Are we to FAT in the USA?

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OK, but it’s also a lot easier to overconsume needed calories in a fast food bacon cheeseburger than eating… “Farmer Boy”
Farmer Boys bacon and cheese burger. Now, your just making me hungry pensmama87:popcorn:🍕🍰:coffee:
 
Farmer Boys bacon and cheese burger. Now, your just making me hungry pensmama87:popcorn:🍕🍰:coffee:
I do get hungry reading that book! I don’t know what watermelon rind preserves are, but I want them! (OK, so I kind of have an idea, but I am curious how you would actually do it…)

I recently finished reading my son the chapter where the four kids are left for a week in the summer to watch the farm while Mother and Father take a much needed vacation (IIRC the oldest child is 14-15, and the youngest is 9). They ate ice cream and cake almost every day, and candy, too, but the children made all of it themselves (and using up almost all of the nice white “company” sugar, which their mother told them not to do!)
 
I understand that going on a walk or heading to the gym can be embarrassing if people are staring at you but who cares. Let them stare. I’m not nor even been even slightly overweight but I always stand up to the jerks (mostly men) who snicker. At least the obsess person is making an effort to change.

I happen to have a family member who is a personal trainer and I have to say too many people overdo the cardio and completely neglect lifting weight. You can burn more fat, lose weight and acquire some muscle tone WAY faster than if you’re on the elliptical. Even runners lack definition in their bodies because they don’t lift weights. That will never give you muscle tone or burn fat. Start by lifting. No excuses. Your joints may hurt at first but that’s because you’re body is weak. Even a small person who never lifts will feel the pain in the joints. You will be sore. You will want to give up at first that’s a natural reaction. I can’t stand when people try to justify unnatural weight on medical conditions. Just take responsibility for your weight, it’s okay.
Even someone who is diabetic can consult a dietician and reduce their food intake drastically along with exercise so that it’s healthy (trust me, personal trainers consult/work with nutritionists and dietitians for clients all the time) Nothing happens over night but one should respect and love the body Christ gave them and keep it healthy. You don’t have to be model thin, I’m not saying that at all–for most people that’s unrealistic-- just at a healthy weight.
But I do agree with a poster here who said there aren’t enough realistic programs or workout routines aimed at an already overweight person. That has to change too…
God bless and good luck.
 
Again, I don’t know where you shop but fruit and vegetables are very cheap compared to “unhealthy” food. In my city, a pound of bananas is $0.50, a pound of apples $1.00. A bag of chips costs about $3.00 to $4.00. Soda is $3.00 to $4.00 for a 12 pack. You can get a 24 pack of bottled water for like $2.00.

But all of that is irrelevant considering eating “unhealthy” food doesn’t make you obese. Overconsumption of food is general makes you obese.

I’m from the Midwest and fruit and vegetables are very fresh here. Heck, there is tons of farmland within walking distance of my house.
A pound of bananas is about 3-4 bananas! This doesn’t go very far! A few kids can eat that in one meal.

Same for a pound of apples–it’s about 4-5 apples (or less if they are large). My brother used to eat 3-4 apples at a sitting!

That’s expensive! The chips can last all week if you don’t scarf down the entire bag. You can put them in little bags or bowls and dole them out to many children for days.

I’m not saying that the chips are best choice health-wise, but for many families with a lower income or even smallish income, health is not always the priority when it comes to buying food. Filling the empty bellies of your children so they can sleep at night and wake up in time to get to school is the priority. Starchy foods have historically been the staples of the poor and needy.

As for $3.00 for a twelve pack of soda, that’s 25 cents a can! That’s pretty cheap! KoolAid is cheaper, but it doesn’t bubble. Water is cheapest, if your tap water tastes good, but it isn’t sweet and it doesn’t bubble.

I live in the Midwest, too (Northern Illinois), and during the summer, we live like kings on fresh fruit and veges. I buy a half a watermelon every other day and eat the whole thing myself. I buy cherry tomatoes and cucumbers for my husband, or even better, I take the donations that all my work associates bring in from their over-growing gardens–yum!

But come November and December–all the veges here seem to taste like playdough. Hard, not sweet, dried-out, tough to chew–yucky. And besides, when it’s 2 degrees, a cold piece of fruit just doesn’t taste as good as a nice warm cookie.

Soup is a mainstay in the winter up here, and I buy frozen veges. More dieticians are recommending frozen veges all year because they’re safer (no food-bourne pathogens that cause illness).

I agree with you that our obesity is not because we make all poor choices. We are an obese nation because we eat way too much of everything, even the healthy foods!
 
OK, but it’s also a lot easier to overconsume needed calories in a fast food bacon cheeseburger than eating several apples. They may take up the same volume of space in the stomach, but one has many times the caloric value of the other.

A person who is eating primarily produce, lean meats, with maybe some dairy and whole grains is a lot less in danger of overconsuming food than a person who is eating food that is much more calorie dense. A person eating primarily fast food, candy, etc - even if they aren’t addicted to it, is not going to get the signal that their hunger has been satisfied until they’ve eaten an enormous quantity.

I am reading “Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder right now to my son before bed. I am fascinated by the way her husband lived growing up (in the 1850s and 60s), including how much he and his family ate. It’s astonishing. But then, they all had a great deal of manual labor to do every day. So I’m not convinced it’s just that we eat too much. I think we still pretty much desire to eat the way we always have, but our sedentary lifestyles don’t match up with our hunger signals, and we have food that is much more calorie dense than ever before.
I read a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder that stated that Farmer Boy is actually Laura’s fantasy of having enough to eat. All her life, she grew up with very little food. Remember, she lived in a family of six (Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and Grace), and Pa was often unable to earn money. Especially after the long winter, when each day for many months’ the families in De Smet had nothing to eat except a small loaf of bread made from whole wheat and little else, the Ingalls family knew hunger on a daily basis.

Her husband’s family was quite prosperous and self-sufficient on their huge farm. Although Farmer Boy talks about 4 children, there were actually many more children in the Wilder family, and everyone working together produced a lot of food, although based on that biographer’s critique, I’m thinking that Laura’s descriptions are exaggerated.
 
I have lost 85 pounds in the last ten years. without exercise. I cannot exercise do to the stroke.

It was done by improving my diet vastly. I eat no meat many days, and when I do it’s mostly chicken breasts and when I can afford it fish.

I eat salads nearly everyday with blue berries or other berries. Healthy fats in small amounts of dressing. Olive oil and avocados are a main stay. And I never fry anything. For snacks I have a piece or two of fruit. Whole grain bread has it’s place as well, but hold the butter please.

I drink mostly botteled water. Our well water has motor oil in it and is unfit to drink.

My downfall is pop, but I make a bottle last 2 to 3 days.
 
I used to love chicken. Unfortunately both that and seafood no longer stay down.
 
I have lost 85 pounds in the last ten years. without exercise. I cannot exercise do to the stroke.

It was done by improving my diet vastly. I eat no meat many days, and when I do it’s mostly chicken breasts and when I can afford it fish.

I eat salads nearly everyday with blue berries or other berries. Healthy fats in small amounts of dressing. Olive oil and avocados are a main stay. And I never fry anything. For snacks I have a piece or two of fruit. Whole grain bread has it’s place as well, but hold the butter please.

I drink mostly botteled water. Our well water has motor oil in it and is unfit to drink.

My downfall is pop, but I make a bottle last 2 to 3 days.
That is wonderful! Good for you. I admit, I’m not the healthiest eater and soda is also my vice (I drink 2 liters a day at least) so I know now difficult it is to keep eating healthy. Sometimes I can only do it 2 or 3 weeks at a time, and I’m working on replacing soda with water. 😊

So I am aware some times genetics play a part in obesity (or lack of). Even though physically I am very lean (I do workout a lot) I definitely could do better in the eating healthy department. Need to cut back on the fried foods, soda and eating out at restaurants so much.
 
I have lost 85 pounds in the last ten years. without exercise. I cannot exercise do to the stroke.

It was done by improving my diet vastly. I eat no meat many days, and when I do it’s mostly chicken breasts and when I can afford it fish.

I eat salads nearly everyday with blue berries or other berries. Healthy fats in small amounts of dressing. Olive oil and avocados are a main stay. And I never fry anything. For snacks I have a piece or two of fruit. Whole grain bread has it’s place as well, but hold the butter please.

I drink mostly botteled water. Our well water has motor oil in it and is unfit to drink.

My downfall is pop, but I make a bottle last 2 to 3 days.
Andrew your probably all bones with that diet!
 
That is wonderful! Good for you. I admit, I’m not the healthiest eater and soda is also my vice (I drink 2 liters a day at least) so I know now difficult it is to keep eating healthy. Sometimes I can only do it 2 or 3 weeks at a time, and I’m working on replacing soda with water. 😊

So I am aware some times genetics play a part in obesity (or lack of). Even though physically I am very lean (I do workout a lot) I definitely could do better in the eating healthy department. Need to cut back on the fried foods, soda and eating out at restaurants so much.
runawaymodel you and me are the same. Are the same. Love that soda! 😉
 
In California, Farmer Boys is a burger place and serve a great Bacon cheeseburger. It isn’t about reading but eating:D:popcorn:🍿
 
I read a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder that stated that Farmer Boy is actually Laura’s fantasy of having enough to eat. All her life, she grew up with very little food. Remember, she lived in a family of six (Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and Grace), and Pa was often unable to earn money. Especially after the long winter, when each day for many months’ the families in De Smet had nothing to eat except a small loaf of bread made from whole wheat and little else, the Ingalls family knew hunger on a daily basis.

Her husband’s family was quite prosperous and self-sufficient on their huge farm. Although Farmer Boy talks about 4 children, there were actually many more children in the Wilder family, and everyone working together produced a lot of food, although based on that biographer’s critique, I’m thinking that Laura’s descriptions are exaggerated.
That’s interesting. I knew there was at least one more child in the Wilder family, and that she had played with some of the ages to streamline the story (and to avoid in later books disclosing that Laura was 10 years younger than Almanzo), but I had not heard that specifically about Farmer Boy. It makes sense, though. There is always food in that book!
 
That is wonderful! Good for you. I admit, I’m not the healthiest eater and soda is also my vice (I drink 2 liters a day at least) so I know now difficult it is to keep eating healthy. Sometimes I can only do it 2 or 3 weeks at a time, and I’m working on replacing soda with water. 😊

So I am aware some times genetics play a part in obesity (or lack of). Even though physically I am very lean (I do workout a lot) I definitely could do better in the eating healthy department. Need to cut back on the fried foods, soda and eating out at restaurants so much.
For water, please try Evian or Fiji, or even seltzer. The first two taste great and seltzer if you want fizz. Personally I dislike Perrier. You can add lemon or lime and stevia to seltzer and it tastes great.
 
Andrew your probably all bones with that diet!
Don’t I wish! I started out at 320 lbs. Subtract 85 and I still have more to lose. But at last I can see my feet again.

Blame it on genetics. Both of my grammas were really hefty, one was diabetic. And my dad too. Mom was a skinny anorexic. He had his first heart attack and bypass at age 45.

I only had a stroke.
 
Don’t I wish! I started out at 320 lbs. Subtract 85 and I still have more to lose. But at last I can see my feet again.

Blame it on genetics. Both of my grammas were really hefty, one was diabetic. And my dad too. Mom was a skinny anorexic. He had his first heart attack and bypass at age 45.

I only had a stroke.
Take care of yourself. Have you tried exercise as in a gym? When I work out I lose very little wt. since it turns into muscle but I know my heart and lungs get a great work out.
 
Take care of yourself. Have you tried exercise as in a gym? When I work out I lose very little wt. since it turns into muscle but I know my heart and lungs get a great work out.
I used to work out at a gym. But I had a stroke that pretty much made me a cripple.
 
A pound of bananas is about 3-4 bananas! This doesn’t go very far! A few kids can eat that in one meal.

Same for a pound of apples–it’s about 4-5 apples (or less if they are large). My brother used to eat 3-4 apples at a sitting!

That’s expensive! The chips can last all week if you don’t scarf down the entire bag. You can put them in little bags or bowls and dole them out to many children for days.

I’m not saying that the chips are best choice health-wise, but for many families with a lower income or even smallish income, health is not always the priority when it comes to buying food. Filling the empty bellies of your children so they can sleep at night and wake up in time to get to school is the priority. Starchy foods have historically been the staples of the poor and needy.

As for $3.00 for a twelve pack of soda, that’s 25 cents a can! That’s pretty cheap! KoolAid is cheaper, but it doesn’t bubble. Water is cheapest, if your tap water tastes good, but it isn’t sweet and it doesn’t bubble.

I live in the Midwest, too (Northern Illinois), and during the summer, we live like kings on fresh fruit and veges. I buy a half a watermelon every other day and eat the whole thing myself. I buy cherry tomatoes and cucumbers for my husband, or even better, I take the donations that all my work associates bring in from their over-growing gardens–yum!

But come November and December–all the veges here seem to taste like playdough. Hard, not sweet, dried-out, tough to chew–yucky. And besides, when it’s 2 degrees, a cold piece of fruit just doesn’t taste as good as a nice warm cookie.

Soup is a mainstay in the winter up here, and I buy frozen veges. More dieticians are recommending frozen veges all year because they’re safer (no food-bourne pathogens that cause illness).

I agree with you that our obesity is not because we make all poor choices. We are an obese nation because we eat way too much of everything, even the healthy foods!
We need to look at the other part of the equation. Calories expended and not just calories in.

The US is a very car dependent society and frankly discourages walking. Roads here are designed for the car and at times downright dangerous for the pedestrian. Even walking from bus stop to bus stop goes a long way to winning the battle of the bulge.
 
We need to look at the other part of the equation. Calories expended and not just calories in.

The US is a very car dependent society and frankly discourages walking. Roads here are designed for the car and at times downright dangerous for the pedestrian. Even walking from bus stop to bus stop goes a long way to winning the battle of the bulge.
Too true.
 
We need to look at the other part of the equation. Calories expended and not just calories in.

The US is a very car dependent society and frankly discourages walking. Roads here are designed for the car and at times downright dangerous for the pedestrian. Even walking from bus stop to bus stop goes a long way to winning the battle of the bulge.
Walking isn’t safe for women much of the time, even in “nice” neighborhoods.

Also, many of us can’t walk very far. I did errands tonight, and my left knee was so painful after an hour that I had to lift my leg with my hands to get it into the car.
 
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