So what is making people from the USA so fat?

[Superior Mind]

High fructose corn syrup.

It's a sugar substitute. Funny that sugar substitutes tend to be more harmful than sugar. In America there is a lot of corn. They even feed it to beef cattle even though their digestive systems can't really handle it all that well. High fructose corn syrup is a corn product that is cheaper than sugar and it's in a lot of things. Even products that still use sugar in other countries have high fructose corn syrup in them in the states.

The thing about HFCS, ('cause I'm sick of typing it,) is that it blocks leptin which is a key protein hormone that, among other things, sends a message to the brain telling us when we are feeling full. If you have HFCS in everything than nothing will fill you up - so you'll keep eating or at very least eat more than you need to.

It's one thing among many things but it is one of the key differences between the US and anywhere else. We eat junk food in other countries, we eat a lot of it but when we drink a can of Coke it has sugar in it, not HFCS. We still get problems with massive fatties but not on the same scale as the US.

 

[catalyst8]

The definition of obesity used for the figures quoted is highly questionable, & is a chronic misuse of language. It's a perfect example of what makes political correctness stupid, & such an ignorant misuse of language literally dangerous, especially for women & the elderly e.g. anemia, type 1 diabetes, suppressed immune system, osteoporosis, etc. The word 'obese' actually means 'grossly fat or overweight' (OED 2012), unfortunately its meaning has been subverted, apparently in an attempt to avoid calling fat people fat.

The majority of athletes are, with the exception of long distance runners, obese according to the Body Mass Index definition because of their higher than average ratio of muscle to fat, & this is obviously quite absurd. In order to calculate true obesity it's absolutley vital to analyse the individual's waist, proportion of fat to muscle, sex, age, & height. Numerous medical organizations including the WHO have repeatedly criticized the use of BMI to diagnose obesity & yet, despite its arbitrary diagnosis that professional athletes are predominantly obese whereas sedentary burger munchers aren't, the accurate method is utterly ignored.

The BMI is only calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the square of the height in metres/weight in pounds by the square of height in inches, ignoring sex (women generally being genetically inclined to a higher proportion of fatty tissue than men, yet less inclined to suffer from heart disease) & the fat to muscle ratio (muscle being heavier by volume than fat).

It really is time we stopped calling athletes obese & started calling fat people fat.

"You're fat. It's not an insult, it's an observation! Now fuck off & get some exercise."

 

[Redneck Gamer]

Depending on where a person lives in America it can be hard or easy to get healthy food that actually tastes good. Finding time to prepare said food after a day of work is another matter. I've found my own way to get healthy food, by hunting, trapping, fishing, and gardening. It's amazing how much exercise can be gained walking a trapline all winter; creeks, ponds, and lakes all summer; and just generally wondering the woods all summer,fall, and winter hunting for whatever is in season and i have a tag or license for. Small game like rabbit, grouse, and squirrel are everywhere in fall and winter if you know where to look and the plump groundhogs of summer can bring in both food and money from farmers paying a person to clear their fields of them.

 

[Wintermoot]

laziness and the fact fast food stores are everywhere.

 

[Sonicron]

600-800? Holy shit! My current lifestyle is requiring an average of 3000 daily to maintain a healthy balance. Your quip is appropriate, for you are withering away into dust. I could eat 3 of you and still be hungry. You are but a meal to me sir! I will have you with a side of fries and wash you down with a sprite to fill in the blanks.

*takes out cattle prod*
Stay away, you! I'm nobody's meal!

As of right now I still weigh slightly more than 100 kilos, so if you really think you could best me in one sitting you're headed for some kind of record.
The thing is, I could eat more and still make this diet work, but then I'd have to do a lot more sports, for which I have neither the time nor the inclination.

Once I'm done with the diet I'll amp up my calorie intake back to about 1800-2000 a day, which is the average for a person of my height and (appropriate) weight, but right now I simply have to let my body run on its reserves to make this work.

Now, where was I... oh right, breakfast! Chalk up one more orange on the food journal...

 

[JesterRaiin]

Adding this edit in: What do you think Americans can do (person to person or powers that be) to fix the issue?

It's very hard to generalize, especially if we talk about a nation, country such big as US, but...
Well, my personal observation - one of greatest (perhaps greatest of all) flaws of Americans is greed. They should do something to fight with this flaw, try to teach future generation that enough is better.

MOARRR !
...not

 

[omega 616]

I think this has been answered but I have time to kill ...

Food these days is either healthy, more expensive and takes time/effort to prepare or it's unhealthy, cheap and requires a microwave or a drive to a drive through.

Also doesn't help that financially the world is pretty mess up at the moment.

I mean just look how lazy drive through's are, you drive to some place 'cos you can't be arsed to cook, order your food while still sat on your ass, then either eat your food in the car or drive home to eat it.

Not to mention you can lead a life these days without ever leaving your house. Order food online, order entertainment (not just games but ebooks and netflix), order some .... company.

Another reason is things like eating contests, "eat this entire cow and you get the meal for free" and this ...

Also like Chris Rock said "in America you can go hunting on a full stomach" ...

America seems to be the epitome of excess, everything is bigger and better. Some people indulge in this life style and they are the ones that are highlighted, there are other demographics in the USA but America just has this connotation attached to it.

Like apprently people from Canada are super polite and people from blighty have bad teeth.

 

[Bassik]

What about eating less & moving more?

You know... look at the portions you always eat, and consider eating less. Less food on your plate, and no snacking in between. You can still eat the same delicious deep fried stuff, just eat less.
If you're still hungry, put some cucumber slices in a bowl and eat that. That shit is mostly water and vitamins anyway.

As for moving more, if your activities are limmited to walking to and from your car, then you have a problem. Go outside, take a walk, 20 minutes should be all you need to get a good result. And if it works, take it up to one hour, and lo and behold, the fat will melt away before your very eyes.

That's how I do it. I weigh 60 kilo's, that is 2 kilo's under the average for people of my length and age. Nothing fancy, just eating less and moving more.

 

[CruisingForBiddies]

This piece of filth is responsible...

 

[ElPatron]

snip

Laziness is obviously the main cause. But fast food gives the impression you are "saving money" because it involves a very low initial investment.

And you can make weights with 5lt bottles of water and fill them with... water. Do you have a broom around? Ta-daaa.

Grab smaller bottles, fill with sand. INSTANT DUMBBELLS!

America is addicted to convenience. We eat fast-food because it's quick and easy to get your hands on for nearly no cost whatsoever

Fast food isn't that much of a big deal. Here in Europe we eat a lot of it too, and because of convenience too...

Depending on where a person lives in America it can be hard or easy to get healthy food that actually tastes good.

"Healthy food that actually tastes good"? For starters, cooking something yourself instead of buying frozen is already healthier. People don't have to eat tasteless veggies all day.

 

[Biosophilogical]

Side Note: What do you mean body-building? (just getting fit, or actually getting body-builder big?)

I picked up bodybuilding as my sport. I eat and live in order to achieve the best gains possible. I currently work in China by the way and getting good healthy food is almost impossible so I manage with a smaller variety of foods and I import some supplements.

I have 6 meals a day and work most of the time I'm awake. It IS time consuming, but if I were not bodybuilding and decided to go back to 3 square meals a day, it would be extremely easy and cheap to do so. I honestly think you overestimate the cost of eating healthy meals.

You may be right. I'm mostly basing my opinion on what little we hear about America over here in Aus. So if I'm wrong about anything (like the cost of healthy food options in America compared to fast foods), then I'm probably wrong about the rest. I'm just going to concede this debate, because I honestly have a very limited view on the subject-matter

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

I recommend giving this a read sometime. It is very old but still topical!
http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0744/