Fattening of America

[monsoon]

[Neo]

I try my best to avoid fast food joints if at all possible. I try to eat at places such as Subway instead when I need a fast meal, otherwise I try to cook at home and even then I try to use healthy alternatives like extra virgin olive oil for cooking instead of the cheap stuff, etc.

[Allan]

I refuse to eat at a fast food place. The only fast food place I will eat at is Subway, & that is only like once or twice per year. And even then I order off the "under 6 grams of fat" menu.

[Guest donaltopablo]

It's the persons fault, hands down. When are people in this country going to learn to accept responsbility for their own actions?

[Wendell FOX]

For the most part it would be the person's fault (as it is with sprawl), but on the other hand can you really blame your 9 to 5 office worker with a 30min lunch break if a McDonald's is the only eatery in the neighbourhood, and there's no other alternative besides a cheese cracker vending machine? People simply don't have the time to cook sometimes nowdays.

One thing though - I saw an article (was it in MolsonExport's thread?) that said McDonald's is going to end their supersize portions by the end of this year. Considering that and some other moves such as the introduction of salads and McVeggies, McDonald's hardly deserves to be singled out for its fattening amongst the world of fast food.

[monsoon]

[M. Brown]

Ill tell you what though. The Aktins diet works. I lost almost 100lbs on the Aktins diet. And im still loosing.

[Wendell FOX]

Oh I wasn't singleing out McDonald's but used it as an example since I worked there as a kid. i.e. what was once considered an "regular" Adult portion is now considered small.

Sorry, my mind is still tuned to the MolsonExport threads at SSP whenever these discussions come up.

[DBR96]

All these fast-food companies had the same food in the '70s that they do now, but no one looked like f*cking Jabba The Hut back then. It's the people.

I eat a lot of fast food, but I've lost 20 pounds since Christmas. You know why? Because I get off my ass and WORK OUT!

[urbanguy]

I think in most cases its the persons fault, as technology gets better and thanks to the age of the computer people are getting lazier But as for me i get out and run or walk and excersise quite regularlly cause i dont want to be a victim to obesity.

[Wendell FOX]

But working out to be physically healthy is unfortunately discriminated against economic and social lines - even from childhood. Unfortunately many people are ignorant of this.

[ShowMeKC]

Its good to be fat, to a degree that is. Because we are more nutritious (or whatever the opposite of malnutrietion is). But it isn't good to be fat to where you can have heart disease, acid reflux or diabetes.

[wolfdawg54]

It is good to be physically fit. Though some people do not do sports or football in my case, I think it is important for everyone to work out. It is definately the people's fault for not staying healthy. People do not need to work out continuously but most problems in health can be solved by exercise and proper eating.

[urban designer]

How about blaming a fat America on the built form of our cities. Who can or why would anymore walk anywhere?

[Spartan]

urban designer has a good point- It is alot easier to walk places in europe than it is here unless you live in a very large city.

I don't think fast food is solely to blame. Perhaps they use unnatural methods of flavoring that are unhealthy (the fat they soak the fries in)... but a person should be able to use enough common sense to know that eating at fastfood places with all of that grease can't be good for you. It requires a certain degree of self control i think.

The other side is that people eat out more... not just at fast food... and alot of these places have the same unhealthy stuff as the fastfood places, they just spruce it up a bit and add a piece of parsley to the plate. Alot of people are lizy and they just find it easier to go and have someone bring you food rather than use their own energy to make their own food at home. (Unless its a twinkie, or those LittleDebbie Cakes).