Obesity in the U.S. (Mississippi)

[Shu]

Well I just picked up a DM (daily mississippian), and my jaw just dropped. I felt a little disgusted, but at the same time I do know the economy doesn't help this stat.

44.4% of kids from the ages of 10-17 are overweight or obese in the state of Mississippi.

32.5% of adults are obese in the state of Mississippi.

Tell me, does this disgust you in the least bit to know that our kids have a little under half a chance in order become obese? This may be focused on Mississippi, but I know the nation as a whole has a general problem.

I will tell you my thoughts, but would love to hear yours first.

 

[GanjaKat]

wow, i just look at the english % and its 17 in women and 20 for men so im kinda like at the usa's obisity in general but the economy doesnt affect it in the last

 

[blakstang98]

Yeah, obesity in the US is indeed very high. I think I heard on the radio one time when I was living in RI, that it was the 3rd least obese state in the union, and I know for a fact that there are a lot of obese people in RI, so I can only imagine how it looks around the rest of the US.

I think the rise of the video game world has a lot to do with kids being obese. I'll admit that when I was young, I played games a lot as well, but I always had a high metabolism and didn't gain weight. Others aren't as fortunate. Kids do this now and don't get out and play sports or do anything physical anymore. This all basically begins with the generation that's directly after us Shu.

Although I must say that I didn't realize the numbers were that high. That's pretty astronomical if you ask me. Poor kids don't stand a chance now. I guess it's our duty when we become parents (and for the ones that are already parents) to get our children into sports ASAP. Then again, it wouldn't be good to force them to do something they don't want to do. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it

 

[Shu]

Our new generation should be called the Wall-E generation. If you have seen the movie you will understand. I understand the video game part, Dan, but I was very active as a kid while playing video games. I stayed pretty active as well, it was the only way to waste all the energy I had. I hope we aren't the new.. sit at home, date at home, sex over the computer, dream of activities, but never actually go out and do any of it.

(pulls out his bitter card) Youngsters! You have to experience life, to enjoy it, fast food adds up!

This is not my real response, but just a brief retort, I'll wait on more commentary before doing an essay style response =P.

 

[Shadra]

The Wall-E generation. lmfao That made me laugh, cuz it's true.

I don't understand how someone can let them self get that way. It's just beyond me. I was too hyper still am too hyper to stay still for very long.

 

[GanjaKat]

hmm, i see your point dan but yeah i play a hell of a lot of video games and im still pretty active, i think a big contributer is over parenting to, mothers.. and fathers being too protective and loving, and not wanting there poor babys that are now in there teens getting hurt and so keep them under lock and key and give them what they want, which generally consists of sweets, video games and more food

 

[Davey Gaga]

If obesity is measured solely on BMI then I don't think it's too much of an issue...I know that I'm overweight but I don't consider myself to have a serious health risk. Regardless, I'm no longer obese - <3 the gym.

[Moved] to The Sleeping Forest.

 

[blakstang98]

Good point, good point. I played video games a lot, but I was fairly active myself. But even I was more active when I was a kid than a kid in this day is. Maybe computers have something to do with that as well. The internet never really became a big deal until I was a teenager (and we had the dial-up modem, lol).

Actually, another good point with the parenting. I put a lot of stock into parental upraising as having a very large influence on how a kid turns out when they grow up. Parenting now-a-days is very lacking. I mean, parents now tend to worry about their time and don't put a lot of effort into correcting their children. And I suppose the overly protective parents are to blame for keeping their kids sheltered. The one good thing that comes from a kid that tends to stay in a lot is that they won't get into trouble with the wrong crowd and such because they're never out. Not to say it's impossible, but unlikely.

Anyways, I'm straying off topic. But yeah, I do agree. Video games isn't necessarily the evil behind obesity, it's merely 1 observation. And I think parenting and computers have an influence on this as well.

 

[Bambi]

@ Dave/Lara Croft - You were never that overweight to start with, that BMI bollocks is bollocks, gave us BOTH a fucking complex that day xD if that's what it's going off then I wouldn't worry about it too much.

It's the morbidly obese that just make me facepalm, I can't understand how people can allow themselves to get like that, its ludicrous. And m ost of the time, they blame other people or theeir health, which I don't buy, my cousin (well, 2nd cousin) has some condition what means he never feels full EVER, and HE'S not fat. His parents put locks on the cupboards and made sure his diet was controlled, not seen them for years, but he was never a fat kid despite that fact that he was constantly living in hunger

 

[CassinoChips]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Mississippi is one of the poorest, if not *the* poorest, state in the Union. And let's face it, fast food is cheap, healthy food is expensive. So if I'm a parent working 2 jobs and barely covering the bills, and I can get 3 McDoubles for $3 to feed me and my 2 kids, versus the $1.60 for a pound of lean ground beef, plus $2.25 for a pack of buns, plus $2.99 for some cheese slices, plus $1.79 for a thing of ketchup, plus $1.99 for mustard, etc. etc., what is my best option.

It's hard to think long-term when you don't know if you're going to make it in the short-term.

That being said, middle- to upper-class obesity is an entirely different animal. That is, in large part, a function of poor parenting and the increasingly sedentary lifestyle we are living. (He says, as he sits at his computer desk, typing a long, drawn out response on an Internet message board.) Combine that with the American's seemingly genetic predisposition toward the Protestant work ethic, and you have a recipe for disaster. Pun intended. So one is rushing around to do everything under the sun that they can cram into a day, then trying to fit in a meal somewhere along the lines. Again, fast food is more convenient than actually taking the time to cook a meal that is relatively wholesome.

So it's not as simple as "lose some weight, fatty." There are some extenuating circumstances that go into it that are tough to get around.

 

[blakstang98]

Well, with interest in this topic, I figured I'd research it a little. So basically a man with body fat over 25% or a woman with body fat over 30% qualifies as obese. I didn't actually read it anywhere, but I've heard that if a person is 50% over the average weight they should be at for their height, then that qualifies them as morbidly obese. I think that if a person who should be 180 lbs is over 240 lbs, then it is a fairly sizeable difference.

I totally forgot to mention it in the first 2 posts, but why is it that doctors are now providing handicap tags to obese patients? I mean, parking further away from the door would help them, no? Why should a handicap spot be taken by someone who refuses to walk a longer distance as opposed to someone who needs to be parked closer like someone with a wheelchair or someone with a broken leg even? I don't get it, but even the doctors are pampering people for their lack of looking out for themselves. Ever since obesity has been declared an "illness", they've gotten way too much pampering for it, and I don't think that's right.

 

[Shu]

Alright I'll give her a response, I'll try not to write too much here. Mississippi is at 9% unemployment, which is pretty bad, but not as bad as some other states. (I thought Tennessee was at 10% [think of memphis and nashville]). Governor Haley (M.S. Gov) really bit the dust on this one, although he was not fully to blame.

The 44.4 % for the kids is what erks me, because that certainly can be helped. Maybe not necessarily right away, but its like our politics, it takes time for change to take place.

You can eat McDonalds, this is true but you can also get a cheaper meal at Subway (which is my favorite). I'm not Jared, so I'm not going to sound like him, but all these delis and such you can get affordable meals these days for families. Subway has a 2 for Tuesday which is a buy 1 get 1 sandwich. Also they have healthy alternatives to chips, such as fresh apples. Also try putting the kids on a water diet. I did this to myself and first I was craving a Coca-Cola or a Mountain Dew or even a Powerade (150 cals), but after 2 weeks or so all I could stand was water.

The argument that you have 3 kids is not nearly enough justification either to go and buy Mccy D's every night. You have to ask yourself, what in god's name got you in this situation in the first place where you would be so lazy as to drive buy and pick up a bag of fried food or just plain grease every freakin night. I won't talk down to parents that have 3 kids, but if you were fully aware of what it took to raise them, and you were not prepared, why did you have them. That is the basis of most arguments, but it is unfair because you don't know if it was circumstantial that they were able to get into this situation. (say lay off from work, with the bad economy).

I think the big problem these days is the lack of exercise that these kids are exerting. Some don't want to play sports, and that's perfectly fine, but you have to take in mind the fact that your body needs to be active in order to stay healthy. I don't care if it is going outside to play with sticks! It is activity. I mean I have entire work out routines and of course they aren't fun for me to do, but I do them because I'm at the age of 24, and will be 25 next month.. if I let my body go now, it will go FAST! Why? because we lack the metabolism and the tight skin we used to have.

Also I believe the privileges that parents use to have with going outside and playing with their kids, are being stripped down slowly. They are overworking themselves to get dinner on the table, and to pay for all the bills, and it leaves them tired and worn out. The inflation, the gas prices, and the lack of income from wage garnishing is taking effect. What one has to do though, is will himself/herself to go outside. I mean it is easier said than done, but if all possible instead of playing inside with RC cars and a Xbox360/PS3 - what about going out and throwing some kind of ball around.

After so many hours of being behind a computer a day, I know my body feels as if I need a break. So Tuesdays and Thursday now I go run around with a bunch of Mexicans, Indians, and Nigerians, and get my ass kicked in some soccer. I still work on, on occasion, but I lose more weight by playing soccer. I may not be good at it, but it does the job, and of course I have tons of fun.

I don't know, it kills me, and I know there are a lot of poor families here in Mississippi and also around the nation, but it sickens me to know that these kids are subjective to 44.4% obesity.

 

[Serah]

yes, it does disgust me.
obesity is.. ew, wtf.

dont get me wrong, im not saying this to troll, but..
i find obese persons disgusting.
everything that has to do with fat.. is disgusting.
i dont see why the fuck people keep eating
how stupid are they ? wtffff

Excuse me? You do realize that there are people in this world that can't help it if they're obese. Some people suffer from health problems that cause them weight gain and no matter how much they try, they can't always lose all the weight. That HARDLY makes them stupid. One example is my Aunt Becky. Before she got cancer she was extremely tiny like me. Not long after she went into chemotherapy treatments, they bloated her out badly and she gained a lot of weight and that certainly wasn't from eating because she could hardly keep food down due to the chemo treatments she received on a daily basis. You really need to watch what you say. Some people in this world honestly can't help their weight and close to nothing can be done about it. So not every obese person in this country are just hogs constantly eating and being disgusting. That's such a fucking stereotype of American people and quite frankly I am SICK of it.

 

[maea]

.

 

[WanderingAesthetic]

the reason i feel this way, is cause i am anorexic.
i cant stand fat, and stuff like that.
im sorry for your aunt, i didnt mean to offend you or anything.
ANDDDDD i wasnt necessarily talking about americans.

I'm going to tell you some things, in case you haven't heard them before. You can ignore me, I'm just some person on the internet. And heck, I don't know you, you may be exaggerating with the anorexia. But you're doing yourself a huge amount of harm in the long run if you ever want to be able to eat like a normal person at all, not to mention various other health problems (gall stones, joint problems, osteopoerosis). Not eating puts your body into starvation mode, which means it holds on to everything you eat, and starts breaking down other things, like your muscles, which it will break down before fat. So watch what you eat, sure. Eat healthy foods. But please, none of this anorexia crap, eat at least two meals a day. (And that means protein, carbs, fruits and veggies, and yeah, a little bit of fat) Please?

I jump off my soapbox and back on topic.

Poverty and general bad parenting are definitely issues. I think something else that should be considered is the paranoia of parents. Used to be kids would just be left outside to run around and do what they like, mostly people won't do that nowadays. And they won't sit outside with their kids either, because they're busy, or whatever other reason. Yes, sometimes kids get abducted or hit by cars, but not many. We just have to accept that there are risks we take if we ever want to walk out our door again.

Also, we have an ideal of thin-ness that is pretty unrealistic for most people. So, I think a lot of people figure, I can't get anywhere near that, so why bother at all?

Just my two cents.

 

[noir nuit]

There are truely too many factors that play into the obesity rate in the us but overall it all adds up the parenting, the technology keeping kids entertained indoors, health problems everything adds together could even be everything at once. There really isnt a single reason for it since the circumstances vary from person to person.

but no it doesnt disgust me unless your talkin about overly obese.

 

[Six]

My personal view on this, is that I think it's fucking ridiculous to call someone disgusting just because of how they live or how they look.

First of all we're no one to judge someone else, before you point the finger look at yourself.

You don't know their reasons, you don't know if it's just a matter of gainging wait fast, no matter what you do. Or that it's simply out of lack of motivation.

Maybe motivation is all these people need.

I'm not even part of this whole thing, nor do I suffer from any of these diseases, but what Maea said was ridiculous. Just because you're suffering from something doesn't mean someone else is disgusting for having flesh on their bones.

>.> I'll stop my post now.

Bullshit about judging each other. Ugh.

 

[Six]

i have no problem with fat persons.
but when it gets too extreme.. like..
you cant even get to hospital, cause you cant get out of bed.
i bet we've all seen those documentaries..
damn, i bet you wouldnt like to be that fat either.
and lol, i am looking at myself.
alot more than i should actually, im suffer from nevrotic perfectionism or wtf its called. i fucking hate it.
i see my own flaws alot clearer than everyone else does. and i see everyone elses flaws.
i dont want to, im ashamed, but i cant help it.

Can I tell you something, that you probably won't pay mind to?
There IS NO such thing as 'own-flaws'.
There was no damn person designed to be perfect.

I'm the worst with putting myself down with things that I do, yes, not with how you look or how your body grows/turns out.

There's no image created the first day the human race started of the "perfect human", it's stupid paranoid people and photoshop that pretend to know.

 

[Shu]

Well don't be entirely harsh on people, but as well don't sit there and flame people for being entirely big.

Listen in my opinion I think women are worse off then men about getting themselves down about their bodies. Now this thread is not to invoke the bulimics or anorexics but to make people aware that unfortunately I deem as a real problem.

When I created this thread, it made me sick.. THAT KIDS, and yes I mean KIDS! are that obese in numbers in my area. I didn't mean to invoke people to be health conscious or focus on fashion models.

Obesity is a problem here in the states, don't sugar coat it. There are some who can not control it, but very few who can't.

The most troubles is when a Mommy has a kid and not able to lose the baby fat, especially if they have kids year after year. My fiance's mom is a big lady because of this and use to weigh a fraction of what she is now.

She has high blood pressure, she has a hurt disc in her back, and she has chronic health problems because of it. I feel for her so much and she wishes like hell she could lose it.

Being overweight is one thing, but obesity is another. When you get to the obese stage, then you experience pressure on vital organs, primarily your heart. You are more susceptible to blood clots and heart attacks, and it is out of your control. Food can be like a drug for some. It can be a coping mechanism for others. Trust me I love food, I wish I could eat every day and all day, cept during the intimate hours.. but that aint going to happen.

Sometimes all it takes is a simple thing like drinking water only for a month. It makes you lose probably 5% of your weight. I'm not doing any scientific analysis on this, but I know from personal experience. When people eat to the point where they are beyond full, that's mentally slow. (keeping pc here) The way you can control this is eat slower and take more bites.

I'm not saying don't enjoy your food.. I'm saying keep a heads up and even if not financially endowed there are still ways to keep healthy while not looking stickly.

I hate when a girls bones poke out, anorexia to me is far worse than being obese. So please, consider this.. when you eat.. just don't do it while drinking beer after beer. Be smart.. about it. Don't starve yourself either or your body will go in reserve mode. DON'T READ FASHION MAGS... I mean seriously. Get your own damn originality in your look, be a little OCD and live life. Stop watching MTV, it aint nothing but hookers and hoes, and I've dealt with all too many in my time.

As for guys, stop being pigs. I am one myself.. but I try to stay to liquor not beer, and drink light beer not dark beer. Order yourself a steak, but chew on that damn tasty thing, don't inhale it.

 

[Ewan]

I think the main reason for these high rates is because of advancing technology. My Dad is pretty overweight but when he was a boy, he was part of the boy scouts and was doing lots of part time work. He used to exercise regularly as well. Basically, he was out and about and there weren't any video games to occupy his time.
But nowadays, we hardly have to exert any effort at all. Our cars, buses and escalators can do that for us now. And why play 'actual' football when you can buy FIFA 10 on PS3? It's the change of lifestyle that's causing this IMO and perhaps as a society we can help getting people more active. Make more walking paths and bike paths or encourage 'active' video games like the ones on the Wii. Heck get parents to get their kids to join a local sport club, encourage healthy eating etc etc.

Concerning what maea wrote:
I just want to say that I'm not trying to bash you in anyway. I'm just giving another perspective.
People can't choose the lifestyle they're brought up with. Neither can these choose their genes. Some people are born with glandular problems and slow metabolisms so they easily gain weight. That's hardly stupid.
However, the main point I wanted to make is the mentality of obese people. People have different mind sets depending on a great number of things including the culture and environment they are brought up in e.g. big family meals for celebrations. Being fat is actually a sign of wealth in some countries.
The mindsets of people can easily spin out on control and people rely on food. I have experienced it myself, food is comforting and people rely on it when depressed etc. Once you've strayed down the path too long, getting back can seem impossible. Imagine being 600lb and trying to lose 400lb.
You may be able to see imperfections. You cannot, however, see what someone is thinking.
So just remember that anorexia and obesity are not so different. They are caused by mindsets (I think they are anyway) and no amount of advice from doctors will sway people. I'm sure you know how bad anorexia is. But changing is extremely difficult am I right? The same is of obesity. Just imagine being called stupid because you're anorexic. I would disgusted if some said that in public, and I think obesity should be treated as seriously.

I want to reiterate that I'm not trying to bash you or attack you. I wouldn't have written this much if I didn't care.
If my words have given you another perspective, and allowed you to look at yourself and others differently, then I would be forever grateful.

I wish you well for the future.