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

[kyton]

I just remembered something that happened when I joined DISboards all those years ago - it was the first time I had heard people call themselves either “Pooh sized” or “fluffy”. Which confused me no end until I realised that they were trying to call themselves overweight in a softer / more gentle term. To this day it still bemuses me. I’m not fluffy, I am 20kgs overweight - call it like it is, the hard truth.

 

[DCLMP]

Maybe it just comes down to people eating too much. I eat whatever I want in moderation, exercise, and have never had a weight problem.
I love food, I love wine, and a good beer. I stay away from sugar drinks and the 500-calorie coffee drinks, but you have to enjoy life...just don't enjoy it too much.

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

I like to think I’m a well travelled person and I definitely notice an alarming amount of obese people at WDW.
On another note It breaks my heart when I see overweight parents and their overweight children.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Maybe it just comes down to people eating too much. I eat whatever I want in moderation, exercise, and have never had a weight problem.
I love food, I love wine, and a good beer. I stay away from sugar drinks and the 500-calorie coffee drinks, but you have to enjoy life...just don't enjoy it too much.

One thing I found incredible when I first started working out is how much work it takes to burn 100 calories. A random snack or a couple cans of pop throughout the day can erase the gains from your 45 minute walk.

Keeping portion sizes in check and paying attention to what you eat can really make a difference.

 

[nw6675]

I've lived in the UK. There are people of all sizes there too. Some very slim to some quite large. Not sure why your visitors had the reaction they did.

I will say there are generally noticeable differences between the UK and US folks when it comes to dentistry.

I admittedly did not read past page 1...but my friend Marilla's post cracked me up.

 

[BrianL]

One thing I found incredible when I first started working out is how much work it takes to burn 100 calories. A random snack or a couple cans of pop throughout the day can erase the gains from your 45 minute walk.

Keeping portion sizes in check and paying attention to what you eat can really make a difference.

Yeah, exercise can help and all, but it really is more about food intake. "Abs are made in the kitchen," they say. Exercise will help build muscle though which will help to burn calories. You simply can't run away from a bad diet though.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Yeah, exercise can help and all, but it really is more about food intake. "Abs are made in the kitchen," they say. Exercise will help build muscle thoguh which will help to burn calories. You simply can't run away from a bad diet though.

It's also about genes.

Just like elephants come in different shapes and sizes, so do people. Some will always be skinny no matter what they eat. Some will always be bigger (but not obese), no matter what they eat. But the vast majority of healthy people will have an in-range maintenance weight that they will be if they eat in a normal way and stay active in a normal way. And that's the weight that they should keep vs yo-yoing up or down.

And finally, it's also about medications/diseases. Both can take everything above and just screw it completely up, and there's not much that can help, except possibly more meds.

 

[gmi3804]

Ice (and using lots of it) is a decidedly American thing. And it has more to do with force of habit than overly sweet drink mixes.

 

[Christine]

Ice (and using lots of it) is a decidedly American thing. And it has more to do with force of habit than overly sweet drink mixes.

Yeah. There's very few beverages I drink that don't have a lot of ice in them. It's not about being cold but I find that I just don't like soda or iced tea without lots of ice cubes/crushed ice in them. I guess I like my stuff a little diluted.

 

[GreatLakes]

But that's the thing. Walking here is an event - one more thing to schedule and make time for. I think the point is that it used to be (and still is in some places) more integrated into daily life.

Walking home from school took me 20-30 minutes for the equivalent amount of exercise. Left plenty of time for homework, creative play, etc.

Nowadays, we're potentially spending 3x the amount of time to get the same amount of exercise - example:
Kid takes bus home (30-40 min)
Drive to hiking trail (15 min)
Enjoy lovely walk (30 min)
Drive home (15 min)
Total time: 90+ minutes, but still only 30 minutes of exercise, and little time for other things

That is true. We do walk around the neighborhood and to things that are close enough. Next year my son should be old enough to bike or walk into town from our house with us (3 miles each way) so we hope to do more of that.

One of the things you hear around me (northeast Ohio) is that you "have half of the year you can't go outside" which is false. People all over the world still walk, run, hike, ski, and do a plethora of outdoor activities in winter, it just requires the right clothing and the desire.

There are two main factors to the obesity epidemic, lack of movement and poor diet. While taking care of those two things on a societal level requires a lot of third party policy taking care of them individually takes desire and the will to make it happen.

 

[tzolkin]

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

Things start to make sense now.

I think it's also a cost-saving measure by the restaurant, but, yes, most of the fountain drinks are purposely more sweet than what you would buy in a bottle or can specifically because they are intended to be watered down with ice and still taste the same.

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)

Just wanted to point out that not all vegetarians or vegans eat meat replacements, and I don't know any at all who consider them "healthy". I know you didn't say that, but it seems to be a common assumption that I hear all the time. The majority of people I encounter seem convinced that vegetarians eat nothing but pasta and frozen meat substitutes. I do agree with you that "real" food is better than processed junk food, regardless of whether it is animal or plant based.

 

[ChrisFL]

I have another theory I want to share....I am NOT a doctor so this is entirely my perception from papers I've read.

When we eat/drink things with sugar and carbs, all of that "energy" gets burned first before any fat gets burned, so it seems the reason those other low carb diets work is that it prevents you from using your exercise from only burning carbs and actually burning the fat since you have less carbs.

 

[Chili327]

I have another theory I want to share....I am NOT a doctor so this is entirely my perception from papers I've read.

When we eat/drink things with sugar and carbs, all of that "energy" gets burned first before any fat gets burned, so it seems the reason those other low carb diets work is that it prevents you from using your exercise from only burning carbs and actually burning the fat since you have less carbs.

Id say that is very accurate. And I believe why the weight loss is so effective in a low carb diet.
But there is also something amazing that happens to many with illnesses and other issues that get fixed when you cut them all out, not sure what it is whether it’s just eating that much cleaner or if the lack of fruit & veggies actually help for whatever reason.

 

[Christine]

Here's an explanation regarding low-carb weight loss

While many people tend to turn to low-carb diets for weight loss, the research around this effect is not completely cut and dry. A 2022 Cochrane Database systematic review looked at 61 randomized controlled trials with nearly 7,000 participants placed on either a low-carb diet (less than 45% of total energy) or balanced-carb (45% to 65% of total energy) diet[3].

Interestingly, findings showed little to no difference in weight loss in both participants living with type 2 diabetes and participants without type 2 diabetes, especially over the long term (one to two years).

While weight loss may be achievable on a low-carb diet, research has shown that the initial weight loss is at least partly due to loss of water weight. Fat loss does tend to happen with diet adherence, but after adherence wanes, the effect is similar to other diets after one year.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

a couple cans of pop throughout the day

Is that what you used to consume? It wouldn't take exercise for me to know that's bad for me. I used to drink more pop (but very very sparingly more than a can or two) but at some point I switched to water years before I got into a workout routine and that's primarily what I drink throughout the day aside from coffee in the morning. I do have pop every so often but I also know my body doesn't respond as well to it. My fav Dr. Pepper especially so I'm assuming the dyes in it probably are the culprit as it's the main pop to do it. Coke not as much, Sprite doesn't for the most part.

I remember back in the day if you weren't feeling well 7-Up was common to have. Ginger Ale too as well as Sprite.

FWIW on the discussion of ice I just don't like super cold drinks. If it's coming out of the fountain it's already cold. Also it doesn't taste super sugary to me nor do I need to "dilute it" because in order for that really to be the case it's gotta either be a very hot day or a drink that sits for a very long time. Tasting very watered down pop is gross to me. However, I don't normally get refills at restaurants nor do I need a big sized drink. Based on some of the responses here I'm wondering if when I do drink pop it overall is net less than others if they are drinking watered down in higher quantities (mostly speaking about a restaurant). I know virtually everyone around me gets at least one refill at a restaurant. Something to keep in mind from a health inspection aspect ice machines are like ice cream machines and may not be cleaned as rigorous as one may think.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Here's an explanation regarding low-carb weight loss

While many people tend to turn to low-carb diets for weight loss, the research around this effect is not completely cut and dry. A 2022 Cochrane Database systematic review looked at 61 randomized controlled trials with nearly 7,000 participants placed on either a low-carb diet (less than 45% of total energy) or balanced-carb (45% to 65% of total energy) diet[3].

Interestingly, findings showed little to no difference in weight loss in both participants living with type 2 diabetes and participants without type 2 diabetes, especially over the long term (one to two years).

While weight loss may be achievable on a low-carb diet, research has shown that the initial weight loss is at least partly due to loss of water weight. Fat loss does tend to happen with diet adherence, but after adherence wanes, the effect is similar to other diets after one year.

My step-father-in-law has just (like within a week) been put on a low carb diet with diabetes. It is NOT meant for weight loss. It's to control his blood sugar. Should he lose any weight that would be beneficial to him but it's not why he's on that diet.

Most of these diets (more like fad diets) have not been found to have long-term healthy success. Short-term yes but sustained for years and for the body to get the proper nutrition not necessarily. Yo-yo dieting as a term exists for a reason.

In general most people have to enjoy what they are doing for it to stick. When you stop enjoying something it becomes very difficult to keep doing it. Also it's a bit alarming but too many people get into diets because so and so told them it was great (just look at the conversations on this thread and what has been brought up), such and such was heavily advertised but how many people can truly say they went to their doctor and spoke at length about it? I know someone from my high school who one day started the keto diet and she was exercising. Did she lose weight? She did, but then eventually dropped off from keto leading to her feeling bad about herself for her lost progress (she posted on FB her progress). Then she felt guilt about that and so she started back on keto but started noticing issues with her body. Keto is but one diet that can be very harmful to your health overall if you do it without consulting your doctor and getting checked out before hand and we're learning that a keto diet can cause poor health. Keto is but one example to use.

 

[smokeyblue]

When my aunt discusses how fat my uncle is or how red my face is I tell her "we don't discuss other people's bodies" and she instantly changes the subject. I'll say it for everyone here from someone who is sick of hearing about people who are too fat, too skinny, too whatever; we don't talk about other people's bodies.

 

[Chili327]

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.

No she is not, but somehow was able to find the same link, & I didn't have to log in or anything to read it either?

*edit* Funny it is wanting me to login now though... not sure if Google logged me in automatically yesterday on my phone, but my PC wont let me see it today. (unfortunate for others that may want to read it)

Here's an explanation regarding low-carb weight loss

While many people tend to turn to low-carb diets for weight loss, the research around this effect is not completely cut and dry. A 2022 Cochrane Database systematic review looked at 61 randomized controlled trials with nearly 7,000 participants placed on either a low-carb diet (less than 45% of total energy) or balanced-carb (45% to 65% of total energy) diet[3].

Interestingly, findings showed little to no difference in weight loss in both participants living with type 2 diabetes and participants without type 2 diabetes, especially over the long term (one to two years).

While weight loss may be achievable on a low-carb diet, research has shown that the initial weight loss is at least partly due to loss of water weight. Fat loss does tend to happen with diet adherence, but after adherence wanes, the effect is similar to other diets after one year.

So none of the 7000 people were actually eating very low carb... just lower than standard. I've seen many illnesses and health issues go away from eating zero plants & zero fruits, I'm gonna guess carnivore is less than 5%?

45% would be equal to about 225g of carbs or so, where as any low carb diet would start at less than 100g & go down drastically from there. "Keto" is usually around 20g per day, but depends on the individual on how low they need to go to get into ketosis, & full carnivore is usually less than 5g per day.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that carbohydrates make up 45% to 65% of total daily calories.

So if you get 2,000 calories a day, between 900 and 1,300 calories should be from carbohydrates. That translates to between 225 and 325 grams of carbs a day.

 

[Chili327]

I do agree that "real" food is better than processed junk food, regardless of whether it is animal or plant based.

 

[PollyannaMom]

When my aunt discusses how fat my uncle is or how red my face is I tell her "we don't discuss other people's bodies" and she instantly changes the subject. I'll say it for everyone here from someone who is sick of hearing about people who are too fat, too skinny, too whatever; we don't talk about other people's bodies.

Excellent advice! Reminded me of these:
You Tube Page - Mrs. Frazzled
(I follow her on instagram, but it was easier to link the YouTube page.)

Click on the "Gentle Parenting (Various Adults)" ones. Here's a sample: