A tax on sugar would be wonderful! I am all for Sin Taxes! At least it will make one stop and think, "How bad do I want it??"

And I am not a calorie counter by any means, yet seeing that a small hamburger the size of my palm is actually 600+ calories made me balk more than once and think twice about fast food!

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny:
Great post, and I think it nails it in terms of the diet industry. How many of us in the 80s and 90s were swayed by diet foods? How many people are addicted to diet cola? Fat free mayo? Reduced fat potato chips (anyone remember Oleastra?), artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, the list of weightloss gimmicks that have treated human beings as guinea pigs for the latest chemicals is long and terrifying. The manufacturing of food such as chicken nuggets (is it really chicken - NO), beef patties (animal byproducts washed in ammonia), nitrates, nitrites, the genetic modification of crops, the injection of preservatives to sustain shelf life, modify the color, enhance the flavor, the exhorbitant amount of money research spent on making a cheetoh just crispy enough but not too crispy, just salty enough but not too salty is something that is being done TO US in order to expand THEIR profits.

Is it a coincidence that obesity runs rampant? That diseases such as crohn's, celiac, metabolic syndrome are reaching record highs, the rise of peanut and other allergies, asthma and other environmental attacks on our bodies are just due to our own faults? There are certain ingredients, chemicals, methods of growing food that are banned in other countries doesn't concern you? The inhumane ways that farm animals are raised, the extreme power of the corn lobby on legislation, these are not things that play a role in our health?

Like I said, I don't shun responsibility from myself, I know fully well how I have participated in my own demise. But when you live in a country where the almighty dollar reigns supreme over humanity you're going to fall victim to gimmicks on your quest to health and many people fell for it, I remember very clearly the moment I decided to switch to diet cola to save on calories and how my weight spiraled out of control shortly thereafter. I'm sorry but the fat-free cheese and the reduced fat stuff did nothing but harm us.

Great post as well. Other countries have very successfully said to food companies you will do business within this context. Do they make profits? Of course. But not the expense of the vast health consequences we have here. So maybe a very few aren't getting as wealthy but the overall wealth in the country goes up many fold because of lower health care. And the overall quality of living, being alive goes up there also.

Ask people in Haiti how well almost no government and regulation are. That's what they have there. It isn't some nirvana. The same companies not caring about you or me we have here in the U.S. with even fewer or no regulations? Yeah that will work well.....not.

There's also things cities can do to make physical activity more accessible for people. And I'm not just talking about physical education. Sidewalks! Parks! Things like that.

Originally Posted by Hamoco350:
It has become common to treat fat people (particularly women, mind you) as second rate or weak in comparison to others.

This is particularly harmful. I think of myself as someone strong, resilient, hard working and motivated. You wouldn't know that about me just by looking at me. My outside tells people I'm a lazy slob. I think I might have the same mindset, I just assume that thinner people work harder than I do, don't they?

Wannabeskinny, it sounds like the person who's 115lbs and complaining has her own crippling food-control problems. Eating disorders exist in men and skinny people too

It's true she may have her own issues, they may or may not be with food. In my observations nobody is perfect. A person may find it doable to maintain their weight, and resist temptations but may fail elsewhere in their lives. They may drink or gamble or have some mother vice. I don't know this person well, just enough to know that she has some string opinions and a strong personality. She clearly doesn't believe that eating disorders are real otherwise I don't think she would've said "I'm sick of hearing about eating disorders!" You wouldn't go around saying "I'm sick of hearing about cancer!" because you don't question it's validity. One of the hardest things for us to accept us that we CAN change. People are us and think that if we really wanted to change we could. All the guilt that comes with that is horrible.

I do think losing weight is much harder for some people. For example, I do not have a problem with gambling. I do gamble sometimes (it's fine, nothing awesome, I don't care for it really), then stop and don't think about it ever. I would NEVER say, "God, why can't so-called 'gambling addicts' just stop gambling. It's so easy - I don't have a problem with it at all. I work to be careful with my money, and so can they!" That's just stupid. And I've also never had a gambling problem, so I wouldn't spout off advice to people who do. What the heck do I know? And I would NEVER say it isn't a 'real problem,' that it's just people being lazy and having no willpower. That would be so ridiculous that I can't even. I feel similarly about people who have never struggled with weight or food. They don't really know.

Just my opinion.

I agree with several posters that we are ultimately responsible for a large part of our health. However, industries and governments and cultures can play a huge part in it.

For example, I don't think South Korea has a nation of stronger-willed, better people because their national adult obesity rate is so low (low single digits, in fact, though it is rising). I think that in general they do more things that promote a healthier weight; they eat more whole foods, less crap, walk more and take more public transportation. Why? Their culture/government/industries support it (not necessarily on purpose, but it works out that way).