First Trip To The States..................................
Arrived home on saturday night from my first trip to the US.................Im Irish just so you know!!! I had a fantastic time but there was one thing that caught me off guard the level of obesity it really shocked me and what shocked me even more was the fact that it seemed to be accepted????
Now dont get me wrong, obesity levels in europe are at an all time high and its not like im saying there are no extremely over weight people in Ireland the Uk etc
But what shocked me was number one the all you can eat buffets, free refills of fizzy drinks (but not water), Giant pretzels, HUGE portions as in enough for two people in one main course, everything including the people seemed to be bigger??(like all the same how wud be it possible to be thin with all these options??)
We visited theme parks and we donned comfy shoes and walked.......as in used out legs......I hate to be cheeky but the amount of people using like motorised scooters was crazy, now again dont get me wrong if you had a broken leg etc.. or had a serious condition etc I can understand the use of these scooters but most of the people we saw wer just extremely over weight and the gentle walk around the parks would have burned some calories but yet they sat there in the scooters beeping at anyone walking to get out of there way and eating giant pretzels etc.........
Yet no one else seemed to be the least bit shocked at some one driving a scooter onto a bus and parking it in the disabled zone yet then proceeding to get up and walk to find a seat unaided????? Like to me the reason for disabled areas is to try and make life easier for those with wat I would call genuine disabilities and who would need assistance to stand up from there wheelchair if they could stand up at all.......Not for in my opinion some lazy ass person who just doesnt want to walk and who instead opts for the easy route out by travelling on a motorised scooter...........hummmm I dunno???
Now im no skinny minny myself, at 5'6 and 152lbs im by no means the perfect weight but my gosh........Im just shocked at the american lifestyle i really am, like over here when you get to sort of a size 16uk(not sure what that is in us sizes) but it starts to become tough to find clothes to fit you need to shop in larger chain stores in like bigger cities......but in the US to me the bigger sizes were so very available and also were so accepted I dunno I dont mean to offend anyone but im sure I will but I just cant understand it........
Ok ending my rant now really sorry if I have offended anyone but If you could maybe try help me to understand it I would be thankful.
Reason: Moved from Weight Loss to The Lounge
Udokier, I'm not sure if you still have family or friends living in the U.S. and I can only speak for my home state of MA, but there is certainly a push to become more resourceful and conservative. We have several new large companies in MA that are committed to this endeavor. As for fuel, you have to wait at least 6 months for a hybrid car, as they're sold before they hit the car lots. These are just a few examples of how things are beginning to change here. It might not be a magic bullet, but at least people are beginning to see the need for change. You may say that it's because people are getting hit in the pocket and you'll probably be correct. As long as something motivates positive change who am I to judge.
I couldn't agree with you more on the economic concerns. It amazes me that people live well beyond their means and that in the end the tax payers have to pick up the tab for the bail outs, as evidenced by the mortgage crisis.
--Early post from luzd that made me laugh!
Sorry I didn't bother to read some of the in between pages of this thread. Hm, yeah, there are fat people in other countries too, but not so many who carry so proudly as in the US.
Personally I'm American and I don't feel "dissed" when people mention how fat and/or sloppy Americans look. Ew, I absolutely hate the way people feel comfortable running around in "workout" clothes (I'm actually referring to sloppy sweatpants or t-shirts).
Percentage of adults in the United States who are overweight: 64.5% (about 127 million)
Number of these who are considered obese: 60 million
Number who are considered severely obese: 9 million
Percentage of Americans considered overweight in 1980: 46%
Percentage of overweight adolescent children in 1980: 5%
Percentage of overweight adolescent children today: 15%
Amount spent by Americans every year trying to lose or control their weight: $30 billion
Percentage increase in the number of Americans to have undergone liposuction from 1992 to 1997: 215%
Percentage increase in the number of American men to have undergone liposuction from 1992 to 1999: 385%
Gastric bypass surgery procedures in 1992: 16,200
Gastric bypass surgery procedures in 1997: 23,100
Gastric bypass surgery procedures in 2002: 63,100
Daily caloric requirement of the average inactive 180-pound American: 1,800
Calories in one Burger King Double Whopper: 920
Percentage by which consumption of red meat and poultry by Americans increased between 1990 and 2000: 21%
Average annual meat consumption by Americans: 110 pounds
Average annual meat consumption by Europeans: 55 pounds
Average lifetime ice cream consumption by Americans: 1 ton
Average annual ice cream consumption by Americans: 6 gallons
Weekly ice cream consumption rate, measured in ice cream cones: 3.5
Average annual per capita consumption of sweeteners (sugars, syrups, and honey) by Americans in 1990: 137 pounds
Average annual per capita consumption of sweeteners by Americans in 2000: 160 pounds
Percentage by which a croissant at the American franchise Au Bon Pain is bigger than a typical croissant at a Parisian bakery: 100%
Average weight gain by a visiting international student during his or her first ten days in the United States: 2 pounds
Total American expenditure on fast food in 1970: $6 billion
Total American expenditure on fast food in 2000: $110 billion
We now spend more on fast food than we do on higher education.
We spend more on fast food than we do on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and recorded music combined.
Number of hot dogs eaten in 12 minutes at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest: 50
Number of Quarter Pounders eaten in 10 minutes (heavyweight division): 11
Period for which a 27-inch TV could be powered by the calories consumed in an average American's Thanksgiving Day meal: 49 hours
Percentage by which the volume of a 7-Eleven X-treme Gulp soft drink is bigger than the volume of the human stomach: 50%
Percentage of public schools in the United States that have signed exclusive "pouring rights" contracts with soft drink companies: 10%
Number of book covers distributed to middle schools nationwide with samples of Cadbury Schweppes' Sour Patch Kids: 500,000
Percentage of American children who recognize Ronald McDonald: 96%
Calories produced by United States agribusiness daily, per American, in 1970: 3,300
Calories produced by United States agribusiness daily, per American, in 2000: 3,800
Average daily caloric requirement for an adult: 2,800
Average number of Americans killed annually by vending machines falling on them: 13
From Fat, Dumb & Ugly: The Decline of the Average American
note: a 5' tall woman weighing 100 lbs would have a BMI of 19.5 (healthy); if she gains 29 lbs, she will have a BMI of 25.2 (overweight); if she gains another 25 lbs, she will have a BMI of 30.1 (obese)
also note: some individuals are overweight, but not overfat; BMI does not measure % of body fat
Original Post by luzd:
Udokier, I'm not sure if you still have family or friends living in the U.S. and I can only speak for my home state of MA, but there is certainly a push to become more resourceful and conservative.
Of course I do. My dad complained to me last winter about the cost of heating his nearly 4000 sq ft house (much of which was an addition they put on so they would have room for his wife's STUFF - there are only 2 of them in the house). I suggested that he should simply heat/cool the rooms they are actually USING, rather than the whole house. (Which is simply common sense over here) You would have thought I was speaking Greek or something.
I do believe you that some people are starting to conserve more - I'm sure that soaring costs are FORCING some conservation, but boy do we have a ways to go...
Original Post by alibsam:
Is the weather as crappy across the water as it is here, udokier? Maybe Japan can absorb some of Korea's disgusting weather... :(
Depends on what you call crappy. If you like 35 Celsius, humid and plenty of skeeters, you'd love it over here.
LOL, at least we have a bit of an ocean breeze at my house...
PS Ali, I will definitely be traveling to Beijing for work in the coming months and possibly Seoul. If I do, maybe we can say hi and have some Soju! (only if my wife comes with, of course!)
PS Ali, I will definitely be traveling to Beijing for work in the coming months and possibly Seoul. If I do, maybe we can say hi and have some Soju! (only if my wife comes with, of course!)
Sounds good. Just let me know. I'm back stateside from mid-Aug til the end of September but I'll be back at the same school and all.
Original Post by udokier:
Original Post by luzd:
Udokier, I'm not sure if you still have family or friends living in the U.S. and I can only speak for my home state of MA, but there is certainly a push to become more resourceful and conservative.Of course I do. My dad complained to me last winter about the cost of heating his nearly 4000 sq ft house (much of which was an addition they put on so they would have room for his wife's STUFF - there are only 2 of them in the house). I suggested that he should simply heat/cool the rooms they are actually USING, rather than the whole house. (Which is simply common sense over here) You would have thought I was speaking Greek or something.
I do believe you that some people are starting to conserve more - I'm sure that soaring costs are FORCING some conservation, but boy do we have a ways to go...
holy **** thats a lot of square footage for 2 people!!
re: the ice cream stats above, somebody is doubling up because I haven't had any ice cream in the past 390 days
not that i'm counting...
Hmmm - our rainy season ended a couple of weeks ago. We get an occasional summer squall, but mostly it's just hot and humid... It gets nice here in about mid-October though...
Original Post by nomoreexcuses:
re: the ice cream stats above, somebody is doubling up because I haven't had any ice cream in the past 390 days
not that i'm counting...
That's amazing. I don't have it often - go for plain yogurt mostly, but once in a blue moon you gotta have a smidge...
Original Post by yogini_om:
Original Post by udokier:
Original Post by luzd:
Udokier, I'm not sure if you still have family or friends living in the U.S. and I can only speak for my home state of MA, but there is certainly a push to become more resourceful and conservative.Of course I do. My dad complained to me last winter about the cost of heating his nearly 4000 sq ft house (much of which was an addition they put on so they would have room for his wife's STUFF - there are only 2 of them in the house). I suggested that he should simply heat/cool the rooms they are actually USING, rather than the whole house. (Which is simply common sense over here) You would have thought I was speaking Greek or something.
I do believe you that some people are starting to conserve more - I'm sure that soaring costs are FORCING some conservation, but boy do we have a ways to go...
holy **** thats a lot of square footage for 2 people!!
It's absurd. They are both in their 70s. If I was them, I'd be in a nice 1000 sq ft. townhouse or something. The last thing I want is to be cleaning and heating/cooling some huge house for the sake of a bunch of 'heirlooms' that looked like they belonged to Ma Kent. Oh, and then there is the huge yard. They live in El Paso Texas, so the water bill is insane, too. (because God forbid we xeriscape in the desert...)
eh, i'm on austerity measures
:)
if i really wanted it, i would have it, but what i really want is good health and fitness
Original Post by alibsam:
haha Ok... yours sucks too. It's about 33, insanely humid and it constantly rains. Today was the first day of no rain in a week and it starts back tomorrow and continues with no end in sight.
PS Ali, I will definitely be traveling to Beijing for work in the coming months and possibly Seoul. If I do, maybe we can say hi and have some Soju! (only if my wife comes with, of course!)
Sounds good. Just let me know. I'm back stateside from mid-Aug til the end of September but I'll be back at the same school and all.
By the way, why the name change?
Ours started about 2 1/2 weeks ago. It starts later than they say it will. It continues til beg/mid September.
Namechange-- I was bored and I didn't like having half my last name as my SN.
Original Post by alibsam:
Hmmm - our rainy season ended a couple of weeks ago. We get an occasional summer squall, but mostly it's just hot and humid... It gets nice here in about mid-October though...
Ours started about 2 1/2 weeks ago. It starts later than they say it will. It continues til beg/mid September.
Namechange-- I was bored and I didn't like having half my last name as my SN.
Ah - gotcha - same reason I hide my face. Not that anyone wants to see this mug - lol.
Original Post by nomoreexcuses:
Amount spent by Americans every year trying to lose or control their weight: $30 billion
of all your stats, nomo, this is the one that's the most shocking to me. particularly because it's so obviously not working. i hate the diet industry even more than the oil industry, because it's so invested in providing goods and services that don't work.
Where are the "fat and sloppy" Americans??? I live on the West Coast.. OR during the summer and LA the rest of the year. I don't see many overweight people in LA. There are some but they dress nicely. I guess maybe the Midwest/South has the collection or something.
I do agree that it is now more accepted to be overweight...at least they are trying to make it...celebrities that are overweight are trying to be forced down our throats as "natural" and "beautiful" though there are mostly thin celebrities...I rarely see a "normal" looking one, like in the middle. They are either overweight/underweight. Raven Symone/America whatever her last name for example, are both overweight but "accepted" as "full-figured" or whatever...
Original Post by misspriss316:
I do agree that it is now more accepted to be overweight...at least they are trying to make it...celebrities that are overweight are trying to be forced down our throats as "natural" and "beautiful" though there are mostly thin celebrities...I rarely see a "normal" looking one, like in the middle. They are either overweight/underweight. Raven Symone/America whatever her last name for example, are both overweight but "accepted" as "full-figured" or whatever...
why all the ironic quotes, misspriss? and forced down your throat? seriously? i'm really happy for you that you live in some protected habitat for skinny people, but surely you still have free will and can choose which celebrities you give your attention to.
btw, i think America Ferrera is all of the above: natural, beautiful, full-figured, and accepted. and talented, which i can't really say for raven symone.
Original Post by pgeorgian:
Original Post by misspriss316:
I do agree that it is now more accepted to be overweight...at least they are trying to make it...celebrities that are overweight are trying to be forced down our throats as "natural" and "beautiful" though there are mostly thin celebrities...I rarely see a "normal" looking one, like in the middle. They are either overweight/underweight. Raven Symone/America whatever her last name for example, are both overweight but "accepted" as "full-figured" or whatever...
why all the ironic quotes, misspriss? and forced down your throat? seriously? i'm really happy for you that you live in some protected habitat for skinny people, but surely you still have free will and can choose which celebrities you give your attention to.
btw, i think America Ferrera is all of the above: natural, beautiful, full-figured, and accepted. and talented, which i can't really say for raven symone.
Oh, I'm not skinny. But I always see the super thin and the overweight trying to combat the super thin (I live in Southern CA it happens all the time) by trying to make it normal. Being overweight is just as bad as being underweight, so to me it's equal. Maybe she is talented...I don't really watch her movies. You should be allowed to act of course like underweight actresses. But you can't deny that it is making it more accepted to be overweight. Not so much obese, but thats what I see where I live. There is less of a middle ground.
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