So the Fat Report Came Out Today....

[PokemansForGeeks]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090701/ap_on_he_me/us_med_obesity_rankings

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 11 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Mississippi's still king of cellulite, but an ominous tide is rolling toward the Medicare doctors in neighboring Alabama: obese baby boomers.

It's time for the nation's annual obesity rankings and, outside of fairly lean Colorado, there's little good news. Obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year and didn't decline anywhere, says a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

And while the nation has long been bracing for a surge in Medicare as the boomers start turning 65, the new report makes clear that fat, not just age, will fuel much of those bills. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds — the oldest boomers — than among today's 65-and-beyond.

That translates into a coming jump of obese Medicare patients that ranges from 5.2 percent in New York to a high of 16.3 percent in Alabama, the report concluded. In Alabama, nearly 39 percent of the oldest boomers are obese.

Health economists once made the harsh financial calculation that the obese would save money by dying sooner, notes Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust, a nonprofit public health group. But more recent research instead suggests they live nearly as long but are much sicker for longer, requiring such costly interventions as knee replacements and diabetes care and dialysis. Studies show Medicare spends anywhere from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese.

"There isn't a magic bullet. We don't have a pill for it," said Levi, whose group is pushing for health reform legislation to include community-level programs that help people make healthier choices — like building sidewalks so people can walk their neighborhoods instead of drive, and providing healthier school lunches.

"It's not going to be solved in the doctor's office but in the community, where we change norms," Levi said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long said that nearly a third of Americans are obese. The Trust report uses somewhat more conservative CDC surveys for a closer state-by-state look. Among the findings:

_Mississippi had the highest rate of adult obesity, 32.5 percent, for the fifth year in a row.

_Three additional states now have adult obesity rates above 30 percent, including Alabama, 31.2 percent; West Virginia, 31.1 percent; and Tennessee, 30.2 percent.

_Colorado had the lowest rate of obese adults, at 18.9 percent, followed by Massachusetts, 21.2 percent; and Connecticut, 21.3 percent.

_Mississippi also had the highest rate of overweight and obese children, at 44.4 percent. It's followed by Arkansas, 37.5 percent; and Georgia, 37.3 percent.

_Following Alabama, Michigan ranks No. 2 with the most obese 55- to 64-year-olds, 36 percent. Colorado has the lowest rate, 21.8 percent.

Well it looks like our Medicare spending will be through the roof within the next couple of years... Anyone want to disagree that government preventing obesity in America is a bad thing?

 

[Articjedi]

And how exactly do you propose to prevent obesity?

 

[gashmoigidy]

IMO It's mostly a personal responsibility to prevent obesity

 

[Articjedi]

Exactly, you can get the government to curb it all you want, but anything you try is basically unenforceable, not to mention incredibly invasive.

 

[Prime]

I don't know if anything will change in the next 100 years. There are too many fast-food joints, too many unhealthy foods on the market. Grocery stores are filled with unhealthy foods. You pretty much have to be super selective with what you buy to have a good eating lifestyle.

Prices for living are going up, so less people travel, less people get out of the house because of it, and the mainstream population gets bigger and bigger.

Other countries don't have the same problems the USA does.

 

[Qwachansey]

Fast food should really be illegal, it's terrible. It kills so many living things - more than tobacco, drugs, and alcohol combined. People just eat it because it's cheap. We need to have healthier food available for less money.

I would also say that some people are born fat. I was small when I hatched out of the egg in my mama Chansey's pouch, but I steadily grew to 76 pounds and am pretty spherical.

 

[Darkwater]

Really fast food kills more than smoking drugs and alcohol combined..... hmm..... I have to say I doubt your sources.

 

[Qwachansey]

Really fast food kills more than smoking drugs and alcohol combined..... hmm..... I have to say I doubt your sources.

Sorry to say, but that's 100% true.

 

[baby mario]

Fast food should really be illegal, it's terrible. It kills so many living things - more than tobacco, drugs, and alcohol combined. People just eat it because it's cheap. We need to have healthier food available for less money.

I would also say that some people are born fat. I was small when I hatched out of the egg in my mama Chansey's pouch, but I steadily grew to 76 pounds and am pretty spherical.

The problem is that fast food and food that is bad for you is really cheap compared to healthy stuff.

They should tax fast food until it cost the same amount as smoking, alcohol, and drugs and use the money to make healthy food cheaper.

If a Big Mac cost £20 there wouldn't be so many fat people.

 

[Suicide]

The problem is not fast food. If eaten in the correct quantities fast food is not going to affect your weight all that much. However, when one chooses to eat fast food every day for lunch and dinner or even just lunch then you start seeing a weight gain. Essentially the problem lies in how people choose to spend money. Most people don't think about the consequences of eating fast food everyday, and because of this people gain weight. We could eliminate fast food from America and the obesity rating would probably still increase every year because of all the cheap microwavable food that supermarkets sell. So while fast food joints do have some of the blame they are solely responsible for America's obesity.

 

[DarthPika]

The problem is not fast food. If eaten in the correct quantities fast food is not going to affect your weight all that much. However, when one chooses to eat fast food every day for lunch and dinner or even just lunch then you start seeing a weight gain. Essentially the problem lies in how people choose to spend money. Most people don't think about the consequences of eating fast food everyday, and because of this people gain weight. We could eliminate fast food from America and the obesity rating would probably still increase every year because of all the cheap microwavable food that supermarkets sell. So while fast food joints do have some of the blame they are solely responsible for America's obesity.

Finally, someone who has come common sense. Don't blame fast food, or the stores for people being fat. Blame the people for eating too much. Seriously, I eat at McDonalds about once a week and I'm not fat. Why? Because I don't over eat, I eat other healthy stuff, and I exercise. It's really not that hard to figure out.

This is another wonderful example of people wanting to blame something or someone, rather than take the responsibility for their own actions.

 

[Gabriel]

if you're fat, its your own fault. dont blame fastfood for your unwillingness to run 3 miles.

 

[Qwachansey]

The problem is not fast food. If eaten in the correct quantities fast food is not going to affect your weight all that much. However, when one chooses to eat fast food every day for lunch and dinner or even just lunch then you start seeing a weight gain. Essentially the problem lies in how people choose to spend money. Most people don't think about the consequences of eating fast food everyday, and because of this people gain weight. We could eliminate fast food from America and the obesity rating would probably still increase every year because of all the cheap microwavable food that supermarkets sell. So while fast food joints do have some of the blame they are solely responsible for America's obesity.

I disagree. Fast food is so open and cheap that a lot of people feel it is the easiest eating choice. I'm sure they realize it isn't healthy, but they have no other alternative. Obesity rates would certainly go down if fast food "restaurants" were eliminated. And as for that microwavable food, I had jasmine rice with bombay potatoes for dinner last night. It was all microwaved. It was delicious and healthy, and cheap - but it required a microwave and was slightly more expensive than fast food.

If there is no temptation, there's nothing to be tempted by. Oh, and I think you have a typo in your last sentence.

 

[Mew]

I disagree. Fast food is so open and cheap that a lot of people feel it is the easiest eating choice. I'm sure they realize it is healthy, but they have no other alternative. Obesity rates would certainly go down if fast food "restaurants" were eliminated. And as for that microwavable food, I had jasmine rice with bombay potatoes for dinner last night. It was all microwaved. It was delicious and healthy, and cheap - but it required a microwave and was slightly more expensive than fast food.

If there is no temptation, there's nothing to be tempted by. Oh, and I think you have a typo in your last sentence.

And you sir have one in your above, bolded fragment.

Anyway, yeah, I just eat regular amounts, play lots of tennis, and eat fast food about 1-2 times a week (usually after league or something like that). I'm 6'1" and I wiegh 150. I'm redonkulously skinny.

Fast food is not the problem, it's the over eatting. Not getting full.

 

[Prime]

Take a look at gastric bypass surgeries. In those surgeries, only a small portion of the stomach is used. Supposedly, that is all the space needed for someone to get enough nutrition, yet normal people eat until they are full.

Mew makes a good point. People eat more than they need, and often time don't feel full when they should. That tells me there is a biological problem; a problem with people's bodies that their brain isn't getting the signal that they are full, or that signal is being disrupted by chemicals we are consuming in our foods and drinks.

 

[bullados]

I still don't understand how people can say that fast food is "cheap". I can live for a day on what it would cost me to get a Big Mac value meal, it's not that difficult with $0.47 and $0.87 Ramen, cereal, and skim milk. Actually, my breakfasts cost me more than my other two meals combined. Not going hungry here .

 

[Prime]

Explain to me how Ramen and Cereal are better for you than fast-food.

 

[Gabriel]

i thought we were talking about being fat, not healthy.

 

[Jaeger]

And how exactly do you propose to prevent obesity?

I'm kind of a health guy, I run alot, lift and eat reasonably healthy. One of the big things I notice is the cost of heathy food. Its far cheaper to eat stuff thats bad for you than healthy. Some sort of government program that could help with the costs of eating healthy would be a start.

 

[TheGeneral]

I still don't understand how people can say that fast food is "cheap". I can live for a day on what it would cost me to get a Big Mac value meal, it's not that difficult with $0.47 and $0.87 Ramen, cereal, and skim milk. Actually, my breakfasts cost me more than my other two meals combined. Not going hungry here .

Considering the high amount of sugar and sodium you consume everyday, I believe diabetes & high blood pressure are in your future. No different than fast food.