Is the only solution to obesity a change in social behaviour?

[Orange Seeds]

As distinguished from individual behaviour.

As i accumulate sparse social maturity, I realize that the greatest hindrance to a proper diet is social gatherings. We are all aware of a propensity to overeat during holiday celebrations, parties, nights on the town etc. The more one considers it, food is the centre for the vast majority of social gatherings: go for a coffee, go out for dinner, watch a movie (and buy popcorn), catch the game at a bar, give chocolates as a gift, encourage people to show up to an event and so on. The concern is that, currently, a socially healthy person will be constantly in such environments and one cannot avoid the conflict between physical and social health.

It is generally believed that the anti-smoking movement was, and is, successful largely because cigarettes were removed from typical social interactions. This was reinforced by growing reluctance of many people to socially accept smokers.

Is destroying 'restaurant culture' necessary (or sufficient) for successfully fighting obesity in North America?

Alternate thread title:

Spoiler :

How many innocent children must be sexually deprived before we put an end to the Mom and Pop Deli?

 

[Zelig]

Lack of exercise is more of problem for obesity than excess food.

 

[Cutlass]

The wrong foods is a big part of the issue. There is a lot of advertising to encourage foods that are particularly bad for diets.

 

[nc-1701]

There are two prongs, both social and I think you have fleshed one of them out, but the other which I think is actually more important is exercise. If people get insufficient exercise they will be unhealthy (perhaps not fat if their metabolism is right, but still not healthy). It's very easy socially to both avoid exercise and to get out of shape and not feel embarrassed by it. One thing I think we need to do is require daily physical activity out of every grade in all grades of school up till they graduate, good exercise habits need to be started early. The other thing we need to prevent is allowing out of shape and overweight to be normal, this make it harder to justify why people need to keep in shape than if we are able to keep it in the public consciousness that fit is normal and out of shape is both unhealthy and not a normal way for a human being to look.

 

[warpus]

There is nothing wrong with sharing food at social gatherings. The sharing of food is an important part of most cultures and it's gonna continue no matter what (maybe not if we run out of food, I guess)

The problem is overeating and lack of regular exercise.

Social behaviour doesn't have to change - aside from the part where we overeat. Last year at christmas? I didn't eat much at all! I always feel like there is a need to.. for some reason. This year I ate as much as I would have at any other meal, and I felt better about it afterwards.

Popcorn at the movies? I have NEVER bought into that.. and have never ever bought popcorn at the movies. Call me crazy, but I don't need to eat to enjoy a movie.

 

[Orange Seeds]

I don't think exercise is as important as many people believe. It's becoming more and more clear that exercise is less effective than dieting or even not effective at all:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/290/10/1323

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/07/study-questions-exercise-weight-loss-link/

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

 

[Onionsoilder]

While part of the problem is how much people eat, a bigger part is what people eat. A lot of food that is commonly consumed has almost no nutritional value and is full of calories. I know of several snack foods that when consumed in regular amounts, give over 2,000 calories; the amount most people should eat in a day.

 

[warpus]

I don't think exercise is as important as many people believe. It's becoming more and more clear that exercise is less effective than dieting or even not effective at all:

It may not be important if you want to lose weight, but it is important if you want to be and feel healthy(ier)

 

[dirtyparrot]

I'm perfectly fine with taxing, perhaps what some might find excessively, what can easily be deemed "unhealthy food." In a same token, I'm also fine with giving substantial discounts to healthier food. For many areas, people buy these unhealthy foods because that's all they can afford. I would also expand phys ed. and recess to improve fitness and reduce the course load if necessary.

 

[Kennigit]

Well, this is good for me to look up some stuff for later when I have the time. But firstly, what do you mean by "restaurant" culture? I feel that would be a poor choice in what you are saying- restaurants are not contributing to obesity at all. Exercise and non-fast food/non-soda are probably the two biggest ways to cut down obesity.

For adults, I imagine soda/sugar is the silent obesity-er. For childhood obesity, exercise and fast food are the loud obesity-ers.

I also need to look up the differences between obesity and overweightness to come to a conclusion.

*I Am speaking of preventing obesity. That's the problem- advertising cigarettes probably encouraged kids to smoke, but pulling advertisements had no effect on current smokers while it did on future smokers (the kiddies). Ending obesity is a factor of preventing it, not losing wiehg tonce you are obese*

quick looks at linkies: the first link speaks of significant weight-loss (meaning solution to obesity, not prevention) and it seems to me to say that the duration/intensity may not be as beneficial as you ramp up the sacle, but it compared "vigorous" exercise to "moderate" exercise. Exercise still was the factor of significant weightloss (and moderate is good exercise; it's not like it compared little exercise to vigorous exercise and found little difference).

Link 2: not entirely sure about 1 statement (those who exercise more compensate by eating more....) and article points to processed foods as the problem. Those Nigerian women surely have social gatherings too, but with different foods. And those Nigerian women probably have larger celebrations than those Chicago women.

Link 3- read some, again saying exercise might not lose weight, but it's helpind preventing weight gain....

Exercise still stops obesity the best. Maybe it isn't as effective to go to an obese person and say "exercise as much as you can," but exercise is #1 in prevention.

 

[Jabarto]

I don't think exercise is as important as many people believe. It's becoming more and more clear that exercise is less effective than dieting or even not effective at all:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/290/10/1323

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/07/study-questions-exercise-weight-loss-link/

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

No good dietician will tell you that exercise is as important as diet, that much is true. But saying it doesn't help at all is completely absurd. It helps you burn calories, and if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight.

For many areas, people buy these unhealthy foods because that's all they can afford.

I hear this a lot, but can anyone actually substantiate it? As far as I know vegetables are about the cheapest things in the store.

 

[Karalysia]

Eliminate meat subsudies and grant produce subsidies so that a salad becomes cheaper than a big mac.

 

[Orange Seeds]

The point i was trying to establish is that exercise is secondary to diet. You can exercise as much as you want but ultimately it is what and how much you eat that will determine your weight. Exercise is supplemental.

I gather most people, keenly, want to prevent weight gain in the first place. My concern is that generation b will not keep with their healthy ways if they are under the strict influence of the habits, culture and influence of generation a. Effectively inculcating habits in children that are not held and practiced by their parents is extremely different.

Restaurants are certainly contributing to obesity. There are very few restaurants that disclose calorie information, and their meals are often incredibly incompatible with a healthy diet.

Notice I am not even blaming restaurants i am blaming the culture that says: we need a social activity. Option 1: get food.

 

[bhsup]

The problem is xbox, computers, and excessive TV instead of going outside to play kick the can.

 

[Bill3000]

The problem is xbox, computers, and excessive TV instead of going outside to play kick the can.

Considering the areas which are the fattest in the United States are also amongst the poorest, x-bos removal probably isn't going to be a good suggestion.

 

[CurtSibling]

The solution to obesity is STOP EATING as much!

 

[Elta]

The solution to obesity is STOP EATING as much!

To a degree, the body can not function properly without exercise though.

 

[azzaman333]

A good diet makes it easier to lose weight, but ultimately you just have to use more energy than you consume. Instead of driving everywhere, walk, or ride a bike to nearby places. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Every little bit helps.

 

[homeyg]

The only solution to obesity is to make all manufactured/fast food taste disgusting so nobody will eat it.

 

[Leifmk]

Eliminate meat subsudies and grant produce subsidies so that a salad becomes cheaper than a big mac.

Ahahaha.

It is, by and large, not eating meat that makes people obese. Instead, try ridiculous amounts of refined carbohydrates, sugar and sugar substitutes and trans fats in goddamn everything, and portion sizes inflated beyond all reason, all of which makes it directly trivial to eat at a large caloric surplus (especially when coupled with insufficient physical activity). In a typical hamburger meal, the last thing you should discard would be the meat patty.