Has anyone here caught the Weight Watchers commercial? stating how large number of Australian's are overweight? Its quite overwhelming to think that a great sporting nation like Australia is considered to be overweight.

I blame all the fast food culture thats been developed, people don't have the time to prepare healthy food anymore and no exercise is done. I know i emotional eat sometime, and yes its unhealthy, but i manage to exercise regularly.

What do you think are the contributors to the overweight dilemma?

The commercial is here if u've yet to see it

http://www.letsgetstarted.com.au/

Hi anchor,

It's just before bed and I just happen to spot your thread/post and read, and though I'm yet to see the commerical you spoke of and not yet ready to check it out, all I can say, is that about 2wks. ago I read a series of articles in the Australian news about far, far too, too many people drinking themselves stupid. I mean that was literally one of many News headlines. The articles were all about booze and resulting brain damage,

......and so my guess is perhaps a contributing factor to the overweight dilemma that you mention here is BEER . Bottle upon bottle, Cases upon cases, kegs upon kegs, and all routine and spread out over an extended period of time. That could certainly do it.

That commercial could just as well be here in the US, because the overweight population is everywhere here too.

For a matter of fact, one of the things that impressed me about the Australian articles on drinking was the direct link to and discussion of (I think it was thousand's of people) with alcohol brain damage and in need of services; plus, the need for greater services and treatment regarding this.

I wondered why, I had never once read, viewed or heard anything about this link and discussion of it anywhere around here. I mean, the city I live in (though it's not much of a city IMO), is known and rampant with heavy, chronic drinking(ers), and so it seems to be everywhere else, as well.

Hope

MMMM I best have another beer and think about this one, as i watch my big juicy rump steak being cooked to perfection on the BBQ.

I had no idea! I thought obesity was only an epidemic in the states, and that the rest of the world was disappointed in Americans for not having more self-control. Well, I guess the rest of the world already has a list of complaints against Americans...(ducking and running)...half joking.

I just wonder what was the cause is? Does anyone else remember the 70's when everyone was slender?
Does anyone have ab idea why obesity is such an epidemic now? Is the internet, Sega gameboys, and all that stuff to blame? Should we get off our bums and go outside and play?

I think its quite known that Australians are also heavy drinkers, so i dont doubt the fact that drinking is one of the reasons. I also think its the fast food/ junk food and laziness combo that mainly contributes to the overweight epidemic. I drink quite often, heavily and atleast twice a week, indulge myself in fatty, oily foods on a few occasions. But as i stated earlier, i like to exercise, and being a great outdoors country, its perfect. Others lack in this department.

Its quite hard to resist all the fast food and junk food though, all the advertisements just makes it quite hard to resist. Where i work in the city, theres atleast 10 MacDonald's(despise MacDonald's) in a km strip, its just too hard to avoid.

Yep, there are a lot of people over-weight, however; that information is firstly from a diet company who wants more business, secondly the facts and figures are old, as the nation was in diar shit two years ago, yet most have gotten onboard the last couple of years with the National control your weight programs, diet, exercise, etc....

Yes, beer creates a lot of males weight problems here. It got out of hand for a few years, teens getting way over weight, even still over weight today, yet getting better. I believe most countries had the same problem going back over the last decade, I believe due to the computer age really hitting home, ie. gaming and the www. I believe most countries have got it in check now, yet still a long way to obviously go world wide, and here in Australia most definitely.

Basically, being over weight here you will get frowned upon nowadays, told to lose it and get healthy. Beer is a huge issue though, especially being an Australian icon, yes... icon, beer is near worshipped hear by most males, some females. Beer is just about all fat.... hence why I have never drunk it well.... definitely a spirits man I am.

Some of the issue though here is now going to the other extreme end, where more males and females are losing their weight then going anorexic pretty much well. Extreme one end or the other it seems.... both being a mental issue as far as I'm concerned. I believe in healthy weight myself, not fat, not too thin, just right.

OK, maybe I am reading or recalling outdated info. But I thought brain damage from drinking was a pregnant mother screwing up her kid. Brain damage from drinking was not a real issues since the same brain cells regenerate, but I guess if you never let up you can be stupid and stay that way. If not damn my damn near genius hubs would have been more than I could of handled if he never drank in his crazy college years.

Fat... I have learned it takes as much time to have a true culinary experience (you would be amazed) in the same amount time as to get in your car and sit in line. It is not a time issue, it is laziness. I know I got lazy in the last couple years and have the bulk to show it. Even when I opted for nasty Hamburger Helper instead of sitting down with a big knife and most of the produce section. I am happy I am getting off my ass now and not overwhelmed by the long list of veggies to cut. For us I can understand, but for a normal person... Take 30 minutes at the grocer.

I’ve often wondered if the obesity problem in western countries is due in part to a backlash against the ‘perfection’ thrown at us (men and women) day in and day out in the media. TV, movies, newspapers, magazines, and the internet. These standards of perfection are so unattainable that even the models can’t reach them and have to be airbrushed in pictures. Growing up in southern California during the late 70’s/early 80’s (can you say Farrah?), if you weren’t blonde, blue eyed, tanned and perfect…forget it! I spent more time, energy and money trying to achieve the unachievable and hating myself because I couldn’t do it. A generation ago people’s standards of beauty were more realistic-Marilyn Monroe was a healthy size 12. Late 60’s to early 70’s thin became ‘in’ and unrealistic expectations of what we should look like took hold. It took until I was in my early 30’s for me to finally accept myself for who I am. A lot of people never do and hate themselves so much that they can end up destroying themselves with food.

I think another reason is the cost of good food. I buy fresh fruits and veggie and good meat (chicken, fish, and turkey) for my family every week and I feel like I’m breaking the bank sometimes. Hell, a loaf of wheat bread can be 40-50% higher than white bread. But I can buy processed food for half the cost of fresh. A hundred years ago if someone was overweight, it was a sign that they were wealthy because they didn’t have to struggle for money for food. Thin people were poor. Now it’s generally the opposite. It seems (in my unscientific study of this) that a great deal of obese people are the poorer ones in society. Changing dietary habits are wonderful, but if you can’t afford food that’s not loaded down with salt, sugar, preservatives and fat…what’s the point?

This isn’t one of those easy, one-answer things. A lot of different variables are involved and have been mentioned here: TV, video games, lack of exercise, inactivity, laziness, and computers. Plus psychological factors, genetics (you can’t get away from the genes!), eating habits, how you were raised, etc. There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed first so that when someone loses the weight that it stays off. Unfortunately it’s not as easy as telling someone to just ‘push back from the table a little more often’.

Lisa

I think the obesity issue is quite simple really.... we once used to hunt an grow our food, we had to work to eat; now we just open the fridge, buy it off the supermarket shelf, drive through and have it fast, open the pantry.... that IMHO is the problem to global obesity.

True Anthony...Then we sit at the computer to eat our dinner, or watch TV while shoveling the food down our throats......

I really should get up off my ass and hit the treadmill....Alright maybe tomorrow...LOL!!!!