Hi all,
The March 2009 issue of Popular Science has some interesting statistics about obesity. Take it with the grain of salt you would give any stats from popular media, but I thought they shed some light on why it can be such a challenge to NOT be obese in our culture---especially for those of us who are maintaining a loss.

First (for fun!) the top 8 countries based on % of population for obesity:
1) Nauru 79%
2) Tonga 56%
3) French Polynesia 41%
4) Saudi Arabia 36%
5) UAE & USA tie at 34%
7) Bahrain & Kuwait tie at 29%

Now for overweight:
1) French Polynesia 74% overweight
2) Saudi Arabia 73%
3) UK & Northern Ireland 67%, tied with Germany 67%
5) Kuwait 64%
6) USA 66%
7) Bosnia & Herzegovina 63%
8) Israel 62%

So the USA is a culture in which obesity is easily facilitated. (The only state with a < 20% obesity rate is Colorado.)

The USDA recommends 2000 calories a day (yeah, yeah, I know!), but it is interesting to compare that recommendation with what some authorities think is actually being consumed.

The USDA estimates the average American consumes 2200 calories a day. The WHO estimates the average American consumes 3766 calories a day, and that 1462 of those are from fats, oils & sugar.

They have a blurb on kids' "happy" meals. The suggestion for average calories per meal for kids according to this magazine (I know, I know) is 430 calories. They list the percentage of fast food kids meals that exceed this 430 calorie/meal recommendation:

Taco Bell 100%
KFC 100%
McDonald's 93%
Wendy's 93%
Burger King 92%
Subway 33%

They have a great map that shows the obesity/overweight percentages for each state, as well as estimates for $$ spent annually on health care for obesity related illnesses, people diagnosed with heart disease, lack of access to health insurance, and people diagnosed with diabetes. A cursory overview appears to demonstrate that the states with the hightest number of obese people (Alabama, Mississippi, & Tennessee) also have the highest percentage of diabetes diagnoses rates, and about 14.7-19.3 % of the populations of those states lack access to health care.

It's a pretty trippy thing when I sit and think that 34% of American adults are obese.

So all of this pondering helps me redouble my effort to stick to plan. I think here in Maintainers, we try really hard to not be part of the statistics of formerly obese and overweight people who gain it back.

Have a great day!

I live in the midwest and definitely notice the changes since I was a kid. There were very few overweight children at my school. It was not the norm. Now, I see so many at my daughters school or walking around the mall. My daughters are average weight. We don't eat out much. They've only been to McDonalds a couple times ever. They play outside a lot. People around here think I'm depriving them by not going to McDonalds. We're the odd ones.

I think the WHO estimate is pretty close to accurate to what we really eat. The 2000 calories would be an *ideal* calorie intake for an active person to maintain. However, most people either eat way more than that, or don't exercise enough.

There's definitely change going on. When I was swimming in high school, my team had about 30 girls - and only 1 was overweight. Today, same school 25 years later, the team is the same size but I'd bet at LEAST half the team is carrying a fat gut. Amazing - it appears we've finally found a way to get our kids to stop tearing around: a) feed them crap so they don't have any energy or focus b) overschedule the snot out of them so they don't have time to sleep and c) hook 'em up to all their electronic toys so that they don't have to interact face to face any more. Did anybody else get chased outside at 10am on a Saturday morning, and then only show up to eat lunch before it got dark?

Well, since I'm 64, I remember childhood without TV! Shocking I know. We were always sent outdoors to play, and had a lot of places to do it, and lots of freedom to go anywhere in our neighborhood. I'm sure there were "bad guys" out there, but parents in general were less worried about things happening to their kids. We were constantly playing games that involved running, riding our bikes, jumping rope, etc. Even after TV became popular there were only 3 stations, and not nearly the after school programming that there is now. And we had no computers, cell phones, or many scheduled activities. Sure there was Little League, and swimming, dance and music lessons, but not the emphasis on keeping us busy doing something after school. But most mothers didn't work, at least where I lived in New England. My mom went to work when I was in 4th grade and my sister in 2nd. She knew that the other moms would watch out for us. It really was like "Leave it to Beaver"

When May hit we were in the pool all day everyday. My mother would bring out huge chunks of watermelon and maybe some PB and jelly sandwiches. Of course, back then, (LOL) we had to wait one full hour before getting back in the pool. That was cool with us though because we would make forts or ride bikes until the hour was up.

By the way, OP states the average kids meal should have 430 calories??? That seems extremely high. That would mean my children would eat as much as I do! I shoot for way lower than that with them. For the record, we get yogurt on Sunday afternoons in the drive-thru. Otherwise, we don't go at all.

Also, there are healthier ways to eat drive-thru meals. I just don't think parents do it.

LOL, when I was a kid there were these benches under some trees in the yard at my elementary school. Sometimes a friend and I would go over there and the "yard duties" would come and yell at us to get away from the benches. I always thought, if we're not supposed to sit on them, why are they there??

I am a child of the 80's though . . . I used to come home from school at watch three straight hours of Loony Tunes. No wonder I was always heavy. :P

I have to say, if I ever have kids, I fully intend to make them play outside, and I will go outside and exercise with them.