Quote:
Originally Posted by deano_hoosier
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I've known for a long time that the average U.S. person is overweight. But to find out that the average man in his 30s is overweight is somewhat surprising. It means that a 35 year old has about 40 more years in which to gain a lot more weight if he continues with the same eating and sedentary habits. It has been said that the average person gains about 1 pound per year. If that's true, it seems that the average man should be obese by around age 50.
It's really sad for our country's future because I don't think any health care system in the world can withstand the pressure of these numbers. I warned about this over ten years ago.
The problem for our country, as I see it, is that there's no leadership. And there's no leadership because the fast food industry has bought and paid for everyone who is in a leadership position. We are almost totally in the hands of the food industry. Do I sound like an extremist? I'm not; I'm just a realist.
About BMI: The average Japanese BMI is 23.7 which may look good by comparison to the U.S. but believe me it's nothing to brag about. If it was 18, 19, or 20 I would say okay. But 23.7 is not good. A study was done (I don't have it here) but from memory the result was that the lower your BMI the better, as long as you don't go below 18. (I won't tell you my BMI because someone will complain that I'm bragging
)
Concerning what to do about being overweight: Knowing what to do is not the most difficult part. I think it's relatively easy. It's making a commitment and sticking to it that is the hard part for most people. That's because there's a strong emotional connection to food. Almost everyone can gain knowledge but not everyone can control their emotions. And the average American is losing that battle.