Weight of the Nation (Four Part HBO Series)

[jennipurrr]

Anyone watched this series? Its from HBO. I watched the first episode this week. I found it interesting. I already know a lot about processed food, farm subsidies, etc...so I am not sure how much new info I'll get, but the first episode had some really (horrifically) surprising stats about the obesity trend in America. DH was a little bored, but I am looking to the other three parts.

Here are a couple of reviews of the series:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/09/DDLU1OEGKE.DTL&ao=all

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-weight-nation-20120514,0,3371179.story

All four parts are available to watch free online - http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/

[razz]

Food addicition is a choice like alcoholism or drug or gambling addiction apparently and until social consciousness brings its effect to the foreground of the public mindset, few will change their eating habits.

When I found out that eating too much is like drinking or gambling too much, I woke up - finally. For every mouthful I place in my mouth now, I think, measure and plan about intake first. I ask myself if any excess would be like a shot of booze to an alcoholic.
I have lost 28lbs since I woke up.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Food addicition is a choice like alcoholism or drug or gambling addiction apparently and until social consciousness brings its effect to the foreground of the public mindset, few will change their eating habits.

Aren't fat people already shamed at every opportunity, really? I mean if there is a thin person who manages by an incredible metabolism to eat all the junk food they want and still stay thin (I've never had that metabolism in my life but ...) they aren't shamed, and if you keep your weight down by subsisting on a small packet of M&Ms for breakfast, a small sneakers bar for lunch, and a real dinner you might not be shamed (and if calories are low enough you maybe could keep your weight down this way, probably be chronically hungry though). But fat people are shamed at every chance, can't go to the grocery store without seeing magazines on how you should lose weight, can't go anywhere without a billboard proclaiming how you should lose weight (probably through those surgeries that have killed several people already), can't watch t.v. without "biggest loser" commercials and weight loss ads, as any feminist can tell you always subjected to images of ideal women (which all women are subjected to and few measure up to even if they ARE a fairly health weight). Now there may be some fat-positive messages but they are counter-cultural, they aren't the culture. If shaming worked wouldn't it like already have worked by now?

[razz]

Not sure that shaming will help anyone ever but in my example, I am not shaming nor had no intention of doing so. I needed to understand why starchy food was such a challenge for me to reduce easily and consistently. I found that it requires conscious attention, careful choices and planning every day just as any other addiction type of mindset would approach their vulnerability.

Raised awareness of the importance of a clear focus is key, IMHO anyway.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Food addicition is a choice like alcoholism or drug or gambling addiction apparently and until social consciousness brings its effect to the foreground of the public mindset, few will change their eating habits.

Ok I guess I just read into that that society must make people aware that overeating is NOT ACCEPTABLE, NOT OK. And I thought: well it already all but screams this from every rooftop if the result is becoming overweight. But not overeating as such, if you can eat indiscriminately and stay thin you are considered "lucky", if you eat like a bird and still are overweight, you'll still get regular doses of shaming. And you know that speaks volumes about the culture in itself when you think about it. The result the only thing that maters. The process (of say avoiding overeating) not only not valued for it's OWN sake (as process, as a practice, as whatever), but ignored to such a degree that it almost seems absurd .... like wow that's STRANGE


I needed to understand why starchy food was such a challenge for me to reduce easily and consistently. I found that it requires conscious attention, careful choices and planning every day just as any other addiction type of mindset would approach their vulnerability.

Raised awareness of the importance of a clear focus is key, IMHO anyway.

Ok yea, you're talking about something different. Intellectual knowledge of how foods affect the body (and plenty of people are carb sensitive and even those who do quite well with some of the better carbs are at least junk food sensitive and will generally overeat that!). Then develping a personal strategy that works for you. And mindfulness and awareness of the whole personalized process (how food affects your body, how you can work around it).

Me I'm just a very ordinary person who struggles with food and body image (never thin enough even when people say I'm getting too thin and mentioning anorexia, and definitely not thin enough when I'm carrying some extra pounds - never far from awareness of the ideal female image, the male gaze), as kind of the inevitable deep trap that is the legacy of being born a female in this culture maybe. And sometimes using food just for pleasure, because one has to have some pleasure in this vail of tears afterall, but that's not the best strategy for it perhaps

[bunnys]

Thanks for the link. This is something I most definitely would like to watch but it wouldn't have occurred to me that I could get it free online.

[Florence]

Thanks for the link. This is something I most definitely would like to watch but it wouldn't have occurred to me that I could get it free online.

+1

[jennipurrr]

I watched part two tonight. It was about struggles people have losing weight and keeping it off. I thought it was well done. It also gave some good advice to how to begin to lose weight in a healthy way and keep it off.

I have an off and on battle with soda...there was a bit about soda (and similar sugary beverages) being the only food/drink that is basically devoid of nutrients and how our body does not react well to it. So, that firmed up my commitment to reducing my soda to none. Right now I have been "very little soda, one occasionally" mindset, but with me I know I can slip back easily to where it becomes a daily thing. I started to drink a soda this morning sort of unconsciously, and then I tossed it a few sips in...got water instead. There was also an interesting segment that hit home for us...it followed two twins, one overweight and had diabetes, one had done a prediabetes program and was thin and healthy now. DH is a twin and is probably 30 lbs more than his brother (his bro works a physically demanding job while DH is in an office) so that was interesting.

[ctg492]

Knowledge is a wonderful thing, it sometime seems though everyone should know how to eat within reason. Like mentioned so many ad/show/article(s) on the topic. Yet the info must not be getting through to people, why is that?

[pcooley]

I watched part one. I thought I would get a BMI calculator app and see what my BMI was.

I've always thought I was slightly overweight but in generally good shape. I bicycle everywhere. I've started running about four miles every morning. I don't drink soda -- a little bit of ice cream, some blue cheese and crackers in the afternoon, but generally better than average eating habits.

However, at 5'8" and 200 pounds, the BMI calculator said I was nudging out of the overweight category and into the obese category!

That was quite a surprise. It appears that I should be closer to 160 pounds, though I haven't been at that weight since I was a teenager, (many years ago).

Why hasn't my doctor ever mentioned that I was edging into obesity? That's upsetting.

I have to say that the running I've started has gotten my blood pressure back down. (Another thing my doctor never mentioned, but the nurse in his office has been shaking her head over my blood pressure for about a year.) It was up to 140 over 98. Recently, on those monitors they have in pharmacies, my pressure has been 126 over 80.

I guess I need to cut out my afternoon dose of cheese and crackers.

[razz]

Now you have done it, pcooley. I had to check my height (for the first time in decades) and latest weight to get my latest BMI as well. I used to be 5' 7 1/2" and have shrunk to 5'6" so my weight and BMI - now 27.8 or still overweight- are impacted as well. Holy smoke!!! Life happens, doesn't it? Oh well, I have lost a good amount of weight with more to go as was the goal from January 1.
Anyone interested in checking his/her BMI - http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

[bae]

I am not sure BMI is a particularly good measure to use for people outside the main part of the curve. My wrist bones are ~10 inches in diameter around the bony parts, for instance, and most of my other bones are in the 99th percentile-ish, but I am just over 5'10" now, down from 5'11" in college.

When I was very low body fat playing lacrosse and doing full contact martial arts in college, I was nearly 275 pounds, yet I would sink in freshwater.