Why are people so fat?

Question

Seriously, people in America are getting so big and noone seems to be accountable for their own weight. Having a slow metabolism is rare so what are people thinking when they eat so much?

not trying to be rude but I want to know what is going on with people. Are we depressed, bored, what?

Not skinny, just average at 135
Hey Joshua, notice the lack of accountability in your statement that my question causes eating disorders

Answer 1

Aside from those with hypothyroid disorders, a lot of people who are overweight eat way too much more than they burn and refuse to exercise because exercise is much harder to do than eating a lot. The bigger you get, the harder it is to exercise and then they get depressed because of their weight and then eat more because they're depressed....and it becomes a vicious cycle.

As for me, I eat A LOT, a lot more than people my height and size but that's because I run a lot also. I prefer to be healthy.

Answer 2

My sister and I were just talking about this. We were discussing the fact that healthier foods and organic foods are often times more expensive than less healthy versions. The problem is that unhealthy food is in abundance in this country with all the fast food restaurants that serve disgusting cheeseburgers, fried chicken, and other high calorie, high fat foods. I think another problem is that people get to a point where they feel it's helpless to get in shape and eat healthy. They feel that they're beyond help which makes them more depressed and they eat more. People have slow metabolisms because they eat so much and don't move around! We have natural metabolisms that would keep us at a healthy weight if we exercise and eat well. If there was a way to increase the costs of bad foods and make healthy foods cheaper, we'd see a lot of weight loss in this country.

I think another reason why we are overweight as a country is because we are so damn "busy". Other countries spend 2 hours on lunch, taking their time. They eat plenty of pastas and drink wine, but the key is that they take the time to savor their food! In America, it's all about how fast we can stuff our faces and doing so as cheap as possible.

Gross....

Answer 3

This is a question that no scientist can yet answer. If anyone really knows, he/she would have the next winner of Nobel Prize for Medicine!!

I disagree on the common perception that Americans are gluttonous or lazy. Maybe some, but not all. You'd be surprised how much food and snacks some Chinese eat and don't get fat. They don't necessary exercise or anything.

One of the difference I find is that Chinese people will tell you IN YOUR FACE that you are fat! At least my friends and family. This is the driving force for me to stay relatively thin. In America, people are too nice to say such mean things. So fat people are comfortable being just themselves.

Having slow metabolism isn't that rare. Scientists in Switzerland discovered that some people can eat and eat and burn off all calories without gaining weight, while others eat half of what they should and can't lose weight.

What they know is that people whose mothers didn't have good nutrients or stressed while carrying them are more likely to "think" the world is dangerous and lacking on food. Thus born with slower metabolism for survival. In reality, the mothers were eating a lot of food, just weren't nutritious enough. The eating habit of her offspring follows and snowball into our obesity problem nowadays. (You can search this coverage on NPR.org)

Scientists in UK also found a virus in human brain that can make us eat more without feeling full. They were shocked to find it in more than 30% of their subjects. It is perhaps why some people who live together gain weight together.

Answer 4

because skinny people set bad examples.

second of all, look at american culture. we are the laziest people in the world. for goodness sake, we aren't even willing to open a can of food for ourselves, we have to have an electric can opener. i'm not saying technology is at fault, but it sure hasn't helped much. and to go back to my first point, there are skinny people out there that eat fast food almost everyday, and never gain weight.

you have a negative attitude. people come on here and other places, read this kind of garbage, and believe the world will never accept them if they are not skinny which in turn creates eating disorders.

why not ask, why aren't people eating more healthy, or why aren't people exercising more? being fat is a physical trait. and yes, metabolism plays a big part. not an excuse, but it is a factor.'

**i also want to note, how come fat people get made fun of for ordering "x" amount of food while ordering a diet coke? they make one healthy choice and you put them down? that doesn't make any sense.

the emphasis on looks shows your lack of concern for peoples health in general and more of your worry about eye candy. gees, what else can we do to make your world better?

Answer 5

The US has become so fast paced. Think about it, men shave on their way to work, women put on their makeup in the car.....we're all doing 20 things at once. No one sits down to a balanced meal at an actual table anymore. We stuff down what we think is a burger from some fast food place thats grease laden and full of fat! Slurp down a soda thats in a cup thats too big to even fit in the cup holder of our car.....adding another 300 calories! Then we all whine when we get home that we're exhausted and fall asleep on the couch. This is our culture. Quite embarrassing isn't it? And when I say we I'm not meaning you or I personally, I mean we as a culture.

Answer 6

I live in the USA in Nebraska.I don't like to go out to eat alot because I feel left out not being fat.Is very rare to find slim or trim built ppl here.Than I travel to LA and everyone is fake and either to skinny or on the surgury table.

all this to say.There is to topics obessity and anorexia.

it bothers ppl fat ppl and fat ppl are bothered by skinny ppl.there is never a happy ending to this debate.

Answer 7

why do you care? some folks eat too much, some don't exercise enough, some have medical reasons, [slow metabolism isn't the only medical reason for weight gain], some people are happier and feel healthier with a few extra pounds.
i would much rather be a little chunky than stick thin! so to each his own!

Answer 8

It's because so many people eat too much and exercise too little,always making excuses for making poor dietary choices(like eating fast foods) and not working out like they know they should. And it's not just Americans who are getting fat! It seems like that wherever fast-food restaurants are proliferating,the obesity problem rears its ugly head.
Perhaps this should be posted elsewhere,like the health questions-related thread.Commenting unfavorably about people's appearance is an etiquette no-no!

Answer 9

It probably has nothing to do with the abundance of calorie-laden, non filling cheap food with addictive additives. Having said that, you should have posted this in the "lack of etiquette" section.

Answer 10

Because I'm lazy and like to eat junk food.