paying 3 times that for a small salad or spending a half hour to make a healthy dinner. Until this changes, obesity will rise, and I believe world wide in general.
i understand bremen, i have large sibs too but,
WE are all responsible for OUR own actions!
So, what will YOU expect ME as a taxpayer to do for you?
So you proved to everyone that it is in fact you making the wrong choices. Lots of other people, including "poor" people can live a healthier lifestyle, but not you.
It may be cheaper now to eat that $0.99 cent burger, but in the end it that comfort-food will cost you more. Positive change requires a lifetime of effort. You sir have no desire to improve your life, otherwise you would have.
Just my point, It's too easy to be overweight in this country, corporations make it possible. Thank you big business.
Even more confusing question: How does one define what a "Healthy" food is?
So your point, as I understand it, is:
"I'm fat because I'm too lazy to eat a healthy diet."
So as you say, it's easier to stop and get a hamburger for 99 cents, this is just poor planning on your part... I buy the salad fixis and make it myself and take it to work with me every single day.. So not only are you getting fat, you are lazy !
Actually obesity is at very low levels worldwide, for example in Asia, and they live on far lower income levels than we do here. Too many Americans are choosing to live the sedentary lifestyle.
The problem is that you don't think you're worth the half-hour it takes to prepare a real meal. Why do you think so little of yourself? Seriously, thirty minutes is too much time to feed your body real food?
Don't think about how cheap that burger is now, think about how expensive your opportunity costs will be in the future.
@thefatnurse: Good point – it's very tough to find healthy foods (if you're just starting out to make better choices). All of the marketing that says "all natural" and "organic" and stuff like that is very misleading. The food industry is not very regulated when it comes to labeling. I've been going back and forth with the FDA (what a joke that organization is) asking them to provide me a list of foods and products that contain genetically modified ingredients. They seriously responded with "We don't have a list like that". So – while it takes some time to figure things out, one thing I did that immediately helped is shopping around the isles at the grocery store. Don't buy anything in a box. If you walk the outside, you're getting veggies, meats etc. You can pretty much assume that anything in a box is not good for you. Eating healthy is not something you do as a diet or to lose a few pounds. It's a lifestyle change/choice. If you want to lose the pounds, you need to make the choice to do so. For those that feel like it's too late for you and it can't be done, you're wrong. I was an athlete in college at 165lbs. Over many years of unhealthy choices I ballooned up to 247lbs (at 40 years of age). When I stepped on that scale, I made a decision right then and there to change. I recognized, at my age, this goes one of two ways. 1) I choose to be healthy or 2) I choose to be fat, out of shape and unhealthy for the rest of my life. I'm now hanging around the 195 mark (I'm 6'1") and still declining. It took some time but the key is consistency. It can be done.
Why look at sodium? Why pick out odd Nutrition Facts garbage and ignore basic physics? Choose lower calorie options (even your burger for 99 cents would fit, minus the fries and 44 oz coke) and you'll see results. Try it. Watching sodium is for hypertensive patients that are sodium sensitive. And walk a little more.
WOW you are sad. You blame laziness and sodium for your fatness and probably loveless life. WAKE UP AND REALIZE YOU ARE PATHETIC. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
Just like how you choose to spend your time reading and posting on CNN rather than go for a short walk...
Have you cut out all HFCs yet? How about aspartame and other artificial sweeteners? All of those will cause you to gain weight or make losing weight harder. Real sucrose (table sugar) is far less bad for you than HFCs. Water refined Stevia is far better than all of them! I cut out all of that cr@p and I lost 45lbs in two months. I eat pretty much anything i want as long as it doesn't contain any of those bad products.
I hate living with all of you idiot a**holes..
so full of hate and satisfied to continue.
Then Die!
The do us a favor and leave.
Stop putting so much dang salt in every thing and I believe half the problem will go away. Americans do consume to much fat, but we consume WAY to much sodium. Sodium is something you want to watch if you are trying to lose weight, it is a big part of obesity.
I didn't know there is that many calories in salt!!!!
Stop eating the food with salt as a whole and it won't be made. All I see is excuses.
Sodium increases the risk for hypertension and heart disease, but it's the calories that you're packing on that is doing the most damage.
Salt causes obesity? And diet soda, right?
1% of obese people have a genetic predisposition to obesity. the rest are predisposed to being lazy fcks who blame everyone but themselves for their sad state of affairs. I hope they enjoy dying young, only sleeping with other fat nasty people and not enjoying so many amazing things in life that only healthy people could do!
0 sympathy for fat people
Not all fats are created the same! There are bad fats and there are fats that will help you lose weight and lower your blood pressure. Problem is, most of the bad ones are marketed as heart friendly!
Johnny,
Yes, diet sodas cause obsity! As hard as it is to believe, consuming a lot of artificial sweeteners fool your body into releasing insulin to use the sugars that are not present. Once the insulin is in your bloodstream and not being used, it signals your body to eat more to get the sugars it wants. Stevia does not signal the insulin release.
The U. S. is the 9th most obese nation in the world. The first 8 nations are 7 tiny south seas islands and the small arab nation of Kuwait. That makes us the most obese nation of any significant size or population in the world. And that weight ranking uses an average of the whole nation. By regions within the U. S., the southeast is more obese than other parts of the nation.
It seems that most of the "fat people" come from lower social-economic and lower intelligence.. well except for the techie that sit in front of a computer all day: 1. poor people can't afford quality food that is more nutritious 2. stupid people don't care about being fat because it does not register that they are fat and it's killing them. Bottom line: life is not hard enough on the stupid and lazy. In fact you get rewarded for being stupid and lazy in this country
I feel bad I agree but it is true, you can actually go on disability for being fat, you can get handy cap stickers for being fat. Isn't that counter productive???
I'm a techie and sit around most of the day, but I try to walk around a bit every chance I get. Thus, I'm 5'9" and 140 lbs. It's not impossible people!
I ABSOLUTELY disagree that poor people can't afford more nutritious foods! The best foods for you are the cheapest because they are whole foods and not the over-processed crap. Fresh fruit and vegetables along with lean meats are far better for you than foods loaded with HFCs and artificial this and that.
I think CNN has to be carefull not to sensationalize this issue in a way that blames the obese person only. It is very important to point out that there is research to support that Obesity is also tied to a genetic predisposition and yes if it it true that a healthy life stile will help people with this condition improve their weight the fact is that our food and drug administration has allowed many fast food companies not to mention the beef industry to advertise and produce their goods irresponsibly. I think people who are ailed by this must be supported by the government, not financially but in regulating industries that are irresponsible and out of line. many frozen, canned, foods, and all kinds of processed foods which are filled with sodium and all kinds of preservatives are affordable and poor people have a hard time affording organic and even fresh produce. So there.
An almost 50% genetic defect in populationi? Really? And I love how you want to transfer blame to others (so typical) "beef industry, fast food". People, can read right? Pa-Lease.. Pffff
That would only makes sense if all the obese people were suffering from the genetic defect, and then only if they were doing most of the reproducing. No, the vast majority is due to the sedentary lifestyle.
Juanita,
Yes, there are some people that have medical conditions, but the same percentage of the population had those conditions 30 years ago as today. Take a look at beach photos from 1950-1980 nearly everyone was thin. Take a look today and its incredible how fat people have gotten.
Being fat is a mathematical formula. Its your personal balance sheet that shows how many calories you have taken in minus how many you have expended over your whole life.
I've gone from lean to overweight over a number of years and had to fight hard to get the weight back down. But its clear as day, when I eat crappy food and don't exercise, I gain weight. When I stop eating high calorie foods and start exercising, the weight goes does, albeit slower than I would like.
Remember when eating between meals was discouraged? As a kid, we weren't allowed to just snack all day. We had an after-school snack, but then that was it until dinnertime. I think kids are being made overweight, partially, by the constant snacking that they do all day and at every extracurricular event. It's too many calories.
Juanita, where did the ancestors of these 'genetically disposed' people come from? They sure weren't around when I was a kid.
And why is it the governments job to regulate people's PERSONAL CHOICES (bad or good)? Being swayed or 'coerced' by ads and commercials is an INDIVIDUAL'S issue...one that THEY need to control THEMSELVES.
Healthy eating, healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be a mystery. Anyone who can read and anyone online can educate themselves AND their family – teaching by example is a lifetime lesson.
Juanita, where did the ancestors of these 'genetically disposed' people come from? They sure weren't around when I was a kid.
Healthy eating, healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be a mystery. Anyone who can read and anyone online can educate themselves AND their family – teaching by example is a lifetime lesson.
Amazing. Simply amazing. Nearly Half the population (last I seen it was over 300 million) in the US is going to be overweight by 2030. That is horrific. I’ve always had access to food, and I can tell you, I like my Twinkies as much as the next guy/gal. But I don’t eat a box of them and wash it down with 2 ltr of “diet” coke (because we all know it’s the taste right?) before dinner. I can say I believe what I’m reading first hand. After serving over 20 years in the military with a regular diet AND exercise, I conceder myself fit. I recently started a job at a major call center and holly crap. These people do nothing but sit all day, graze on snacks, and plan the next weekly pot-luck “food day” at work. I see it, day in and day out. Sedentary lifestyle with zero self control. So, I vote YES to have insurance companies zap your fat butts for every pound, just like those who get hit for tobacco. I don’t do tobacco either, so why in the world would I ever want to not gripe about insurance companies hike’n rates for those who don’t care? You play, you pay. Simple as that. (clap clap) Flame on!
Only in America can someone be obese, and malnurished at the same time. Think about what you are eating, is it all yellow, deep fried and fatty, or is it crisp and colorful, and fresh?
And people wonder why health care costs keep rising.......hmmm, keep eating, you'll find out for yourself.
If the nation introduces compulsory draft that's gonna take care of the obesity problem as well as provide us with an infinite pool of well-trained recruits. There's been too much strain on the career soldiers.
It corporations that run the world... ya know, the ones that make their billions having you eat their crap, while health care cost skyrocket.
But fat cats don't care: they're covered, and they don't eat the stuff they feed you.
Well now that we're talking about punishing obese people for bad health, let's keep the ball rolling and extend this philosophy to others. I refuse to have anyone with a cholesterol level above 200 in my healthcare plan (never mind the fact that they are skinny as a rail and exercise 4 hrs a day at 24-hr Fitness; genetics is just an excuse and pre-existing conditions should be excluded); I refuse to help subsidise anyone who has EVER smoked tobacco products or the current trend of indulging in weed; I refuse to cover anyone who drinks more than 1 glass of alcohol/week; I refuse to cover anyone with that quintessential American nerosis – needing to see a "shrink". Need help to get over your failed relationship or depressing job – go talk to a family member or a neighbor. Want to get pregnant – fine but why should the rest of us have to pay for your reproductive choices. And the list goes on ......
The "trend" of indulging in weed? You mean the plant that's been consumed for centuries for medical, spiritual, and social purposes? Yeah, probably just a trend.
There's a difference between lifestyle choices you choose and the genetic predisposition you are born with. Clearly you fail to grasp that concept. Take the palm of your hand, and place it on your face.
The exploding obesity rate has everything to do with poverty and actually little to do with laziness. Poor people simply don't have access to healthy foods, either by lack of availability or inaffordability. Gather your courage and head into an inner city and try to find a fresh head of lettuce or a bunch of carrots sometime. They are not there, and what you can find is so expensive that folks turn to processed foods or snack foods because they are affordable and filling for their families...
Completely disagree. Yes, this may be the case for some, but for others it is due to lack of effort. I won't say all of them are "lazy" as I know there are people out there who work multiple jobs to make ends meet. But beans and brown or wild rice aren't that expensive. No one is suggesting everyone should be able to afford organic fruits and vegetables, but there are definitely foods in each of those categories that are inexpensive! I'm in California (very expensive area) and bananas only cost $0.19 each! Collard greens (one of the best leafy greens out there) cost under $2 for a bunch. I can buy a pound of organic carrots at Trader Joe's for $0.79. I buy organic oatmeal in bulk (not the packet stuff) at Whole Foods for $1.39/lb and my husband and I can eat breakfast for an entire week on this. It IS possible to eat healthy on a budget. We earn less than the average moderate level family in our area. We decided to give up other things so that we can eat healthy. Stop going to the movies and wait for it come out on video. Cut back on your cable and phone services. For 2 people, we spend an average of $100/week on groceries and that includes a decent bottle of wine. It's an average of $7 per person PER DAY. Can you afford that $2.38 per person per meal? I used to enjoy fast food before (not anymore) and there are few fast food meals you can get for $2.38/person. So stop blaming everything on poverty and start looking at the real picture, which is convenience, because it's always going to be cheaper and healthier to prepare and eat the same thing at home.
Ya know... I get SO angry with my Mom because she is severly obese and simply does nothing about it. It isn't just about exercize either... it is about eating right. When we go out to eat, instead of ordering something grilled or baked she goes for the triple bypass burger or fat back fried chicken! HULLO!! It drives me crazy!! I am pretty sure most obese Americans are the same way she is. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE to eat but, I make the right choices! Yeah, fried chicken tastes awesome... but you can't eat it all the time. Once in a blue moon okay... and NEVER on a diet. Choose maybe some baked fish or grilled chicken and veggies... can I hear a yay for a salad?!?!
I mean... none of us can tell others how they should live their lives but, people wake up! Aside from being overweight, what about diabetes, cancer, strokes, and the myriad of diseases associated with it? None of us live forever but, what we eat and how we take care of our bodies will determine how LONG we get to be here. If you can't do it for you... do it for your family and those that love you.
The solution is simple: Eat moderately and exercise plenty. Yet, it's still hard to ask people to follow the solution. I have a friend who is diabetic and has high blood pressure. He still have at least 8 cheeseburgers every week and drank 2-3 bottles of Coke everyday (yes the one that has sugar in it). He refuses to drink water or eat vegetable. Yes, he relies on medication all the time. He told me the other day that he'll not lose his fight against diabetes and high blood pressure, and gubbled down his supersized chicken fried steak and tonnes of fries, and two big cups of Coke.... followed by two pills... and me a 160lb 3 day a week exercise guy only had a fish sandwich and some salad on the side.
Not to worry: obama care, the lap band, and others will take care of the situation. Because you know: personal responsibility went the way of the horse and buggy. Maybe the government should spend $100million or so on a study to determine if eating less, moderate exercise, and staying away from fast food might help. Yah think? Nah. The study would probably be discriminatory and non-conclusive. Hey: gotta make sure those kids get their hot lunches!! AND, no one in the USA can ever go to bed hungry. Because you know: there is a hunger problem in the USA (I suspect many of the obese people are frequently the hungry ones). So, if you're defining people being hungry once in a while as a problem, there is another problem. That's going to be tricky: how do we both feed hungry obese people (so they are not hungry), and, have them slim down (so they don't kill themselves). Again: not to worry; the government will take care of it.
Its the republicans like Sarah Palin who think that people should eat fattening, unhealthy foods, while Michelle Obama works to cut them out. Funny how that works.....
a sign that people are getting too much in food stamps. cut the stamps in half and watch the weight drop off.
ur an idiot.
chubby chasers are in heaven
Be careful not to feed into the mind of all people who love to hate anyone who is not like them. That is irresponsible CNN. Be careful not to start hateful trends that are attractive to the close minded, judgmental people who define themselves by their bodies. Well guess what ? that does not include the brain obviously otherwise they would not be so quck to judge without doing their research and undesrtanding the issue from all perspectives and not just their GYM. Vanity is the opium of the idiot!
Wow. O.o What planet or deminsion are you from?
I've been addicted to cigarettes for a dangerously long time now, and nothing I've tried (patch, gum, hypnosis...) has helped me to quit for longer than a few months, so I'm not going to bash people who are addicted to eating. At the same time, I'm irritated by obese people who say things like, "Big is Beautiful!" First of all, "fat" and "big" are two different things. Secondly, fat is only beautiful for a small minority of people (be honest: do you fantasize about fat people?). I would never consider saying that smoking is "beautiful" (or "cool" or anything else positive), because smoking, like obesity, is disgusting and unhealthy. We need to stop encouraging obesity without vilifying the obese.
You know, as a student in school, if I had the FREAKING TIME to do exercise, I would. I barely have time to breathe at home with all of the after school activities I'm forced into... I don't get home most nights until nearly 9:00pm. Oh, and, my state doesn't require physical education in school past the 9th grade... nor do I have the room for it in my 7 period schedule that is completely filled.
so control your diet. no excuses.
You know, instead of taking the time to turn your computer on, come to CNN, read this article, and then post an excuse about why you're not exercising, maybe you should have considered spending this time to exercising instead? Clearly you have some time to kill. Obvious excuse is obvious.
CW – Love it!
Ryan – Actually, getting exercise is not that difficult. Park a bit further away from wherever you need to be and walk or get a bike and bike places. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. And the list doesn't stop there. You need to decide to take control of your own life! Decide what's most important for you. And eating a healthy diet and getting adequate exercise is very important for your brain, so if education is important to you, then you have all the more reason to want to eat right and exercise! Set food and exercise higher on your list of priorities and you will see how much better you feel!
My kids have time in fact I require that they do organized sports after school. I don't care what sport but they have to do something.
Water. Most people don't drink enough plain water. Take your weight (pounds) divide by 2 and that is the minimum number of ounces of water you should drink each day. Aside from zero calories, it also helps you to metabolize fat, flush out salt and feel full. Properly hydrated people can have their resting metabolic rate boosted by 2-3%.
"Anti-obesity efforts such as recreational facilities, better urban design, work site health promotion, new drugs and technologies could help, wrote the authors." You could also try shame and ridicule. Probably more effective.
Obesity is an illness. Shame and ridicule are forms of mental abuse (and are often coupled with physical abuse) that tend to produce sociopaths and psychopaths.
If we keep electing republicans you can bet that obesity rates will indeed hit 42%.....or more!
LOL What? -.- v roll another one dude.
I get a kick out of people who say they are fat because of genetics. If that was the case, the number of fat people wouldn't be increasing. People get fat because they eat too much and don't exercise enough.
Well then genius why are their lots of skinny people who sit on their butts eating junk food all day, your comment is ignorant and you don't know what your talking about.
I work in IT, and sit on my butt all day too, but I take a walk whenever the opportunity arises. I also exercise on my days off, and walk to my local stores rather than drive. It's not hard unless you tell yourself it's hard.
Scott – ANYONE that sits on their butt all day is not doing themselves any good. Yes, some people are blessed with better metabolisms than others, but we ALL benefit from regular exercise. Even if you're skinny, it doesn't give you the license to eat junk and stay immobile. But that said, statistically, those who are overweight are at a higher risk of all sorts of diseases (from heart disease to cancer). A lot of people who blame "genetics" just don't want to put forth the full effort. Yes, genetics have a lot to do with WHERE you put on weight and yes, those who have slower metabolisms may never be stick thin, but there is ABSOLUTELY no excuse for being obese. The majority of the obese have done it to themselves and only a select few have "real genetic" contributing factors. How about this though? Let's stop talking about weight and size. Let's go straight to the point. Eat right and exercise regularly and you WILL be healthier!
Yeah they did it to themselves but maybe they would have a better chance if the "experts" would stop handing out the bad dietary advice over and over again
"America... where you can be fat and poor at the same time."
It's very challenging to eat healthy with all the unhealthy goodies we have access to out there, but you have to make yourself do it. Our bodies weren't designed to consume a gazillion carbs and fat and salt. If you ignore the advice of a healthy diet and exercising regularly, then you will eventually have to deal with the consequences. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but be assured, it will happen at some point, and probably when you least expect it. And generally the damage done can't be reversed ~ well maybe with a small percentage one might come close to reversing some of it if it's caught in time, but not without putting oneself through H E double hockey sticks for it physically and financially.
We also weren't designed to sit on our butts all day and still eat huge meals.
Oh c'mon!! Unless you have a bonified medical condition that makes you gain weight (disease or certain medicines, both which should be under doctor monitoring anyway), the onus for maintaining a healthy weight IS TOTALLY ON YOU!!! RESPONSIBILITY!!!!
Who let my 8th grade gym teacher onto this site?
I'm fat, and I'm not going to lie. So far, I've lost three pounds in the past two weeks. It isn't enough, but it's a start. I cut out soda and any food that comes in a container. I've put the salt and sugar on the topmost shelf in the pantry. Yes, it is difficult to do. If you never get started, you'll never lose weight. Stop looking for that miracle pill and get off your rear.
It takes a while for the body to realize that it is "full". Try eating an apple about 20 minutes before lunch and dinner. You'll eat less at meal times, and you'll eat two apples a day. That plus cutting out soda and french fries will do the trick for most reasonably active people.
Glad to hear it's going well! Good luck, and keep up the hard work! You can do it!
Obviously there's not one fix for this problem, and overweight people are that way for several reasons. Person A might be overweight because she is addicted to food (yes, to the naysayers, food addiction is real, just as real as any other addiction). Person B could be overweight because he binges alcohol and Person C could be overweight because he is a lazy teenager with lazy parents who don't force him to engage in physical activity. I agree with measures to take vending machines out of schools (keeping them in teachers' lounges is fine, but they don't belong out in the open), but schools have to do their part in return – serve better meals that kids actually want to eat and require phys ed all the way through high school. My own high school didn't require it past tenth grade, and I graduated in 1996. There are other problems too ... portion sizes have more than doubled since the 1970s, people do not drink enough water, and most adults do not exercise enough.
Yes! Require P.E. in high school! Every year! Most of the crap being taught has no life lessons whatsoever, but good health is as good or better than a life lesson!
As in all cases you listed, the individuals made poor lifestyle choices for themselves at one point or another.
Wow I love how people who have never had issues with there weight think bigger people sit on there ass and eat chips. Just shows how ignorant some people really are. Maybe if the truth was out about what really makes you fat people who be healthier. I was over weight never would you see me drink pop or eat chips or sit and watch tv. I also didn't come from a low income family. Now that I eat bacon, fatty cheese and less fruits and veggies I have lost 50 pounds. Low fat = starvation wake up people. Wheat and sugar of any kind isn't your friend.
For the most part, calories in vs. calories out determine your weight. There are exceptions, but don't make this something it isn't. Most overweight people simply do not care about their own health (just like smokers). To me, that says a lot about a person's character.
Uhm, hate to rain on your parade, but the call center I work for? I think the 50% thing is already true there. Big time. (pun intended) Ya see, those that are overweight where I work are always snacking and eating. period. Not "made up" at all from my point of view.. Just say'n. Where there's smoke... ... ...
I mean, ask yourself this? How often do you see in-shape girls eat at McDonald's? How often do you see obese girls eat there? Strong correlation, no?
Maybe those grasping at straws should spend their time going for a walk around the block instead of typing out their excuses in the CNN comments...
Yes, it is amazing how self righteous people can be who've never had a weight problem. What's even harder is if you grew up a skinny kid and got fat as an adult.
So you had the time to turn on your computer, come to CNN, read the article, and then post an excuse, but decided not to spend the time going for a short walk. Maybe you should go for the exercise instead of the computer instead?
Cat – I agree that sugar needs to be limited, but your body does still need it for certain functions. So cutting out fruits is a bad idea. And cutting out vegetables, even worse. Fruits and vegetables tend to be very nutrient dense. Ever heard of coloring your plate? Wheat can be a problem for those with intolerance to gluten, but in it's whole form is also excellent for you. I lost 15 pounds in the last year (that I didn't need to lose) without trying just by increasing fruits and vegetables and other naturally fiber rich foods and cutting down on added processed sugars and processed foods in general. With diets, you always seems to put the weight back on again. But with LIFESTYLE changes, it will fall off and STAY off!
I believe the obesity epidemic is pathetic. Overweight people make excuses as to why they are over weight, do not take accountability, blame external factors or simply do not care. It is a simple lack of self control, it IS possible to lose weight (The TV show 'The Biggest Loser' proves this point). You can cook healthy meals for the price of 'fast food' and exercising is possible no matter where you are or what your situation. It is NOT society's fault. Soda, fried food, sweets will affect you negatively. It is simple math, if you take in more calories than you burn – you will gain weight. Again, this epidemic is pathetic.
Exactly, having traveled internationally, I find obesity levels are extremely low in most other countries, and in some areas, like Asia, nearly nonexistent, and they live on only far lower income levels. Too many Americans choose the sedentary lifestyle and drive everywhere. If they tried walking to the corner store instead of driving, maybe they would actually have money to spend on healthier foods...
42% obese by 2030, while the other 58% won't be able to afford food.
Wish I could "Like" this post. Pretty funny.
Do you want to lose weight it's easy :
1. first you have to want it
2. Quit all fast foods and canned foods and junk , NO SODAS drink water
3. Start Walking : thats it " YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT " if you follow these simple things
4. You can do this and you don't need a trainer or anyone as your energy returns you will want to do more try this for 1 month and you will see a BIG difference
Most people don't get past step 1. If they really wanted it, they'd get through steps 2 and 3.
Can I eat potato chips while I walk?
The normal response is "Put the fork down!", but in actuality, picking the fork up might be better. It's the finger food (snacks, fries, monstrous burgers, soft drinks, etc) that do the most damage.
Odd how having more money encourages folks to buy machines that lessen the physical labor they must do, the result being a weakened, fat body. In our culture lean protein and fresh veggies are expensive and don't receive govt. subsidies the way cheap, fattening, processed foods do. The rich can afford thinning foods and a home gym, while the poor have access to only fattening foods and often live in areas where exercising is not possible. In my observation, the wealthy who have home gyms and personal trainers are thinner than the poorer fatties. Yet, oddly, many of the rich get FRAIL as they age and cannot lift, pull, or haul anything because the stronger servants have done all these chores for them. The upshot is that that unless we all work together to make healthy foods accessible and cheap and make technology not conducive to
inactivity, medical bills will bankrupt the country exponentially sooner than they are now.
Oh, I don't know about that. I bought a $1500 bicycle.
When the zombie apocalypse begins the fatties will be first to go!
lol! yeah and i'll be there too double tap them when they get turned into zombies.
Okay, so, I'm 49, about to turn 50. This weekend I did 450 pushups (150 Saturday and 300 Sunday) plus rode my bike 47 miles (31 on Saturday and 16 on Sunday). I'm solid as a rock with no major health issues. And Obama wants to put me in the same insurance pool as people who drink to excess, who smoke, who's idea of getting some exercise is driving through the MCDonald's, and who take zero steps to keep their weight under control. I get that Obama wants to employ social engineering ( don't agree) but if you're gong to play nanny to the nation, why wouldn't you begin by tripling the taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, and then slap a 100% tax on unhealthy foods. Tax what you want less of. But its easier to get votes by taking money out of my pocket to hand it, in the form of free health care, to people who have done nothing to help themselves.
Ugh, couldn't agree with you more!!! It is called insurance for a reason. Maybe we should charge 16 year old kids who have wrecked 3 cars the same amount for car insurance that we do a 40 year old man with no history of accidents. Some people are just higher risk than others. Keep up all the good work, eventually we won't be able to tax everyone enough to keep up with the costs of obesity related health care complications and you will still be doing great!
First this article says rates of obesity may have stabilized, then it says the rate of obesity is going to increase from 35% to 42%. How can the rate increase if it's stabilized?
As for lifetime medical costs for obese people, we don't have good data for that. However, we can make an analogy with smoking. Smokers have LOWER lifetime medical expenses than non-smokers because smokers don't live as long as non-smokers. (It's very expensive when people live to advanced ages and spend time in nursing homes.) If you don't believe me, check The New England Journal of Medicine on this: "The Health Care Costs of Smoking," Jan J. Barendregt, M.A., Luc Bonneux, M.D., and Paul J. van der Maas, Ph.D. N Engl J Med 1997; 337:1052-1057October 9, 1997
Anything that shortens life expectancy also lowers Social Security costs. Maybe we should give smokers and fat people medals for saving everyone else money.
I propose we tax unhealthy foods and use that to subsidize the healthy foods. Slap a few bucks on that bag of chips and deduct the same amount from the salad. When it becomes too unprofitable to sell unhealthy foods, they'll switch to healthy foods, which will naturally lower prices due to increased supply. Then you can get rid of the taxes and subsidies. But that would be too logical wouldn't it?
I'm kind of tired of hearing about how expensive healthy foods are. They're not really. Sure you can go to Whole Foods and drop a bundle but there are very inexpensive ways to get healthy food. I constantly see apples being sold for $0.79 a pound, bags of carrots for $.99 a pound or less. Corn in Summer 10 ears for $1.00. Frozen veggies on sale often. Chicken is dirt cheap going for less than $2 a pound. And the not so great (in terms of weight loss) of rice and potatoes are dirt cheap. Sure if you have to have organic everything its going to cost you. I think the bigger thing is that people want to eat 3,500 calories a day and that translates to being very expensive because of the volume you would need to buy.
I want to find out where people are so poor that they can't buy rice, beans, and potatoes, but they can buy McDonald's. Let's be real, its about the convenience and taste not the cost.
I agree, and I'm only 140 lbs. myself. However, I think it would serve as a great discouragement for people to buy junk food, and for companies to produce them.
Socal – 100% agreed! I can find bananas for $0.19 each, collard greens for less than $2 a bunch (organic), oatmeal for $1.39/lb (just a few pounds a week), etc. Beans and rice and potatoes are relatively inexpensive too. I look online to find out the specials and work my meals around those. We get as much as we can organic and it only costs us about $100/week for 2 people. That's $2.38 per meal. Hard to beat. The big difference is the time it takes to eat healthy. But isn't our health the single most important thing? And eating junk now WILL cost you and your health later, but most people don't think about what they're going to pay for in a few years. They just think about what it costs them NOW.
Just the other day we were walking to our car from the beach, at one point we were walking behind 3 very obese women, my daughter text me WHAT ARE YOU UP TO "I REPLIED WE"RE WHALE WATCHING": fat is ugly fat people must stop lying to themselves. fat= suicide.
For anyone trying to lose weight or even just to gauge what food groups you're eating and need to increase/decrease, I'd suggest googling and signing up with one of the many calorie/nutrition tracker sites there are on the web. There are even apps that help you do this. It's a bit tedious at first trying to figure out roughly how many grams/ml etc. of your servings but there are food size guides on the internet and once you get the hang of it, it's well worth it. Setting goals and seeing the numbers is motivating. You can also track your exercise and calorie output.
Personally I don't believe in diets, much better to slowly phase in healthy snacks, salads etc. and change your overall eating habits. Better to do it before you become obese.
42%, wow looks like the Republicans are sucking up lots of fatback and lard. The ten most obese states are all Republican, or just go take a look at a Tea Bagger rally...
Uneducated people are more likely to be obese, poor and Republican. Not all that surprising.
Oh oh, they're going to crowd us out.
Fat does not cause obesity. Carbs, sugar and out of control insulin levels do. Try eating salmon, avocado and some spinach for dinner. It will sit in your stomach like a brick all night unlike pizza which jacks up insulin and programs you to store fat. The only people that believe in calories in- calories out are fat and so are their doctors.
I wonder how many readers wear XXL and above?
Clearly they have the time to turn their computer on, come to CNN, read the article, and post an excuse, but not time to take a short walk. Doh!
A huge driver of the obesity problem is the economics of food. If we really wanted obesity levels to drop we would make it more expensive to eat unhealthy and cheaper to eat health. The majority of US subsidies are on meat and dairy and have almost 0 on fruits & vegetables. The garbage keeps getting cheaper and the healthy food keeps getting more expensive.
We also need better education for the entire population about the ills of being overweight and how your quality of life can be improved by being healthy.
Take cigarette smoking for an example. Smoking rates have dropped dramatically over the past decade or so, since (1) it is too expensive to smoke (2) people are aware of the health issues & (3) it's not social acceptable to smoke anymore. Change the underlying factors and the trend can change.
Meat and Dairy are "garbage" and are the majority of US subsidies? ...
Exercise is free.
The rising obesity rates in the United States is cause from a cultural dissemblance in this country. A lot of people are stressed out and fearful of leaving there houses. Also job lost etc....
When you eat junk food all the time, your body becomes junk. Junk food is cheap, Good food is not. If you don't want to be one of the 40 million obese americans, don't eat McDonalds every day or at all.
You know what you should really watch fat head for free on hulu or on netflix and also go to the fat head blog or go to the fat head blog or the blogs of Michael Eades and Gary Taubes if you really wanna know what all this obesity is about, or you can continue being close minded ignorant and pig headed and think you know all the answers.
(except for the name calling...let's not replace one medical dogma with another!)
THUMBS UP!
It would probably be more helpful if they spent less time in front of this computer, and take a walk instead.
Sorry I repeated myself twice.
CW people get fat first then stop moving