93 replies to this topic

[spacey]

I'm going to have to say to you Zoolander, that I completely agree with what you're saying.

I'm so extremely sick and tired of how my friends keep denying that they're addicted to sugar when they can't last an hour without going into a store and buying a soda. I'm tired of how they complain about my lifestyle, claiming that it's boring and as soon as I comment on their excessive sugar and transfat-intake they always respond "Well you have to live a bit". I'm tired of how they constantly deny the dangers of overconsumption, and I'm tired of how they completely bash drug-abusers(Obviously this is still a problem) while I want to impose food-regulations because overeating kills more people than drugs do! But yet they keep denying it as a problem, even though it costs society millions and millions each year.

People can take alcohol & drug addiction seriously, but why can society not take overconsumption and sugar addiction seriously?

Rant over..

[REGIMEN]

Prohibition on Insurance.

[luminous]

Obesity is a complex problem that only SEEMS easy to eradicate, imo.

As hard as losing fat is, it's nearly impossible to keep it off. The success rates are dismal. I think that there is even some evidence that shedding fat through diet and/or exercise can actually lead to eventual net GAIN over and above initial weight. I read about one study (cannot find at the moment, I'll keep looking) involving a diet group, a diet plus exercise group, and a control group. The first two groups lost weight during the study, while the control group gained a small amount of weight. Five years (perhaps ten) later, a follow-up was conducted. Most of the participants in all three groups weighed more than they did at the start of the study. Surprisingly, the CONTROL group had fared better than the two fat-loss groups. The amount of weight gained over pre-study weight in the control group was miniscule, and LESS than the weight gained in the two groups that had lost weight during the study.

Maybe metabolism slows down during weight loss such that it becomes exceedingly easy to gain all the weight back. If the metabolism becomes even more sluggish than it had been before the diet, then you can see why people might tend to gain more than the amount that they'd lost.

Nobody (almost) WANTS to be obese. Most educated people know EXACTLY what must be done to lose it. So why is obesity at epidemic proportions in the US and an increasing number of other countries? It would seem that the fundamental drive to add fat to the body is far stronger than any of us want to believe or admit. I would guess that some people are more prone to do so than others. Perhaps the need for some individuals to carry excess fat is a species survival mechanism for those times when food is scarce. I wonder if obesity is prevalent in any other non-domesticated species besides our own.

I think that consuming more calories than those burned to the point of obesity is somewhat similar to many addictions. Though I wouldn't put it in the exact same classification as other addictions, many of our current processed and refined foods provide dense calories that our ancestors never had access to. Our bodies did not evolve with many of the foods and additives we're consuming in quantity these days. It's possible that such foods as refined starches, refined sugars and trans fats are addictive for susceptible people.

A fortune could be made if a fairly easy "cure" for obesity could be found. The fact that such a formula has not been developed shows just how difficult it is to successfully treat this problem.

[krillin]

I'd like to see more companies making health insurance the responsibility of the employee. Being healthy would lead to lower payments. Money is a pretty good motivator.

Individual health insurance is fubared. It'd be better for employers to make the employee contribution dependent on percent bodyfat.

Here's something I read on another forum.

Lots of people I know have individual health insurance, yet it's often misunderstood.

First off, in most states, you cannot get individual health insurance unless you're in good or even perfect health. This is well known. Many people believe however that once they've been accepted and so long as they continue to pay, that they're "covered" indefinitely. While this is technically true, the shocking reality is quite different as will be explained shortly.

Health insurance companies, like any other insurance company, do not like paying claims. However, unlike, for example, life insurance, when/if you get a serious illness, individual health insurance companies can as a matter of practice get rid of you, leaving you without any insurance at all. How?

When you buy an individual health policy you are put into a group under your policy's brand name. For example: "Healthcare XYZ Plan 2000". This plan will be sold for typically about 3 years and then it's closed. No new members can then enter.

Because your risk is shared with people of this group, as claims start to come in, the premium starts to rise. Those who are healthy start to leave because they can get the same coverage cheaper in another new health insurance plan. However, those who developed a serious illness or condition, cannot get a new individual health policy. They are trapped. Premiums in this closed group start to increase exponentially, as only sick people remain. More people leave, often because they cannot afford the higher premiums. This in turn just causes those who remain to have to pay even more. The plan goes into a "death spiral." The insurance company has in effect transferred all risk to an ever-smaller and sicker group. (Traditional employer group insurance doesn't work in this manner at all- but that's another subject.)

The process is repeated again and again. Keep in mind this not per se the insurance company's fault- the insurance regime is regulated by each state and the companies selling in a given market intensely compete with each other given the rules of the system. For a company not to force the "death spiral" means they'd be at a competitive disadvantage; they go out of business.

If you are self-employed and have individual health insurance, you may not realize that you are probably at serious, almost inevitable, jeopardy of losing your ability to get health insurance at some point in life- once you lose your "good health" status. Then you have almost no options, short of working for a tradition employer or purchasing a plan in your state's high-risk pool, if available- which normally costs more than a typical home mortgage.

I've no solutions- this is just a warning so that you know what individual health insurance, in fact, is (and isn't). These health plans are insurance plans for when you're healthy, and that's it.

Edited by brainbox, 22 November 2007 - 10:43 PM.

[EmbraceUnity]

After reading so much information regarding health on this website, I made it a point to convince my mother to eat healthier and lose some weight. She is a highly intelligent person, so it has nothing to do with lack of intelligence. Furthermore, she only became obese later in life, so it was NOT genetic.

She was basically a junk food addict for years. This was an especially serious problem because she had recently had a disease similar to Multiple Sclerosis called Acute Transverse Myelitis. I feared for her life.

However, she always loved vegetables, like spinach and green peppers. Considering that she actually liked healthy food, it was especially aggravating! During a discussion with both my parents, I respectfully brought up the topic to her, and explained how serious of a health risk it was. She had, in the past, talked about Seattle Sutton as an interesting concept. Right there, she made a resolution to do it in front of us, and I was so proud of her.

She went on a 1200 calorie program and has stuck with it for the past 18 months. She lost about 20 pounds in the first 7 months, and although she doesn't claim to feel different emotionally, she used to be in a bad mood often, and now she seems much better. She doesn't exercise, so her weight levelled off. Also, she may have messed up her metabolic system.

In any event, a healthy food delivery service of some sort is a great option, and everyone should recommend such a thing to anyone who cannot deal with managing the lifestyle change on their own. The service picks out all the food, and the fact that it is an ongoing service helps ensure the continuation of the new dietary regimen.

I wish I could have done the same for my grandmother. She has had a very unhealthy lifestyle for years, and now she is deteriorating very rapidly. It makes me want to scream.

[Shepard]

Individual health insurance is fubared. It'd be better for employers to make the employee contribution dependent on percent bodyfat.

I didn't know individual health insurance had those kind of issues. I thought that would allow more people to go toward something like a HSA. I'm not well-read enough on the subject to say much, though.

Edited by brainbox, 22 November 2007 - 10:44 PM.

[Shepard]

Nice timing on the topic, zoolander:

http://www.imminst.o...T&f=178&t=18680

[luminous]

I can't read that, shepard, maybe because I'm a cut-rate (small font) member here?

[zoolander]

After reading so much information regarding health on this website, I made it a point to convince my mother to eat healthier and lose some weight. She is a highly intelligent person, so it has nothing to do with lack of intelligence. Furthermore, she only became obese later in life, so it was NOT genetic.

This is a very common situation. Notice that I have only really referred to the obese as lazy and not stupid. They are selectively lazy because the don't put the effort into managing their health and weight. All you need is a small positive energy balance at the end of the day over a long period of time to put on 30 pounds. This is why people should weigh themselves. Know what your healthy weight is. Use the BMI chart as a guide but know what your intrinsic healthy weight is. Everyone will comfortably hover at a particular set point. Once you know what you your set healthy weight is then maintain this.

Here's something I believe every body should be doing at a bare minimum;
*Weigh yourself once a week. Invest in a set of scale as well as a home automatic blood pressure and heart rate monitor. Make it a habit to weigh yourself and to take your blood pressure and heart rate every Sunday morning as soon as you wake before eating and after going to the toilet.
*Write it all down and teach yourself how to chart this information over time.
*Every 6 months or year have some blood biochemistry done. This should include and FBE, Lipids and fasting glucose (Hb1aC)
*Let your doctor know what your set weight is and ask them to right that down. Give them your yearly chart of weight, Blood pressure and Heart rate measurements

If a healthy individual can take these small steps then obesity should not be an issue. Obese people should still do this but instead of maintaining weight that should be aiming to lose a minimum of 0.5-1lb per week. That's a negative energy balance of about 250-500kcal per day.

Some quick calculations:
Fat = 9Kcal per gram
There are 454 grams in a pound
Therefore, 1 pound of fat = 4080kcal
There are 7 days in a week hence 4080/7=580
So, a negative energy balance of roughly 500kcal per day
Equals 1 pound of fat lost per week

Agree?

You can achieve this negative energy ba;ance 50:50 with 50% from diet (250kCal) and 50% from energy expenditure

anyhow.....the worse case scenario is when insulin signalling becomes effected i.e Type 2 Diabetes. Unfortunately there is no turning back from this point. Once insulin signalling is shot then it's all downhill for your health from there. We're not 100% sure whether defects in insulin signalling come before obesity or after obesity. That is still up in the air but you can reverse the damage. With continual work you may be able to maintain the situation however it's not fixable at this point.

Nice timing on the topic, zoolander

Nice one

Edited by brainbox, 22 November 2007 - 10:46 PM.

[zoolander]

Also understand that obesity, whilst a complex situation, is more than likely caused by an excess in calories. Hence is is the opposite to calories restriction (CR) and perhaps should be referred to as CE.

Interestingly, the negative effects of CE may be inversely related to the positive effects of CR especially if you are referring to the metabolic consequences. For example, in CR health benefits are thoughts to come from a decrease in free radical production because there are less calories to process and hence less free radicals are produced. Perhaps the opposite applies to excess calories. Excess calories require metabolically processing as well and hence this will increase free radical production and oxidative stress.

Have a read of the paper Shep provided. It discusses the above mentioned issue

[Ghostrider]

If it causes cancer and kills people, get rid of it.

Because prohibition worked so well...

Prohibition failed because the laws were not properly enforced -- the penalties for drinking were not severe enough. If no one could consume alcohol, there would be no automotive fatalities related to intoxication. Unless of course, alcohol was replaced by something else producing the same effect. Point is, society allows a lot of harm to happen (people dying in alcohol related accidents) because the amount of happiness gained by being able to drink outweighs the harm. In other words, if enough people benefit, anything will be tolerated.

Edited by brainbox, 22 November 2007 - 10:48 PM.

[ajnast4r]

Also understand that obesity, whilst a complex situation, is more than likely caused by an excess in calories. Hence is is the opposite to calories restriction (CR) and perhaps should be referred to as CE.

Interestingly, the negative effects of CE may be inversely related to the positive effects of CR especially if you are referring to the metabolic consequences. For example, in CR health benefits are thoughts to come from a decrease in free radical production because there are less calories to process and hence less free radicals are produced. Perhaps the opposite applies to excess calories. Excess calories require metabolically processing as well and hence this will increase free radical production and oxidative stress.

Have a read of the paper Shep provided. It discusses the above mentioned issue

i think weight gain is a bit more complex than simply calories in calories out... i think nutrient timing and content also play a large role. a 2000kcal diet of 50%(kcal coming from) protein will not elicit the same results in body composition as a diet of 50% sugar. depending on how i tweek what and when i eat, i can gain muscle (quickly) and lose fat (very slowly) on an 1800-2000 calorie diet when technically i shouldnt be able to.


on an off note about CE vs CR... my best friend of 10 years does the unhealthy mans version of CR, kinda... he will go two days almost completely fasted, then pound down 5000+kcal in a single meal. he is the polar opposite of me when it comes to health... has not had a vegetable in 10 years, smokes a pack a day, doesnt eat much more than steak, fries and redbull. he NEVER gets sick, maybe twice since i've known him... he also has NO body odor regardless of how long he goes w/o showering or how much he sweats. he swears his [perceived] good health is due to not eating.. says when he eats normal his skin starts to break out, he starts to get BO again, etc.

Edited by brainbox, 22 November 2007 - 10:49 PM.

[richardschueler]

Personal liberty is important. If you don't like being forced to do things you don't want to do anyway, like worship someone elses deity you don't believe in, have sex with who you're commanded to, or eat what you're commanded to, or not eat what you like when you like.

If your idea is to increase the health of the masses, there's all kinds of great ways to do that, which aren't ethical. 1. martial law. Everyone is forced to stay in their home, eat what is shoved at them, no car accidents, no obesity, no crime, and no choice.

Instead of destroying human liberty for the cause of increasing the happiness of the ones who's liberty you haven't destroyed...work on technology.

[zoolander]

i think weight gain is a bit more complex than simply calories in calories out... i think nutrient timing and content also play a large role. a 2000kcal diet of 50%(kcal coming from) protein will not elicit the same results in body composition as a diet of 50% sugar. depending on how i tweek what and when i eat, i can gain muscle (quickly) and lose fat (very slowly) on an 1800-2000 calorie diet when technically i shouldnt be able to.

I disagree. Whilst some maconutrients may have a higher satiety index, at the end of the day excess calories are stored as fat. That's quite simple because if you are talking about glycogen stores taking up the excess calories then we are not talking about excess. Excess is essentially defined as above and beyond normal metabolic daily caloric requirements to maintain homeostasis. It doesn't matter if your diet is 30:30:40 or 50:10:40 or 70:10:10 when it comes to Pro:CHO:Fat. Excess is excess and there's only one place for the excess to be stored and that's in adipose tissue.

a 2000kcal diet of 50%(kcal coming from) protein will not elicit the same results in body composition as a diet of 50% sugar.

I agree however we are not talking about nutrient timing or composition within an individuals daily requirement of say "x" kCal. Timing and nutrient content are very important. Timing of protein is a very important factor when talking about muscle protein synthesis and protein content in the diet is important because it has a higher thermic effects when compared to CHO and Fat.

he will go two days almost completely fasted, then pound down 5000+kcal in a single meal. he is the polar opposite of me when it comes to health... has not had a vegetable in 10 years, smokes a pack a day, doesnt eat much more than steak, fries and redbull. he NEVER gets sick, maybe twice since i've known him... he also has NO body odor regardless of how long he goes w/o showering or how much he sweats. he swears his [perceived] good health is due to not eating.. says when he eats normal his skin starts to break out, he starts to get BO again, etc.

How old is your friend? He may not appear to be ill on the surface but underneith.....well that's a different story. Has he had any blood work done?

Unless this guy has the genes of a GOD then watch him crumble when he reaches his 30's and then some. He may be able to survive doing what he is doing now because his body is young and has a higher level of tolerance but that simply won't be the case in later life. Two words.... "homeostatic failure"

says when he eats normal his skin starts to break out, he starts to get BO again, etc.

We all know what's happening there don't we. His body is given a little space to breath and hence starts to release the toxins.

Instead of destroying human liberty for the cause of increasing the happiness of the ones who's liberty you haven't destroyed...work on technology.

Whilst I agree that personal liberty is important I don't think that technology is the answer. Technology and industrialisation has to take a certyain deal of blame for convience eating and the lack of exercise seen in the general population.

We need to educate people about their health. Piss off the outdated subjects taught in the schools and increase the number of subjects related to health promotion. Unfortunately it's the other way around. Schools are ousting physical education and introducing creationists studies.

Question: Why do I have a heart rate under 50, body fat under 10% and look 25 years old when I'm chronilogically 36 years old?

Clues:
I have a Bsc. Biomedical Science.
Completing a Ph.D in Biochemistry/biogerontology.

My health has didlly squat to do with my genes. I take full responsibility for the state of my health. I exercise daily and eat a nutrient dense diet.

Some will say that you can summarize the current day obesity epidemic down to society not taking responsibility for their health. We're talking about industrialized here where obesity tends to be the result of over indulgence.

It's so easy to blame the system but at the end of the day the individual needs to take charge. Yeah Yeah we need technology to help. Yeah Yeah some people are addicted to sugar because industry super refined foods and made the problem worse. I know. I know. People in need should seek help instead of just lying around blaming other people.

Pull it together!

[krillin]

New Zealand bars British man's 'fat' wife

[richardschueler]

You have a value system which tells you that spending time exercising is better than spending time watching television. Other peoples value systems indicate the opposite. Most people enjoy television more than exercise, and junk food more than healthy food.

There are other value systems out there which are shoved at people often, like some religious ones, and how you should raise your kids ones, and what you may or may not do with your genitals. Pushing your value systems on others is generally perceived as bad.

I'd like to be sexy and slim like you, somehow my brian likes reading the interweb more than jogging. Stupid brain!

[zoolander]

We are talking about a health epidemic hear Richard that is killing people.

Pushing your value systems on others is generally perceived as bad.

I don't care if people think that I am bad for trying to raise a very important issue related to a serious health epidemic.

So let me reiterate my point. People are killing themselves. They are breeding an obese population because they make ill informed choices not just for themselves but for their children. It has a lot to do with education. I wouldn't have to do this sort of preaching to smokers or couples sharing needles because we all know the consequences.

I'd like to be sexy and slim like you

That's a positive side effect you get when you look after your health

somehow my brian likes reading the interweb more than jogging. Stupid brain!

There is nothing wrong with reading the interweb. Just tell that brain of yours that it needs to pull itself away from the computer for 30 minutes a day 6-7 days a week to do a little aerobic exercise. Threaten to take away it's glucose supply if it doesn't comply because I guarantee you that if your brain continues to control your life by filling every moment with it's selfish sloth like desires then it will be paying the consequences.

and by the way........exercise is a bore to me. I hate running and counting to 8 or 10 over 100 times on each weight training sessions does my head in sometime. I would much rather be reading the interweb like I am now but my brain knows better.

[zoolander]

Krillian, nice link out to a very appropriate article. I certainly hope that my country had these regulations. I'm going to check.

[zoolander]

So richard how long have you been choosing to sit on your bum over doing a little exercise?

Now if it's been for a little while, have you experienced any health problems. For example, weight gain, elevated blood pressure, elevated triglycerides and so on?

[ajnast4r]

Unless this guy has the genes of a GOD then watch him crumble when he reaches his 30's and then some. He may be able to survive doing what he is doing now because his body is young and has a higher level of tolerance but that simply won't be the case in later life. Two words.... "homeostatic failure"

yup i keep trying to tell him that. i figure atleast ill be able to help him out when he gets cancer [wis]

We need to educate people about their health. Piss off the outdated subjects taught in the schools and increase the number of subjects related to health promotion. Unfortunately it's the other way around.

i could not agree more

Schools are ousting physical education and introducing creationists studies.

[spam]

Edited by brainbox, 22 November 2007 - 10:50 PM.

[zoolander]

[richardschueler]

Nearly everyone is deficient somehwere in their life, whether it be health, or finance, or relationships, to find a person who's balanced all those things well, and you'll have found a rarity.

There's probably a portion of the fat population (which I'm a member of) that doesn't know how bad for you being fat is, healthwise. I'd say that portion would be very very mall though. I think whether they admit it or not, fat folks like myself have known for a good long while the social and health consequences of being obese. Hence, increasing awareness of how crappy being fat is, I'm not sure will effect anywhere near the majority of the obese population.

If you want to get people unfat, and you're not going to take away their civil liberties, then you must pull them towards it, and not push them towards it. It has to be an attractive proposition for them. Millions upon millions of people take diet pills. Pills resulting in weight loss are a good proposition for most people. I don't like them, because shaking the weight off via literally shaking, doesn't seem healthy.

Hence, as a fat person listenting about how bad being fat is for me, and what an epidemic it is that millions of other people out there are like me or worse, hasn't done anything to make me want to exercise today, or put down this chocolate. In life, unfortunately, looking most right, doesn't usualy result in most people doing what you say.

I think you'd be able to create more healthy people if you learned the same skillsets that other influential entities have mastered. First you must find out what already motivates someone, and then see what needs they're meeting with their bad behavior, then find a new behavior that meets those same needs at the same level or higher, then break the old pattern, and have them do the new pattern in an environment that sustains it, and hopefully the new pattern will stick.

We've all been massively right about things, and we've all been massively awed by how people could throw our good advice to the wind, and not do any of it. Telling people they're part of an epidemic problem, and threatening to force things on them, will not get the result you're looking for. Maybe richard simmons worked. He was a little before my time.

People don't need more "how" they need more "why" that they actually care about. EVERYONE knows how to lose weight. You need to get them to a "why" they are moved by. Watch that movie "click" y adam sandler, and see if it doesn't move you to be concerned with family and the here and now.

Perhaps a click film, but for obesity instead of time mangement.

[Shepard]

Pills resulting in weight loss are a good proposition for most people. I don't like them, because shaking the weight off via literally shaking, doesn't seem healthy.

Did anyone see that horrible new Bad News Bears movie where the overweight kid told the coach he was eating beef jerky because he had to keep eating to make his body a fat burning machine?

Edited by brainbox, 22 November 2007 - 10:51 PM.

[richardschueler]

Maybe a study of people who've been successful in going from what you don't a pprove of, to what you do approve of is a good idea. probably someone has already done it, but if it hasn't been done, it would be a wonderful place to start.

Find a few folks that have done exactly what you'd have everyone do, and see how they achieved that.

[zoolander]

Nearly everyone is deficient somehwere in their life, whether it be health, or finance, or relationships, to find a person who's balanced all those things well, and you'll have found a rarity.

So does that make being obese and unhealthy acceptable?

There's probably a portion of the fat population (which I'm a member of) that doesn't know how bad for you being fat is, healthwise. I'd say that portion would be very very mall though. I think whether they admit it or not, fat folks like myself have known for a good long while the social and health consequences of being obese. Hence, increasing awareness of how crappy being fat is, I'm not sure will effect anywhere near the majority of the obese population.

If you want to get people unfat, and you're not going to take away their civil liberties, then you must pull them towards it, and not push them towards it. It has to be an attractive proposition for them. Millions upon millions of people take diet pills. Pills resulting in weight loss are a good proposition for most people. I don't like them, because shaking the weight off via literally shaking, doesn't seem healthy.

Hence, as a fat person listenting about how bad being fat is for me, and what an epidemic it is that millions of other people out there are like me or worse, hasn't done anything to make me want to exercise today, or put down this chocolate. In life, unfortunately, looking most right, doesn't usualy result in most people doing what you say.

Obesity is multifactorial and a very complex situation. We the physiological aspects as well as the psychological aspects such as food addiction and depression. You can also add the clinical as well such as injury and medication related obesity.

Richard, I have to admit though, it sounds like your making excuses.

I think you'd be able to create more healthy people if you learned the same skillsets that other influential entities have mastered. First you must find out what already motivates someone, and then see what needs they're meeting with their bad behavior, then find a new behavior that meets those same needs at the same level or higher, then break the old pattern, and have them do the new pattern in an environment that sustains it, and hopefully the new pattern will stick.

Well Richard if you and other overweight/obese people took the first pro-active steps to seek help then all of the above would happen. When I consult with people I do all of the above and then some. That's apart of the process.

People don't need more "how" they need more "why" that they actually care about.

With the media the obesity epidemic is getting most obese people would most definitely know the why.

The theme of my points from the start is that people of ill health, not just the obese, need to take full responsibility of their current state and be pro-active instead of complaining about a controllable situation.

Richard have you ever sought outside assistance to help you deal with the various issues in your life?

[platypus]

Maybe there should be a motivational campaign saying "Thin people have better sex."? It might motivate at least a part of the population..

[mike250]

its a personal responsibility at the end of the day. those people have only themselves to harm or blame for that matter.

[zoolander]

I agree mike 250. The first step is to go and see you doctor. Every doctor should be referring people with a BMI of >35 to see an accredited exercise physiologist and/or dietician. Both would be optimal. We have a scheme here in Australia where GP's can send patients to these services 5x per year at a nominal fee. For example I have been seeing an osetopath for a neck and sacroilliac issue. the sessions go for over an hour and end up costing me $2.25. They involve massage and reductions. $2.25

So

Step 1= get off arse
Step 2= see your doctor. Get tests done
Step 3= doctor refers you to see exercise physiologist and/or dietician
Step 4= listen and learn
Step 5= change lifestyle
Step 6= lose weight
Step 7= Maintain weight loss and maintain healthy lifestyle
Step 8= Help people that were like you before Step 1

[wayside]

Hence, as a fat person listenting about how bad being fat is for me, and what an epidemic it is that millions of other people out there are like me or worse, hasn't done anything to make me want to exercise today, or put down this chocolate.  In life, unfortunately, looking most right, doesn't usualy result in most people doing what you say.

If you have so little self-motivation and sense of self-preservation that you cannot educate yourself or change your behavior even in the face of overwhelming information that you are injuring/killing yourself, I don't think changing how the message is delivered is going to help. The majority of people seem to be perfectly content to sit on a couch, each junk food all day long, and wait for a magic pill.

And no I'm not perfect; my BMI is around 27, although since I found this place I've learned a lot, cleaned up my diet a lot (my BMI a year ago was almost 30) although it could still be better, put together a supplement stack, got better about regular exercise, etc. So it is possible to improve. The motivation doesn't come from watching a movie though.

Just being on here learning I think means you have at least some motivation to change. Keep reading, keep learning, and try to make changes. You don't have to do it all overnight.

If I was king of the world, here's how I would solve the obesity problem in a few easy steps:

1) Preprocessed food (basically, anything made in a factory), junk food, and soda are illegal to manufacture, sell, and advertise.
2) HFCS and artificial sweeteners are illegal; beverages containing 100% fruit juice or natural sugar may not exceed 0.25 liter in size and you can't have more than 1/day.
3) Preservatives are illegal.
4) You may only eat in a restaurant once per day, and the total calories of your meal may not exceed 800 calories.
5) You must burn at least 500 calories a day in exercise.

Of course, this would probably trash the global economy. Doesn't look like I'll be king any time soon though.

Edited by brainbox, 22 November 2007 - 10:53 PM.

[eternaltraveler]

it really bothers me how willing people are here to take away personal choice and responsibility in favor of "the greater good".

No world I want to live in.