Why is America Fat?

This article is simply my observations. I am not a nutritionist, dietician, physician, or even a health professional. I am simply a random guy trying to explain things from my personal experiences and base of knowledge.

Last October I began to explore the world of health. I am 5′ 8″ and was 214lbs on October 21st, 2007. I began exercising regularly and began restricting my caloric intake. From October 2007 to the end of 2007 I lost about 25lbs. When 2008 began I found it much more difficult to restrict my calories, the temptation to eat whatever I want has been winning out on almost a daily basis. I would say I am still eating a bit better than before October 2007, but a burger and fries is a regular item that I enjoy. Now, what I find interesting is that I am not gaining any weight, I am also not losing weight either. essentially I am maintaning my weight loss. I have been bouncing from 186 to 189 for two months now. I also just had blood work done and my total cholesterol is down, my triglycerides are down, my HDL is up (this is good) and my LDL is down. And this is with two months of making poor food choices on a regular basis. I am not trying to brag about anything, but this has me thinking…..

I was in Kenya in 2005 and learned about the diet of the Massaai people. They eat a lot of fat. Fat is pretty much their base. They don’t have a very diverse diet or balanced diet. Yet, health problems or not common. And I never saw a large Massaai, or even a slightly chunky Massai. As a people they are very active. They are not sitting on the couch watching TV. They are busy herding cattle or walking from one place to another. There are some people who want to diversify the diet of the Massai so they will eat healthier. But in general they don’t suffer from health problems unless they are actually unable to eat during a time of drought. And that is malnutrition from not eating, not because of what they are eating.

I have also heard that kids today eat far more than kids did, in lets say, 1950. But when I talk with my parents and others from that generation they talk about large family meals in the evening. Emphasis on large. These meals would have a wide assortment of goodies from breads to veggies, and the quantity was significant. Today kids eat smaller meals from fast food joints that pack the calories of a huge meal into a smaller item. So this has me questioning if kids today are really eating a ton more than kids used to eat….

Since 2008 began I have continued to maintain a high level of exercise. I have been working out for about an hour to an hour and a half almost daily. And since my diet has not been good for the past two months I attribute this maintenance and continued changes in my overall health to my level of activity. Now, I am not suggesting that diet means nothing, but if I had to choose which is more important, I would say activity level means far more than what you eat. So, I think the increasing size of the American population is not the fault of McDonalds or the fast food diet. It is that Americans have become seditary. Americans simply are not very active. Now I know that it is all about calories in and calories out, and since food is coming in, it is at least 50% of the problem. I agree. But I think the solution is not for most people to eat tons less than what they eat now. I think the solution is for people to get off of their bottom side and move around more. Americans go on diets all the time that restrict what they eat. But as soon as the diet is done or they cave to temptation they realize they still live in America. And bad food is a large part of American culture. Some people can successfully move themselves away from eating poorly, but for a lot of people (myself included) the social pressure overpowers their desire to lose weight.

For America to successfully slim down, we need to be active. We need to burn more calories each day. This will boost our metabolism and help our bodies to handle the crappy foods that we choose to eat. An obvious better option would be to eat better, and be active. If you can do this, go for it. If you are looking at a temporary diet change, let me recommend a Gym membership and really using it instead of some temporary diet plan.