Now that is a very good question! I wondered what he weighed when he was incarcerated & if he's lost any lbs.

 

I think I saw something on the news that said he weighed under 250 when he was incarcerated.

I agree with that there isn't just one thing that got us in our current situation however I think it started when the electronic media took off in the 1980s. Increasingly, children are spending hours watching television, playing video games and surfing websites.

In the 1970s, people in the United States spent $6 billion on fast food annually. In 2000, they spent $110 billion. As the amount of money Amercans spend on fast food goes up, so does the number of people who are obese. For many, stopping through the drive-through on the way home from work to pick up a box of greasy chicken, fries and a large soft drink is a way of life. Fast food companies entice children to consume their meals with appealing toys, setting the stage for a lifelong habit of eating unhealthy fast food. I've noticed if you see an obese child they will typically have an obese parent.

There is a direct correlation between obesity and the method of transportation people choose. In the United States, people rely heavily on their cars. This has not always been the case. However, as people move to the suburbs, walking as a part of daily life becomes difficult, as neighborhood stores and businesses are spread far apart. Countries who do not rely heavily on cars for everyday transportation have lower rates of obesity. For example, in Sweden, 62 percent of people walk or bicycle and only 9 percent of the population is obese. A similar scenario is played out in Latvia, the Netherlands and several other countries where people rely on their bodies to get around. In the United States, only 12 percent of people use active means to get around, and the obesity rate is 33 percent, according to "Wired" magazine's report on the findings of University of Tennessee researcher David Bassett and Rutger's University researcher John Puche.

The problem started long before the 1980's. The fact that kids are less active today then 40 years ago obviously doesn't help but that isn't the whole problem. The majority of American's diet is flawed. As soon as we switched to a more grain/carb based diet we were doomed. It was made worse when the low fat fad started. What you eat should based on protein, fat, carbs in that order. While I'm not saying it's the best there is a reason the Atkins diet works. Anyone that gets thier nutritional info from the government is a fool. While Mrs. Obama may be well intentioned her "plate chart" is no better then the garbage pyrimid or the 4 basic food groups. The government is batting .000 when it comes to making us healthier.

Insurance companies are to blame as well, they want us fat, they make more money off us when were fat. I can prove this....

 

 

2 years ago or so I broke my left ankle, no surgery needed, rehab and the like, all was well until about 3 months ago when I started getting pains in my left foot, really bad pains, cant stand on it put any pressure on it pains. Doctor says not to be on it for one month then some rehab see where its at. 6 weeks later, im now doing rehab, but under strict orders to not do any other activities that involve my foot, walking, running, standing etc. About a month ago I get a letter from my insurance company saying they are going to stop paying for the therapy do to me not following doctors orders. With this letter is a statement from my gym that I go to show when I have been their over the last 3 months, how long (we have a key card that you swipe in and out with at my gym.) So when I call the insurance company they tell me that I should not be at the gym for any reason because I am under strict orders to have no other activities with my foot. I try to explain to them that I am not doing anything with my foot, upper body work outs and the such, but they are not buying it at all and tell me I must stop going to the gym period until I am fully cleared.

 

So I make a statement to the insurance lady, "So your telling me, that your not allowing me to stay in some sort of shape, keep my weight down, and stay healthy. Your telling me to do nothing, get fat so I can have more health issues, drive up cost for both of us, and then you can raise my insurance rates, all because the doctor has said for me not to be active with my foot, but has said nothing about the rest of my body." After about a 5 second pause her response was, "yes exactly stay away from the gym."

All you have to do is walk 30-40 minutes a day and not eat cookies, potato chips, and other garbage. Lack of self discipline is the root of America's problems. Not just health, everything. People eat too much, spend too much, and complain too much (ironic considering the tone of my post.) Hard work and discipline are on the way out of the door.

All you have to do is walk 30-40 minutes a day and not eat cookies, potato chips, and other garbage. Lack of self discipline is the root of America's problems. Not just health, everything. People eat too much, spend too much, and complain too much (ironic considering the tone of my post.) Hard work and discipline are on the way out of the door.

 

 

I'm 6' 1'' 200lbs and don't workout so I must have great genes or high metabolism, 'cause I eat this garbage all the time including soft drinks. But your statements above are dead on.

PlantmanKy insurance companies DO NOT make the most money on unhealthy/fat ( As you said ) people.

One of my favorite sayings of all time from Little Britain: "There are more fat people in America than there are people."

 

It really is sad with a variety of factors leading to obesity. The rising diabetes' number is alarming.

My dad cut out all pop/soft drinks, diet and regular, and lost 15lbs in 4 weeks just on that alone.

I'm 6' 1'' 200lbs and don't workout so I must have great genes or high metabolism, 'cause I eat this garbage all the time including soft drinks. But your statements above are dead on.

 

Lucky. I look at cookies and I put on 2 lbs.

My dad cut out all pop/soft drinks, diet and regular, and lost 15lbs in 4 weeks just on that alone.

 

I agree with so many of the posts.

 

1) I believe many of us get duped in our younger years of establishing poor dietary habits which don't impact us when we are very active and our hormones are peaking. Keeping these same eating habits into adulthood is deadly.

 

2) Then, there are those adults who seem to want the kids to be the same image as their fat selves....Honey Boo Boo eg..... This is just plain ignorance.

 

3) I agree too, the explosion of fast foods, especially the grease soaked starches and sugary drinks are major contributors.

 

I, personally condemn kettle chips!! There creator should be punished. :ohbrother:

I quite possibly could have the worst diet of anyone on BGP. I regularly consume upwards of 3000 calories a day of mostly junk. BUT, I work out a ton, don't drink soft drinks, and have pretty solid genes so I stay in pretty good shape. Although my coworkers are routinely amazed.

I quite possibly could have the worst diet of anyone on BGP. I regularly consume upwards of 3000 calories a day of mostly junk. BUT, I work out a ton, don't drink soft drinks, and have pretty solid genes so I stay in pretty good shape. Although my coworkers are routinely amazed.

 

I hate you.

 

:lol:

Great thread topic, kygirl!

We all need to pay attention to this topic; for ourselves and our loved ones.

Great thread topic, kygirl!

We all need to pay attention to this topic; for ourselves and our loved ones.

Thanks hoops5. This topic is near to me for several reasons. When I retired I went to the doctor & had 300+ cholesterol, high BP, heart rate was over 100 just sitting & while not obese I could stand to lose some lbs. Since that time which was about about 6 years ago I've been able to reduce my cholesterol to 157, BP 106/62, HR 70 and have lost 20lbs. I started working out with a personal trainer then got really into it & got certified myself as an ACE personal trainer. I workout 4 days a week, walk 3 miles a day, watch portion size, eat lots of chicken, fish, vegetables, fruits & nuts, cut way down on pop. I still eat the occasional pizza, steak or burger. I don't eat out alot but cook at home more. All of it together has made a huge difference in the quality of my life heck my golf game has even improved. I have more energy. I just feel better.

It was a couple of years ago I saw a friend from grade school who was on a cane who could barely get around because of bad knees and extremely overweight. It gave me incentive to not get in that same predicament. My dad died at age 58 of a stroke underlying problem was heart disease. He wasn't obese but his heart was. Looking back his food intake was terrible. For instance he like wilted lettuce which was drenched in bacon grease. I loved my dad and though he's been gone since 1978 I still miss him. He missed seeing his kids grow up, get married and seeing his grand children & great grand children.