[kaplods]

I've started something new - watching at least one weight loss or video per day on youtube.

Today I watched Big Meets Bigger - Greece (episodes one and two) on youtube.

Apparently in some parts of Greece 80% of adults are obese.


The premise is rather interesting. Two young obese young people are taken to live with a family of much bigger people, and seeing their impressions...

On one hand, I think it's a rather exploitive (but many documentaries are), and on another I think it may be more motivating (both to the young adults and to folks like me watching) than they typical obesity documentary featuring a bunch of thin people yelling at fat folk to "motivate" them to lose weight.

[guacamole]

I have been watching videos/documentaries on obesity lately too. Really eye opening. Thanks for the tip on this video - I will watch it!

[lovemydoggiesx2]

I went and watched all 4 parts after reading this. I have been Watching the Fat Dr. lately as well. These programs give me mixed emotions. Sometimes inspiration to keep going, and sometimes I feel like hitting the fridge. In the Big meet Bigger Greece when the blonde guy was eating the dozen donuts I about had a meltdown...haha

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by lovemydoggiesx2

I went and watched all 4 parts after reading this. I have been Watching the Fat Dr. lately as well. These programs give me mixed emotions. Sometimes inspiration to keep going, and sometimes I feel like hitting the fridge. In the Big meet Bigger Greece when the blonde guy was eating the dozen donuts I about had a meltdown...haha

LOL! I've been looking away (or opening another window so I can multitask - listening to the video rather than watching) or fast-forwarding through the "food porn" scenes.

The donuts didn't get me, because desserts were never my carb of choice, but the pastas and the breads were calling my name.

I think I never grew to like desserts, because when I did have them, I would often get queasy sick shortly after. I suspect that I always had blood sugar issues. I remember even as young as 7 or 8 when my parents would once in a blue moon take us out for donuts after Sunday church, I would choose either the french crullers (lowest calories - I knew, and less likely to make me sick) or I'd pick what I really liked (a cream or lemon filled) and save it. I'd drink my milk (skim of course) and I'd take my donut(s) home in a doggie bag to eat later in the day. Sometimes my brother would bribe me to give him my donuts (switch chores with me or give me something of his I wanted or part of his allowance).

So for me, my weakness was "real food" Mashed potatoes, spaghetti, garlic bread (any kind of potato, pasta, or bread eally) ...

I didn't realize I had a "sugar addiction" until reading David Kessler's book, The End of Overeating, and I realized that all of my trigger foods did fit his category of foods that trigger "conditioned hypereating." That is they contained salt, fat, and sugar (or carbs that digested quickly into sugar like most high glycemic starches).

I thought I didn't have much of a sugar tooth, or much of a salt tooth, because both sugar and salt I don't really crave in their simple form (I can usually pass up potato chips and sweet deserts very well - unless they have the salty, fatty, sweet flavor).

That salt/sweet/creamy taste/texture just drives me wild, though my favoirite foods lead towards the savory aspect - general tso's chicken or even some fried rice combos can have more fat, salt, sugar and calories than your average death-by-chocolate dessert - and even knowing this, I'd convince myself that it was healthier because it was "real" food.

Or I'd convince myself that I was going to have just a small portion (and wouldn't be able to stop - hating myself with every forkful).

After reading "The End of Overeating," I realized that the weakness for, and tendency to overeat salt/fat/sugar might be difficult for any critter (especially omnivorous ones) to eat in moderation. Yes humans have bigger and stronger brains, but giving up the combination (at least far more often than not) might be easier than trying to eat moderately.

[myriadangel]

Cool List

[ghost]

Freaky eaters and super fat vs super skinny both from the bbc is what I used to watch. Also I hear the men who made us fat is loaded on there now too.

[Only Me]

I've been watching the Big Meets Bigger series too. There's also America, Argentina, and Kuwait episodes.

[Kitcherella]

Funny this thread was started now. I watched a little bit of the documentary only yesterday. I think it was a bit far-fetched. Especially about Crete. I have been there more than 8 times in the past few years, I have close friends there and 80% is way too unreal. Especially about a place that has had the best diet (allegedly in the world) and definitely very high longevity.

What is true however about Greece is that we do like our food.
And that research has shown that we are third in child obesity in the world. And to this I can testify as I am a teacher. And it is scary.
Our once great diet full of vegetables, legumes and good meat and fish has been replaced by fatty food and to a significant extend fast food. Even though we don't have the trend to eat food from boxes ( I mean frozen) and most people here still cook from scratch I don't feel very optimistic.

Kaplods, I second your idea. Last night I ended up watching How to be Slim by BBC. And the book you mention sounds really interesting.

[kaplods]

Originally Posted by Kitcherella

Funny this thread was started now. I watched a little bit of the documentary only yesterday. I think it was a bit far-fetched. Especially about Crete. I have been there more than 8 times in the past few years, I have close friends there and 80% is way too unreal. Especially about a place that has had the best diet (allegedly in the world) and definitely very high longevity.

The 80% statistics probably reflects the fact that clinical obesity isn't all that big.

I think I look absolutely fabulous (from old photos of myself) at any weight under 225 lbs, and I think I look smokin' hot at 200 lbs, and yet according to BMI charts anything over 185 lbs (probably a size 14 to 16) is clinically obese.

I think we're so used to seeing larger people that obesity doesn't register as even overweight until it starts to reach the morbid obesity range.

I'm not convinced that 185 is an unhealthy weight for me, so I would hesitate to call it obesity, but doctors (and documentaries) would.

[lovemydoggiesx2]

Since I´m a teacher and bored on summer holidays, today I think I´m going to continue my education and watch Big meets Bigger, Mississippi!!!

As far as eating goes, I´m a sweet girl all the way. Don´t put a pie, cake, donuts or anything else sweet in front of me...haha. I have been known on binge days to eat a dozen mixed donuts and wash em´down with a box of cereal. (it´s a whole other thread that´s been spoken about already, but I was raised that this is normal. My mother and grandmother are still binge and starvers and I was raised that this is normal...=()

[Alwaysbeenbig]

I watched the Big meets bigger episodes when they aired here on TV in australia. They were interesting to say the least. My downfall has been sugar. Any and all sugar. I am the person that can have a perfectly healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then binge on 2000 calories of chocolate (in a space of 10 minutes mind you). I will have to check out some of the other series you have all mentioned.