W.H.O.: Average Global Adult Weight: 137 lb.s

I'd like to see more recent data, but WHO gets nothing out quickly (not a criticism, just the way it is)

We're looking at the majority of U.S. citizens being obese (not just overweight or very overweight) by 2030 ... the amount of pressure that is already putting on the health care system and is going to is just unimaginable, and there's not any way to prepare for the onslaught.

One difficulty is that being inactive has its own momentum and keeps building ... and the heavier one is, the harder it is to get going, literally and figuratively. This in turn creates more consumption via motor vehicles ... which encourages more heaviness ... etc.

It's an extremely complex issue, those are just facets of it ... I think a major constructive way we can help is by encouraging others to be active and healthy by example and commitment as well. Triathlon is the fastest-growing participation sport in the U.S. and BT is the place to be

When I was a kid (I'm 51) it was rare to see people in wheelchairs.  I am happy that more truly disabled people are able to get around today.  However, I see countless people who are in wheelchairs just because they weigh too much to walk around.  Unbelieveable!  Some of them have knee problems- but the problems are directly related to their being overweight/obese. 

I am SO FRIGHTENED about the future of healthcare in the US.  Yet any time a state or city tries to legislate measures related to health/diet the public gets up in arms about how they are violating their individual freedom!

My husband and I watched out takes from Woodstock not too long ago.  The thing that struck me was that everyone was so slim.  What was different about those days?  Lack of forms of sedentary entertainment?  The diet was mostly meat and potatoes back in those days.  They didn't have the plethora of information regarding how to eat healthy food.  Yet they were skinny! 

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=445721&posts=115&start=1

HAAAA! Somebody has their funny underwear hat on again.

I was watching a documentary on the CCC a while back.  The thing I found interesting, well one of them, there were a lot of interesting bits, was that when guys joined the CCC on average they would gain 12 lbs within the first month due to the fact that for most it was the first time they had eaten three meals a day in their lives! None of them were overweight.  Imagine the same program today and I bet you most would loose 12 lbs on the same program.

Ok because I'm thinking about it now I'm going to go wildly off topic.

When the guys joined the CCC they were provided barracks to live in, 3 meals a day and they spent their day building the park system we know and love today using hand tools! For this they were paid $45 a month, $5 to them, $40 sent strait home to their families.  Imagine that sort of system today.  After high school you could join up and get free room and board, lots of manual labor and after adjusting for inflation you would make $581.92 a month.  Of that you would get $64.66 in your pocket and your family would get $517.26 to spend on groceries and household goods that will help to feed and care for the family as well as stimulate the economy!

Then should there be another world war we would have a ready supply of young men already used to living in barracks and taking orders!

When I was in junior high school I was so obese they put me in a Special Education Phys Ed class. I was 240 pounds and about 5'4".

I was lucky we had that program. The program was administered by a teacher named Mr. Jerry Neuman. Mr. Neuman was a classic "gym" teacher. He had the whistle, the sweat pants. What was different about Mr. Neuman was that he held us to account as very young adults. He made us work hard, didn't let us skip gym.

More importantly than anything else Mr. Neuman showed that if you work consistently toward a goal you are usually rewarded. I didn't get that lesson from home because, like so many modern "families" my family was wrestling with the larger issues of divorce, substance abuse, etc.

I think the issue of obesity is rooted in a larger social degradation that has affected our society. Too much fast food, too much media entertainment, too much marketing of "an easier way", too little family and support for young people. Parents aren't stepping up. It easier to just plug the kid in and keep him sugared up than to take him outside and teach them baseball, or archery, or shooting, or cycling, or farming, or fishing... 

When I grew up and joined the military and got to travel I quickly saw the rest of the world wasn't like this. I saw that most of the United States was a naive, coddled group of people who somehow believed their way was always the best way. In other countries and cultures I saw people who struck me as my impression of Americans in the late 1940's and 50's- super hard working, family oriented. These people worked a 16 hour work day without batting an eye. When I came home it was... a wake up call.

It's a shame what has happened to us. It's our fault. Like TriAya says in her post, "I think a major constructive way we can help is by encouraging others to be active and healthy by example and commitment as well."

Fast food and how cheap it is. Every time we come down to the States we are always surprised at how cheap it is to go out for a meal and the large portions that you get with that meal. 

Not sure who it was earlier, but I believe in NA (or at least Canada) it's something like 60% are clinically overweight (BMI>25) and 30% are clinically obese (BMI>30) but there's some issues with just using BMI as a single metric as we all know.

A few friends of mine had an interesting discussion the other day about how we're brought up from a 'dinner time' POV vs. what we eat now, our food knowledge, and eating habits.  One concept we found interesting was 'kids eating a different meal than parents because they're picky'.  I can't count how many times I've seen parents throw chicken fingers or nuggets and fries at kids while they eat a normal, reasonably healthy meal because the kids are supposedly picky eaters.  

While I am an exception (I've eaten anything and everything since it could be blended small enough by my father since I was 18 months old, for better or for worse), being picky was really not an option as a child.  You ate what was put in front of you, and if you complained, you didn't eat.  What was put in front of me was fairly healthy most of the time, and had a huge variety.  Now, when I'm hungry, I crave food of any sort.  I don't think the reward pathways in my brain got the fuel they needed to point me towards any particular kind of calories haha.

In contrast, a colleague of mine was brought up literally with no food knowledge about what's healthy, what's not.  Absolutely blew my mind when this person had a 'berry' for the first time after being in their mid 20's.  There were no socioeconomic or cultural factors at play here, they were just never served this kind of thing.  Lunch much of the time consists of velveta (sp?) macaroni and cheese and a coke.  What I find more striking on a general level is after two years of pre-clerkship medical school where we've all been taught both clinical and basic science aspects of metabolism, obesity, and lifestyle effects (Exercise, diet, etc) on our health, few have actually made changes themselves despite this knowledge.

As an 80+ year old man said in one of the Ironman preview vid on youtube: "If you want to be doing this at 80, you damn well better be mindful of what you're doing at 40".   I think the same thing applies when we're children in order to even get to 40, and our parents play a huge role in this.

I was watching a documentary the other night (can't think of the name right now), and he was traveling around the US and talking to people about their diets.  He was doing a micronutrient fast for 60 days.  The majority of the obese people he talked to said it was easier to go down the block and get KFC then to cook a meal.  They also stated they eat all of their meals in front of the television set, with their kids.  

It was interesting to see how many people stated they knew they had a problem with their eating habits, but were unwilling to change them because it would be too hard or take too much work.  I understand that there are people who are addicted to food.  It is a real issue, and I believe those who have that problem are like anyone else with an addiction.  It takes time to overcome, but for people who are just too lazy to get up and make a salad instead of getting McDonalds is just flat out crazy.  

So, here's a dilema I have as a parent and a teacher. I don't want my kids to judge people, especially other kids, on the way they look but we obviously don't want them to grow up overweight.  I recently took my kids to Comicon. There was an overwhelming amount of overweight and obese people there. Many were in wheelchairs or had difficulty with the stairs. I noticed it right off the bat because most of the events we go to are sporting events (triathlon, running, kids sports etc) so obviously a very different demographic and very few people are overweight. At Comicon, my kids instantly commented on the amount of overweight people and they couldn't help but notice some of the health issues that these folks seemed to be having. I guess it was a good learning experience but at the same time, I felt guilty that my kids were making judgements based on people's appearance. We followed up that experience with a trip to Yosemite, where we enjoyed a lot of walking and hiking, I pointed out to my kids that taking care of our bodies allowed us to do these sorts of activities. 

As a teacher, I see childhood obesity in my classroom. I see kids who can't run the length of the playground without getting severely out of breath. I see kids who have the same junk food for lunch everyday and when we do our section on healthy bodies, many of them can only identify a few vegetables but can recognize the logo of just about every fast food chain. I really feel for these kids because they are future obesity statistics. I work in a relatively low income area and I know that parents are doing their best. I know that the dollar value menu at the local fast food joint can feed a family for under $10. The odds are against them. I can tell the parents if their child is struggling with reading, has a speech problem or behavioral issues but there is rarely a conversation about health issues. 

We are heading towards a situation where anyone of "normal" weight will be in the minority. My husband's company give insurance discounts now to those who don't smoke and maintain a normal BMI. Some of his coworkers complain that is prejudice. 

I'm trying to have my kids focus on their own health. Make good food choices now so that they can enjoy a lifetime of being healthy and active. I try to be a good example and I try to spread the word in my classroom. These statistics that Tom and Yanti quoted are really scary!

there were plenty of McDonalds and Burger Kings in 1975.  While fast, cheap, supersized food does have its role, I've got another theory. 

We've designed our communties so that we cannot walk anywhere.  How many kids walk to school these days? (in fact, it's no longer social accpetable to allow your children to walk to school, for fear of abduction... which has not increased)   Even if you live 1/4 mile from a mall, you can't walk there- as there are probably big streets, culverts and no place to walk.  We've designed suburbia such that every movement requires a car... there's no place to walk even if you wanted to.

I really miss Jack Lalanne.     Just sayin'.

Ignorance and denial are strange beasts.  Evil beasts, they are.

What ever happened to free will?  It seems that science has discarded this notion and we humans are nothing but animals and are slaves to our genetic programming.   These scientists assume that we can't take responsibility for our actions or that we can't control our desires and impulses.   I believe differently, and think it takes only a moderate educational effort.  Learning a little self control goes a long way to making a big difference in one's life.  

 From a moral stand point, obesity is a combination of two of the Seven Deadly Sins.    Gluttony and Sloth.  Eating too much and exercising too little.   Most of those who find themselves obese are in denial about how much they eat and how much they exercise.  

/Libertarian public service announcement.    

Not to make light of the conversation, but I would venture a guess that the people at Woodstock were likely sooo skinny due to their diet consisting mainly of illegal substances.  I don't believe Woodstock is a valid cross-section of the American population at that time.

ETA:

Now I am also in agreement that our culture here has allowed us to get way to lazy and fat, but it isn't our government's role to be handing out diet plans and telling me I can't have a soda every once in a while.  The bigger problem with government regulation is where to draw the line.  Rather than start with regulating what I can and can't consume, lets work on fortifying programs to promote a healthier lifestyle.  I understand that this may be less effective however it follows the same logic as, "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink."

Just my $.02

Super good discussion with a lot of interesting observations, especially from educators in the thread and the observation about comic-con.

Our society has changed enormously. The kids and young adults of today are physically different than four decades ago. Food has changed, behavior surrounding it has changed. The result is a valid obesity crisis.

Human nature is such that, collectively, a society doesn't address an issue until its a crisis. The economy, education, the environment, health... All examples. Deal with it when it breaks and not before.

The educator in this thread makes a good observation. We facilitate obesity in an effort to overcompensate for an era when the "fat kid" (that would have been me) got picked on at school and on the playground. They were stigmatized. We've gone the other way now where in some cases obesity has become a "disability" and being overweight the norm. Holding someone accountable for it is politically and socially objectionable.

I absolutely do not harken for "the old days" when an overweight person was stigmatized. Absolutely not. No.

We do need to find a middle ground of holding each to account for health issues that include overeating. It's interesting that our society has done that with tobacco use in the U.S. Here smoking has become unappealing and almost "dirty". We succeeded in changing the perception of tobacco use in the U.S. in less than 40 years. We need to do the same with overeating, obesity and an overweight lifestyle. Expose it for what it is; a health and social hazard we can prevent. When we shy away from it in the spirit of "equality" or some misguided social agenda we aren't helping anyone. We're enabling overeating, poor health and even obesity.

I'll add another angle from the middle/upper-middle class neighborhoods.  One huge change I see from my childhood (I'm 50) is that today's kids are so BUSY with structure stuff.  Most of the kids in our town have "obligations" 4 or 5 nights a week and most weekends.  People have structured their lives in such a way that they simply don't have time to have sit down meals, so they take the easy/quick route of pizza, subs, or other fast food for many dinners.  I'm amazed at even how many young "athletes" are quite overweight.

We limit our guys to 1 night a week away from the family dinner, which exempts them from many, many, sports and activities, and our family is absolutely considered loony - which we may very well be for other reasons.  It's as if we are condemning our kids to a life of working in the coal mines rather than becoming concert pianists or professional athletes by not having them on year round travel soccer teams and multiple week long summer camps.  Further, if our son has a game or some activity out of the house, my wife will often prepare something healthy and bring it for us rather than eating pizza - bringing more weird looks from everyone else and builds our reputation even further!

I agree this is a complex subject and the long term solutions are not obvious.

The thing that I have noticed is how much the portions sizes have increased in restaurants over the past ten years.   These day I never finish my meal, however most people clean their plate no matter how much food they are served.

The largest change that I have seen is in portion size of beverages.  A while back I ordered a large iced tea at a drive through restaurant, the drink was so big that I could not fit it in my cup holder!  Years ago the large drink was today's medium, today's large drink is at least 32 ozs. (a whole quart!).  The highest calorie item on the KFC menu is the extra large non-diet soda.

Just because the large / SuperSize portion is only a dollar extra for 1.5-2x the amount of food people do not have to order it.

I just saw a commercial for Taco Bell and they said they are going to be adding "healthy options" to their menu.  I am pretty sure that their idea of healthy is not my idea of healthy.  Especially since everything on their menu is from the same 4 or 5 ingredients.  

But then again, they did start telling consumers to eat a fourth meal after midnight.

HOWEVER, what I find interesting, is that the MEDIA'S version of beauty is still the skinny/fit person...

So we still think thin and fitness is the pinnacle of beauty, and idolize the athlete, as we sit on the couch and get fat.  What happened to strive to be like who we idolize/see on TV?

I see a fit person, hot body, or athlete, and think "boy, I'm fat with this extra 20lbs" and it makes me want to run.  What do other people think while they stuff potato chips in their mouth?

Maybe there are mixed signals?  We watch fit athletes on tv, or the dance shows with fit kids, but in the commercial breaks, it's the same athletes hocking McDonalds, Lance Armstrong selling beer, Athletes selling Pepsi/Coke.

AND people are just that stupid to think they actually EAT/DRINK that stuff on a regular basis.

Everyone is to blame, and no one is to blame.  It's a tough situation.

According to Weight of the Nation, soda's and sugary beverages (and the sizes they sell) is the only thing that has been DIRECTLY related to obesity...

It's sickening how much sugar and calories are in those.  Glad I gave them up LONG ago.

Except for one.  I still get an occasional blended coffee drink, and scary as it is, a blended mocha or other sweet coffee drink, has more calores/sugar than even soda.  That's why I cut that down to about 1 a month.