that's a big post, no pun intended. it's easy to see how many people are overweight here. it may go unnoticed because most of us were born here and have never left the country. it may hit home a lot harder if we were in china or somewhere where mostly everyone is thin. here it's completely normal for us to be out somewhere and half the people we see to be overweight. it's so easy to do nothing but sit and eat. tv doesn't help. i've never owned a television and i don't believe that i'll ever buy one. i like educational programs, but a completely different atmosphere is present when you are in a place w/out a tv instead of the tv being off. the group of friends i have is great. usually when we hang out we don't turn the tv on.
hmm, k im dead at 22, 16 now, 203 pounds 6 foot.
Video Games & TV's gotta have an awful lot to do with it. Kids used to just run around all day every day. When I was a lad I would come home from school and run straight out to play until it got dark. These days I would let my children out of the garden without being there and they watch far more TV than I did!
Child obesity is out of control, people accross the world...at least in US, Canada and many Western European countries are unhealthy. Here are a few articles I thought were interesting. What can we do about the problem? Our bodies were designed to burn more and take in less....what do you all think about this?
------------
Overweight and Obesity Facts
One in three or 58 million American adults aged 20 through 74 are overweight. According to data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), the number of overweight Americans increased from 25 to 33 percent between 1980 and 1991. The survey also shows that minority populations, specifically minority women, are disproportionately affected: approximately fifty percent of African American and Mexican American women are overweight. By a similar definition, more than one in five children and adolescents aged 6 through 17 are also overweight. Even using a more rigorous definition recommended for youths, 11 percent of children and adolescents are overweight, up from approximately 5 percent in the 1960s and 70s. Overweight and obesity is a known risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, arthritis, breathing problems, and some forms of cancer.
What Is Overweight and Obesity?
Overweight is the excess amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat, and water. Obesity is the excess accumulation of body fat. One can be overweight without being obese: a body builder who has a lot of muscle, for example. However, for practical purposes, most people who are overweight are also obese.
How Is Obesity Measured?
Doctors and scientists generally agree that men with more than 25 percent body fat and women with more than 30 percent body fat are obese. However, it is difficult to measure body fat precisely. The most accepted method has been to weigh a person underwater. But underwater weighing is a procedure limited to laboratories with special equipment.
Two simpler methods for measuring body fat are skinfold thickness measurements and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Skinfold thicknesses are measures of the thickness of skin and subcutaneous (lying under the skin) fat at targeted sites of a person's body such as the triceps (the back of the upper arm). Measurements of skinfold thickness depend on the skill of the examiner, and may vary widely when measured by different examiners.
BIA sends a harmless amount of an electrical current through the body, which estimates total body water. Generally, a higher percent body water indicates a larger amount of muscle and lean tissue. Mathematical equations can translate the percent body water measure into an indirect estimate of body fat and lean body mass. BIA may not be accurate in severely obese individuals, and is not useful for tracking short-term changes in body fat brought about by diet or exercise.
In addition to skinfold thickness measures and BIA, doctors also use weight-for-height tables and body mass index measures (BMI) to determine if a person is at a desirable body weight. Doctors and obesity researchers prefer BMI to other measurements. Body mass index is found by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. When a man's BMI is over 27.8, or woman's exceeds 27.3, that person is considered overweight. The degree of obesity associated with a particular BMI ranges from mild obesity at a BMI near 27, moderate obesity at 30, severe obesity at 35, to very severe obesity at 40 or greater.1 An estimated 41 percent of the population has a BMI greater than 25.1 Like weight-for-height tables, BMI does not measure body fat. While limited, these measures nevertheless help doctors, patients, and the public assess a person's desirable body weight.
The Prevalence of Overweight in the United States
Total number of overweight adults: (20 through 74 years old) approximately one-third or 58 million Americans.2 (numbers derived from NHANES III, 1988-91, which defines overweight as a BMI value of 27.3 percent or more for women and 27.8 percent or more for men)
Overweight adult females (20-74 years old): 32 million (1990)2
Overweight adult males (20-74 years old): 26 million (1990)2
Total number of overweight youths: 6 through 17 years old approximately 11 percent or 4.7 million children in this age group.3 (numbers derived from NHES II and III, which defines overweight by the 95th percentile of BMI)
Other Overweight/Obesity-Related Statistics
The percentage of dietary fat American adults eat.
34 percent 4
The percentage of saturated fat American adults eat.
12 percent 4
The number of extra calories a person must eat to gain a pound or burn to lose a pound.
3,500 calories 5
The percentage of adult American women trying to lose weight at any given time.
33 to 40 percent 6
The percentage of adult American men trying to lose weight at any given time.
20 to 24 percent 6
The average number of calories a person burns eating.
.023 kcal per minute/per kilogram of body weight 7
The annual number of deaths attributable to poor diet and inactivity.
300,000 deaths 8
Economic Costs of Chronic Conditions Linked to Overweight/Obesity
Noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)
Nearly 80 percent of patients with NIDDM are obese.9 Much of the estimated $11.3 billion dollars spent each year to diagnose, treat, and manage NIDDM, including treatment for diabetic ketoacidosis, diabetic coma, diabetic eye disease, and diabetic kidney disease, stems from obesity. 9
Gallbladder disease
The incidence of symptomatic gallstones soars as a person's body mass index (BMI) goes beyond 29.10 Nearly $2.4 billion dollars or 30 percent of the total amount spent annually on gallbladder disease and gallbladder surgery are related to obesity.10
Heart disease
Nearly 70 percent of the diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease are related to obesity.
Obesity
Obesity accounts for $22.2 billion, or 19 percent, of the total cost of heart disease. 10
High blood pressure
Obesity more than doubles one's chances of developing high blood pressure, which affects approximately 26 percent of obese American men and women. The annual cost of obesity-related high blood pressure is close to $1.5 billion dollars.10
Breast and colon cancer
Almost half of breast cancer cases are diagnosed among obese women; an estimated 42 percent of colon cancer cases are diagnosed among obese individuals. Obesity-related breast cancer and colon cancer account for 2.5 percent of the total costs of cancer, or $1.9 billion dollars, annually.10
Indirect costs:
Americans spend an additional $33 billion dollars annually on weight-reduction products and services, including diet foods, products, and programs. 10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are we in danger of becoming nation of Homer Simpsons? Jan 16 2003
By David Greenwood Daily Post Staff
AFTER a day at work, people in North Wales like nothing better than heading straight for the TV remote control, popping down to the pub or gorging themselves on food from the fridge.
One of the last things on their minds is spending time in their local gym.
The striking insight into the "well being" of the region's stressed-out workforce, the focus of new research, has found that two out of three people take little or no exercise and alarmingly have no interest in eating healthily.
And last night health officials, particularly in Anglesey, which has one of the highest rates of heart disease in Britain, expressed alarm at the revelations.
Through the Calon L,n initiative, Llangefni-based Ynys Môn Local Health Group has launched its own island-wide survey targeting 5,000 homes.
Co-ordinator Mari Jones said: "We will be able to build up a detailed lifestyle study of our own.
"So far we have had 1,800 of our questionnaires returned and will be sending out reminders next week.
"Heart problems and a need to encourage people to take more exercise is among our top priorities."
Meanwhile, according to statistics from the latest nationwide Centrum Feelgood Factor Report, only 6pc of the Welsh people go to the gym "as often as they can".
Other findings include;
* Only 32pc of Welsh respondents try to eat healthily and have a balanced diet.
* 44pc cite work as the greatest cause of stress.
* 35pc relax by watching TV - the second high-est figure in the UK.
* Just 19pc, the second lowest in the UK, have a positive outlook on life.
"The study was conducted throughout the UK by Centrum, a leading adult multi-vitamin brand, and has unearthed some alarming statistics concerning the state of the Welsh population's health - especially relating to stress at work, diet, levels of fitness and attitudes towards exercise," said a spokeswoman for Centrum.
When it comes to "beneficial" activities, 35pc of Welsh respondents love a good night out with their friends, followed by 23pc who prefer to go shopping.
If they split from their partner, 44pc - the highest figure in the
UK - would turn to their friends for a shoulder to cry on while 10pc would wallow in their own misery and 13pc would immediately look for someone else.
Welsh women's fantasy "training" partner in a gym would be either Robbie Williams or Brad Pitt, while the men's thoughts turn to tennis s tar Anna Kournikova, with 28pc, with singer Britney Spears and model Elle Macpherson close behind.