To Be Fitter or Fatter in America?

It used to be that when I returned to the US after traveling overseas I was often struck by the size of the automobiles—you know, people in the States drive really big cars in comparison to other parts of the world.  However, returning from my latest trip overseas, it was not the size of the cars, but the size of the people, that attracted my attention.  When people in the US are so much bigger than they used to be that I actually notice the, um, physical largesse, around me as distinctly different from human beings elsewhere in the world, well, there’s something going on here.  And apparently, what I am seeing is not all in my head. 

Obesity is indeed on the rise in the US.  According to recent statistics, three out of five Americans are overweight (carrying more body weight than is normal or healthy for their age and build) and one out of five is obese (grossly overweight).  One out of five!  And as if that's not alarming enough, one out of three children is overweight or obese. 

Now, I realize that there are people who have medical conditions or genetic predispositions for overweight that are beyond their control.  Then, there are those who may not be able to afford healthier diets.  However, I suspect that there are many, if not more, overweight people who are choosing lifestyles of fatness over fitness for a variety of reasons, including things like emotional eating, general ignorance about health, and the current supersizing culture of our country.  And as politically incorrect as this may seem to some, I think that being overweight is a problem. 

Before those of you inclined to be upset with me, get upset (or more upset) with me, let me explain (or dig my hole deeper, as the case may be) what I mean in defining overweight as a problem.  Then, I'll offer some practical tips for staying fitter.

Being overweight because of a medical condition is a disease that one may or may not consider to be a problem.  Being overweight and healthy is a risk, but as long as you are healthy and relatively happy--living large is not necessarily a problem.  However, being overweight and unhealthy when you can choose fitness over fatness is a problem.  In other words, having more body weight than is normal for your age or build when you are capable of being fitter is a risk because being overweight increases your chances of having health problems later.  Having more body weight than is healthy when you are capable of being fitter is a problem because you are already harming your health.  Moreover, when having more body weight than is healthy is becoming the new norm--with consequences like growing numbers of children diagnosed with life-threatening health issues directly related to unhealthy eating--I am of the opinion that this is a major problem, if not a crisis.

While I am definitely not an expert and don’t have any easy answers, I do have a few common-sense thoughts for staying healthier, especially as we enter the holiday season in which we Americans tend to overeat.  Assuming that you are someone who has a choice in the matter, and would prefer to be fitter rather than fatter (I know, this sounds like copy from a fitness book by Dr Seuss), here are a few simple suggestions:

1. Eat food.  Recently watching a panel discussion on The Politics of Obesity (found at Integral Options Café),I was struck by Joan Gussow’s simpleadvice to eat food—you know, simple, unadulterated, unprocessed food, the stuff that humans have been eating since the beginning of time.  That sounded like really good advice, so I’m repeating it here: eat food—not food products or the stuff that passes for food just because you can eat it, but the nutritious stuff that actually lived on earth before you placed it in your mouth.  Regardless of whether or not your diet contains the right amounts of this or that, a diet of real food seems like a good place to start.

2. Move—more than you eat.  Human beings are not meant to be sedentary creatures.  We are born writhing bodies of energy in motion who must continue to move throughout our lives to be healthy.  You have to move more than you eat to maintain a healthy body weight, so suck it up and make the time to exercise everyday.  And don’t tell me that you don’t have time or can’t afford it.  Seriously.  You don’t have to have a gym membership and a personal trainer.  Take the stairs.  Walk.  Inconvenience yourself.  Do some push-ups, sit-ups...remember jump rope and jumping jacks?  Or just play some good music and dance yourself silly.  

3. Cook or learn to cook.  If you know how to cook, cook.  If you don’t know how to cook, learn—preferably from someone who is healthy or at least from a healthy cookbook.  Eat at home and pack your own meals whenever you can.  Chances are that home-cooked meals are a lot healthier than anything you will eat at a restaurant or any of the prepackaged, reheat-able supermarket options.  Plus, you are likely to save money and avoid the ridiculous, over-sized portions common in the food industry, thus not overeating or wasting left-over food.

4. Don’t buy junk food.  Duh.  If you are like most people, there are unhealthy products that make it into your grocery bag that you can not trust yourself to eat in any responsible way—products that somehow override any capacity for sensible, self-disciplined moderation.  Potato chips, pizza, ice-cream, cookies, soda, and candy are among the usual sweet and salty suspects that disguise themselves in “family-size” packages that you somehow manage to eat as a single serving in a single sitting and still crave more.  Don’t pretend that you can eat just one. You know that you are going to eat the whole package—and maybe even all at once.  And I don’t care what it says about health benefits on the labels—you know better.  Do yourself a favor.  If you know that there are certain unhealthy things that you will eat like a retired supermodel who has spent years starving on purpose(!), just don’t buy these—or if you must indulge, treat yourself occasionally to an actual single serving for a normal-sized human being.

5. Shop on a Full Stomach.  Make a list and eat something healthy before you go food shopping.  You will tend to buy more of what you really need and lessen the likelihood of impulse purchases, and post-shopping binge-eating.  Plus, you might just save some money.

6. Use smaller plates; eat smaller portions.  Living in a culture that encourages us to believe that more is better, many of us fill our plates with portions that look good to us rather than those that are good for us.  Now I know that this sounds silly, but sensible portions on smaller plates look a whole lot more satisfying than sensible portions on the platters that pass for plates nowadays.  When did we decide that it was appropriate for meals to be served on individual plates the size of turkey platters anyway?  My grandmother’s dinner plates look like desert plates by today’s standards, and yet, I was always fully satisfied with my servings.  Smaller plates, smaller portions, smaller waistlines…hmmmmmm.  Use smaller plates.  You will be more likely to eat sensible portions rather than the giant-sized portions that you will be tempted to serve to fill those giant-sized plates. 

7. Say No to Seconds.  Oh, it's always so tempting to indulge in second helpings of the foods we like--and sometimes, even expected of us from well-intending cooks.  However, resist the temptation to overindulge, particularly if you already ate an appropriate portion.  If you are still feeling hungry after your first helping, wait at least fifteen minutes, and it is likely that the feeling of hunger will subside.  And as much as I love cooking enough to have leftovers, if you are cooking for yourself and can't be trusted with leftovers, get into the habit of cooking just enough for one--the appropriate single-size serving for yourself.

8. Stay Away from FoodPushers.  You know who I'm talking about--those people in your life with whom you overeat.  They are the colleagues who pressure you to indulge in food or alcohol, the friends who can't celebrate or commiserate without chocolate, or the family members who encourage you to eat all sorts of things that you know aren't good for you or make fun of you for eating "healthy."  Do whatever you can to avoid these foodpushers and if you can't avoid them, refuse to succomb to their pressure.  You will feel better about yourself in the long run.

9. Enlist Support.  Tell people in your life that you are choosing fitness over fatness, and ask for their support.  Let them know how they can help you, whether it is reminding you nicely to exercise, or no longer offering you fattening food, or joining you on walks, or whatever it is that may be helpful to you.  If you need it and can afford it, consult with a nutritionist or doctor, hire a physical fitness trainer, purchase a gym membership or enroll in a yoga class.  However and whenever possible, surround yourself with people who support your fitness goals. 

10. Drink more water.  Plain, pure water.  There are no liquid substitutes.  You can live without soda, coffee, juice, or alcohol, but you cannot live without water.  Drink more water than anything else you drink and see how much better you feel.  And if you can cut the soda, caffeine, and alcohol, once you have moved through the more-than-likely uncomfortable withdrawal period, you will discover that you are experiencing greater overall well-being—and saving money too!

11. Be grateful.  I’m guessing that if you’re reading this article that you are one of the people in the world fortunate enough to wonder what’s for dinner rather than if there’s dinner, so be grateful.  Don’t squander your good fortune with mindless overeating or complaining because your taste-buds want something other than the food on your plate.  There are people starving in the world, so recognize your problems for what these really are: luxuries.  Be thankful that you can choose to be healthy--and of course, choose to be as healthy as you can be.

Comments

[Daniel O'Connor]

Great little essay... i like the fitness vs. fatness meme.

For what it's worth, a couple of additional points:

- eating five smaller meals a day, roughly 3 hours apart, is better for the metabolism than 2-3 bigger meals.

- exercise and particularly weight-lifting is also good for boosting the metabolism so that we burn a bit more fat even while sitting on the couch or behind the desk.

[Lisa Kilp]

Very witty and well written as is the rest of these essays! A pleasure stumbling across reading material for a change which invokes a positive change in its reader! I have taken the liberty of posting the link to this and the rest of your essays on my FB page as I think your body of work is worth reading! Keep up the great work - looking forward to future pieces!! - Lisa Kilp

[Karen Sella]

Thanks very much for the kind comment, Lisa, and for sharing links with others. I'm in the midst of writing a book, so I'm not publishing as much on the blog, but still post here occasionally and will likely post more here after the book is completed.