Obesity

[jumbopackage]

?? what meal can you make thats actually filling for $1.25? besides getting pasta with no sauce, or bread with nothing on it.

gotta keep in mind, that 3.17 is just for me, a person that has to buy in smaller portions because it would rot if i could buy in bulk as a family of 4. The more you buy the cheaper it can get. Like i said how you can get 40 cuts of flank steak for 50 bucks. you can get 90/10 ground beef for .80 cents a patty. for the price for 10 peices of fried chicken, you could get 2 whole chickens, bake em, and get sides.

boxed meals have to make a profit somehow, if you shop correctly perishable foods are a lot cheaper than the pre packaged crap

Box of hy-vee mac and cheese .59. Butter+milk to make it, maybe another .25.

A whole box would certainly fill someone up. Maybe not even a whole box.

Throw in a heavily salted can or two of veggies and you've got a meal or two.

Or you could have like 10 packages of ramen. A whole package of cheap pasta goes a long way too.

I'm not saying you can't eat cheap and healthy, just that it's less convenient to do. There are plenty of studies that link obesity with poverty. It's not entirely just because people are lazy.

That may be, but normal healthy people can get cancer and have heart attacks to. There are 2 women i work with who have worked out their whole lives and both were diagnosed with cancer within a 6 months time period at a young age of mid 40s so its not just fat people getting sick.

Heart disease is the leading killer of people in the world. Almost twice as many people die from it as do from cancer.

MAJOR, scientifically proven, risk factors for heart disease?

High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Obesity/Overweight
Smoking
Physical Inactivity
Gender
Heredity
Age

Any one isn't necessarily horrible, but combined, they put you in an extremely elevated risk category.

Guess how many of those are generally controllable through diet, activity, and good health decisions, or are caused by poor ones?

Almost all of them, aside from things you simply cannot change. Yes, there are always outliers, and cancer is one of those things that can strike no matter what condition you are in (just ask Lance Armstrong). It doesn't mean you should just give up because you might get it anyway. That's like not fastening your seatbelt because you can die in a car accident.

 

[clonefreek]

They may be excuses to some but until you live the lifestyle you cannot talk like its easy for some. If you live a life where you dont give yourself time to relax and have fun then it leads to way more problems then obesity, like depression lol

 

[capitalcityguy]

I work 60 hours a week at a high stress job, when i get home i want to relax not go home and work more. Yes i go workout sometimes but its not as easy as some who work 40 hours a week and have workout equipment in their homes.

One suggestion. Are you able to become less dependant on your car? If you could walk or bike to work, you'd make getting your exercise as part of your commute to and from work and thus you wouldn't have to carve out "exercise time". I believe this is one way people who work long hours are able to "naturally" get their required exercise in.

 

[jumbopackage]

They may be excuses to some but until you live the lifestyle you cannot talk like its easy for some. If you live a life where you dont give yourself time to relax and have fun then it leads to way more problems then obesity, like depression lol

Working out can be relaxing. I find it relaxing.

Obesity and depression are actually fairly strongly linked as well.

And all of this ignores the simple fact that working out won't keep you from becoming obese. Diet will keep you from becoming obese. Exercise helps, but people get fat because they eat too much, and eat too much of the wrong things.

 

[clonefreek]

One suggestion. Are you able to become less dependant on your car? If you could walk or bike to work, you'd make getting your exercise as part of your commute to and from work and thus you wouldn't have to carve out "exercise time". I believe this is one way people who work long hours are able to "naturally" get their required exercise in.

Lol i live in Ames and work in marshalltown, then i also travel 2 or 3 days a week

 

[Marc936]

Box of hy-vee mac and cheese .59. Butter+milk to make it, maybe another .25.

you can also buy a dozen of eggs at that price and it would feed you longer and more than mac and cheese. bananas were like 49 cents a pound when i bought them too.

idk, i've just gotten into the habit if i know i'm going to have a busy week, i'll grill up 4 lbs worth of chicken breast, shove them in plastic containers, buy a bunch of apples/bananas, and get 3 lbs of almonds/walnuts for 10 bucks at sams club. I'll be eating healthy the entire week and it takes less time driving through the drive through to eat.

 

[capitalcityguy]

Lol i live in Ames and work in marshalltown, then i also travel 2 or 3 days a week

Well, then I've found one of the reasons you can't find time to work out. You have an unnecessily long commute. That is your biggest time problem there. How can you fix this?

 

[clonefreek]

I have started dieting and working out more lately because i am not happy, i am just saying its not as easy as it sounds. Most of you working out has been a lifestyle for most of your lives which it was for me too but then partying and work got in the way. I am not saying I disagree with this thread i just find it offensive because its not always as easy as people think.

 

[Marc936]

They may be excuses to some but until you live the lifestyle you cannot talk like its easy for some. If you live a life where you dont give yourself time to relax and have fun then it leads to way more problems then obesity, like depression lol

its 1 hour a day, and after you do it enough times you will find it relaxing. The biggest problem si people have a hard time being committed.



edit: and no one said it was going to be easy, it requires work, but at the same time its necessary work for a better life overall

 

[capitalcityguy]

its 1 hour a day, and after you do it enough times you will find it relaxing. The biggest problem si people have a hard time being committed.



edit: and no one said it was going to be easy, it requires work, but at the same time its necessary work for a better life overall

well...if he's truly working 60hrs a week and commuting that far on top if it, the odds are against it IMO. I suggest he needs to find a way to live closer to his work.

 

[MNCyGuy]

I just get de-railed too easily from my routine, and I know that's my problem. I'll be good about getting down to the Y to swim for like a week or 2 and then I'll hit a rough week at work, or need to stay home because my fiancee's sick, or I have some sort of evening appointment and it will just kill my momentum. Or I'll hit it too hard when I get going again and hurt myself and then not go again for awhile.

Also, going down to the deli on the corner to get a pop with my co-workers is the only legitimate excuse I have to leave my desk and go outside a lot of the time, which my mental health needs most days.

 

[twistedredbird]

Eating healthy is not cheaper. Having switched, I know. Can you do it somewhat inexpensively? maybe. But there are is only so much tuna a person can eat. Quality organic fresh produce is by no means cheap. We only eat out once a week, and budget for 2 people groceries at $100, and at times that is extremely hard. Treats for me include greek yougurt(sticker shock). I eat oatmeal(cheap) in some form or another daily.

I have a lot of poor people in my family. Hamburger helper, low grade beef products, mac n cheese, cheap lunchmeat- bologna, cheap bread....

Example - poorer family buys the 70% lean beef at $1.29 lb, I buy 97% at 3.99$ a lb. We buy skinless boneless on sale at $1.99 lb, poorer people buy whole chickens with skin and dark meat at $.79 a pound. Lets not forget that poorer people aren't going near healthier meats such as salmon(unless canned then its fried and breaded salmon patties), buffalo, etc. Organic apples run around $2.49 a lb, and usually get 2 or 3. Kashi cereal runs $289 a box, generic fruit loop bag with 3 times the quantity $1.79 a bag.

 

[clonefreek]

Well, then I've found one of the reasons you can't find time to work out. You have an unnecessily long commute. That is your biggest time problem there. How can you fix this?

I dont know if I can, i lived in marshalltown for a year and i hated it with a passion. Nothing to offer a younger single man in the working world, I love Ames and i dont see myself leaving it for a long time. I think Marshalltown was part of my problem for becoming overweight. Nothing to do so i would just sit at my apartment and do nothing.

 

[twistedredbird]

I have started dieting and working out more lately because i am not happy, i am just saying its not as easy as it sounds. Most of you working out has been a lifestyle for most of your lives which it was for me too but then partying and work got in the way. I am not saying I disagree with this thread i just find it offensive because its not always as easy as people think.

keep up the good work and if you need help with food advice or workout advice, let me know. I started at the very beginning and have worked my way through and would be glad to help.

 

[sunnysideup]

I've been down this road before. Back in 2006 I reached my high point of 234 lbs. For a 5' 7" guy that is way to high. So I started changing my lifestyle. I worked out six days a week, I started tracking my calories. It was great. In about a four month span I dropped down to around 180 lbs. And I kept it there for a good couple of years. But then things changed, I got complacent, then just downright lazy. I stopped cooking at home, and instead chose to eat out. We moved from the apartment complex we lived in that had an exercise room to a house and I convinced myself it was too far of a drive to go to workplace's exercise room. All that hard work I put myself through ended up being for nothing. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I hit that high point again. I was upset, upset at myself for letting it happen again. I had a come to Jesus meeting with myself, and now, it's my time to get back on the horse...

 

[jumbopackage]

as a former obese person who weight 400 lbs, I would say it isn't especially something you choose, it just creeps up on you. At some point you know you need to change but we all know that long lasting change is extremely hard to do.

Like a lot of guys, I could eat anything and everything when younger, then between school and work 70+ hours a week, all I had time for was fast food, delivery, and carry out. Exercise? Who has time for that in our money driven economy?

I think there are several problems.

1The general public has no understanding at all of nutrition.
2: Convenience food (see my blog on trans fat - Health Transformation)
3: Exercise is easier said then done.
4: have you looked at a school menu lately?
5: Things that used to be special treats only once and a while (such as pop) are now considered constant food.
6: Have you ever tried to eat healthy in a restaurant? Not easy, and even then the nutritional value is suspect - white rice, etc.
7. Exercising is easy for those who "know" how to do it, otherwise the gym is very very intimidating, and the cardio machines get boring pretty quick.

And for people like me, I can't be around my families much because the food they eat is absolutely horrible. For most obese people, they know they are overweight, but feel trapped and do not know how to "cope" or change. I consider myself lucky that I had professional people teach me about nutrition/how to eat and how to exercise. It requires a complete lifestyle change that according to a study at U of W, must be sustained for 9-15 months for habitual change to have officially occurred.

Just checked out your blog. What you have done is truly amazing and inspirational! Keep it up bud! I know those plateaus are frustrating, but the long term effects of what you are doing are so worth it! It could also be that you're in that magical "fat to muscle" zone which happens from time to time, especially with people who have a lot of fat to lose. As the weight loss begins to taper off (and it will...I went from losing 2 lbs a week to holding steady) sometimes your body is still changing. I'm still losing inches, but the lbs have stopped dropping off.

you can also buy a dozen of eggs at that price and it would feed you longer and more than mac and cheese. bananas were like 49 cents a pound when i bought them too.

idk, i've just gotten into the habit if i know i'm going to have a busy week, i'll grill up 4 lbs worth of chicken breast, shove them in plastic containers, buy a bunch of apples/bananas, and get 3 lbs of almonds/walnuts for 10 bucks at sams club. I'll be eating healthy the entire week and it takes less time driving through the drive through to eat.

That's awesome! I try to plan my meals out during the week as well, but for some people it's not practical.

I"m not saying you're wrong at all. In fact, many MANY people would do well by what you do. Like twisted said, though, the general public has little knowledge about nutrition.

I have started dieting and working out more lately because i am not happy, i am just saying its not as easy as it sounds. Most of you working out has been a lifestyle for most of your lives which it was for me too but then partying and work got in the way. I am not saying I disagree with this thread i just find it offensive because its not always as easy as people think.

It's not easy! I know it isn't! It's actually a butt-ton of work. And it sucks at first. I was 250 last August. I didn't want to work out. I didn't want to change my diet. But I made time to do both. And don't misunderstand - you have you MAKE the time to exercise and MAKE the time to eat right (plan the meals, go shopping, prepare them etc). And then you have to be committed to it.

But once you do, and once the lbs started coming off, it gets addictive. Now I can't imagine going back to a lifestyle without exercise and "good" food. I'm sure it annoys the hell out of my wife and people who know me sometimes, but it's so worth it, and you never know who you might motivate and inspire. I'm down to around 200 now (would still like to drop that last 10 lbs), and in the best shape I've ever been in. It's a great, great feeling.

You can find it offensive all you want, but it's probably because the truth hurts sometimes. It's far easier to bury your head in the sand than it is to be honest about poor lifestyle choices.

Which is a lot of the problem with our country in general at the moment, IMO...

 

[MNCyGuy]

Eating healthy is not cheaper. Having switched, I know. Can you do it somewhat inexpensively? maybe. But there are is only so much tuna a person can eat. Quality organic fresh produce is by no means cheap. We only eat out once a week, and budget for 2 people groceries at $100, and at times that is extremely hard. Treats for me include greek yougurt(sticker shock). I eat oatmeal(cheap) in some form or another daily.

I have a lot of poor people in my family. Hamburger helper, low grade beef products, mac n cheese, cheap lunchmeat- bologna, cheap bread....

Example - poorer family buys the 70% lean beef at $1.29 lb, I buy 97% at 3.99$ a lb. We buy skinless boneless on sale at $1.99 lb, poorer people buy whole chickens with skin and dark meat at $.79 a pound. Lets not forget that poorer people aren't going near healthier meats such as salmon(unless canned then its fried and breaded salmon patties), buffalo, etc. Organic apples run around $2.49 a lb, and usually get 2 or 3. Kashi cereal runs $289 a box, generic fruit loop bag with 3 times the quantity $1.79 a bag.

Holy ****!!! How are you doing that and is that budget weekly/monthly/bi-weekly? We've been trying to incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies and other "healthy stuff" into our dinners and lunches and it costs a ton.

 

[IcSyU]

Too many people don't know how to work out on top of it. You can't go out on day 1 and kill yourself. If you're in pain when you're working out, it loses its appeal and its harder to keep working out.

 

[twistedredbird]

Holy ****!!! How are you doing that and is that budget weekly/monthly/bi-weekly? We've been trying to incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies and other "healthy stuff" into our dinners and lunches and it costs a ton.

sorry, that's a weekly budget and covers eating out(my one throw out meal a week) too, which is usually a family size vegetarian pizza from Papa Murphy's. Be sure to get their coupon on their website.

My suggestion for eating cheaper is Aldi's. They have Hormone free milk for $1.99. We get all our dairy there except greek yogurt. Skim milk, low fat cottage cheese, egg substitute...also we get boneless trimmed pork chops, a package of 4 for 3$, lean ground meat, lunch meat, as well. They also carry a variety of whole wheat pastas and 100% whole grain breads. We also get our frozen salmon and salmon patties there. They also carry a variety of frozen seafood specialties throughout the year. I am not, however, crazy about their produce accept for Romaine Hearts, grapes, and in season stuff. I go to the "higher end" grocery stores/farmers stands for more of our fresh stuff - like apples, oranges, berries etc. I also have a garden, and we can tomatoes, tomatillos, and other foods for winter when food is out of season. We also have a all summer strawberry patch where I get about a dozen berries a week.

 

[clonefreek]

Too many people don't know how to work out on top of it. You can't go out on day 1 and kill yourself. If you're in pain when you're working out, it loses its appeal and its harder to keep working out.

Thats part of my problem, go out there and act like its mid season of high school football and i just try and work till i drop. lol its that football player mentality i have when i work out. I just wish i had a coach screaming at me the entire time, would make things so much easier lol