Looking at obesity from

[undergroundpanther]

a different prepective.. than the usual old saws,lifestyle diet,lifestyle, diet.....


Some worry that this view is dangerously monolithic.

Writing on Tuesday in the International Journal of Obesity, a team of US public-health experts caution against focussing **obsessively** on the "Big Two" -- a slower lifestyle and modern food marketing.

"This has created a hegemony whereby the importance of the Big Two is accepted as established and other putative factors are not seriously explored," they say. "The result may be well-intentioned but ill-founded proposals for reducing obesity rates."

They contend the evidence against junk food, supersize-me portions and high-calorie corn syrup is "equivocal and largely circumstantial" and offer some intriguing ideas of their own for other drivers of the obesity tsunami.

Among them:

-- Industrial chemicals called endocrine disruptors that disturb metabolism, encouraging the formation of fat.

-- Giving up smoking: people who give up cigarettes very often gain weight.

-- Air conditioning, which establishes a comfortable temperature zone. In temperatures above this zone, people eat less. The rise in number of air-conditioned homes in the United States virtually mirrors the increase in the US obesity rate.

-- Fat people marry other fat people. These individuals may be genetically vulnerable to obesity, a trait that could handed on to their children.

Another hypothesis is that lack of sleep jolts the metabolic system into demanding doses of instant energy.

[Sherman A1]

1. I think sleep is a key factor

I work a schedule that starts at 2:30am in order to get up be functional and get to work. The day winds down around 8pm, but during that time an extra meal or such is just normal. So it's 4 meals per day for me. When I do overnights occasionally, it's all about caffenine and extra sugar to get through the shift. With more sleep, your body is better rested and I would think requires less food or sugar to keep going.

[Yollam]

2. The things you mention may come into play but...

"They contend the evidence against junk food, supersize-me portions and high-calorie corn syrup is "equivocal and largely circumstantial" and offer some intriguing ideas of their own for other drivers of the obesity tsunami."


Come on. I'm not even that old, and supermarkets today are completely different than when I was a kid. There used to be a row or two of processed, refined snack foods and what not, with fresh vegetable, the meat department, etc. making up most of the market. Today, there is a WHOLE AISLE of Sodas, a WHOLE AISLE of cookies and sweet snacks, a WHOLE AISLE of chips and salty snacks, a WHOLE AISLE of just frozen junk like frozen pizza and tv dinners, etc, to the point where only a quarter or so of the market is fresh veggies, meats and dairy (not counting junky yogurts and go-gurts and the WHOLE ROW of different ice creams. Just a look at a supermarket today compared to a supermarket 35 years ago illustrates vividly why people are getting so heavy.

The same goes with supersizing. A McDonald's regular cheeseburger without mustard and a regular fries would be a fairly decent, if fatty and unsatisfying meal with a reasonable amount of calories for one sitting. You don't even need to supersize to overeat. A Big Mac with that sauce glop and a large fries and a medium Coke have 1350 calories. That's almost as much as most people in the world eat all day(1500~1800)! And a total of 94 grams of fat! People in the states have a very distorted idea of what a normal food intake is, and food like that leaves them unsatisfied and wanting to eat more.

I've been on a 1500 calorie regimen since last December and lost 80 pounds, never skipping meals. When I reached my goal of 195, I eased the calories up to 2000, and intend to keep to that as a permanent lifestyle change. I keep full by eating a LOT of fresh vegetables and eliminating ALL diet sodas and most heavily processed junk foods and feel great.


By the way, I also quit smoking 4 years ago, and it did not help with my weight, but I wasn't thin when I smoked, either.

As for the theory about air conditioning, how do you explain the fact that people are thinner in places like Seattle and San Francisco where it is cool year-round? I think the air-conditioning connection would be more a matter of simply not wanting to go out in oppressive heat when one can stay inside and sit in air-conditioned comfort. In San Francisco, I could go out and exercise any time of year.

[wake.up.america]

3. Congratulations... you have added years to your life!!

I am impressed!!

You should be a spokesman for sensible weight loss.

There are no tricks, no sleight of hand - just common sense!

Way to go!!


Quote from above post:

"I've been on a 1500 calorie regimen since last December and lost 80 pounds, never skipping meals. When I reached my goal of 195, I eased the calories up to 2000, and intend to keep to that as a permanent lifestyle change. I keep full by eating a LOT of fresh vegetables and eliminating ALL diet sodas and most heavily processed junk foods and feel great.


By the way, I also quit smoking 4 years ago, and it did not help with my weight, but I wasn't thin when I smoked, either."