why does the united states have such a bad obesity problem?
462990
so much food avalable
1150962
The USA is founded on of-the-people, for-the-people, by-the-people.\n\nIf you have some method to audit for these "almost-starved" types of people, - then let the rest of us know.\n\nMy grandparents did not come to America to have big brother peeking in windows to make sure I ate my broccoli!!
1006664
Only if a medical condition is causing it.  I have heard of people wh are obese because oh something going wrong in their body.  It seems no matter what they eat or how they exercise, it don't help.  Others just eat to much fast food and snacks and are couch potatoes.  And no there is no excuse for them.
1134334
I have been complaining of that for years!! I totally agree. Unfortunately it is cheaper to buy foods that are unhealthy. And yes, a lot of Americans are overweight because of it. I don't understand why the government isn't stepping in to help somehow. But, like Kevin Trudeau states in his book "Things they don't want you to know about", government agencies themselves are getting rich off people being unhealthy. More people are taking diet pills than ever before. More people are going to the doctor than ever before. More people are buying more prescriptions than ever before. So, it is to their advantage that we stay unhealthy.\n\nThe sad thing is if you have a set amount of income you use toward groceries and need to stretch that money out so your family has something to eat for the week, it is cheaper to buy that bag of chips than it is fruit or other healthy products. Really. What do I tell my child when she is hungry that she can't have anything to eat because the healthy stuff I bought is already gone and we are only a few days into the week? Stupid really. \n\nThis is one issue that really has me steamed, and always has. We should all stand up and  protest it....but I don't think that will happen because too many people are afraid to "buck" the system...
346792
The simple answer is that we eat more and move less.  But why is that happening?\nAs someone else suggested, Fast Food Nation gives a wonderful profile on the rise of fast food in American and what changes have taken place at the same time that the author attributes to the fast food industry.\nBasically, in America, we have lots of food available and it's not very expensive.  Restaurants make it easy to super size--even non-fast food restaurants often offer a larger portion (like 16 oz steak rather than 10 or 12 oz steak) for only a small amount more.  Portion sizes in restaurants are much larger than they were 30 years ago.  Soda is the drink of choice--with 10 calories per sip, a couple of glasses have as much calories as a piece of cake (and the refills are FREE). And then we eat the cake too.  Schools now offer soda and junk food in vending machines in order to get promotional money from the companies placing the machines.  Physical education in schools has been scaled way back.\nBecause of the fear-based society we live in, mothers don't want their children playing outside where they can be snatched by child molesters so they stay inside and watch TV and play video games and eat junk food and learn to be inactive.  Kids don't walk to school anymore; they are driven both ways.  Buses stop at each driveway because kids don't/can't/won't walk to a central pick-up location.  When you are an inactive child, you grow up to be an inactive adult (spoken by one who knows).\nEverything has a drive-through--pharmacies, banks, restaurants (or they carry your food out to the car so you don't even have to walk to the door and back).  No one walks anywhere except those few people who walk for pleasure and exercise.\nPeople don't even walk their dogs anymore. They fence in the yard and let the animals run around.\nI could keep going, but you get the gist.
257955
I'm male and 46,  My weight is within healthly limits so my weight isn't the problem.  It's that I'm not in shape.  There is a huge problem with body image in the US.  If one is healthy and in shape.  Weight shouldn't matter.  It's come to the point where eating disorders are hitting younger and younger girls and just recently it's been reported that boys are now having the same body image problems.  Good topic!
21827
42,968,694 obese people in the US.\n21,066,792 obese people in Russia\n18,631,814 obese people in Japan..\n12,060,659 obese people in Germany.\n8,841,484 obese people in France.\n8,819,022 obese people in the UK.\n8,495,174 obese people in Italy.\n4,756,666  obese people in Canada.\n\nThese are the so-called G8 nations.\n\nCause of world hunger? Greed.
928468
Because one quarter of the people in our nation are lazy, on welfare, letting the rest of us support them.  So, they sit on their buns watching TV, eating chips and drinking soda or beer.  The other quarter is probably legitimate medical problems, and Oreo double stuffs.
464478
Because Most Americans have lost respect for their own country and their own bodies.  They don't respect themselves or anyone else.  They are lazy SOBs who sap money from the gov't because they are too lazy to work and then taxes go up so I get less for what I work for.  I worked in places where people use their food stamps for chips and dip and their cash allowances for beer and cigarettes.  IT'S SICK!  Forget their kids...forget why they even were allowed that money in the first place.  DISRESPECT, LAZINESS, AND SELFISHNESS are all the reasons why America is less fit than probably any other country in the world.  \n\n***Sorry...this is a touchy topic for me, if you can't tell...I've got stories and stories about this too...
791607
Unless youre in the less than one percent of people with actual medical conditions, it's personal choice to be that size by not eating right and not exercising.\n\nAs for medical care.  I would venture to bet at least 95% of people that require medical attention do something to make them unhealthy.  They some, drink, eat fatty food, etc.  It would be really difficult, if not impossible to cut people off from government aided health care because they make poor health choices.  While I think people that knowingly make bad health choices should bear their own burden, it's not an easy thing to do.  Also, the argument comes up that people at low economic levels can only afford McD's and not fresh fruits and veggies, so it becomes poor v. rich.
454564
Good and bad...big people need all kinds of fat people stuff...like specially made things that can withstand the weight. So this could be good economically because they would buy more stuff. It is bad for what it does to them, and also the health care costs of caring for obesity are enormous. It is bad for us because of all the things that come with it. It seems pretty rare that an obsese person only has the health issue of being fat. They bring diabetes, hygiene issues, cholesterol, and blood pressure problems to name just a few. So, in the end, the costs will far outweigh (no pun intended) the benefits of obesity. It is a serious detriment that our nation needs to acknowledge and stop the problems before they become a huge epidemic.
499550
suffering from what?  overeating?  conspicuous consumerism?  ignoring global warming?  beating up on the rest of the world?\nPlease.  We have it so easy compared to many other countries -- most of us are spoiled brats.
105929
Because we are the fattest country on the planet. Now, drop and give me fifty !
600164
I classify humans as animals. When animals are domesticated, they don't have to fend for themselves any longer and they just sit around and eat. I don't know exactly why we have a higher obesity problem than most other countries, but it probably has a lot to do with technology and fast food. Just a guess. It seems as though we have a lot of sedentary jobs involving computers, and I'm sure that plays a part in it as well as the convenience of fast food, and the conveniences of certain kinds of modern technology.  Also we are a very rich country, and even the poorest of us have television and video games and other things to keep us entertained without us having to move at all. Of course other countries have all of these things as well, so I would guess the American mentality plays a huge role as well. But these are all just guesses and supposition I haven't studied the matter really.\n\nNot all of us are fat lazy cows. Some of us enjoy exercise and do eat right. I don't group French people as a bunch of frog eating weirdos, or Brits as a bunch of tight @ss snobs, and I don't think of Australians as looking like Crocodile Dundee, so maybe somebody should be a little more open-minded? Thanks.
1031059
Just re-learn everything that you have learned from this society that has made obesity, according to Atlantic Monthly mag., the worst health issue in the world replacing hunger and infectious disease. Site below tells it all.
374642
it causes over weight problem.instant energy that is too much than what is required.so avoid junk food as much as possible
589958
the are not opposites, since anorexia is very much a social pressure disorder - brought on by the publics demand for being thin and the constant "diet" commercials for fatties which make some succeptable people feel fat even though they are not\n\nobesity often is learned as a child becuase mom gives cookies or ice cream to crying kid so kid learns to confort themself with food.. \nthere are TONS of help groups for obese people, sadly many do not see a problem with their weight or their kids weight.\n\nNorth Americans, and particularly those in the lower United States LEAD THE WORLD in obesity... Americans are raised at a young age to be consumers and do it very well... the brainwashing has worked.