Where Have all the Body Beautifuls Gone?

[silverlightning]

I am a child of the 80's (And thank goodness not the 60's...). My wonder years were Reagan, Billy Ball, Van Hagar, button down collars with 501 jeans and penny loafers, the Evil Empire. At the age of 14 I received my first weight set and bench. I used it daily, sometimes twice a day, which might officially make me a gym idiot since the only lifts I did were bench and curls, as well as a few sets of Jefferson lifts (didn't have a squat rack, had to improvise...). But what heck, I was only 14.

In 1981 I joined a real gym, with free weights and Nautilus. The gym owner put 20 lbs of muscle on me that summer 125 to 145 (At 5' 9" tall).

The 1980's were about "The Body Beautiful". It didn't matter what you looked like in your clothes, what mattered was what you looked like out of your clothes. Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger (I really believe today that most people don't know that Arnold S. was Mr. O.) were the icons of the day. But don't forget Zane, Haney, Gasparri, and Cory Everson. The Wide World of sports showed weekly footage of some mighty Russian weightlifter, or Reggie Jackson carrying a fridge on the "Super Stars". The three months before I was married I spent in the weight room. I wasn't going to look like a soft pile of doughnuts on my wedding day. I had to laugh recently when Men's Health had a quip, "Look Better Naked". Sorry Editor dude, that's been around for at least two decades. In the 80's people threw away their jogging shoes and bought cross training shoes and weightlifting gloves. Home gym sales skyrocketed and "No Pain No Gain" was a phrase that resounded from Soloflex to every bulletin board in every gym between El Paso and Missoula.

Fast Forward to the 2000's. The Body Beautful has disappeared. Aside from a few "gym rats", "Garage gym" devotees, or basement dwellers, The Body Beautiful has turned into Corpus Maximus. I can't shop at Walmart because their mediums are almost to big for me. At 5' 9" and 180 pounds I am not thin by any stretch of the imagination, but I am tiny compared to most of the larger than life bodys that rumble across town.

The 80's gave us the silly question, "How much do you bench?" Most of us probably laugh at that now. But it isn't any sillier than the, "Hey dude, I just drank two, 2 litre bottles of Pepsi!" Which some of us may have heard as recently as, within the last week.

Obesity is skyrocketing, diabetes is an epidemic, junk food sales are astronomical, asses have more dimples on them then a Maxflight. Instead of treating these problems at the "gras roots level", most Westerners are satisfied to let their MD give them a pill that treats the symptoms, but not the cause.

There has been a TV ad lately about fishing. "Take a kid fishing!" is it's theme. That is a start. To take that further, when their done fishing, take the kid to the gym.

the 80's were rad. but you know why we took off our close to show our bodies? because 80's fashion was bad, lol

[silverlightning]

I fell into the trap of working out and eating like garbage, drinking lots of beer just so I can "entertain with friends, and build bonds". forget that.

[gumbacicc1]

As some others have already touched on this thread, I think the biggest load of crock is the excuse many people here in the US give about their fat/obesity is not having time to work out, eat health, etc. Make time. There are few things in this life that are more important than your health, and to a lesser extent, your appearance.

The following article discusses the the substantial increases in average weight for both men and women in this country and it is just staggering. Here's a quote taken from same:

"Meanwhile, the average weight for men aged 20-74 years rose dramatically from 166.3 pounds in 1960 to 191 pounds in 2002, while the average weight for women the same age increased from 140.2 pounds in 1960 to 164.3 pounds in 2002."

See http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/health...tallbutfat.htm

[jonnyspaghettio]

The weight epidemic is def. sad but all these fat people walking around gives me motivation. Fat people make ripped people look even better (I know how cynical that sounds). Try taking your shirt off in Europe (especially Austria or Germany or apparently Canada), people there are so fit, you'll just be another majority. Don't take Amerika for granted, fit people look better here than anywhere else.

[exy]

The weight epidemic is def. sad but all these fat people walking around gives me motivation. Fat people make ripped people look even better (I know how cynical that sounds). Try taking your shirt off in Europe (especially Austria or Germany or apparently Canada), people there are so fit, you'll just be another majority. Don't take Amerika for granted, fit people look better here than anywhere else.

People in EU are not nearly as fit as the fit population in the USA is.

First off, ectomorphs will look fit no matter where you go, and EU and other continents just seem to have a plethora of them.

I am from EU, and I will tell you that EU, especially the eastern parts of it is deprived of information, the sport of body building is not as well developed and the nutrition regulations have not been established as well as the US.

Sure, there are a ton of fatso's here in the US, but that's only because they chose to be, people who want to be fit will be fit anywhere, and those who are just naturally lean, will always be lean anywhere.

So what you said about people in EU being leaner=auto wrong.

[PowerFlex]

I understand what your saying but why shouldn't be ok if someone just wants to eat fast food every day and probably die when they're 45.

Why? Because the overweight fast food junkie may not just "die" immediately, but spend years dying and the subsequent medical costs drives all of our insurance medical costs higher. I myself do not want to pay for other people's bad choices..

[Code_B]

Why? Because the overweight fast food junkie may not just "die" immediately, but spend years dying and the subsequent medical costs drives all of our insurance medical costs higher. I myself do not want to pay for other people's bad choices..

I was more just playing devil's advocate because I think people go way overboard condemning others lifestyle choices. Does it suck that I have to pay more because people choose to smoke and eat themselves to death yeah, but I don't think that gives me the right to tell them how they should live, absolutely not. We all die eventually and if some people choose to indulge more to enjoy their lives before they do then so be it. I started typing more and could go on and on but decided to stop.

The point is, if people don't think the government should pay for the healthcare of people who do things to themeselves(smoking, obesity etc...) then vote against that. I'm all for regulating personal decisions that affect others in society. I just don't think that anyone has the moral authority to judge what is the "right way" for a person to live their life. Seems pretty condescending to me so thats why I posed another point of view.

[dchartier034]

someone had mentioned survival of the fittest- and sadly the human population doesnt work like that. The big still reproduce and the educated/ fit individuals have less kids (% wise).


its dumb.

[monstermn]

This is why I love these forums, you find people who feel the same. Something I can't find anywhere else.
As a teenager, most of my friends eat their 3 meals a day at mcdonalds or some other fast food place. They look at me weird when I show up with my bodybuilding.com drawstring bag. They look at me weirder when I shake up my protein and heat up my chicken breasts.
Awesome thread.

[Tyrbolift]

someone had mentioned survival of the fittest- and sadly the human population doesnt work like that. The big still reproduce and the educated/ fit individuals have less kids (% wise).


its dumb.

Technological advancement has royally screwed with the natural selection, as it once was. Reminds me of that 80's band Devo. (De-evolution)

[KyleAaron]

who are you all to judge other people for how they live their lives.

Here Down Under we have (more or less) socialised healthcare, so the general public has to pay for other people's lifestyle choices. If I have to pay dollars, then I get to put my two cents in, so to speak.

I don't mind that too much, it's just the whinging I can't stand. "Why can't I lose weight... why don't girls like me... I'm sick again, it's my fourth cold/flu this year... my grocery bill is so high, I can't afford good food... life is so hard... pass the Doritos." As Yoda said, "do or no do - there is no whine."

It also limits the people I can befriend. I could get along really well with someone, but can't invite them to come hiking with me, I'd end up having to remember my Army CPR lessons. I can't invite them to dinner because they'll not even recognise most of the things I cook - if it's not beef, orange cheese or deepfried, they think it's not food.

[KyleAaron]

No offense to any overweight, obese, or just plain unhealthy people but at the current rate of population of this world I'm starting to wonder how long it will be before we overpopulate.

There are 800 million hungry people in the world, and 1,000 million obese people.

The obese people could give up being obese, feed the hungry, and we could still have 200 million fatties. Population's not the problem, it's consumption.

Think of it this way: you see there is a family of seven with a grocery bill of $700 a week, which is too much. You say, "seven people is too big for a family!" Then you realise that one of them is 80lbs and starving, five of them are 150lbs, lean and healthy, and one of them is 400lbs. Is the problem really that there are seven people in this family? Or is it maybe that one of them is a bit greedy?

[KyleAaron]

To me, it's a quality of life issue. If you have lots of energy, are rarely sick, are comfortable in the toilet instead of having squirts or bricks, can play with your kids or run for the train, if you can appreciate tastes other than pure salt or pure sweet and enjoy lots of different kinds of food, you simply have a better life day-to-day.

Last December, I went for a hike in the Tasmanian wilderness. It wasn't easy. It didn't kill me, but I sweat and burst buttons on my pants - and it used to be easy. Because I was sweating and bursting buttons, I couldn't enjoy the beautiful wilderness as much as I might have. I had a level of fat and low muscle that wouldn't affect my medical health much, but did affect my enjoyment of a holiday and day-to-day life.

Quality of life. We don't live forever, we should make the most of it.

I think the biggest load of crock is the excuse many people here in the US give about their fat/obesity is not having time to work out, eat health, etc. Make time.

The average American spends around 180 hours a month in front of a tv or computer screen [source], or 6 hours a day.

I think that if you have time to watch Everyone Loves Raymond or Desperate Housewives, you have time to cook a decent meal from fresh ingredients, and go for a walk or do a few basic bodyweight exercises.

And with that, I'm off the computer and into the gym

[ChemAg07]

There is no excuse for this nonsense. The only reason I got fat was because I was too lazy to do anything about it; I didn't exercise or eat right and I drank all the time. All it took was a little discipline to turn myself around.

I'll admit the culture in America is geared toward excess, and it can be very tempting, but noone is making us stuff our faces and sit on our asses. When I was a kid I got thrown outside until it was time for bed, now I see children that are 30-40% body fat and constantly on some video game. That's unacceptable!

It is not okay to be fat. It is not a lifestyle, it is a failure.

[Ryoo55]

i absolutely HATE the people who make excuses about looking the way they do. its either work, school, genetics, money, or something else. and when comparing themselves to me, suddenly i have the perfect life - i can eat whatever i want and not gain weight, my work and school schedule worked out perfectly, and i can afford to go to the gym.

they dont see me doing a hour of cardio to burn those extra calories i ate in a cut. they dont see me prepare the many healthy meals (they see the one cheat meal at McDonalds though...) they dont see me looking through lists of hundreds of classes to pick the few that fit in my schedule. they dont see me work through fatigue, work through the pain, and work through the laziness.

and then when they have the opportunity to work out, they dont. when they get the money to afford the gym, they have no time. When they get the money and time, they have no energy. when they get the money, time, and energy, there is girlfriend problems. when that is solved, then there is a party. then something else. then something else. it got to the point where i just stopped caring. Let my friends be fat. Let them complain. Let them bitch and moan about genetics. i just hope that someday, they will find the motivation to change the way they look, and all the excuses will disappear.


and I am fully convinced that Americans are fat because of the food. im doing an evil little experiement - i have a test subject too. my cousin is visiting from Korea for a month. In Korea, he eats whatever - they have McDonalds and Pizza Hut there (smaller portions and more expensive though). They have a bunch of other fast food restaurants, and a little convienence store on every corner to buy snack food. and he stays stick skinny. Here though, he has been eating what I've been eating (i eat about as much carbs/fats/protein/calories as the average American, but from healthier sources) and he has been gaining weight. so far, hes been here for 2 weeks, and i would estimate a 3 pound weight gain.

[bigvegan]

Check the decline in smoking rates vs. obesity levels over the last 20-30 years. They're pretty much inversely proportional. People have traded one bad stress-managing habit (smoking) for another (bad food).

Americans are fat because of stress/poor sleep, which sends your cortisol levels through the roof.

If you place the average person in a high-stress job, to which he or she has to commute in heavy traffic, to cover his/her rent/credit card bills/student loans/etc., etc., and the highlight of that person's day is lunch and/or dinner, and the best-tasting / most affordable options are high-calorie / high-fat fast food, (which are the foods most satisfying to someone under too much stress and getting too little sleep), that person is most likely going to gain weight.

The average American life is basically DESIGNED to create a fat and unhappy person, which is exactly what makes for an extraordinarily effective consumer, as they are always desiring things to make them feel better about themselves. Pulling out the credit card is a lot easier than pushing weights. (Happy and well-adjusted people don't need the latest and greatest consumer goods, they spend more of their effort on friends and family and self-improvement, not justifying themselves through their possessions.)

Discipline is part of it, but the most important thing is for people to not beat themselves up about their lack of discipline / lack of self-respect (which just adds to the stress / shame / sleeplessness / binging cycle), but to reframe the issue and start building the life you want.

It starts like this for a fat person (like me):
1. Realize that you're under a TON of stress.
2. Stop comparing yourself with Ronnie Coleman, and realize that the important thing is that you look better this week than you did last week.
3. Pick a training regimen, stick with it, and TRUST IT.
4. Get plenty of sleep.
5. Cutting calories too steeply leads to binging. Eat plenty of food, just eat plenty of cleaner food with plenty of protein.
6. Work your own plan. Some people LOVE to hate those who don't do things / see the world their way. That's their call, but don't listen to them if what they're saying isn't useful FOR YOU.
7. Take additional steps to reduce stress in your life. If watching television / arguing on the internet / your job / your commute / etc. is not making you a happier/calmer/more effective person, don't do it / figure out how you can do something else that's more calming / learn how to meditate and do it (dhamma.org has free 10 day silent retreats that are incredible).
8. Accept things as they are, and don't make excuses. As Don Wilder once said "Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure." Just because our society has created a soft path of obesity and unhappiness doesn't mean you have to continue to walk down it.

Basically, deprogram yourself. Look at the elements of your life that are causing you to stress out or engage in unhealthy habits, then see what you need to do to structure a healthy life for yourself.

[exy]

Check the decline in smoking rates vs. obesity levels over the last 20-30 years. They're pretty much inversely proportional. People have traded one bad stress-managing habit (smoking) for another (bad food).

Americans are fat because of stress/poor sleep, which sends your cortisol levels through the roof.

If you place the average person in a high-stress job, to which he or she has to commute in heavy traffic, to cover his/her rent/credit card bills/student loans/etc., etc., and the highlight of that person's day is lunch and/or dinner, and the best-tasting / most affordable options are high-calorie / high-fat fast food, (which are the foods most satisfying to someone under too much stress and getting too little sleep), that person is most likely going to gain weight.

The average American life is basically DESIGNED to create a fat and unhappy person, which is exactly what makes for an extraordinarily effective consumer, as they are always desiring things to make them feel better about themselves. Pulling out the credit card is a lot easier than pushing weights. (Happy and well-adjusted people don't need the latest and greatest consumer goods, they spend more of their effort on friends and family and self-improvement, not justifying themselves through their possessions.)

Discipline is part of it, but the most important thing is for people to not beat themselves up about their lack of discipline / lack of self-respect (which just adds to the stress / shame / sleeplessness / binging cycle), but to reframe the issue and start building the life you want.

It starts like this for a fat person (like me):
1. Realize that you're under a TON of stress.
2. Stop comparing yourself with Ronnie Coleman, and realize that the important thing is that you look better this week than you did last week.
3. Pick a training regimen, stick with it, and TRUST IT.
4. Get plenty of sleep.
5. Cutting calories too steeply leads to binging. Eat plenty of food, just eat plenty of cleaner food with plenty of protein.
6. Work your own plan. Some people LOVE to hate those who don't do things / see the world their way. That's their call, but don't listen to them if what they're saying isn't useful FOR YOU.
7. Take additional steps to reduce stress in your life. If watching television / arguing on the internet / your job / your commute / etc. is not making you a happier/calmer/more effective person, don't do it / figure out how you can do something else that's more calming / learn how to meditate and do it (dhamma.org has free 10 day silent retreats that are incredible).
8. Accept things as they are, and don't make excuses. As Don Wilder once said "Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure." Just because our society has created a soft path of obesity and unhappiness doesn't mean you have to continue to walk down it.

Basically, deprogram yourself. Look at the elements of your life that are causing you to stress out or engage in unhealthy habits, then see what you need to do to structure a healthy life for yourself.

To be repped, pm me to remind me.

[TheNung]

This whole article just comes across as a bit snobbish and pretentious. Where have all the "body beautifuls" gone? It sort of seems like a dumb question to post on a site that revolves around that entire idea of building the best body possible. Yeah there sure are a lot of lazy over weight people out there, but this site proves that there are just as many that are very into and even obsessed with their physique. I really don't get why it bothers you that other people don't have fitness goals and are "obese" (which is a word that is used way to loosely in todays time). How does it affect you? I mean if anything it only makes having a good physique stand out more and makes you look more desirable when compared to the average over weight person. So what's to complain about? To me this runs along the same lines as the typical "gym idiot threads." I never understood the point of those threads either...other than to put down others to pump yourself up.

Because fat people are an eyesore and I don't enjoy eyesores.

[TokyoStevie]

I will tell you something. I've lived in Tokyo for 8 years (from UK originally). I have shifted the belly a bit, but still a medium is often a bit tight, and need to go for a large. (5'7'' and about 155 pounds) I remember when I weighed a little more 5-6 years ago, maybe 162 pounds going in to a famous mens department store for younger guys (late teens, 20s), and the large (largest size they had) didn't fit me in a jacket they had.

Must be difficult to be obese here, when the country does not cater to you due to the lack of obesity. I have Japanese friends who are like 5'10'' weigh about 135 pounds and tell me they are on a diet (yes, they are men)...

Just thought I would mention it for comparison.

[chase4522]

fat kids = lazy parents

[JoshSP1985]

and I am fully convinced that Americans are fat because of the food. im doing an evil little experiement - i have a test subject too. my cousin is visiting from Korea for a month. In Korea, he eats whatever - they have McDonalds and Pizza Hut there (smaller portions and more expensive though). They have a bunch of other fast food restaurants, and a little convienence store on every corner to buy snack food. and he stays stick skinny. Here though, he has been eating what I've been eating (i eat about as much carbs/fats/protein/calories as the average American, but from healthier sources) and he has been gaining weight. so far, hes been here for 2 weeks, and i would estimate a 3 pound weight gain.

I played soccer in HS and we had a korean exchange student. You would **** your pants if you saw the pictures of him when he first got over compared to when he left, and that was with playing and training for HS sports the entire time. I wish I had copies of them. He didn't get unhealthy but he definitely put on a noticeable amount of weight. fatter face etc.

[ciabhanom]

Survival of the fittest anyone? If they don't want to take care of themselves, then no one can make them except themselves. I guess it's easy to encourage them, but they need to do something about it. I have girls at my work asking me to be their "personal trainer." I am in no way qualified to be a personal trainer, but it's funny that people would rather have someone else do all the work for them while they take the easy route. It's hard to get anywhere without the will and determination.

That was my little rant about that subject.

They're prob just looking for an excuse to spend some time with you! Had the same happen to me, fat girl wanting me to be her personal trainer, knowing her and her lifestyle I knew getting fit was not ever going to be a priority to her!!

[armywrx]

Agree 1000 percent, what America is turning into is beyond sad.

[iLiRaM]

It's so sad how few people I know actually take fitness seriously. You can take the average joe, put him on a three month routine including a balanced diet, and he will look ten times better than all his friends. People just don't realize that the crappy food they eat will actually do damage in the long run. pfff...ignorance

[iLiRaM]

fat kids = lazy parents

That's not true at all. Some parents are workaholics, which means they don't have time for their kids.

[parsnip1965]

It is kind of hard for me to relate to what this thread is saying. In the 1980s the Baby Boomers were about 30 years old. Now they're about 60. Is it that surprising that the population is heavier?

I see more fit people today than ever before. Hell, some of the high school boys at my gym look like the adult bodybuilding competitors of the pre-steroid era. Even the girls look pretty muscular.

[CapnPowerMonger]

I agree with this post. I would have liked to have been in my 20's during the seventies/early 80's. I would have competed then. I think I possibly could have made the olympia (drug use and hard training would have determined that).

Onto your article, I loved it. I own a personal training business and I recently went and ordered shirts. I got 10 mediums, 20 large and 5 XL. I kept a medium for myself. Thing looked like a curtain. Now I have a 46" Chest, Arms are 17 or so, but these things SWALLOWED ME. All i could think about was my old medium 80's vintage motley crue shirt from 89'. Thing looked like todays extra small.

Seems like the only place you can get tiny shirts anymore is Abercrombie - and I aint wearin' that crap!

[joenj07087]

yeah I remember the late 80s, all clothes were very tight fitting and t-shirts were made from cotton, even jeans were slim fitting and with no flares( wide at the bottom), weird thing is , European fashions retained some of that style throughout the 90s and present, while in the US we went from the fat preppie look to the super big size hip hop clothing..perfect excuse to accumulate fat under there......! I blame it all on fashion...lol

[orasis1]

I was a child in the 80's no problems with weight my parents never let me stay inside, I always had to go play outside. Good times...

Anyways, today it's cigarettes - see I smoke (yes it's bad I know I know) however this week I was lectured by 4 people who all weigh between 280/330 (fat) on how bad my habit is.

I know it's bad - but drinking soda, beer and eating hamburgers, chocolates and donuts all day/night long while playing world of warcraft is also bad, damn bad.

God forbid I say it though - because that would be insensitive and feelings will get hurt and pretty soon they'll yell at me about how it's not their fault it's their genetics, their blood or whatever excuse television has this week.

[andrew.piro]

The obesity in this country is the main problem that really gets to me, more so than anything else. We, as a majority, have fabricated all these excuses to make ourselves feel better about scarfing down double cheese burgers and ice cream all day. Then when we gain 50 pounds per year, we all of a sudden have a "thyroid" problem, or some over BS politically correct excuse of why their ass looks like two beach balls stuff in a hammock. Indulgence is destroying our health. Instead of allowing yourself the fruits of an unhealthy meal every now and then to reward yourself, people live sedentary lives, while indulging in privileged foods all day everyday. There are racists, there are bigots, there are sexists, etc. etc, which i am none of the above. Well, i am a fattist. It drives me nuts to see people who are grotesquely overweight go about their lives justifying every 2000 calorie meal they eat. For example, as i am writing this, this woman in the office beside me just ordered a large coke, an order of lasagna, and an order of chicken alfredo all for herself for lunch from a local Italian restaurant, meanwhile there are 3 female fitness magazines lying on her desk. Makes me sick.... (sorry for the rambling style of writing, just letting off steam)