I can remember, back in the 60s, when actors like Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) were considered grossly fat. Today, when I see Burr on TV reruns, he looks "normal". I think both the definition and the actual size have changed.

 

Yeah, that brought back memories of them, I thought they were fat at the time too..

 

Work in American has generally gotten easier. Lot less manual labor, much more fast food or other frozen foods, any wonder why we are fatter?
Mainly I believe it's because of lack of exercise.

 

If you don't believe statistics or think that it is the way weight is now measured let your eyes be your guide. Look at any film of a crowd scene taken in the 40s 50s 60s and even 70s and the majority of people in the crowd - of all ages - are slim. Now look at film of a crowd scene taken today. The majority of people are overweight to obese. When I went to grade school and high school a fat person was very, very rare. I have the class photos to prove it. Just look at grade school and high school kids today. Not only overweight but flacid unhealthy overweight.

 

I was at my grandson's swim meet and really got a bit of a shock when I really looked at the kids and young adults.. It is frightening the health problems these kids are going to face. A good friend's 11 year old son was just diagnosed with type II diabetes, yeah he is over weight and spends his time watching TV and playing video games.

 

Then too many families are getting way to much food stamps.

 

Work in American has generally gotten easier. Lot less manual labor, much more fast food or other frozen foods, any wonder why we are fatter?
Mainly I believe it's because of lack of exercise.

And not just the issue of manual labor, but kids no longer go outside to play these days. Too many high tech toys that don't require exercise or imagination. We use to go out to play at sun up and didn't come in till it was dark. These days, the kids I've known, you have to practically force them to go out to play, and then they are back inside in less than an hour.

 

Corn syrup is being added into everything - even self proclaimed "health foods". Food companies use it like a drug. Kids no longer play outside.

I cannot think of 1 single fat kid in my entire high school, growing up. (well one morbidly obese kid who was shipped in from another school for being teased) Today it seems like every other kid has a beer gut or a muffin top.

It seems like the lower income kids are getting the fattest. Visit school in primarily upper class white regions and you will see few obese kids compared to the epidemic in most areas nowadays.

 

I was called heavy in my high school at 165# and 6' tall (1974)
I would have probably been on the slim side had I graduated this year.

 

Work in American has generally gotten easier. Lot less manual labor, much more fast food or other frozen foods, any wonder why we are fatter?
Mainly I believe it's because of lack of exercise.

I was at a very busy farm auction yesterday and I saw one heavy person. I wonder how many there would have been in the same sized crowd at the mall?

 

Then too many families are getting way to much food stamps.

Huh?

People on food stamps are not forced to buy crappy food are they? I know they often do, but I suspect those same people would be buying crap if they were paying cash too.

 

Corn syrup in soda pop has nothing to do with gaining weight at all.....

Just stop and think what has happened over the years.
Back in the 50's soda bottles were JUST 7oz.~!
Then they got to 12oz. which was a pretty fair amount. later on in the 60's the 16oz ones came along.
More then TWICE as they were in the 50's.
Now move into the 70's and 24oz and 1 Liter started to hit the store shelves.

Now move into the 90's and beyond bingo 64oz is not uncommon at all in convenience stores~!!!
Nearly teen times the AMOUNT that you would be drinking in the 50's~!
I started going BACK to the 12oz bottle that Coke has been coming out with to give up the AMOUNT of soda one will drink at one time.

And THAt is just ONE example~ There are many others that are also HUGE in size compared to Back In The Day. Not the Additives~!
And Just a few years ago I was at a dairy store (ice cream parlor).
And low and behold there was a sign on the wall...
"Can YOU handle A Monster?"
A Malted Milk Guaranteed Not to have LESS then ONE QUART.~!!!!

No it isn't any "additives" in foods it IS the Amounts that are being Consumed that is the problem ALONG with lack of exercise is also ranked up there contributing to the over weight problem of this country.

I started either ordering a SMALL order of fries or just not eating ALL of them.
HUGE Huge meals are being served in restaurants these days.
Nice to get your monies worth but golly gee just look at what is happening to people and their waist lines~!

I see NYC MAY stop the Big Bucket of popcorn at movies. I don;t agree with that LEAVE it up to the theater to make that call. Not by government interference.
I get a Small popcorn and a med diet Coke at the movies. Leave it up to the movie goer to make that choice. If they want to continue to gain weight SO Be It.

 

I will own up to putting on weight with the flush of goat milk and eggs the garden is not yet up to producing. I notice it just yesterday and I remembered that the last 3 summers I pack on 15 pounds but I loose it (and I hope again) in the winter. Now in the winter I am baking up a storm and all I can think of I honestly do pig out on the dairy products. Yogert, puddings, Ice cream, Anyone else have changes in their weight based on what you grow or raise.

 

Then too many families are getting way to much food stamps.

Only poor people are getting fat?

 

HUGE Huge meals are being served in restaurants these days.

DH and I went out to eat at an Italian restaurant a couple of weeks ago. The portion was so huge that I swear the doggie bag weighed at least 3 pounds!

I proceeded to make 4 more dinners out of the leftovers. Joked to my husband that I really hadn't planned on having stuffed eggplant parmesan for dinner all week, but oh well.

Insane!

 

resturant portions are 3 or 4 servings. many families eat out 3 to 4 times a week. do the math

 

Fake food.
Full of chemicals.
PLUS
TV-Ipad-computer-movies on demand-video games
PLUS
No exercise
EQUALS
Fat folks.
Seems like millions of tax dollars in studies are wasteful?

 

Corn syrup in soda pop has nothing to do with gaining weight at all.....

It is in everything now. Next time you shop, read the "fat free" labels. Fat free pretty much means "corn syrup filled".

It is most diet foods
sour cream
pasta sauce
bread
crackers
diet protein shakes (fat free)
salad dressings
canned vegetables
baby formula

I recently bought huge cans of plain red beans to make chili and realized the beans were packed in corn syrup! Tons of dry foods with no traditional need for sweetness are now being filled with dry corn syrup solids...threw them away

I am not saying corn syrup is the only reason, but one more reason added to the list. There is no reason for companies to be adding it to everything, other than to get people hooked on sugar, and to crave their product.

 

DH and I went out to eat at an Italian restaurant a couple of weeks ago. The portion was so huge that I swear the doggie bag weighed at least 3 pounds!Insane!

I do that too. Eating out usually means you bring home extra meals for 2 days.

 

In 1972 my first job was in a hamburger joint. Drinks were 12 oz, 16 oz, and 20 oz. Most people got the small or the medium.
We had 1 size of fries and that size is considered the child's portion at places today - most people shared that one back then.
While we did have a 1/4 pound hamburger, most people got our regular cheeseburger - 1/10#
Most people still did some kind of physical work for a living, nobody sat at computer screens, and kids went outside and played.
If you look at what people eat today compared to their amount of physical exertion you'll know why they (we) are fat.

 

If you eat more and move less you gain weight.
Don't take a genius to figure that out.
People have been looking for something that will allow them to set around and eat all they want for many years. Some just don't care anymore.

 

All you have to do is look at photos of our childhood to answer your question are most Americans too fat.

Obesity and the diseases it causes are going to bankrupt our health care system to the point only the wealthy will be able to afford it.

 

Only poor people are getting fat?

No, but many poor people are fat.

 

All you have to do is look at photos of our childhood to answer your question are most Americans too fat.

Obesity and the diseases it causes are going to bankrupt our health care system to the point only the wealthy will be able to afford it.

Health care is not a right. If you can't afford it, you don't get it. What did folks do 50 years ago? Mostly around here, we see fat illegal aliens. I would think that fat folks would drop dead of a heart attack. That won't cost the health care system much at all! I see cancer costing far more than obesity.

 

No, but many poor people are fat.

Cheap, high carb food tastes good, so that's what they get. They don't care about the future, it's about instant gratification. Besides, the government will take care of them!