Why Americans are so Obese

[BabyPolarBear]

Did you know that AUSTRALIA is the fattest country in the world NOT AMERICA

[pellaz]

there are a number of countries up there

[bluefox4000]

Cause we like everything supersized and dipped in butter.

Mick

[BeautifulBlue]

I have to agree with the people that say junk food/fast food is substantially cheaper than good food/storebought food. Plus, there's also the matter of time in preparing meals. I've been trying to stop eating fast food (and I've been fairly successful, but had Jack in the Box earlier this week,) but there's a certain charm about getting food in, say, three minutes than having to wait a half-hour for something to cook at home.

[BeautifulBlue]

Also, i.e: restaurants: I try not to eat too many chips when I'm waiting for my food to be served, and lately when I eat out I try to go for stuff like wheat, more vegetables, etc. I've even pretty much switched to sweet potato fries, though I do sometimes get mixed (regular AND sweet) when I have that option. not the best, but... eh. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

My dieting is going FAIRLY well. I've lost 14 pounds in the past three weeks. That's more than I've ever lost in a month (my grand total in my previous diets being ten a month.)

[Story]

I don't understand why everyone says healthy and fresh food is more expensive than crap? Maybe it is a geographical thing.

This morning at the farmers market I got

8 bananas
14 white peaches
2 pineapples
2 red peppers
1 green pepper
3 yellow peppers
3 beets
3 leeks
6 avocados
4 jumbo artichokes
cauliflower
a branch of brussel sprouts
some pecans

...and a few other things I forgot...

for 23.00

...I fail to see how a bunch of crap could possibly could be cheaper.

If you have real farmer markets you will see cheap fruits and vegetables but in big metro areas like Phoenix where I live, just a head of lettuce runs you $1.50 and as we all know lettuce alone is not a great meal, you need to combine it with other things, in the end you spent $10 to make a great healthy meal when you could have spent $2 at McDonald's for 2 burgers and be sated, there is a very significant difference in price and this really hits our lower income population more than anything

[BeautifulBlue]

I don't even think there's a Farmer's Market in Austin. Like Story said, a thing of lettuce is, like, two bucks, a pack of carrots three, etc.

[East]

OK...I take it back for the most part. I DESPISE McCraps and every other fast food place with the exception of Subway so I have no idea what they serve or how much anything is...

...and I do live in an agricultural motherlode...there are true farmers markets all over every day plus I can stop at 10 produce stands on my way home and numerous other farms to get just about anything...Our 99 cents stores sell organic produce for 99 cents....

I am about an hour south of San Francisco and 45 minutes north of Monterey and it is heavy on agriculture.

I still DO think a good diet is cheaper than a crappy one...money is not the only factor ...if you stay away from processed foods and exercise you WILL lose weight and eventually your health care costs will be alot lower and in the meantime even if you are overweight you will be infinitely more healthy and feel alot better without the processed crap that your body has no idea how to absorb.

I found a list of the 10 healthiest places in the US...San Jose is my hometown actually

Top 10 Cities with Highest Healthiest Cities Scores
1) San Jose, CA
2) Washington, DC
3) San Francisco, CA
4) Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA
5) Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT
6) Oakland, CA
7) Sacramento, CA
8) Orange County, CA
9) Denver, CO
10) Austin-San Marcos, TX
I wonder now how many have lots of farmers markets?

[Sylph]

You'd think in a place as hot as where I live, people would be twigs, but our bodies have like adjusted to the heat...

Obesity is something that's on the rise here, but we don't have things like McDonalds here or Wendy's.

The only foreign resturant is KFC. We don't allow non-Bermudian restaurants and stores and are trying to get rid of the ones we have now... don't know why now, but oh well.

Americans on T.V look so thin... but I guess since they're on T.v, they have to keep a "perfect" appearance .

I think Obesity is a human thing, not just an American thing mile: .

Although I'm not at all overweight [probably under for my size - 177lbs / 6"1], I've been considering becoming a Vegetarian, because I saw a video posted on how they treat animals they kill to feed us and the abuse and suffering they're put through and I as an Animal lover and enthusiast cannot stand it.

[BeautifulBlue]

Americans on T.V look so thin... but I guess since they're on T.v, they have to keep a "perfect" appearance .

The reason they're so skinny is because, like you said, they have to be 'perfect.' And since the camera adds weight to you... people are even skinnier than they look on TV.