Obesity - What Was the Tipping Point?
Right now in the US, about one-third of the population is obese. This wasn't the case 30 years ago. Sometime between then and now, we changed the way we eat. So what happened?
We know why so many people are obese. Too much food, with lots of calories, over-processed with lots of sugar and unhealthy fats. And lack of physical activity is also takes part of the blame.
But why did this happen? What was the tipping point that turned us into a bunch of chubby lemmings ready to plummet off the cliff into an abyss of obesity-related chronic disease? And more important now -- what is the tipping point that will get us back to a healthy weight?
Think about a typical day, How many people ...
... start the day with sugary cereals, maybe some frozen things that heat up in the toaster? Maybe just grab a cup of coffee or a bottle of Mountain Dew and a donut? Eeww. What a way to start the day.
... eat too much at work? Vending machines offer fattening snacks, and it is easy to eat a candy bar or snack cake with your morning coffee. What about lunch? Off to the closest fast food joint for artery-clogging burgers and fries.
... give up on dinner? It's been a long day at work and now it is time to make dinner for the family. Ugh. Maybe just stop for take-out, grab a bucket of fried chicken or order a big pizza. After dinner it is time to veg out in front of the HDTV where we are barraged with ads for snacks, sodas and more fast foods. Off to the kitchen for a bag of Doritos anyone?
What else has changed over the last thirty-something years? When I was a kid we filled the car's tank at a gas station. Now we stop for gas at a convenience store and while there, we fill our own tanks with some of the worst junk foods. It's just too easy to step inside for a donut, a slice of pizza or a giant soda for the ride.
Portion sizes have increased too. We drink soda in 20-ounce bottles instead of 12-ounce cans, restaurant portions are huge and I think a lot of people have just gotten used to eating more food at each meal.
What about physical activity? When I was kid in the 70's, we had physical education in school every day. That isn't the case anymore. Plus more kids play video and computer games in the house, instead of going outside.
Maybe we aren't as active at home either. Thirty years ago, we didn't have remote controls for our TVs so we had to get up and walk across the room to turn the dial. And we didn't have a cell phone in our pocket -- we had to run to answer the phone in the other room. But did those little bits of activity make much of a difference in our calorie burning back in the day? Maybe, if you add them up over time. Something certainly was different - it wasn't common to belong to a health club and we didn't have VCRs yet -- Buns of Steel and other exercise tapes were a long way off.
So what else has changed that makes over-eating so easy? Leave your ideas in a comment below.
Photo © Michal Zacharzewski
Comments
This article got me thinking. I just turned 60 this year (2008), and I can remember how things were back when I was a kid. People weren’t radically different, but the lifestyle was definitely more active. Not in an “extreme athlete” way either, life just required more moving.
I don’t remember when my thinking changed to the “I don’t have to exercise, technology will give me a better and longer life” mentality, but somehow that became my motto. The only problem is that it isn’t true. Technology may or may not give me a longer life, but health-wise, my life is absolutely NOT better. All my joints hurt, and I have several chronic diseases; the most dangerous one is Type 2 diabetes.
I never imagined my life would be a cautionary tale for others, but since it is, I encourage everyone under the age of 40 to start moving. Give yourself the best gift anyone can receive, the gift of good health. Walking 30 minutes each day isn’t any more time consuming than going to a doctor’s appointment or physical therapy, and the benefits are unbelievable. Take it from an old geezer who’s been there.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Phyllis. Yes, technology makes life easier, but more sedentary - and that’s a problem.
As if fast food isn’t bad enough, you don’t even have to get out of your car to get it - just use the drive through…
A lot of mothers are hesitant to let their children go outside to play in the neighborhood (and thereby burn up calories). Too many high-profile cases of kidnapping and molestation.
I’m not sure if those crimes are more common than 25 years ago, or if they are just covered more extensively by the media, which exacerbates a reasonable fear or concern.
-Steve
I read somewhere, in a book I think, that crimes against children have not increased, but that the reporting of the crimes in the media has gone up.
It’s a legitimate concern if you are a parent, though.
I believe that increased use of computers plays a part of this. I thought back to 30 years ago and I was sitting at a desk then but I had to get up to retrieve files. I always had to go to someone else’s office to talk about work. Information I needed was never available at my desk; I had to go somewhere else for information. I think all the sitting has helped me spread.
I think the difference is the economy. When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, we did not have a lot of money, like a lot of people. going out to eat and buying junk food just was not done because you could not afford it. Now most everyone can afford to pay extra for food that used to be just an occastional rare treat.
Its not just this way in the US, here in Germany it also gets worse and worse. No one really cooks at home anymore, because they “dont have time”. Which is nonsense of course. A quick noodle-with-sauce-dinner, done at home with some fresh vegetables and a joghurt with fruits after is less expensive and definite much better for ourselves. Plus, we are having a different way of respecting the food that we eat, since we prepared it ourselves. Good article.
(The following comments relate to diet and weight issues, and not the health issue of diets.)
If you look at the movie Super Size Me (by Morgan Spurlock, I think) you will see photos of his mother in the kitchen. She was cooking!
It was the same when I grew up. Mom cooked and eating out was a rare treat. Even if we were shopping or otherwise out at mealtime, rather than eat out, she would insist we go home and she would prepare something. I know some of it was that she didn’t want to spend the money, but food tasted better at home.
When I was a senior in college, my roommate and I stopped eating dinner in the school cafeteria, and instead ate dinner at local restaurants. We both gained about 10 pounds that year.
After that I gained 2 - 3 pounds a year. Not much per year but after 15 years it was too much. Two to three pounds is only 7000 to 11000 calories - per year. Not much. In terms of soft drinks that is one every 4 or 6 days. Not much. But it adds up.
The solution? No major diet change required. I just cut back a litle bit. Smaller soft drinks, or substitute water for a soft drink twice a week. A small fries instead of the medium size. Popcorn and water at a movie instead of popcorn and Coke. (Popcorn with butter, of course. I won’t give that up!)
Following this philosophy, I have lost 25 pounds in the last two years. It isn’t a fast enough change to be unhealthy and I can replace my clothes as they wear out so there is also no shock to the wardrobe budget either.
You don’t have to give up the foods you like, just eat a little less.
Eating habits are hard to change and that is why most people fail at weight loss diets. The diets require a change in foods. Eat what you like, just less of it.
Vicki, you make a great point about the economy. We can afford to eat out more often. And to make it worse, it might actually BE cheaper to eat out at a fast food place (so many have “dollar menus” than to eat at home. My shopping trip at the grocery store yesterday cost me $40.00 and I only took home two bags, with nothing really exotic.
Interesting, Milos. There seems to be a spreading group mentality that we don’t want to cook, or we believe we don’t have the time, or maybe that we shouldn’t have to. Really, home cooked meals taste so much better than food from fast food joints and the cheaper restaurants.
Robert, those are great points. The little changes make a difference. Just a little less of the sugary stuff means fewer calories, yet you don’t have to give up your favorite treats completely. In fact, not allowing yourself to have the occasional fun food may be counter-productive.
Jan, good point. I didn’t think about computers at the office, thanks!
Portion sizes are a big contributor, along with eating out and inactivity. Portions sizes have been creeping up as we became a more affluent society.
Well, I think the answer to the question regarding the tipping point would vary based upon the time period to which you are referring… Let me give one example from the southwest. I asked an individual in charge of health care for the Native Americans in New Mexico why these very active individuals became obese since their lifestyle was very active. Specifically, I asked what was different on the reservation before and after the weight change in the population, who were isolated on the reservation. He said, “Coca-Cola.” And since that time the Native Americans in New Mexico have developed two major health conditions, obesity and diabetes.
I don’t think there was a specific tippping point, but a slow “frog in the kettle” type of transition. For youth, the profiferation of video games turning kids from the sandlot to the couch; for adults, increasing complacency and laziness (let’s be frank - no pun intended). Too lazy to walk to the store, too lazy to climb the stairs, too lazy to buy and cook a healthy dinner (and the temptation from a plethora of fast food “restaurants”). Facing a personal “battle of the bulge” from weight gained after a back injury, I have ‘discovered’ the morning/evening walk, the fitness center, healthy grocery shopping, and a little self-discipline, none of which take all that much time, gives me more control over my life, and pays off with a healthier body.
Thank you Dr. Lehman. My blog post is referring to changes that have occurred at some time during the last thirty years. During this time, the rates of obesity in the United States have risen.
From my childhood, apart from the good points above, there are two things that stand out.
First, we rarely ate between meals and did not expect too. If we did, it was generally for some special treat. Now we tend to munch all day. Get even a hint of hunger, we get something to eat.
Second, particularly in the winter our diet was often quite repetitious and not always favourite foods. When you are getting sick of repeatedly eating something, or you think it is just okay, then you eat more slowly, eat enough to feel full and stop before you are stuffed. Nowadays, nearly everything you eat will be something you love. If you like something, it is easy to eat it quickly, and over eat.
Relative to today, the price of food was a much bigger part of the household budget. So you did not waste so much. We ate it again the next day, and sometimes the next day… Carrots really cheap? We ate a lot of carrots (my least favorite vegetable).
While there is a constant very wide range of readily available foods, that are relatively cheap, the overconsumption is going to continue.
I think two major things helped my weight gain: a desk job at a computer all day and moving to an area with little public transportation. In the city, I used to walk looong distances, but now — I have to drive to get anywhere. So, by concentrating most on exercise and getting moving, and by using an adjustable desk that lets me stand while I work, I’ve turned the weight trend around! And I have much more energy and a better mood, too
Getting food is so easy…it’s everywhere, and almost all proccessed food is full of refined wheat and sugar and other chemical additives. I think people used to eat more real food, fruits, vegetables, whole grains & grass feed meat. Today we eat food that lacks the nutrients we need, is full of addictive chemicals we don’t, so our bodies demand more and more. I lost easily 40 lbs when I stopped eating processed foods and switched to whole organic foods…and I never went hungry nor did I exercise! I automatically started moving around more though, because I started having more energy.
I started gaining weight after I college. I started playing an online MMO during my sophomore year in college. I was able to stay in good shape because I had the time to go run 3 miles a day. Without really noticing the pounds packed on quickly once I started my career and did not have time to take afternoon runs.
I believe the Internet is by far the greatest contributing factor to weight gain in our societies. I just recently stopped playing that MMO that I started playing in 2005. The first week I stopped I started running again. I am on my third week of regular running and I can already tell a difference in my waste line and energy level.