Gluttony - not laziness - to blame for obesity

[nebula]

Gluttony - not laziness - to blame for obesity

* 11:15 19 August 2008

* NewScientist.com news service

* Tamsin Osborne

Greed - not sloth - might be responsible for the obesity epidemic, according to research showing that we're doing just as much physical activity as we were in the early 1980s.

<snip>

The obesity epidemic had already started by 1982, but Speakman argues that people have always been fairly inactive during the evenings, and that although activities such as watching TV and playing computer games might be relatively new, they have not affected overall energy expenditure.

<snip>

If we are not less active, then we must be eating more food, suggesting that trying to increase our energy expenditure through physical activity may not be the best way of tackling obesity.

"If we want to reverse the obesity epidemic it would be much better to focus on trying to decrease caloric intake," says Speakman.

Read the full article here

[Guest HIS girl]

Our bodies do not need near as much food as we think. We live in a culture where food is available 24/7.....this is not normal eating patterns...

[OneLight]

For most of the human time line, people did not have the kind of food that is served today. It was healthy, home grown, or grown by your neighbors. There were no fast food places. What we eat is far more important then how much, but I agree that if we eat too much healthy food, we will also become fatter, if we do not get the proper exercise to turn the gain into muscle.

[nebula]

But consider - if you are eating 4000 calories a day and burning 3000 calories -

why not decrease the caloric intake rather than try to exercise more.

What is harder - to throw on a jogging suit and run ten miles? Or to not have seconds and thirds?

[Guest man]

What is harder - to throw on a jogging suit and run ten miles? Or to not have seconds and thirds?

The jogging suit.

I could run ten miles, but not in a jogging suit.

And then when I got back, I would be having 2nds and 3rds.

[tah]

My son and I were having a little discussion the other day and I have been worried about how skinny he was..

I told him he needed to gain about 30 pounds ..

He is 6' tall and weighs 165... way to slim to my eyes..

He told me he was right in the middle of his perfect weight range and 200 was fat..

I told him he was nuts ..he looked it up and sure enough fat for a 6' man is 200 lbs..

Know what .. I personally find a 6' 200 lb man attractive to my eye...

I think their scale is screwy...

My husband is a bit shorter and weighs the same ..he is almost to skinny..

I like a little meat on my men....

skinny people look like they are malnourished and need to be fed by someone...

skinny in my opinion is not pretty... neither is overly obese either..

but I would rather see someone weigh a little too much than be malnourished...

I feel sorry for them....

How many fat people are leaders in this crusade against fat people...

[nebula]

I used to be -

5' 1" and over 150 pounds . . . and growing.

I ate healthy - wheat bread when I could, veggies, low fat, etc.

But I was a food addict. I know I ate too much. I mean, snacking after 1/2 hour of finishing dinner?

Being in a position that forced me to eat less got me to start losing weight.

That's why I believe in this.

[Iryssa]

Yeah, this article does make a good point. Our portion sizes have grown tremendously in the last fifty years or so. Did you know that there was a time when bagels were only the size of hockey pucks? No kidding. So eating one bagel back then was better than eating one bagel today. The whole "bigger is better" attitude is so prevalent today. I just think of when I worked at a fast food place...people were constantly ordering huge sodas and double burgers and upsizing the fries...and they'd order large sized drinks for each kid (not that the kids would even finish their drinks, but boy did they try!), perpertuating this idea with the next generation.

The other thing is, these days we're always running about, wolfing down our food and all that. It takes a while for your body to register that you're full! So slow down, chew properly, get involved in a conversation between your bites, and take the time to really enjoy your food. I find just slowing down my eating makes me eat less, because I allow myself time to feel full. (Read French Women Don't Get Fat for more info on that...it's got good tips that apply to men too)|

What is harder - to throw on a jogging suit and run ten miles? Or to not have seconds and thirds?

The jogging suit.

I could run ten miles, but not in a jogging suit.

Hehehe, I have to agree there.

[kat8585]

I've been trying to lose weight ( and succeeding ), and I've been eating less. It, along with healthier eating and exercise, is what's doing it. I've been getting the sugar out of my diet, too.

[Guest]