NYT/AP: Survey: Most Adults in Idaho Overweight (nationwide problem)

[DeepModem Mom]

Survey: Most Adults in Idaho Overweight
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 29, 2005
Filed at 9:13 a.m. ET


COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) -- Most of the adults in Idaho are overweight or obese, according to an annual survey by the Centers for Disease Control, and lawmakers are looking for ways to help the state trim its excess fat.

In 2003, nearly 60 percent of adults were considered overweight by CDC standards, and 22 percent of that group was obese. That's dramatically higher rate than in 1990, when 29.5 percent of Idaho residents were overweight and less than 12 percent were obese....

***

''We have a huge bubble of baby boomers aging,'' (Tom Tracy, the director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's Physical Activity and Nutrition program) said. ''If that group doesn't get more active and make better food choices, health costs will be unbelievable.''

The problem is nationwide, with the CDC estimating that 30 percent of the nation's population is obese. Nearby states aren't far behind Idaho's rates-- in 2003 about 59 percent of Washington residents were too heavy, as well as 57 percent of Oregon and Montana residents.

This year the CDC gave between $300,000 and $450,000 each to 23 states to create strategic plans, and five states received $800,000 to $1.5 million each to continue plans already in action....


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-FIT-Fat-Idaho.html

[gristy]

1. I drive a lot and stop at rest stops on various interstates

'merkins are getting HUGE, I tell you. I've never seen so many waddlers.

[K8-EEE]

5. shocking trip to Disneyland...

recently I took some teenagers to Disneyland natch, they didn't want to hang out with me, LOL....which left me to do a lot of people watching and I was struck with how fat everyone is. I mean FAT!! So many obese people, visitors as well as employees -- they now make those D-land uniforms in huge sizes.

[Arugula Latte]

10. That's interesting.

I was in D-land last week. I was expecting to see MORE very overweight people than I actually did. I did see a few people who had to ride in those electric carts to get around, but I thought there might be many more.

Maybe I was basing my expectations on my experience living in Wash. DC, when there would be scores of tourist families from the heartland and Mom, Dad, Suzy and Bobby would all be extremely obese.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[DeepModem Mom]

3. Ashamed of myself, but, LOL!

[nine30]

4. No No ..please...

It was only meant for the GOP voting potato eaters, Dem voting potato eaters are just fine. Really.

[Mari333]

6. I work at a restaurant

take reservations, etc..upscale restuarant ..nonetheless, the horrific amount of food on the platters (they are not plates imo) is ridiculous..people want more bang for the buck, its a hoarding mentality I think..even at a fancy restaurant like the one I work, they want large portions..I have a lot of people call me and ask, "will I be full enough after eating there?"
US eating patterns are based on 3 times a day..thats just bad eating..I eat small amounts all day long,nuts,fruit, dried fruit, and drink veggie juices and fruit juices to also supplement. I am trying to incorporate raw food (uncooked) into my eating and I feel much better, clearer headed, more energy, and best of all, am at a healthy weight. People I know use food as a security blanket. In these times, as depressed as the nation is as a whole,I would think a lot of people use food for comfort..add to that , baby boomers are getting old and their metabolisms are slowing down..
I also think people overeat because their bodies are starving for nutrients,which one cannot GET from overcooked, over processed food..cheap junk food doesnt adequately provide what the body needs..Its amazing how FEW calories one needs to eat all day if you pick the right foods to eat..Unfortunately, there are no fast food drive thrus in the Heartland that offer healthy snacks..

[DeepModem Mom]

7. Excellent assessment, Mari -- thanks! nt

[customerserviceguy]

8. Come to think of it

while driving through Idaho last weekend, I didn't see any "Tofu King" signs on the freeway...

[Arugula Latte]

12. I know what you mean about portions.

My husband and I both really like good food (he's a great cook) and we often get appetizers for our entree or else we split an entree. We ate at a fabulous restaurant last week (Castagna in Portland, in case anyone is interested) and they let the flavors and the wonderful ingredients justify the prices -- not huge pig-slop portions. To me, one mark of a mediocre restaurant is often bigger portions.

P.S. Raw veggies are amazing -- I can just feel my body going "ahhhhhhh" after I eat them.

[K8-EEE]

21. Mari I Am Exactly Like You ...Until 7 pm and then all hell breaks loose!

...at least half the time!! Jesus I only want to lose 15 pounds how hard is that?? Well now that I'm over 40 I am really paying for all my binge-and-starve younger years. The only way I can really lose weight is to stop eating at 7 which would be easy if I didn't live with a bunch of skinny people who want me to cook for them at all hours!

I am the healthiest of eaters all day, and then when I'm cleaning up the kitchen I find myself eating all the left overs and stuff -- just stupid stuff, and if I drink WINE I'm TWICE as stupid.

In my younger days I used to routinely lose 10 pounds in 3 or 4 days, I'm telling you youngsters: dont' do it, it wrecks havoc with your metabolism! If I didn't exercise an hour a day (thank God I love to exercise!) I'd be 100 pounds overweight instead of 15. I am realy trying to get a handle on it though. One thing I've learned is to not watch the news or read internet news too late at night. Anxiety causes late night snacking!!

[Skittles]

24. you are correct, Mari

when I do TDY trips from work, my coworkers have to spend all of that 25 bucks alloted for food daily - they'll pile on the extra stuff and the desserts, then complain later they cannot lose weight. And exercise? Forget it - they don't have time, lest they miss and episode of American Idol.

[ninkasi]

9. My husband and I have noticed more and more

families, with every member, including the youngest, being terribly overweight. I think that maybe all of the overeating is a learned thing. I can look at photos of family get togethers, and almost all of our family members are either normal weight, or on the slender side. We love to get together, too, but the most popular foods at our functions are raw veggies for snacking, and fresh fruit platters.

The meals are delicious, but we challenge each other to come up with various ethnic dishes that are not deep fat fried, and larded with extra calories. We're not a bunch of health nuts, either; our habits are just second nature, but largely a product of how we were raised.

When my youngest grandkids come to visit overnight, the goodies I stock up on are fresh fruit, carrot sticks, and plenty of orange juice. They actually prefer these foods to cookies, cakes and potato chips. Their parents deserve the credit, but I do feel sorry for kids raised with no regard to their health and nutritional needs.

Exercise helps, too. I think Mari333 is right about Americans using food in an attempt to fill a void in their lives. Some smoke, some drink too much, and some stuff themselves. I do believe that people who are dangerously overweight deserve our sympathy, though. Very often, the extra weight is a result of feelings of hopelessness, and looking down on people who are already suffering from emotional pain is not helping the situation.

I wish I had answers, but I don't. All I know is that I view the fat epidemic as just another symptom of a society suffering from a lot of problems, and that the current administration only adds to our collective misery.

[DeepModem Mom]

11. I think it's both nurture and nature in families --

You do very often see families shaped the same way, and similarly thin, normal or overweight; I believe there is a very strong hereditary component to this problem.

[Coventina]

13. Too many "dang quesadillas" I guess

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Melsky]

14. It's a lifestyle thing

I went down two dress sizes because I moved to a city, gave up my car and started walking almost everywhere. When I don't walk, I still am usually walking to the bus. I went from a size 20 last November to size 16 now (and I can see 14 around the corner).

I didn't go on any diet but just tried to not overeat, and only eat when I am hungry. I cut out all corn syrup and hydrogenated products.

The problem is that our suburbs are designed so that we drive everywhere. I think exercise works best when it's something you do every day as part of your life and don't think about it. When going to the gym or on a healthwalk is another item on your to-do list, it tends to be an easy one to ditch.

Anyway, that's what worked for me.

[DeepModem Mom]

15. Gained 10 lbs. since moving out of the city, and a house with stairs --

so I did the opposite! And must, as you say, add more to my to-do list.

[catzies]

17. Good for you and that's a great story. No fads, just common sense.

:thumbsup: Congratulations on your accomplishments so far, and best of luckto you.

[Barkley]

18. I noticed the thinner people in Europe where people do more walking & less

driving. They probably eat less fast-foods as well. It use to be here that you'd get your exercise when you went to work in a factor. But now most people sit at work all day at a computer.

I have also noticed that bus drivers tend to be overweight as well.

[Arugula Latte]

19. They eat often eat butter, cream, and those types of ingredients

but they eat everything in moderation, and, as you point out, walk more. They don't snack like we do. They actually cultivate their hunger and look forward to a real, satisfying meal.

[Brooklyn Michael]

16. I know, I know...Another Red vs Blue comparison....BUT...

.....I don't see any blue states with Chicken Fried Steak dripping in Country Gravy as a restaurant menu staple....

:puke:

[olddad56]

20. why Idaho, maybe it's all of those potatoes?

[eridani]

22. The biggest cause of weight gain is dieting

Rats that are starved and then allowed to eat freely are 10% heavier and have 50% more fat than rats consuming the same total number of calories over the same time period who are not starved.

Not only are Americans fatter, but we are far more obsessed with weight and body image.

[KayLaw]

23. I wish I'd never dieted

I'd advise any young person thinking about dieting to think again. If you need to lose weight, start at the end of the diet. . .meaning maintenance. Make sure you have a plan you can live with forever or else the fat will come back with a vengeance.

What I think works is to focus on the nutrients your body needs on a daily basis and work to eat them within a calorie and fat allowance. There a plenty of online calculators to give you that information. I love the book Thin for Life because it's about people who lost weight and kept it off and what they had in common. I think almost all exercised and kept on exercising and most made up their own diet plans with the foods they liked.

[eridani]

25. There is only one thing that people who have lost large amounts of weight-

--and kept it off have in common, and that is making weight control the first and only priority in their lives.

Not knocking eating better and exercising more, just observing that you have absolutely no control over how those choices affect your personal metabolism. By far the most common effect is that you become a fat person who is healthier and who weighs less. And the insecure shitstains who continue to hassle you really don't care about the difference between 200 and 250 pounds.