I have a big friend
5’8” and about 300lbs
He walks, but does NOT lose any weight whatsoever
He walks to get donuts, cookies, pastries, bbq and other things that are slowly but surely killing him
Unfortunately, he has ZERO self-control
He’s in his early 40s and I’m afraid he won’t make it to be middle-aged or a senior
I told this tale a few years ago, but it’s relevant to this discussion.
One of my favorite hikes is along the towpath of the Delaware & Raritan Canal. It is a dense, green corridor with wildflowers sprouting here and there, and large turtles sunning themselves on floating logs. IMO, it’s a natural paradise, but apparently opinions differ.
My usual turnaround point is at a parking lot, and one day a young woman (late 20s-early 30s) approached me and asked–with a look of disdain on her face–“If I walk along that path, does it all look like THIS?”.
Realizing that she didn’t like that type of environment, I replied, “Well, if you walk about 1/2 mile, there is a pedestrian bridge leading to a large, award-winning rose garden”.
Her response was, “A half mile? For a rose garden? I don’t even like walking to my mailbox!”. I just turned on my heel and walked away from her.
She wasn’t yet overweight, but with that type of attitude, she is not going to be able to remain healthy for long.
Not just the food portions out control, but what’s in the food.
Genetically modified, the aforementioned high-fructose, and something that was hinted at in a video I watched: Food colorings and dyes.
By flashing an image of “red #6” or whatever the end of a video on obesity, I’m sure they were implying something. Some states are outlawing food coloring in certain foods.
So what are you saying?
Eat all the junk you want, every day?
Skip exercising
Throw caution to the wind?
Because statistics are on your side?
As much as possible, I prefer to be more proactive and make my own luck
Heart disease and obesity don’t always go hand-in-hand.
I’d give the food coloring thing more than a passing glance. They are alleged to affect insulin signaling, causing blood sugar to roller-coaster up and down, and endocrines, which control metabolism.
So while food colorings may not directly cause weight gain, they may be impacting matabolic systems that regulate what happens to components of the food containing the food coloring, where it goes in our body, how it affects blood sugar, etc. Dysfunction of those systems may lead to the exponential weight gain we’ve seen since the turn of the century.
Not at all, statistics are improving because more people are doing the right things. I’m just saying there’s not some health crisis caused by nefarious corporations. Eat healthy? Absolutely!
Then you choose to look the other way.
I’m not saying that corporations are entirely to blame, but in the case specifically of McDonalds, the late ‘80s “Supersize” campaign was created internally. I don’ t know if surveys or ‘focus groups’ were among the marketing tools used in the development of the supersize program, but it points back to one aspect of that marketing course mentioned a few posts ago:
Created needs.
Look it up. It’s a real concept.
Thank you for clarifying 
That’s because of medical science. Drugs like statins and blood thinners have drastically reduced deaths from heart disease. Less people are smoking now (thank ■■■). People are more aware of early warning signs. Personally - I’d prefer to stay healthy and NOT have to need to be on blood-thinners or statins. Medical research has drastically extended life.
As for Cancer not changing much. That chart is so misleading. Many cancers can be cured now that was a death sentence 50 years ago. The reason the chart is so misleading is because people are living longer. We may be able to extend life of many people, but as we live longer our body and cells are still degrading over time and become more suspectable to other diseases like Cancer.
Even in my 70’s I work out daily with a combination of Aerobic (walking) and lifting weights. I’d rather be the oldest guy in the gym then the youngest guy in a nursing home.
Last point - While fewer people die from heart attacks more people succumb to chronic heart disease.
Watching that semi going down th3 mountain with the smoking drum brakes, sure the guy appreciated the runaway ramp more than th3 drum brakes..
Now I know those “th3” aren’t by mistake!
Yeah your fix didn’t do anything. Sometimes I carptvh it sometimes just let it go.
Which post did you reply to? I didn’t see the video/event that you are referring to.
th3 is your trademark! I’ve already accepted it as intentional.
I cited Harvard Medical School. You cited YouTube. We are not having the same conversation.
Science agrees with you. Understanding Sugar Consumption and Health Risks | TikTok
Y’all believe what you want.
High-fructose corn syrup is one of the worst inventions in food since the 1980s.
I didn’t come on here to agree cozy-cozy with everyone. I came in to tip over the apple carts of conventional and denialist thinking.
And your scientific proof is?
And another canidate for the understatement award.
