FDA to blame for weight gain in America?

So here it is:

The FDA recommends that women eat 2000 cals a day, and men 2500. After joining this site, it is clear many of you maintain on much less than that. Why would they tell us to eat 2000 cals if that will make us gain!?!?!

Well the same is said here in the UK. This is an average amount which is dependant on the height, weight and activity level of a person. Now if you take the population and get an idea of the average person, then you too will get the same figures. The average man and woman in the US or UK consumes around that much.

I guess you could complain about the fact that they don't mention this explicitly and that this could give a person who is not aware of their daily requirement the wrong impression about the amount they should eat. For the average person it shouldn't be a problem.

Trouble is, very few people will match the average person exactly. But it gives a general idea.

Actually, 2000 isn't that much. If you slowly work your way up to it, it's quite possible to maintain on that amount. I maintain on around there myself, and sometimes, though rarely, I'm even left hungry, haha! Of course, it varies for everyone, but from my personal experience, as long as you work out and eat healthy foods (whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean protein, healthy oils, etc), it's not possible to become unhealthily fat.

The FDA?  Really?  It's time for people to take a little bit of responsibility for their own actions.  (i know this statement doesnt necessarily take into account medical problems, etc, but...)  Americans themselves are responsible for weight gain.  It's time that we stopped trying to blame other people/entities.

If we were all halfway active, 2000 calories would probably be a great average!  I eat about that much on days when I truly exercise.

 

Good point annie, while I'd gain weight on 2000 cals, I certainly wouldn't become obese. Certainly a lot more people would be losing weight than gaining if everyone followed those guidelines! (and they are guidelines, afterall, not absolutes)

To be honest, I don't think the majority of people pay any attention to the 2,000/2,500 recommendations. They eat when they want and what they want and pretty much ignore (or are ignorant of) calories.

Many people don't realize drinks have calories. Many don't even grasp that cream and sugar added to coffee, and even ice cream added to it at Baskin-Robbins, makes it caloric. (That one is really hard to swallow, but has been shown again and again to be true.) That or they choose to pretend they don't know it. They also don't understand that many dressings can make a salad worse for you than a Big Mac. And they don't realize that they are eating foods that don't keep them full for any length of time despite the huge amount of calories they are ingesting. Not only that, but they eat sugar-laden foods that can trigger cravings for more sugar. And there always seems to be room in the tummy for sugar, nay? So for these reasons they eat again and again and again throughout the day, and the foods they eat are loaded with calories.

They also eat off the dollar menu because it is cheap. And super-sizing is cheap, too, so they do that as well, without considering just how much food they are preparing to eat.

I could go on and on.... But you get the picture.

It is these kinds of things that (medical conditions aside) make America overweight.

As far as the FDA goes, I think the recommendations are realistic. At 5' 3 1/2" and 109 lbs. I'm eating 3,000 to 3,500 calories to maintain. If I were less muscular and worked out more like the average active person, I could eat 2,000 and maintain quite easily.

Of course, the guidelines are an average. But on the average, I think they work. Exercise and eating right are the keys.

I wasn't implying that I don't take responsibility for my own weight gain...but hypothetically, if I was someone who didn't have access to the resources that allow me to know how much I need to eat to lose weight, I might take that 2000 cals as gospel, and get totally frustrated if that was too much and I ended up gaining!

Again, not referring to me, but to the average uneducated American.

Original Post by dawniecampbell:

I wasn't implying that I don't take responsibility for my own weight gain...but hypothetically, if I was someone who didn't have access to the resources that allow me to know how much I need to eat to lose weight, I might take that 2000 cals as gospel, and get totally frustrated if that was too much and I ended up gaining!

Again, not referring to me, but to the average uneducated American.

I don't think the "average uneducated American" pays any attention to the FDA's recommendations. If they did, and heeded those, we would likely be a smaller nation.

Don't underestimate the "average uneducated American."

Besides, assume you're a government agency. You can tell people to eat too much, and get fat, or you can tell people to eat too little, and starve. Which way do you go?

Also? In before someone blames ADM.

While at 5'1 2000 calories would be too much for me, it is true that most people eat way more than that. Your average chain restaurant meal is more than that. Moreover, the FDA guidelines don't just tell you to eat 2000 calories. They tell you that you should have lots of fruit, veggies and lean protein, and almost no sweets or junk food. If people actually followed those guidelines, some of them may be a bit chubby (I would), but they'd be a lot healthier and we wouldn't be hearing about obesity and diabetes epidemics. Let's not blame the FDA, people. They cannot issue personalized guidelines. Most of what they say is common sense.

Is the FDO to blame for weight gain in America?

 

No.

why the preoccupation with finding someone/something to blame?  how is that helpful, when the solution is so obvious? 

i don't get it.

2000 is an average, and it's perfectly reasonable, assuming that we're getting a decent amount of exercise.  for the FDA to recommend that we eat 1500 and sit on the couch all day would be stupid.

Edited due to the assailment of my interpretation

 

very reasonable and an acceptable question and it holds truths.

 NO BLAME- there was NO Putting weight gain on ANOTHER PERSON.

 

FDA guidelines are on every box- IN every School- and marketed to uneducated individuals daily-

 

Why, in a community that is supposed to support each other do we attach questions and such statements as these.

 

YES, the FDA recommends the food pyramid as a guide- ALL health agencies do- and they MARKET it to parents, children, and Infants.

 

 

 Everyone is entitled to their questions- Instead of arguing, maybe suggesting alternative ideas to this GUIDELINE should  be the direction.

Misunderstanding and ridicule makes people want to duck and hide away!!

Dawniecampbell- GOOD POST! Check out the picture I have attached and myfoodpyramid . gov by the USDA. I had to use it in college for a nutrition class, it might help the to understand the 2000 calorie thing. becuase it does say "One size DOES NOT FIT ALL!"

GOod LUck!

 

 

Original Post by mammamoosh:

I don't know why everyone attacked this POST.

"Everyone" did not. No one agreed, but "everyone" did not attack it. In fact, looking back over the responses, I would say that no one did. They simply offered their points of view, which differ markedly from the OP's.

What most people said was that even if 2,000 doesn't fit into the calorie allotment of every American (because it's an average after all), if we all ate 2,000/2,500 (depending on gender) we would be a smaller nation by far than we are now. Would everyone be thin? No. But we would probably be thinner as a whole. And many people would be able to maintain on 2,000 calories eating the right foods and exercising.

I doubt very strongly that the vast majority of obese people in America got that way by following the FDA's guidelines. And even those who are significantly overweight would probably have figured out the guidelines need to be adjusted to their height and activity level—if they were aware enough of, and proactive enough about, calories to even follow the FDA's suggestion. Because if they were aware and proactive they would be making an effort and would notice themselves gaining weight and might very well seek to make adjustments to the recommendations.

Personally, I feel most Americans don't pay any attention to those recommendations at all.

Does medication contribute to weight? Yes. Does depression? Yes. Are there many, many reasons why people put on weight? Yes, and there is no magic pill. But if we were taught as a nation to pay more attention to labels and restaurant nutrition tables—and yes, the FDA's recommendations—we would I think be a far healthier nation than we are. And while I do think some of the responsibility rests on a nation that has not done enough to teach these things, the fact is that the FDA has made recommendations, labels are on food, and more and more restaurants do provide nutrition tables. Today, a small amount of effort on the part of the individual given this would go a long way.

As far as making suggestions on how much to eat goes, the OP did not ask for such. She asked a question about the FDA and it was answered—end of story. You may not agree with the answers, but that doesn't make the responders hostile.

Furthermore, no one made any intimations about people being lazy. They simply stated a fact: exercise enables you to eat more, and the FDA recommends a healthy lifestyle, which includes daily activity.

Original Post by mammamoosh:

I don't know why everyone attacked this POST.

 It is very reasonable and an acceptable question and it holds truths.

There was NO BLAME- there was NO Putting weight gain on ANOTHER PERSON.

 Why, in a community that is supposed to support each other do we attach questions and such statements as these.

 YES, the FDA recommends the food pyramid as a guide- ALL health agencies do- and they MARKET it to parents, children, and Infants.

 2,000 calories IS to high for some. For those of you that have responded saying that you maintain on 2000 can if "WE" just exercised like we should, very clearly hinting at  not being lazy, "WE" would not be looking for people to blame.

I'm FAT! I don't EAT 2000 calories per day. I NEVER HAVE! And guess what, it is still recommened that I do eat 2000 cal per day. I gain eating over 1650 EVEN WITH EXERCISE.

 My bottom line- Grumpy, mean, stubborn, however you want to take it- Lay OFF. Everyone is entitled to their questions- Instead of arguing, maybe suggesting alternative ideas to this GUIDELINE should have been the direction of many of these posts. Misunderstanding and ridicule makes people want to duck and hide away!!

Dawniecampbell- GOOD POST! Check out the picture I have attached and myfoodpyramid . gov by the USDA. I had to use it in college for a nutrition class, it might help the to understand the 2000 calorie thing. becuase it does say "One size DOES NOT FIT ALL!"

GOod LUck!

 um..."BLAME"  was in the TITLE of the thread.

the FDA is making recommendations for health, not for weight loss or for being a runway model.  health means getting sufficient nutrition and exercise.  why suggest alternatives to a guideline that makes perfect sense?

2000 calories is too much for some.  and it's not enough for some.  that's why it's an average.

and if by "support" you mean that you want a pat on the head, consider yourself patted.  for some people, support includes a little realism.

I spent last month in the USA travelling and unfortunately i put on a bit of weight while i was out there :( . I found it very hard to keep track of calorie content over there because alot of things didnt seem to have calorie content and proper thorough nutritional information listed on the packaging as almost everything seems to here in the UK. They quite often said non fat, low fat, low sodium etc but didnt explicitly list calorie content, making it difficult to keep track and maintain my diet. Maybe it was just where I was shopping, but if not, its very hard to keep track of calories if nothing lists them! I find instinctively i look at the calorie content on the front of food packages and that will often be the deciding factor for me, assuming the prices dont vary significantly.

Original Post by xxclsxx:

I spent last month in the USA travelling and unfortunately i put on a bit of weight while i was out there :( . I found it very hard to keep track of calorie content over there because alot of things didnt seem to have calorie content and proper thorough nutritional information listed on the packaging as almost everything seems to here in the UK. They quite often said non fat, low fat, low sodium etc but didnt explicitly list calorie content, making it difficult to keep track and maintain my diet. Maybe it was just where I was shopping, but if not, its very hard to keep track of calories if nothing lists them! I find instinctively i look at the calorie content on the front of food packages and that will often be the deciding factor for me, assuming the prices dont vary significantly.

I haven't had that experience in America. That would be very frustrating indeed. I find that a great deal of the food in supermarkets is labeled. But what isn't, like fruits and vegetables and many proteins, etc. must be weighed for true accuracy. Still, there are other guidelines like fist-sized portions and the like to go by if you have to eyeball things. And many of the desserts that don't have nutrition information are, well, desserts, and should be eaten only in moderation, anyway. And there are always many such things with labels.

Absolutely I think we have a long way to go with nutrition education in this country. But we have come a long way, too. And if one is really worried about the nutritional content in something at the supermarket, it can be avoided. There are always alternatives. And things like fruits and vegetables and lean protein (if you eat a reasonable amount) are a pretty safe bet even without that information. There is also always the Internet to help out for people who have access to it.

The sky is blue. Grass is green. Rabbits hop. Americans are fat.

My gosh....never meant for this thread to take this turn! I for example now know how much I should eat, however I would say a couple of years ago I would have thought that I should eat exactly 2000 cals to be healthy and that would be that. I would not have known that it depends on how tall you are, etc.

Here is my point. I think many people trying to eat healthily to maintain/lose weight may think that 2000 is the same for everyone, as I used to. Truthfully I never knew differently til I looked it up on the net, and to be fair, my mom as an example doesn't even know how to get online!

So my title may have been harsh...what I meant to say is...is it possible the FDA may plan a part in people not successfully maintaining/losing weight if they didn't know that the 2000 cals was just a guide!

 

We communicate through the misconceptions of misinterpretations and through the misinterpretations of misconceptions.

I 2nd "no audience"

Peace love and happiness- go fly a Kite!

 

 

 

Original Post by no_audience:

The sky is blue. Grass is green. Rabbits hop. Americans are fat.

 Haha.

 

On topic a bit - blame is a funny thing. I think without it some peoples lives wouldn't make sense. They need to have something to blame, something to combat. When something crappy and random happens it helps to have someone or something to blame. It helps our worlds stick together. It gives things a purpose and life is easier to live when everything has a purpose and a place. If things didn't have a purpose or a place - then what the hell are they doing there? It's a tough thing for some to grasp.

Personally I think letting go of blame is an important thing, but that's just how I want to live.

I feel that each individual is responsible for their own health (assuming they are capable of fully rational thought and choice). The FDA is merely providing helpful (in their opinion) guidelines on diet, nutrition and exercise. Take it with a grain of low sodium salt though, because unless you're the average height and body size the average numbers won't match up with you. Right? Right.

Edited After Reading #18 - I think that people should do independent research about everything. Devote 2 or 3 hours of your life to researching something you're interested in (owning, doing, participating in etc...) and then come to your own reasonable conclusion about it. We're smart enough to do that.