Are we all 'skinny challenged' compared to the world?

[Brian Noble]

And is engineered to be so.

Our kids' pediatrician had a phrase: "unnaturally delicious." It was usually followed by the sentence: "That's a sometimes food."

 

[Moliphino]

*mind blown* ...
Is that why in the US half of your soda is ice?

Things start to make sense now.

The cold dulls the taste and the ice slightly waters it down (don't let all the ice melt, though, that's too watery). No longer sickeningly sweet!

 

[Chili327]

It's not the meat, butter or animal fats doing the damage. It's the rancid seed oils, sugar and processed foods. Most people don't believe that though as it goes against the narrative. We might be living longer, but it is not a long-term quality of life. Many people are becoming more animal based (not on this board, but in general that I have seen outside of this board) and improving their quality of life and health markers.

Yep, Vegetarians and Vegans can not stand to believe it is possible, & I somewhat understand we've been lied to for so long, it is hard to believe (I feel like a flat earther sometimes. lol), but I've seen the proof first hand so I know there is definitely something to it that is very fascinating!!

I'd love to start &/or participate in a low carb/Animal Based thread on here, but not sure if it'll end up like a politics/religion type of thread with tons of anger and hate.

 

[Brian Noble]

not sure if it'll end up

I don't know. I'm pretty sure.

 

[ChrisFL]

And personally it seems that being overweight is suddenly something to be embraced and celebrated. The amount of so-called “influencers” who push to make being morbidly obese a normal reality does not help to curb the rise.

Serving sizes here in the US are normally massive and as others have said the fact that wait staff refill your soda without asking has to play a part in this growth.

I’m overweight - it is all of my doing. I don’t eat badly but I am lazy. I know what to do to reduce my size and have started to take those steps. It’s no use getting all huffy as an overweight person when it is pointed out - truth is truth. Sugarcoating the facts doesn’t help anyone.

We know sugarcoating makes things worse


j/k

 

[tvguy]

Ah I remember those studies from the 60s. We were eating more simply then (not all the processed foods) but our diets, compared to say Viet Nam, were much more "meat" centric and I think that's where a lot of the differences came from. My friend is from Viet Nam and just went back to visit her father and brought some steaks over there on her trip. Not that they don't have it there, but it's very expensive and not as easy to obtain. But I digress...these days I am concerned with many of the "diets" out there which advocate a lot of meat products. I wonder what impact they have even with weight loss to go with them.

Americans are used to cheap calories. Not necessarily the healthiest options. In many parts of the world people are thinner simply because food is so expensive.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

*mind blown* ...
Is that why in the US half of your soda is ice?

Things start to make sense now.

I don't think so. Other cold drinks such as iced tea, juice, lemonade, etc., are also served with lots of ice, unless you request otherwise. I always thought it was because the restaurants save money by giving you lots of ice instead of a whole glass of the drink.

 

[leahgoogle]

Yep, Vegetarians and Vegans can not stand to believe it is possible, & I somewhat understand we've been lied to for so long, it is hard to believe (I feel like a flat earther sometimes. lol), but I've seen the proof first hand so I know there is definitely something to it that is very fascinating!!

I'd love to start &/or participate in a low carb/Animal Based thread on here, but not sure if it'll end up like a politics/religion type of thread with tons of anger and hate.

We have been lied to. I would definitely participate in a low carb/animal based thread. I'm sure there would be some opposition, but that doesn't bother me....lol.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don’t think we have been lied to. I think what we know to this point has been based on many years of research by health professionals the world over. A low carb/animal based diet has not been mainstreamed. I don’t know if it ever will be. But have at it, if that’s what you believe and what works for you! A thread for like-minded people is fine. But if others come on with different ideas, I don’t think they should be called ‘haters’.

Medscape: Best Diets in 2023: Mediterranean Diet Wins Again

 

[NotUrsula]

FWIW, in 1942, the US military had a minimum (male) enlistment weight of 130 lbs. On average, 15% of the recruits who showed up for physicals were rejected for being underweight. Now, many of them were teenagers, but many were not; the vast majority of Americans had been scrimping on food for 12 years at that point, and it showed. My parents emigrated to the US in 1952; their passport photos show them much thinner than photos taken at a family gathering 6 months after their arrival. Why? Because food here was much more plentiful and a whole lot cheaper than it was in the UK, where food rationing was still in effect until 1954. (My mother very famously started sobbing uncontrollably the first time she walked into an American supermarket in 1952; she couldn't believe how much food was available, and that one could buy as much as one could afford.)

Europeans have joked for decades about "big, corn-fed Americans", but in the end, that's at the heart of it. The US is the world's largest single exporter of food, so much of it, in fact, that the USDA has a policy of paying farmers not to produce certain crops that have so much of a surplus that the global price is depressed. (China and India produce more food in gross tonnage than the US does, but far more of it goes to support their own populations. Australia and Paraguay are our closest competition in terms of exports.) Here's the really tricky thing: in the US today, less than 2% of our population works in the production and processing of food. We have become so good at efficient food production that we can essentially stay in the top 3 for exports whilst blindfolded and with one hand tied behind our backs.

However, at the same time, we have become dependent on domestic food distribution models that favor the suburbs over urban areas, thus putting the most fresh food where those who cannot afford to drive a private vehicle have little access to it. While it is true that the US is a huge sprawling country, lack of public transit is distinctly a choice that we as a nation have made. Contrary to what most people believe, even rural America was not always this car-dependent. In every American place I've ever lived, a quick check has confirmed that there was better public transit available in the 1940s than there is now. You can thank the likes of Henry Ford and Charles E. Wilson for our current situation: starting after WW2, when automakers had huge production facilities built for supplying the military but no more military contracts, they (and their associated industries, such as tire manufacturers and gasoline refineries, etc.) starting lobbying the US Congress and Senate very hard to subsidize road-building at the expense of public transportation options. They were joined in this by real-estate developers, who were keen to cash in on the US Government's lending generosity to returning GIs, and knew that the quickest & cheapest way to build the homes needed was to convert farmland, rather than tear down existing blighted urban structures. The result was that communities all over the country started defunding their public transit infrastructure in favor of the bounty of Federal road funds. Existing passenger trains were replaced by freight as we produced more and more goods that needed to go to market, and public buses became such a political hot-button that many communities (including the town of 16k where my parents then lived) chose to just shut down the service entirely rather than risk property destruction during potential civil rights disturbances. We *could* have a lot better public transit and zoning that encourages walkability, but we would have to pay for it in local taxes.

Americans eat more because we can, because food is cheap and plentiful here relative to the rest of the world, Add a sedentary car-dependent lifestyle and a relative lack of leisure time, and the result is very predictable.

 

[Christine]

I remember woefully looking at my belly slightly pooching back in high school and being horrified. When I look at pictures of myself in a bathing suit back then I am honestly wondering *** my issue was because I looked AMAZING

Thinking specifically about Japanese Breakfast where you'd get a miso soup with veggies and tofu, rice, a piece of fish, a raw egg, some rice and 2-3 different vegetable side dishes. Of course not everybody there eats like that but our equal would be a fat/carb/sugar bomb with eggs, sausage or bacon or both, toast, hashbrowns, a waffle pancake or french toast etc. - even the Brits have their fry up that is nothing like what a big "asian" breakfast would be.

Yes, I lived in Japan for 4 years and besides the difference in diets, the portions were much less--even back in the day when I lived there.

 

[DisneylandFreak2013]

100 years ago a "circus freak" Fat Man weighed much less than some of our larger population today.

I'm not sure there are that many in our population who weigh more than 600 pounds...

Or maybe my view is skewed because I live in a fairly fit community/state, so I guess I could understand if people here are more used to seeing those appearing closer in body type to this gentleman. But much more than 600 pounds....I would be really shocked if there were that many people in our "larger population" who weigh more than that.

 

[Chili327]

I don’t think we have been lied to. I think what we know to this point has been based on many years of research by health professionals the world over. A low carb/animal based diet has not been mainstreamed. I don’t know if it ever will be. But have at it, if that’s what you believe and what works for you! A thread for like-minded people is fine. But if others come on with different ideas, I don’t think they should be called ‘haters’.

Medscape: Best Diets in 2023: Mediterranean Diet Wins Again

My sister always sends me that same link... The common denominator from Mediterranean and most of the "clean" low carb/animal based diets is both include eating real food (Blue Zones, etc) and I would definitely agree if everyone just ate real food they'd be better off, but my only issue with vegetarian/vegan is they are missing out on "real" animal protein, even if they are getting some sort of synthetic equivalent, I don't think it works the same or as good, but people do what people do. AND I definitely don't blame people for not wanting to hurt animals, factory farming is a horrible thing. (but for example Impossible burgers are not real food)

Here is some "carb" info..

Explore More Health & Medicine on UCTV
(https://www.uctv.tv/health)
UCTV features the latest in health and medicine from University of California medical schools. Find the information you need on cancer, transplantation, obesity, disease and much more.

Some people definitely ARE haters, on both sides veg or meat eaters have their "warriors" that can't have an adult conversation.

 

[georgina]

There are serious environmental issues with eating more animal products, including what they are fed and the antibiotics they are given. But a piece of chicken is many times better than processed junk food.

 

[Chili327]

I'm not sure there are that many in our population who weigh more than 600 pounds...

Or maybe my view is skewed because I live in a fairly fit community/state, so I guess I could understand if people here are more used to seeing those appearing closer in body type to this gentleman. But much more than 600 pounds....I would be really shocked if there were that many people in our "larger population" who weigh more than that.

View attachment 817786

Yes, but 1 "circus freak" vs many people in todays society is a big difference, but i guess the population is much higher too, so I'm not really sure about the percentage of people over 600.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heaviest_people

*edit* actually I was just reading something that explained how people of that size (or bigger) don't actually go out very often, & the more they weigh the more that it's true. Sad to think about.

 

[robinb]

I don’t think we have been lied to. I think what we know to this point has been based on many years of research by health professionals the world over. A low carb/animal based diet has not been mainstreamed. I don’t know if it ever will be.

Have you ever heard of the Atkins Diet? It was all the rage in the early to mid 2000's. It was ALL about the meat and fat and very, very low carb.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I needed/wanted to lose about 10 lbs in 3 months and Atkins worked. Course I also upped my exercise regime so maybe it was a combo. I will say it was hard to eat all that meat. Ugh.

 

[Chili327]

Have you ever heard of the Atkins Diet? It was all the rage in the early to mid 2000's. It was ALL about the meat and fat and very, very low carb.

Not as low compared to todays low carb diets... technically Keto is about 20g (which is similar to Atkins), and is whatever level puts your body into ketosis, but the Carnivore diet is essentially 0, usually ends up still under 5g at the most on certain days.

I needed/wanted to lose about 10 lbs in 3 months and Atkins worked. Course I also upped my exercise regime so maybe it was a combo. I will say it was hard to eat all that meat. Ugh.

There is a threshold with pure carnivore at about 5 days or so where you are basically at your wits end with it, but then you just push thru & wake up the next day craving steak & eggs.

 

[NAB]

This reminds me of a recent episode of 90 Day Fiance (we all have our trash TV, okay?) where a guy from South Korea is moving to Arkansas for his fiance and the fiance's mother asks him what he thinks about the US. With a straight face, he says "Everyone here is really fat."

Jokes aside, the US does have an obesity problem for sure. I'm a shirt size S/M depending on the brand but in European countries I'm a M/L and in Japan I have shirts that are XL. One shirt I have from Tokyo Disneyland is a XXL.

Yes and he calls his girlfriend piggy and she is not big either.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My sister always sends me that same link... The common denominator from Mediterranean and most of the "clean" low carb/animal based diets is both include eating real food (Blue Zones, etc) and I would definitely agree if everyone just ate real food they'd be better off, but my only issue with vegetarian/vegan is they are missing out on "real" animal protein, even if they are getting some sort of synthetic equivalent, I don't think it works the same or as good, but people do what people do. AND I definitely don't blame people for not wanting to hurt animals, factory farming is a horrible thing. (but for example Impossible burgers are not real food)

Is your sister a health professional?
Because Medscape is for health professionals.

Medscape is the leading online global destination for physicians and healthcare professionals worldwide, offering the latest medical news and expert perspectives; essential point-of-care drug and disease information; and relevant professional education and CME.

I chose a Medscape link purposefully.
It is the diet we recommend to heart patients.
You will see it recommended in a lot of places.

Have you ever heard of the Atkins Diet? It was all the rage in the early to mid 2000's. It was ALL about the meat and fat and very, very low carb.

I read his book in the 70s and was on the Atkins diet for a time myself then, thanks to my older brother’s girlfriend at the time, who introduced me to it.

In 1972 Dr. Atkins published his first book, Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution, to explain his findings on low-carb dieting.

So yes, I am familiar with that, and have been for a long time. I started studying nutrition in college in the ‘80s.

I’m certainly not interested in a back and forth with anyone about low carb diets.
People should do what they’re comfortable with.
I happen to see what high cholesterol does to people, up close and personal, and often during a health crisis.
Coronary artery disease is not reversible. At best, we can keep it at bay.
Fats circulating around in the blood = increased risk of artherosclerosis, and not just in the heart.
That’s all I’m going to say about it.

Mayo dietary recommendations:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...ease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art-20047702