Americans are more overweight than ever but Burke, Heiland and Nadler find:
…that the probability of self-classifying as overweight is significantly
lower on average in the more recent survey, for both men and women, controlling
for objective weight status and other factors….The shifts in self classification are not explained by differences between
surveys in body fatness or waist circumference, nor by shifting demographics. We
interpret the findings as evidence of a generational shift in social norms
related to body weight, and propose various mechanisms to explain such a shift,
including: (1) higher average adult BMI and adult obesity rates in the later
survey cohort, (2) higher childhood obesity rates in the later survey cohort,
and (3) public education campaigns promoting healthy body image. The welfare
implications of the observed trends in self-classification are mixed.
Medicare’s savior: America’s love of Big Macs
Skinny people are ugly! Eat up!
It’s like defining alcoholism in France.
You are fat; I just need to lose a little weight.
Perhaps people are finally waking up to the fallacy of the “obesity epidemic” pushed so hard by the fat police. This article in Junkfood Science (along with others on this excellent site) helps clear some of the fog away:
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/04/does-it-really-matter-how-your-numbers.html
FXKLM makes a good point. Same trend is being seen in work productivity versus esteem about the work that is done.
We are good-thinking our culture down. While growing up, I’d thought there was a good point to the “no compete, everybody wins” attitude (and this from someone who did often win). Now we’re seeing the consequences. People should compete, and don’t necessarily have to feel bad about losing, but should recognize from the experience where their skills are allocated.
The solution is for everyone to buy a Wii Fit. That little floor demon called me overweight. Now I ride my bicycle every day. I’ll show it!
The overreaching problem is that we are a society of scapegoating responsibility-dodgers.
Overweight? It MUST be McDonalds’ fault for serving all that delicious unhealthy food, not my inability to control my cravings or peel myself off the couch to go for a run.
Stupid? Its the educational “system’s” fault I was too lazy/indifferent/undisciplined to do my homework.
Poor? See above, if I had gone to Harvard I’d be rich, too!
etc, etc, ad nauseum
I find anal yst somewhat silly.
Of course people are responsible for eating that extra cheeseburger. Yet, the same purveyors of said food always fight tooth and nail against disclosure about how bad their product is. (usually comically…the health of their product, not the efforts to hide said information)
I honestly don’t know what you think, so here is a legit question:
Is it better that smokers know the dangers of cigarettes now, or was it better before the flood of health data came out?
If Mad Men is to be believed
at some point between now and then people got more information and were able to make their best rational choice based on a cost-benefit analysis)
Do you feel current consumers of the ubiquitous ‘fast-food’, are rationally making purchasing decisions more akin to current smoking patterns, or Mad Men smoking patterns?
I am grossly overweight, and when I tell less-fat people that I am not overweight, I am morbidly obese, they generally make reassuring cooing noises like, “Oh no, you’re not.” And that’s with me and my morbidly obese body standing in front of them.
My morbid obesity is my problem, not the “food industry” or McDonalds, but it fascinates me that my truthful description of my obesity seems to make others so … uncomfortable.
I’m guessing that others don’t want to seem judgmental, even though I suspect many are.
Other fat people never make those reassuring cooing noises and don’t seem too bothered by my accurate description.
I agree somewhat with Kessler – eat less refined carbs, especially sugars, and more vegetables, especially dark leafy green vegetables, and fruits. And watch the wheat, too.
Also, if you dramatically lower your salt intake, make sure you’re getting enough iodine – an easy way is from Kelp flakes or powder.
And if you are overweight and want support, try Weight Watchers or TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). TOPS is less expensive and usually more fun. Also see Joel Furman’s book, “Eat to Live.”
@ Tony Cohen
My thoughts on the matter can be found here http://1-2knockout.typepad.com/12_knockout/2008/08/maam-step-away.html
and
http://1-2knockout.typepad.com/12_knockout/2008/04/target-fast-foo.html
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