WEEK SEVENTY-ONE :: What Can We Do To Fight Obesity?
* Note: How can I win? Answer all questions in the order that they are asked.
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TOPIC: What Can We Do To Fight Obesity?
For the week of: April 6th - April 12th
Wednesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).
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As bodybuilders we do our best to live a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately it seems as if our race is dying out. Many people are not living a healthy lifestyle. Most of American adults are overweight or obese.
What can we do to fight obesity?
How important is it fighting obesity?
What do you see in the future statistics of obesity? How did you come to this conclusion?
BONUS QUESTION: How do you feel about child obesity? Who do you think is at fault to blame?
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Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.
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Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com
What Can You Do To Fight Obesity?
Mmmmmmm........... thats hard, how bout..............................WORKING OUT and quit eating like theres not going to be any food for the next 10 years.
You can only motivate someone so much and lead the way but then it comes down to them.
TOPIC: What Can We Do To Fight Obesity?
As bodybuilders we do our best to live a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately it seems as if our race is dying out. Many people are not living a healthy lifestyle. Most of American adults are overweight or obese.
[B]What can we do to fight obesity?[/B]
There are many ways that we, as bodybuilders, can contribute to the fight against obesity. First and foremost, we can lead by example. Let others know how good it feels to eat right and exercise. Let our passion show through and share our enthusiasm with others. I know that a lot of people who get motivated to lose weight and live healthier when they see others around them doing so. How many of us started lifting weights, eating less sugar and more protein because we saw “Rocky” or “Predator” and were motivated to look like Stallone or Schwarzenegger? The same thing applies to people today.
Another thing we can do to help is to be supportive of those who are making an effort. Be honest, we’ve all done it, maybe not now, but when we were younger…. We see someone in the gym that is obese and making an effort to get back into shape. They are tirelessly going from bench to bench, machine to machine, yanking, pulling, pushing, and doing it all wrong. We snicker to ourselves or to our lifting partners, making a negative comment about how they won’t last a week. Most of the time, we are correct with our assumptions. However, imagine how this person would feel if some of the “bigger” guys came over and talked to him or her and encouraged them with their training and maybe gave them some advice or answered any questions that they may be thinking. This little push of encouragement may be all this person needs to go from giving up and remaining obese to being dedicated and coming back again and again until their goals are achieved.
The final thing that we can do is to help those around us who have not made an effort to be active or eat healthy. Maybe invite someone unmotivated that we know to come along to the gym with us, even if it’s just to spot us while we work out, and then slowly convince them to give it a try. Have your family sit down to a homemade meal instead of ordering out for food and sitting in front of the TV. If you don’t live with your family, invite someone over to your place for lunch or dinner and make them a tasty, healthy meal. You may be surprised to find how many people are pickin’ up what you’re puttin’ down.
[B]How important is it fighting obesity?[/B]
It is VERY important to fight obesity. If only for the sake of our species! We have evolved our society into a race of people who don’t move and have everything done for us by machines. The national pastime used to be baseball, now its blogging. Meals are rarely made in the home, but rather are delivered in cardboard boxes or Styrofoam containers. These methods of eating were once reserved for those who couldn’t leave the home or make their own meals; it was called meals-on-wheels. Now they make up the staple of the American diet.
Percentages of the population with diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension have skyrocketed. All of these diseases show a high correlation with obesity. Instead of trying to prevent the cause (obesity), we are more content to get fat, get sick, and get medicine from a doctor. If we were to keep fit and healthy, we would avoid millions in health care costs.
[B]What do you see in the future statistics of obesity? How did you come to this conclusion?[/B]
Based on what we are seeing now, the outlook for obesity in the future is not good. Although everyone is supposedly health obsessed these days and watching what they are eating, we are still seeing all-time highs in obesity statistics. The most likely reason for this is the fad diet. People want fast, easy fixes for being overweight. We’ve been hearing it for years- “The only secret is- there is no secret”. We’ve been told since the time we were born: to lose weight and avoid obesity, eat less and exercise more. The only problem is that this solution takes weeks and demands discipline and dedication, things that most people are lacking. The fad diet on the other hand offers quick, easy results and all you have to do is take a pill or eat one food in huge amounts. Which sounds easier to you? The only problem is that most of these diets don’t work and end up doing more bad than good. Many people get on these diets and then rebound back to being heavier than they were when they started.
Our efforts to educate people about nutrition have been successful. Everyone I talk to knows a lot more than the public used to know about fat, carbohydrates, and protein. The problem is that they are not using the knowledge that they have. They take things to extremes since our mindset is “if some is good, more is better”. For example, the Atkins diet had been used by bodybuilders for years to drop fat. They would cut down on carbohydrates and eat lean sources of protein, forcing their bodies to use fat as fuel. As soon as the general public got hold of the Atkins concept, they went insane with it. They would cut out all carbohydrates they had and eat plates full of bacon and lard. It should not have surprised anyone that this backfired and resulted in heart problems.
New food choices being made available to us also give us a clue about obesity in the future. More and more health foods are coming out every day. Entire aisles in supermarkets are labeled “heath foods” and salads are available in every fast food restaurant. At the same time, food companies are coming out with the same number of unhealthy options. A good example is Burger King. After the release of “Super Size Me”, all fast food corporations added salads to their menus in hope of bringing back those health conscious customers they had lost. At the same time, Burger King developed their line of enormous breakfast sandwiches, which boast around 750 calories. Which do you see advertised more: The container of lettuce? Or the creepy guy in the king costume and mask holding a breakfast lard sandwich?
So even though we are more knowledgeable than ever about nutrition and health, we still continue to dig ourselves into the hole of obesity. Hopefully people will begin to use their knowledge and eat right to avoid or cure obesity in the future.
TOPIC: How Did You Begin Bodybuilding? (Continued)
[B]BONUS QUESTION: How do you feel about child obesity? Who do you think is at fault to blame?[/B]
Childhood obesity is a growing problem these days. With 11% of children 6-11 being overweight and 30% at risk, it is a serious epidemic. Childhood obesity leads to early development of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. In fact, obesity is the leading cause of pediatric hypertension (high blood pressure in children). Not only is it physically unhealthy, but it can also be psychologically unhealthy as well. We all remember that one fat kid who was always picked on in school. Kids are becoming more sedentary and less athletic. They are hypnotized by instant messaging, television, and the internet. Schools are in a sort of naďve denial about the whole situation. They say they are going to implement more nutrition education programs in the schools. But this means an extra assembly or a few posters on the wall of the cafeteria. I remember when I was that age, I never paid attention to anything that teachers told me about nutrition. In fact, knowing what I know now, most of the stuff they told us was incorrect anyways. Gym class hours and sports programs are being cut in exchange for more scholastic education time since many schools have to meet certain test score requirements for funding. It is important that kids be smart, but if they aren’t healthy enough to live long enough to use the knowledge, what’s the point?
Although schools offer to “educate” students about proper nutrition, they allow their lunch program to be filled with unhealthy menus. School lunches are required to meet certain nutrient standards, but only on a weekly basis. That means that they can have a meal on Monday that has 60g of Trans fat and a meal on Friday that has no fat, but as long as it averages out to the nutrient standards set by the government, it is an acceptable menu for that week. Most schools offer a healthy alternative to their students, like a salad. However, what kid is going to choose a salad when all his friends are chowing down on a big bowl of creamy mac and cheese? The healthy options should be changed from options to entrees. This means more vegetables and fruits, leaner meats, and healthier desserts.
On the matter of who is to blame, some say the parents are to blame, other say food companies and advertising. I say that each case is individual. Being a nutrition major, I have seen many cases where indeed, the parents are to blame for their child’s obesity. They stock the house with unhealthy foods and take their children out for fast food on a regular basis. Fast food companies also have a hand in creating child obesity. Ask any kid what their favorite food is and I bet they will name something that is not homemade. They will probably say pizza or a hamburger; however they are not referring to a 95% lean homemade hamburger or a whole wheat crust vegetable pizza. They are most likely talking about a personal pan from Pizza Hut or a brown cardboard disk between 2 buns that comes in their Happy meal.
On a personal note, I was overweight, perhaps borderline obese all through school. I didn’t get into weight training or eating healthy until around my senior year of high school. Growing up with tall, lean basketball players for older brothers, I was the oddball of the family. My mother, who has always been health conscious, encouraged me to lose weight, be more active, and eat healthier. She got rid of all junk food in the house and made me ride my bike to the post office every day for the mail. Despite these positive influences from my parents and lack of junk food in the house, I still got fatter and unhealthier up until I graduated high school. I would sneak junk food into the house, go over to friends’ houses and eat junk food they had, or get multiple school lunches each day. So the person that I blame for that situation was myself. It was not advertising, parents, or any other influence.
I refused to change my eating habits until I was introduced to bodybuilding. That’s when everything clicked in my head and it became clear to me that eating healthy and exercising made me feel good and was something that everyone should do. So maybe we are the answer to the obesity problem with some younger people. They haven’t been properly introduced to a sport they can love. I believe that bodybuilding is the answer for many of these people.
So I do think that parents and the media can play a role in creating childhood obesity up to a certain age, however when they grow up it is ultimately up to each person to decide how much exercise they get and what to eat.
WE cannot do anything. It is up to THEM.
I believe fast food and unhealthy junk is a good thing. It separates those who have the common sense to know that they are shortening their lives and projecting an unhealthy image, from those who make the effort to eat healthy food although it may not satisfy like a Big Mac, for example.
A fat, unhealthy society is a perfect metaphor for the self-indulgence that takes place in many forms everyday. Mmmm...food tastes good, brings pleasure while gorging on it. eat. That the people have a choice between packing healthy lunch that takes minutes to prepare (say a tuna and whole wheat sandwich, some cottage cheese and almonds) and a Wendy's #5 double-cheeseburger combo, is great. Sure, the latter may give an instant sort of "ohhhhh mannnnn, this is gooddddddddd..." satisfaction for the first 7/8 of the burger and 1/2 box of fries, not too mention the bubbly syrup of a drink...but you see, that's whats great about it. Those of us who can practice a little self control have the chance, with proper training, to have our physical appearance show that we do in fact practice (or is it practise) self-control, at least with regards to what we eat. Obesity is the same thing as an STD. If you have no control, and don't take the proper precautions (using protection, eating healthy), you end up obese or well...use your imagination.
I don't know what I'm saying. But it beats writing finals. I need a nap.
The "Diseasing" of America
Obesity is a choice. Every time you decide to eat you are making a choice.
I am so tired of the 12 Step approach to everything-- including obesity: I can't help it; I have a disease!
By accepting this philosophy we encourage helplessness.
Anyone who insists they are helpless because of a "disease" ought to take a look at the transformations on this site at men and women who simply made up their minds to get healthy.
At the same time, I agree that the fast-food industry is brainwashing out children. When I went to school there were no candy and soda machines. In fact, if were were even chewing gum in class, we were disciplined. We were served a balanced lunch in the cafeteria.
But, once kids grow up, they can exercise choice.
A Behavior is not a disease
[QUOTE=JBL1] Despite the common opinion among those that are not obese, obesity is a disease, similiar to alcoholism or any other addiction. [/QUOTE]
Overeating, overdrinking, drug use are not "diseases" they are behaviors, which, except in very rare instances, can be controlled. (See the Stanton Peele website on this issue: [url]http://www.peele.net/[/url] )
The American Obesity Association might want to rethink having overeating classed with alcoholism or drug abuse. For example: If I showed up on my job drunk and or stoned, it wouldn't be tolerated. If overeating is viewed the same way, someone who shows up chronically obese, is obviously "using" and this wouldn't be tolerated either.
Answers to Topic of the Week
What can we do to fight obesity?
Obesity IS being fought everyday. From personal trainers who prescribe healthier diets and educate trainee's on proper nutrition, to the rise of newly developed health concious stores (ex. Whole Foods), to even Dr. Phil! With that in mind, I think a rephrased question should be presented. "What can we do BETTER, to fight obesity?"
First, the fight begins with education, and needs to start at a young age. (eluding to the "bonus question" below". The knowledge is out there about the effects and detriments of unhealthy eating habits, so in my mind, we have to make this knowledge more accessible. This can happen thru mandatory classes in education, increased marketing, and sites, like bodybuilding.com. In addition, you have to get it in front of people, who may not have the desire or ambition to look for it themselves. I'm a firm believer that you can only help someone as much as they're willing to help themselves. But the first steps is ours to take in terms of motivation and education.
Second, the cost of healthy and natural foods could be reduced. Have you ever been inside a Whole Foods Market? The food seletion is great, offering organice produce, and alternatives in other departments such as buffalo (leaner than traditional beef), or organically grown beef. But what comes with this? A hefty price tag. And the fact is, money is tight for a lot of people. Think about marketing for McDonalds, or other fast food chains. One of the main pitches they have is their 99 cent value menu. This perceived dollar savings for cheap, good tasting food is very appealing, not to mention convenience. Which leads me to my 3rd and final point....
Motivation. this was touched on in the previous two paragraphs. People ulitmately have to make the choice to help themselves. So what motivates those that do? In articles i've read on this site, the birth of newborn has prompted parents to set a good example for their kids by eating and living actively. Others are motivated thru inner strenght, or thru television shows such as the "biggest loser". Finding out what will motivate a person and providing that stimulus, i think is the best way to get things moving.
In summary, we--those who want to fight obesity--must focus on what we can do around us. Set an example, offer to go for a walk with someone, get those people in your life who may not be as active as you, to participate in activities you know are healthy. Share your experiences, knowledge, and most importantly ENERGY, with those around you. And encourage and nuture the change that you'll begin to see. it will make you a better person, and improve the lives of those you're helping.
How important is it fighting obesity?
Obesity has been given a lot of attention, all deserved in my mind. It contributes to the rising cost of health care, though not the sole component of it. It reduces the quality of life for many people affected by it. And while i hesitate to say it is the TOP issue to be faced, i certainly believe it should receive due dilegence in battling. One key thing to note, is that it can be fought daily, by individuals. It doesn't take politicians, or law reform--not that those may come in handy for some cases--but by the points raised above, a difference can be made.
What do you see in the future statistics of obesity? How did you come to this conclusion?
Before this can be answered, we have to define what "future" is. Lets say 10 years. I am going to venture out on the positive limb, and say that the future statistics of obesity are going to decline, if only by a nominal amount. Fact is, people ARE becoming aware of this epidemic. People ARE becoming more self concious about how they eat, and exercise, and the examples they want to set for their families and friends. More people join gyms now and seek out personal trainers, diet pills, exercise plans and healthy eating documents, than ever before. they may not stick with it as long as some of would liek to see, but the trends and mentalities are shifting and i believe the steps we're making are in the right direction.
BONUS QUESTION: How do you feel about child obesity? Who do you think is at fault to blame?
Child Obseity, falls first and formost on parents. Parents have control over what they're children eat, and they ultimate set the example. Many parents make the excuse they dont have time. Let me note that i was raised by a single mom, and she is someone who thru the years could have EASILY justified "not having time". But somehow, i still was raised with good eating habits. McDonalds or fast food was a treat, often limited to once a week if THAT. She'd cook on the weekend or middle of the week, often making enough for leftovers (which as a kid i sometimes hated, but was still eating a healthy meal) Sure i didn't like it sometimes, did that budge her judgement? Hell no. I was eating it or going hungry. And this is where i think many parents toda falter...they cave. They need to make time to instill good eating habits, and set the example themselves. They need to turn of the tv for the kids (and nowadays, the computer) and push em outside to play. Get them engaged in sports or some activity other than just sitting in front of the tv. Not all kids were born athletes, but i know every kid was not meant to become lifeless. Stimulate their bodies and mind, and they'll grow up healthy. Its really that simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple.
What can we do to fight obesity?
What can we do to fight obesity?
Like many have stated, setting an example for others in our own lives is probably the best thing we can do. But there are many other ways, without necessarilly becoming full time activists, that we can combat obesity. Everything from educating ourselves, and sharing that information with others, to writing letters to our representitives, resturant owners, food companies, and airlines, could all go a long way towards reducing the problem, if enough people get actively involved.
Many obese people, despite repeated warnings from their doctors, simply don't feel the need to go the extra mile and take personal responsibility for their own health. Why should they when their insurance is there to keep them alive with by-pass surgeries, stomach stapeling, and cheap medications?
This is going to sound a little off point for a minute, but bear with me. I was a member of a group called ABATE. It stands for American Bikers Active Toward Education. They weren't opposed to wearing helmets, just to the federal government blackmailing states into passing mandatory helmet and seatbelt laws or withholding federal funds for roads and bridges. Anyway, I was wearing my shirt one day, and someone asked me about it and I told them what it meant, and they said that they thought that no one should ever be allowed to ride a motorcycle without a helmet. I asked why it should be of any concern to them and they explained that if I were injured severly while riding without a helmet, while in extensive trauma care, I would cause everyone's insurance rates to go up. I thought about this for a moment and realized that because of the way our system is set up, this was, unfortunately true.
However, using that same line of logic, if you extrapolate the data, of the number of motorcycle accidents, and their related medical costs, versus the number of obese people and their related medical costs, it is approximately 100,000 times more my business if an obese person orders a burger, fries and coke at a fast food resturant, than it is their business whether or not I'm wearing a helmet when I ride my motorcycle.
Unfortunately, the only thing which motivates the behavior of most folks is money. Unless and until we change some laws and policies to either financially reward good behavior, or punish bad behavior, the issue is certain to continue to worsen, despite recent warnings, and floods of news stories on the issue.
Convincing airlines to adopt policies of selling tickets by the pound of the passanger, might be one way to help get the ball rolling. Instituting drug testing in bodybuilding, especially womens bodybuilding, might also go a long way towards getting some positive changes in the attitude of the general public, so that they might think of us as the epitome of asthetic achievement of the human form, rather than the, pardon the term, "freakshow", which many think of, when the word bodybuilder is used.
How important is fighting obesity?
I don't want to sound Chicken Little-ish here, but this could be the biggest problem of our time. The recent yearly, double-digit health care cost increases, due to the #2 killer in our country, (soon to be #1 according to some estimates), are going to seem like a walk in the park when the obese children (who are already developing type-2 diabetes and many other health problems), get a little older and whallop our health care system like no other crisis in recorded history.
What do you see in the future statistics of obesity?
If the frightening childhood rates which are skyrocketing are any indication, unless we get serious, like WWII serious, about this issue, it could very well cripple our citizens and our economy within a decade.
How did I come to this conclusion?
Because I've been paying attention. I've read every news article in the newspapers and magizines, on the web and on t.v. that I've seen, and they all indicate that this is a massive problem which people aren't taking as seriously as they should, and could overwhelm our system if we don't attack it soon.
People laughed when the overweight man tried (unsuccessfully) to sue McDonald's for making him fat. Hardly anyone noticed when congress (almost immediately) passed a law stating that you can't sue fast food companies for making you fat. Boy, they dodged a potential multi-BILLION dollar loss with that one. I wonder how much lobbing money was spent on that bill?
Supersize Me should be required viewing for every bodybuilder, and every school, which we are paying to help make our children fat with our tax dollars. Whether I have a child in school or not, when they confiscate my money under the threat of seizing my property, I have the right to not have that money contribute to the downfall of this society, by their poor choices contributing to this problem. Schools have abandoned mandatory P.E. (in my hometown, I've recently discovered, in favor of mandatory Spanish classes), and stocked the vending machines with addictive sugar water.
Recently, our state legislature, (one of the worst states in the Union for childhood and adult obesity rates by the way), took a tiny (in my estimation) step in the right direction by voting to eliminate "junk" foods from the school vending machines, and another measure is in the pipeline to reinstate mandatory P. E. in all K-8 schools. Again, a good first step, but not enough.
How do I feel about childhood obesity?
As if you couldn't tell by now . . .
But I will go a step further. My home state recently made it a felony for folks caught making meth with children in the home. Probably a good law which very few would argue with, except the meth users.
However, to me, it is just as bad, and I would argue, WORSE to not only allow, but encourage, and by example lead, a child into a lifetime of poor health, disease, ridicule by peers, lessened oportunities of employment, a mate, the possibility of any athletic pursuits, and all the other negative consequences that obesity promises. I'm not sure that I would want to make it a felony, but surely if these people have so little respect for themselves, their health, and the health of their children, they have already demonstrated their unfitness for parenthood.
Bad habits which are ingrained during childhood may take a lifetime to undo.
Many of these families are giving their children a life sentence for poor health, depression and misery.
Who do I think is at fault or to blame?
Parents first and foremost. But, schools come in a close second, and the companies which are getting rich off of the laziness and stupidity of the masses are running neck and neck with the schools.
Kraft recently decided (voluntarily) to pull it's advertising aimed directly at the youngest children for it's products which are of the lowest nutritional value. The other food manufactors got extremely upset at Kraft, because they are afraid that it could be seen as an admission of guilt. Think about it, if advertising didn't affect people's behaviour, would these companies be spending Billions of dollars on it every year? Of course not.
The difference between the food manufactors and the tobacco companies is that the tobacco companies had scientific proof that their product was addictive and could kill people, but lied about it to congress. We know that fast food is addictive and can kill you eventually, but they haven't had to testify about it to congress, yet.