Obesity
Uncontrollable
Side Score: 18
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Irresponsible
Side Score: 30
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Nobody wants to be fat. Obesity is caused by many different factors. One factor is stress- something that nobody can avoid no matter how hard he or she tries. We all go to school or work during the week, and if we don't have jobs, we usually have housework or people at home telling us to get jobs. Human beings, especially in the modern age, deal with a lot of stress, which causes us to pack on pounds and obtain nasty habits, like biting nails. Another factor of obesity, especially in America, is the fact that not everybody makes enough money to go buy healthy and organic food every time they go to the grocery store. People need to make ends meet and food can become expensive. That's probably a reason why many people turn to fast food, which is cheap, quick (for our fast-paced lifestyles), and easy. On the other hand, it is also loaded with carbs, HFCS, sugar, fat, and cholesterol. This, along with a highly sedentary lifestyle, will lead directly to obesity and heart related illnesses. Why do we have sedentary lifestyles? The average job of the 21st century does not require manual labor. People work in cubicles and behind desks mostly. And with long hours and families, people seldom have time to exercise. Obesity was not a major problem in the 19th century because many jobs required hard manual labor, cheap and unhealthy fast food chains did not exist, and food companies were not injecting their food with HFCS like it's a wonder drug, although there still was stress- there always has been stress for humans. The last reason for obesity does not apply for everybody, but some people are simply addicted to food. A lot of our eating habits and what we like to eat are because of how we are raised. When a baby cries, parents see this as a hunger cry most often (or something hurts). When a parent sees her baby cry, she tends to go for food to calm the baby down. This develops into a nasty habit of seeking food as a comforting device. That's why many people eat when they are upset. Honestly, I think obesity is uncontrollable in some people, unless you make a lot of money, don't live in a stressful society, and can get the healthiest of foods and exercise regularly, you have the chance of becoming obese, or at least gaining some weight. That all depends on your metabolism. But the only way a person can live that life is if he and his family lived in a utopia where money grows on trees and everybody in the society was a kind soul and there were never any problems- an impossibility. However, the problem of obesity can be controlled. How? The government and society should change the food industry around, creating healthier choices at cheaper prices and offering a less stressful environment for work and school. And there is also always family and friends. If you love somebody that has an eating disorder or just eats a lot, try to help him or her with whatever problem he or she has. Obesity related deaths are the number 2 cause of death in the United States. We can help curb this, but we have to work together. Side: Uncontrollable
I remember reading an article about the poorest parts of large cities. Apparently, one couldn't find a vegetable for miles. Cheap industrial waste packaged like food is apparently cheaper than real food :-\ Obesity isn't the only bad effect of our horrible diets. I think we're going to have a lot of major revelations in the next decade or so, regarding just how holistically we're fucked by what we have to eat. Side: Uncontrollable
True. There was story, produced by NPR, to that effect about two or three months ago. Many rural areas, especially those in poorer areas, only have small convenience stores who do not sell enough vegetables to make stocking them profitable. That is an issue that communities must tackle themselves. If you, as the person who buys food for your household, and a few of your friends request that your local market stocks fresh vegetables, then they might. Then you have to back up those requests by buying the vegetables. Use your dollar to demand these options. A lack of effort on your part, is not uncontrollable. Also, fast food eatery's have healthy options. You just need to eat IN MODERATION and BE CAREFUL. Use your head. I'd like to recommend a book. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Now, many of our busy obese citizens "don't have the time to read" either. That, again, is just an excuse. You can turn off the TV. Save some electricity, save your cable bill, save your heart. If reading is not an option, simply watch this... while doing squats, please. Authors@Google: Michael Pollan
Side: Irresponsible
Some people do want to be fat, why? I have no idea. But it's true. Those people make excuses like these so they can pity themselves. Being hefty is controllable. You're too poor to buy good food? Not that I've ever been to a McDonalds, but I think the food there costs about 6 dollars a meal? A head of lettuce costs $2, a breast of chicken $2, seasonings and dressings probably $2. It's not more expensive to eat healthy than to eat fast food. That's only an excuse. Fat people make excuses to cheat the truth. But you're only cheating yourselves. Stress is caused by external and INTERNAL factors. If you eat healthy and exercise, your hormones can balance out and you will be happier. If you spend time organizing your house and live a clean lifestyle you can bring your stress down. Also house cleaning burns calories. If your job is sedentary, fine. But maybe take the stairs to the third floor on your lunch hour. Or park further away from the building. Hide the remote. PLAY WITH YOUR KIDS. Don't just plop them down in from of the TV and call it a day. If you're sedentary job makes you tired then you are not eating right. If you are fat, and your children are getting fat than you are an irresponsible parent. By creating these bad habits in your children, you're creating bad habits they'll have to break. Why do that to them? You're setting them up for misery, and obesity. Your lifestyle is the lifestyle they will emulate. PS. Subway. No mayo, no salt, no cheese. Lots of veggies for fiber. Classic lays, if you must (3 ingredients, not shit). NO SODA Your body needs water, and it helps you loose weight.... $7 Living your life... priceless. Side: Irresponsible
The one major flaw in most of this is time. People don't have time. Families are going through life as: wake up, go to work, come home, care for family, go to bed. And they don't seem to have enough time to cook or clean, what with long hours, functions at school, multiple children, etc. McDonald's is pretty cheap though. I went there last week (for the first time in months) and got an entire meal for about $5 and change... and then I felt a little sick and gross afterward. lol Side: Uncontrollable
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o·be·si·ty (ō-bē'sĭ-tē) n. The condition of being obese; increased body weight caused by excessive accumulation of fat. This is a very touchy debate for many as our country and world finds itself more overweight. One thing we all know is that Obesity is becoming more prevalent. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/ I will also point out that BMI should not be the only way to rate obesity. I look towards food as the culprit. What's in food? Processed foods has increased. http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2007/ Obesity has grown because of the bottom dollar. The bottom dollar is to make food as efficient as possible outweighing health risks and deteriorating nutritional value. The key is making a life change that will produce long lasting results. Why haven't people changed? It's very hard to make this kind of change in a day. Also, companies spend a great deal to hide the truth. There is a trend of personal health and wellness that is continuing to rise, but wise decisions about what works and what does not is up to the consumer. There still is hope. :) Side: Irresponsible
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While there is some merit to your claims, I think your position is a little naive with respect to the economics of eating and living healthily. It is an expensive venture; vegetables, fruits, nuts, healthy protein sources (by that I mean "meat", since I realize that nuts and legumes, and things like lentils are sources of protein), quality starches all cost a lot of money. And finding time to exercise is something that many people don't have - especially the poor, one of the most important characteristics of being impoverished/or just poor(er) is not being in control of time and where your money is going. And it's the poor who are often the obese ones. I challenge you, in a hopeful mood and manner, to propose a a program (institutioned or personal) that is affordable, accessible and worthwhile to people who are obese. Side: Uncontrollable
Eating healthy is not expensive at all. A huge bag of raw beans costs next to nothing. Same with rice. Can of mixed vegetables: 50 cents. Bag of carrots: $3. Head of broccoli: $2. Bag of apples: $4. Loaf of whole grain bread: $3. Gallon of skim milk: $3. Brick of cheese: $2. Big container of oatmeal: $2. Jar of daily multivitamins: $10 for 300. $10 for 600 if you break them in half. Jar of peanut butter: $3. I'm sure I'm forgetting some common things, and the prices are ballpark, but you get the idea. Processing drives up the cost of food. Buying it raw is cheaper. I live just fine spending less than $100 a month on groceries. Lack of time is no excuse for not exercising. As little as fifteen minutes a day can make a big difference. Side: Irresponsible
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There has always been the misconception that eating healthy required a vast amount of money. Here is a great article I read a few days ago that directly addresses this issue: http://www.organicconsumers. As far as the impoverished/poorer claim of obesity, I say give me some proof. This seems a bit far fetched, but if it's true I would like to read more on it. I accept your challenge, but need some time to come up with a proposal. I'll get back to you in a few days. Side: Uncontrollable
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After some review, I've decided that you are just pulling my chain. Call me out if you must but I have a feeling you are speaking on terms you have no right to speak on...righteousness...I'll name it that. Please let me know if I am in the wrong. Affordable alternatives are out there. Side: Uncontrollable
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Wanted to share this with you: "Perceived Racism in Relation to Weight Change in the Black Women's Health Study" http://www.annalsofepidemiology.org/ Side: Uncontrollable
"The body is willing but the mind is weak." It's ultimately up to the people. I know people who eat healthy, but way too much, and then I know people who don't question themselves. A few days ago a friend of mine came to town for the weekend, and we went out to her favorite pizza parlor. I ate 1/4-1/2 a small vegetarian pizza and was done with a small glass of water, whereas the person across from me (that came to town to hang with us) had a fat salad beforehand completely covered with ranch dressing and cheese, and then ate a whole (small) pepperoni pizza, and then finish it off with a 44oz of Dr. Pepper... the whole time, no one said anything about... the quantity of bad food that was going into the person across from us... She's gained weight recently and we didn't want to bring it up in the two days she visited... so we let her eat like that without saying anything. We went out a few more times because we were out of groceries at the house, and she would always eat like that. A whole lot more than my girlfriend and I, maybe the same amount combined, if not more, and had soda. She should have been more aware, I don't know how she wasn't. It's important for people to pay attention, especially now when food is in ample supply, and bad foods mainly. It's hard, but it's controllable. Side: Irresponsible
As kuk said on the other side it is a problem with people's heads. And like all addictions, they need to be treated as such. But because something is harder for certain people to control, does not excuse it not being controlled. A person who gets brain cancer had no choice in the matter. There is no lifestyle that contributes to something like that as far as we know. And so while on the one hand you have to treat addiction with support for those who seek it, it is ultimately a choice that people consciously make, and with effort, can consciously correct. So it's not really fair to say that people can't help getting fat, they can, and they need to be reminded of this, not excused. It's important to not let people who are obese tell you that it's natural, that they can't help it, this feeds their delusion. They have to understand it's not nature, that there is something wrong with the way they eat. Side: Irresponsible
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There is research to suggest that obesity is genetic, and, certainly, children whose parents raise them on cinnamon buns and ice cream may find it more difficult to lead a slimmer lifestyle. However, there are many adults who have overcome much more staggering obstacles and medical problems to lead healthy, productive lives. Those who complain about their obesity are irresponsible; there is always something that can be done. Side: Irresponsible
Listen: Fat people are fat because of lifestyle choices. Period. Heres an absolutely retarted situation that occurs far to often: A man drives to the gym to work out. The Problem is that if they were to walk or run to the gym before a workout; they would end up exercising more, and being more healthy. (Obviously cases exist where they would have to drive.) Eating is the second problem. Eating out frequently has you eating more calories than you require. Side: Irresponsible
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