• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Although the fitness craze is hot, Americans are getting fatter.

entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
Member
Oct 26, 2017
60,142
Health and wellness are booming, but we're fatter than ever

Between Soul Cycle, Fitbit, Whole30 diets and social media health gurus, the health and wellness industry is booming — but Americans are more likely to be obese today than ever before.

The problem: Despite promises made by gyms and fitness programs, physical activity does little to help people lose weight, says Ashkan Afshin from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. And Americans' diets are still terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

https://www.axios.com/health-wellne...try-8b1f4fa4-0299-4986-9544-61af14786b1a.html

Some takeaways:

Focusing on food quality over calories may be better long term
Americans eat too much fast food, many eat it daily--30 percent!
High calorie foods are more readily available
Stress and sleep deprivation are a factor
 
Shadybiz

Shadybiz

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,121
Do you mean to tell me that wearing my FitBit while driving across town to get 10 soft tacos from Taco Bell doesn't do anything??

...Fuck!
 
Cels

Cels

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,775
is fitness becoming bimodally distributed?

the fitness industry is booming yes, surely not all of those customers are contributing to the increasing of obesity? wouldn't it be people who aren't in that group that are more likely to be obese
 
OP
OP
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
Member
Oct 26, 2017
60,142
Cels said:
is fitness becoming bimodally distributed?

the fitness industry is booming yes, surely not all of those customers are contributing to the increasing of obesity? wouldn't it be people who aren't in that group that are more likely to be obese
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Obesity researchers have know this for ages actually.

Stephen Guyenet's work is amazing, especially his stuff on Food Reward.

In summary, modern foods drive hunger and overconsumption due to their addictive combination of salt, sugar, and fat. There's a good book with that title as well.

http://www.stephanguyenet.com
 
hydrophilic attack

hydrophilic attack

Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,466
Sweden
Cels said:
is fitness becoming bimodally distributed?

the fitness industry is booming yes, surely not all of those customers are contributing to the increasing of obesity? wouldn't it be people who aren't in that group that are more likely to be obese
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
this is clearly what is happening, and it's clearly a result of prosperity becoming increasingly bimodally distributed as well

in short, y'all need social democracy and unions
 
BennyWhatever

BennyWhatever

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,798
US
Buying fitness apparel and gadgets is super fun until you have to actually use them for their intended purposes :P

I try to do my best. I work from home at a desk job, so I don't even get the commuting steps. Try to go for a 1 mile walk a day, plus run 10-20 miles a week.
 
theytookourjobz

theytookourjobz

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
567
There are reasons to exercise other than weight loss like increased muscle mass, strength, and cardiovascular fitness that are inversely associated with mortality but yes, you can't lose weight without addressing diet in almost all cases.
 
Pwnz

Pwnz

Member
Oct 28, 2017
14,279
Places
And we will continue to get fatter the big problem is that a lot of diets restrict calories but still maximize palatability. Those lean cuisines of pasta at 280 calories will just make you hungry.

You have to restrict calories to lose weight. Easiest way to do that is to eat blander foods. Whether its Atkins, paleo, vegetarian, or simply healthy home cooking it doesn't matter all work. Some may work better in the details but big picture you have to cut calories by reducing appetite.
 
Morrigan

Morrigan

Spear of the Metal Church
Member
Oct 24, 2017
34,362
IIRC diet has a much bigger impact on weight than exercise (though exercise is still important for various reasons), so that's not that surprising since America still has issues with excessive sugar in everything, portion sizes, etc.
 
Bakercat

Bakercat

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,154
'merica
I found just cutting out all processed and frozen foods helped with weight a lot. I don't even walk down the frozen isle anymore.

Knight613 said:
That 2000 calories a day recommendation is making a lot of people overweight.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

True, it needs to be lower for those overweight. I know with my body that if I exceed 1800 then I'm gaining. Right now I'm anywhere between 1200 to 1800 and I lose or maintain weight. However, I have hypothyroidism, so that's probably why I need lower calories.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
Member
Oct 26, 2017
60,142
Pwnz said:
And we will continue to get fatter the big problem is that a lot of diets restrict calories but still maximize palatability. Those lean cuisines of pasta at 280 calories will just make you hungry.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Food is entertainment in the US. It will be a very hard shift.
 
Stooge

Stooge

Member
Oct 29, 2017
11,238
Honestly,

When I'm in Europe I note two main differences:

1) food is still high calorie for the most part but cooked in oils or butter and no transfat.
2) People fucking walk.

Working out is great. 30 minutes of intense workout may net 300 calories off.

A day of walking burns an intense amount of calories. Walk more. Eat less cals than you burn. Workout. Eat good cals and drink water and you'll crave less food. Garbage food leaves you wanting more.

Also, snack much much less.

Also, these are long term life changes you have to stick to. Not fun-time 90 day fads.
 
Soul Skater

Soul Skater

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,201
68.2%2B-%2BPesando%2Ba%2BHarold.mp4_snapshot_04.17_%255B2012.10.08_00.02.21%255D.jpg
 

BlinkBlank

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,226
It's not about getting people to the gym, well thats part of it. The bigger part is eating healthier and just naturally moving more in their daily lives, that is the harder challenge to tackle.

I think a lot of these fitness crazes are just that, a craze. The hard part is shifting society and culture towards healthier norms rather than the yo-yo / craze / fad culture.

When companies are making greater margins on processed foods, why wouldn't corporate America keep pushing that? I put the blame on both personal habits, but there is also something very unnerving about corporate America's effect on the food supply and feel like they are a large part of the problem as well.
 
Titik

Titik

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,490
Another factor that these articles always fail to mention is that the design of our cities and neighborhoods will likely be just as important as diet quality.

When you don't have to think of exercise as a wholly separate thing that you have to devote time for versus walking to the Nak, walking tj the grocery store, walking to the public transit stations, then more people will do it just because you don't have to think about it.

This is the reason people have gotten fatter despite better diet and more fitness crazes.

People are also generally happier and less stressed in a city designed for people and they will feel less isolated.
 
Dragonelite

Dragonelite

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
544
Cels said:
is fitness becoming bimodally distributed?

the fitness industry is booming yes, surely not all of those customers are contributing to the increasing of obesity? wouldn't it be people who aren't in that group that are more likely to be obese
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah kinda this I guess if there are 10 people born and only 3 get into fitness and stay fit and lean and the other 7 get fat the fitness industry can still be booming and the nation keep on getting fatter.
 
Muppet of a Man

Muppet of a Man

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,695
hydrophilic attack said:
american work culture is killing y'all
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This. The reason we eat and eat and eat, don't move, and never sleep is because of convenience consumer culture mixed with stress and exhaustion. The reason we are stressed and exhausted? American work culture and consumerism.

It is a never-ending hamster wheel.

The killing of unions, upping of credentialization expectations, and disloyalty of companies to their workers is why this country is facing this in the modern era. There is no one standing up against the absurd, grinding expectations of corporate culture.
 
OP
OP
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
Member
Oct 26, 2017
60,142
ned_ballad said:
Unless you're a very short woman, 2000 calories should be fine for most people
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Not a fan of calorie counting. I know it works for many. But empirically, it's been a huge failure. 2000 won't work for a male at 6 feet.

You also need to adjust for activity level. Hunger is a good barometer, but only if you're not eating high reward foods.
 
CopperPuppy

CopperPuppy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,636
Daily fastfood, lordy

No lie, I once worked with a dude who ate McDonald's twice a day, breakfast and lunch, every day

Without fail, he'd stroll in with a bag of McDonald's every morning, would leave for lunch at the same time and come back with another bag of McDonald's

Every damn day

And he wasn't getting carrot sticks
 
VikingJoseph

VikingJoseph

Member
Oct 27, 2017
271
I really feel the only way this situation can get significantly better is if obesity is treated like tobacco has been and the fast food and industry is heavily regulated just as the tobacco industry has been. Without massive government intervention, I do not see the situation changing in the foreseeable future.
 
Grouch Douglass

Grouch Douglass

Banned
Nov 9, 2017
3,777
Just cutting out sugar and reducing carbs would probably help most Americans lose weight. Too much junk food that has like multiple days worth of these in one serving. Nutritional facts say items have like 2-4 servings to be able to sell that kind of volume, but the product is sold in packaging that is easy for people to down in one sitting.
 
Titik

Titik

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,490
Another side effect of having to walk everywhere to do everyday things is that you also end up going to the grocery store more often but buying things individually and not in bulk.

Those weekly or biweekly trip to Costco br buying a months worth of stuff is likely contributing to suburban people getting fatter.
 
Kaako

Kaako

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,736
Unless you go out of your way and try to eat healthy, you will be consuming that fake sugar in pretty much everything here in America. Everrryyything.
Also the life style for the majority of Americans is far from balanced; work hard/play hard culture with priorities in all the wrong places.
 
riotous

riotous

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,341
Seattle
Artdayne said:
Exercise is good for you, so you do need it from that stand point but it's not needed to lose weight, at all.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Well then you don't need good diet either because you can lose weight even with a bad diet.

Let's remove the word "need" from this.

You should maintain a healthy weight or lose weight with good diet and good exercise. I understand stressing the importance of diet but it kind of drives me nuts when people literally state that exercise isn't very helpful. Take anyone exersizing right now and have them stop and not change their diet and see where that gets them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.