McDonalds, you know you love it

[LanceOfTime]

I just watched supersize me, and it reminded me of one of America's worst epidemics, most people didn't care, but i feel very negatively on the subject.....its not healthy to be extremely overweight and it definitely doesn't feel good, so why do people stay that way? why not fix it??........why do they even let themselves get that way, its just generally uncomfortable and ridiculously cumbersome... so my question is, what are your thoughts on it? do you think McDonald's is a good thing or a bad thing? should it be allowed to remain in existence? why wouldn't we(the general public) petition to have these discusting grease buckets removed.... America is obese...is it time to make a stand?

[BardTard]

The people that are obese don't really care. And if they wanna lose the weight, they're either too lazy or they have a serious problem. I don't blame McDonald's for people gaining weight. If you don't wanna get fat, don't eat so much, or at least work it off if your body can't handle it.

I love McDonald's :heart:

[Zeldy]

Watching that film/documentary just made me crave McDonalds more. Like this thread has; Mmm, McChicken sandwich..

[Aerith's Knight]

hmmm.. i think that most obese people become so when they are children and dont know much better.. then when they are older its much harder to lose weight.. I suppose some people just dont have the .. hmm how do you say that.. pull through? perseverence?

i dunno the word :p.. im dutch after all :)

[Polaris]

Meh I don't eat at macdonald's much! Here in portugal it's not worth to go to macDonalds. Let's see a Big Mac with chips and drink costs 4.50€ and a normal dish like rice, with chips and a good bief costs plus drink is 6€... honestly I'm glad Portugal is not obese :rolleyes2

[crono_logical]

McDonalds is expensive, plenty of other fast food alternatives here in London for when I'm feeling lazy :p

[Cookie]

I have McDonalds every Sunday. ^__^ I've never seen supersize me, either. Watching somebody get fat isn't really that appealing to me.

[Namelessfengir]

of course were lazy thats why we got fat thats why we dont get the weight off

[Roto13]

I hate Super Size Me. It's such a load of crap. A vegetarian eats fried beef for every meal and he gets sick! What a revelation!

[LanceOfTime]

Meh I don't eat at macdonald's much! Here in portugal it's not worth to go to macDonalds. Let's see a Big Mac with chips and drink costs 4.50€ and a normal dish like rice, with chips and a good bief costs plus drink is 6€... honestly I'm glad Portugal is not obese :rolleyes2

freakin kudos to you :D...id be glad if america wasnt obese :D....dont get me wrong, obese people arent bad people, they are just too lazy to fix their problem, and it IS a problem.....

btw, hes a vegan :) not vegitarian, and its not BS....Mickey D's for a month, nonstop, just mickey D's...try it...your not gonna feel good, not enough nutritrion, unless you get some salads

[Sergeant Hartman]

I think that McDonalds healthy food is stupid. If I wanted salad I'd go to a salad bar or something. If I wanted grapes or carrots I'd buy them from the bloody supermarket.

[Breine]

Fast food is very bad for you, but it's generally also very tasty. That's basically the problem. I usually make a big effort to eat healthy, but I also really like McDonald's.. and that is annoying.

And also, the whole deal with the super size meals and the general size of the McDonald's meals in the US are crazy. I've heard from someone that was on holiday in the US that the biggest menu you can get in a Danish McDonald's is the same as a medium menu in the states. Loco! I only think we have to different sizes here in Denmark (normal and big), and as far as I know they have several in the US going all the way up to the super size menu. Although I like McDonald's I'd never order something that big.

[Blue Harvest]

It's not just McDonalds though, all junk food restaurants are to blame. McDonalds is the worst though. You wouldn't catch me dead in one, not after most of my family got food poisoning from them. I'm always in KFC though :P

[Polaris]

What's the differene between Burger King, MacDonalds and KFC??

[Araciel]

Beats eating at Arby's.

[Blue Harvest]

What's the differene between Burger King, MacDonalds and KFC??

Easy. Burger King sucks, McDonalds is like eating dog:skull::skull::skull::skull:e, and KFC is win.

[Mirage]

What's the differene between Burger King, MacDonalds and KFC??

McDonalds serve worse-tasting burgers than Burger King, and KFC mainly serves chicken?

anyway, I only go to McDonalds to buy strawberry milkshakes.

[Blue Harvest]

I go to KFC every day for lunch. There's one right down the road from where I work. Of course, there's a Burger King right opposite, but they suck.

[Momiji]

It's a matter of greed, really. "Oh just one more-- just one more-- just one more--" leads to obesity just because they don't know when to put the burger down.

Given, I'm not in the best of shape (very far from obesity though, thank you very much), I know when enough is enough. McDonalds is great when you go there occasionally (say, once every 2 months or so?) instead of multiple times a week.

Also, this so-called 'epidemic' is made worse because most Americans are lazy to the extreme, as well. Again, I'll admit that I don't work out or anything, and I'm not very physically active, but that's mainly because I just don't find the time. Once I'm out of school and have the day to myself, I plan on getting an hour and a half a day of exercise.

To me, obesity isn't an epidemic. It is just a side effect of the severe 'greed-stupidity-laziness' epidemic, which is the real problem.

On a side note, I love McDonalds' double cheeseburgers. :3

[Avarice-ness]

Actually, I read on a subway cup that The Whooper from BK was worse than McDonald's BigMac. xD

I was kinda shocked.

Either way, people -choose- to go eat at these places.

I love McDonalds but I havn't had a McDonald's since.. well about 2 years ago. Not because I don't love it, I just have other places I can eat at.


America is obese because they CHOOSE to be obesse, they act like the only way they can get food is through a fast food place that mainly fries their food.
Why don't they eat at sandwhich places, or healthier places? Because they claim the taste isn't as good.

So the taste of food is greater than their potential weight gain.



Sorry, I just think it's ignorant for anyone to think that it'd be a good idea to petition fast food resturants, the consumers are fat because they allow themselves to be, that's not McDonald's fault, that's their own for not knowing how to make home made food or healthier food at that.



It's a matter of greed, really. "Oh just one more-- just one more-- just one more--" leads to obesity just because they don't know when to put the burger down.

GLUTTONY is the overbearing want for food or even as far as hording things to a mass extent. Usually food though. Greed is the want and hording of material wealth. I'm greedy, but I'm sure as hell not fat. Why not? Fast food's to expensive, I won't be wasting my money on that! PFFT.

[Tallulah]

My work is about 20 yards away from a McDonalds, so the temptation is always there. During training, two of the lads, Luke and Gavin, went every day; I got quite worried for them.

Whenever I think: 'I fancy a McDonalds', I will have one, but I always leave feeling damn well ripped off, because I have been brought up on real food. When I came back from visiting my parents in London, having eaten at fabulous restaurants every night of the week, I had a McDonalds, and was really disappointed in it. :(

Smurfing rip-off. :mad2:

P.S: I will not eat at my local KFC at least; I know where the chicken comes from...

[Momiji]

It's a matter of greed, really. "Oh just one more-- just one more-- just one more--" leads to obesity just because they don't know when to put the burger down.

GLUTTONY is the overbearing want for food or even as far as hording things to a mass extent. Usually food though. Greed is the want and hording of material wealth. I'm greedy, but I'm sure as hell not fat. Why not? Fast food's to expensive, I won't be wasting my money on that! PFFT.

Meh. You know what I meant. It's the same concept.

[Rianoa]

i don't eat them because im veggie even though they probably don't have much meat in them any way

[Momiji]

i don't eat them because im veggie even though they probably don't have much meat in them any way

You're a veggie? What kind?

[Rianoa]

wat do u mean ?

[Momiji]

wat do u mean ?

Well, are you a carrot, a head of lettuce, a cabbage, a radish, celery, etc.?

[louby_4eva]

I love McDonalds :D :D :D I eat it maybe twice a week, and I weigh a comfortable 7 and a half stone (105 pounds ish).
In regards to the supersize me film, if someone ate nothing but one type of food for a month they would feel ill. I watched a different programme where someone ate nothing but apples, and after about 4 days she felt terrible.

Smile and Be happy :love:

[Parker]

Burger King rules because of their big breakfast sandwich thing.

McDonalds is horrible but i still eat there once every two weeks or so

[Mirage]

I eat veggies for breakfast.

[Blue Harvest]

I didn't know there was more than one type of veggie...

[Rianoa]

I didn't know there was more than one type of veggie...

ones that don't eat fish and tho's who do eat fish

[Momiji]

*headdesk*

I was making a joke, already. You said you were a veggie and I acted as if you literally were one. I do that to all of my vegetarian friends when they call themselves veggies. o-o

*sigh* The joke has been killed. ._.

[rubah]

I think it's unfair to say that all obese people should be blamed for their weight. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to lose even a little weight.

I'm sure there are some people who are majorly fat because they eat far too much all the time, but I'm positive the majority does not fall under that category.

I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

[Araciel]

Not to mention the instant society we live in; It's easier than cooking to just go to McDo and order your food, which is hot and ready and somewhat tasty to the majority of people who eat it.

[Shoeberto]

I like McDonald's on occassion. The problem with most people who get obese on it is that they don't treat it as a luxury, they treat it as an everyday thing.

The Dollar Menu makes things bad because instead of just trying to get cheap food, people think "Well, instead of getting a Big Mac combo for $5, I can get five $1 Double Cheeseburgers! Score!" It's pretty good or bad psychology, depending on how you look at it.

[Momiji]

I think it's unfair to say that all obese people should be blamed for their weight. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to lose even a little weight.

I'm sure there are some people who are majorly fat because they eat far too much all the time, but I'm positive the majority does not fall under that category.

I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

I disagree. Even if they can only afford the unhealthy stuff, you can't get THAT morbidly obese unless you consume mass amounts of that stuff and stay completely sedentary. Believe me, I've seen it happen to some of my family members. It's pretty sad, actually.

[Madame Adequate]

I'm going to copy-pasta an essay I wrote last year to A) Make this thread EoEO and B) refute many falsehoods


To what extent are companies such as McDonald's responsible for growing obesity-related health problems?

The World Health Organization projects that in the year 2005, approximately 1.6 billion adults (People over the age of fifteen) were overweight worldwide (World Health Organization, 2006). Compare this to the WHO’s claim that 800 million people go to bed hungry every day (WHO Millennium Development Goals, 2006) and it would seem that, perhaps uniquely in Human history, excess of food poses a more widespread health concern than a lack. This information results in some incredulity; under what circumstances could it be bad when there are more people on Earth who have too much than those who have too little? The immediate answer might be one of social justice, yet one of the main thrusts is to blame companies such as McDonald’s and Coca-cola for providing the means for people to be overweight. This essay will examine the actions of such companies in facilitating overeating, the implications of doing so, and will conclude the degree of blame they hold.

Being overweight or obese can lead to an increased chance of a significant number of health problems. Not least of these are Type 2 Diabetes, coronary heart disease, and osteoarthritis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006). This obviously puts a significant burden on healthcare, especially in nations where it is provided freely. This has led to great concern about the current growth in overweight and obese people, as it has economic ramifications as well as the effects on the individual. The younger generation is especially scrutinised and the BBC reported in 2005 that almost 25% of EU children were obese (BBC News, 20/01/2005). The American activist and Presidential candidate Ralph Nader has equated McDonald’s double cheeseburgers to “a weapon of mass destruction” (THOMAS (Library of Congress), 2005).

The concerns about these companies’ treatment of their workers, overseas producers, safety records, and so forth must not interfere with the question of how much blame they bear for this rise in ill health. If there are cases to be answered there, they will have to be addressed in other treatises. It is clear that many already consider such companies to be a source of the health problem and that this ties in with various other groups, such as environmentalism and anti-corporatism, but these arguments must be kept distinct.

McDonald’s has recently decided to include health information directly on the packaging of the products they sell (BBC News, 25/10/2005). This, it is claimed, will help the consumer make informed choices, as well as adding to the information provided by leaflets and internet sites. They have also recently been adding items such as salads and fruit to their menus, a further effort to show they have healthy options. Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me (2004) involved an experiment whereby only McDonald’s would be consumed for one month, involving everything on the menu at least once, and always ‘supersizing’ the meal if it was offered as an option. The resulting deterioration in health led to shock among doctors, who predicted much lesser ill effects, a weight gain and BMI increase which reportedly took months to undo, and has since been held up as a prime example of the ill effects of fast food in general, and McDonald’s in particular.


Yet opposing productions have arisen showing a different result. Foremost of these is Merab Morgan, a resident of North Carolina, who undertook a 90-day long McDonald’s only diet, but was careful with her caloric intake, resulting in an eventual weight loss. (MSNBC, 12/8/2005) Other, similar cases exist, whereby citizens have eaten exclusively at McDonald’s for a significantly length of time but have, through more measured eating than Spurlock exhibited, ended up in equal if not better health.

This provokes one of the most important aspects of this debate, namely the access to information by consumers of these eateries. It is reasonable to presume McDonald’s can be part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, but it is necessary for citizens to have proper access to information about the products and thereby have the capacity to make informed decisions. McDonald’s aforementioned policy of implementing nutritional information on the product packaging directly, as opposed to in-store leaflets or on the internet, allows customers to see exactly what they are eating. Presumably, however, they must purchase the product at least once to access it in this manner.

The effects of advertising are another area of major concern for those worried about fast food. Eric Schlosser makes the case that advertising to young children starts at the age of two or three, and that vast resources are deployed to sell various products, either directly to children and teenagers, or through causing the children to influence their parents. Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation (2002, p. 46) highlights attempts by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prevent advertising directed at very young children. He quotes then-head of the FTC, Michael Pertschuk, who says “They cannot protect themselves against adults who exploit their present-mindedness.” and argues that very young children are incapable of discerning between ordinary television and advertising. This motion was not carried through, thanks to lobbying by various industry groups, and today advertising to children is alive and well in the United States. Similar attempts to legislate against as much are coming to the fore in European nations, and Sweden in 1991 banned all advertising directed at under-12s. This has since been weakened by the European Court of Justice, who found that whilst Sweden may regulate their own advertisers they cannot do anything about channels which come in from overseas.

The commonest theme in rejecting these arguments is a very simple, yet powerful one. Those who reject blaming fast food companies point out that people are not in any way forced to consume their products, and have plenty of available other food sources. In an open, free market, with not just many fast food outlets but literally hundreds of sources of food open to an individual, it is contested that said individuals are entirely responsible for their own eating habits and the consequences thereof. Indeed, in the United States the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act, or “Cheeseburger Bill”, has been specifically created to defend companies against what are seen as frivolous or malicious lawsuits, brought by obese people who blame McDonald’s or Hardee’s rather than accepting responsibility for their own actions. The bill passed into law with a majority of almost 2:1. (BBC News, 12/03/2004)

Another example of legal movement in the matter is the case of Caesar Barber, a man from the Bronx who ate fast food several times a week for some years. He brought a case naming McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken as defendants, claiming that he believed their food was healthy, until he was told otherwise by a doctor (although not until suffering his second heart attack; perhaps the competence of his medical professionals is in more question.), and that the industry “has wrecked my life”. (CBS News, 26/07/2002) The case later appeared to dissipate, and did not go to court.

Another common counterargument is that there are many more factors than simple dietary habits in determining someone’s weight. Some of these factors include genetic predisposition, a sedentary lifestyle, and various other medical conditions and medications. It appears trite to say there is any single factor responsible for all, or even the majority, of obesity and thus it appears invalid to suggest any one factor, let alone a single facilitator of that factor, could be held accountable for the situation.

To bring this to a conclusion, the argument ultimately focuses on two issues. The first is one of personal responsibility, and the second is whether or not consumers are given the necessary information to reasonably implement the first. Although more and more fast food outlets are offering healthier options and better access to information, the number of overweight people is rising. The most viable conclusion to draw is that there are numerous other factors to consider in the causes of obesity. Nevertheless if that were not the case, if diet were the sole consideration, it remains the situation that consumers have the information they need from a number of sources, not least of which are the various groups and individuals concerned about the issue, and they have the freedom of choice in not just which menu items they choose, but in which menu they are looking at. No known cases exist of forced consumption at a fast food outlet. Perhaps the matter can best be concluded with the following statement by Richard Berman, executive director of the Center for Consumer Freedom (29/9/2006),

“Maybe the radical solution is to let consumers - not bureaucrats - dictate what restaurants do. After all, you know what they call a restaurant that doesn't believe that the customer is always right? Bankrupt.”

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Word count: 1437

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Bibliography:

Associated Press, 12/08/2005, ‘Woman says 'McDonald's diet' took off weight’ [WWW] MSNBC. Available from: Woman says 'McDonald's diet' took off pounds - Fitness - MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8916080/) [Accessed 09/12/2006]

BBC News, 25/10/2006, ‘McDonald's puts fat facts on food’ [WWW] Available from: BBC NEWS | Business | McDonald's puts fat facts on food (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4376758.stm) [Accessed 08/12/2006]

BBC News, 20/01/2005, ‘EU takes aim at junk food adverts’ [WWW] Available from: BBC NEWS | Business | EU takes aim at junk food adverts (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4190313.stm) [Accessed 09/12/2006]

BBC News, 12/03/2004, ‘US approves 'Cheeseburger bill'’ [WWW] Available from: BBC NEWS | World | Americas | US approves 'Cheeseburger bill' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3500388.stm) [Accessed 09/12/2006]

CBS News, 26/07/2002, ‘'Food Court' Takes On New Meaning’ [WWW] Available from: 'Food Court' Takes On New Meaning, Man Sues Fast Food Chains Over His Health Problems - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/28/health/main520007.shtml) [Accessed 09/12/2006]

Berman, R., 2006, ‘Deep-fried Hysteria’ [WWW] The Center for Consumer Freedom. Available from: Op-Ed (http://www.consumerfreedom.com/oped_detail.cfm/oped/407) [Accessed 11/12/2006]

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006, ‘Overweight and Obesity: Home’ [WWW] Available from: Obesity and Overweight: Introduction | DNPAO | CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/index.htm) [Accessed 07/12/2006]

Conlan, T., 07/12/2006, ‘MPs call for tougher action on junk food ads’ [WWW] mediaguardian.co.uk. Available from: MPs call for tougher action on junk food ads | Media | MediaGuardian (http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/news/0,,1966613,00.html) [Accessed 07/12/2006]

Lawrence, F., 2004, Not on the Label. London, Penguin.

Library of Congress, 2005, ‘House Report 109-130 - PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN FOOD CONSUMPTION ACT OF 2005’ [WWW] THOMAS. Available from:

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress) (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&sid=cp109vw7gj&refer=&r_n=hr130.109&db_id=109&item=&sel=TOC_14173) [Accessed 08/12/2006]

Schlosser, E., 2002, Fast Food Nation. London, Penguin.

Super Size Me, 2004, Film. Directed by Morgan Spurlock. USA, Morgan Spurlock.

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[Mirage]

I'm with you on this. It is absolutely impossible to not lose weight if you use more energy than you consume. The only real problem for overly obese people is that they've got bad habits that are hard to get rid of. It is a mental problem.

[Araciel]

Wow a full bibliography in a forum post...you make my pants happy in ways most wouldn't understand.

[rubah]

I think it's unfair to say that all obese people should be blamed for their weight. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to lose even a little weight.

I'm sure there are some people who are majorly fat because they eat far too much all the time, but I'm positive the majority does not fall under that category.

I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

I disagree. Even if they can only afford the unhealthy stuff, you can't get THAT morbidly obese unless you consume mass amounts of that stuff and stay completely sedentary. Believe me, I've seen it happen to some of my family members. It's pretty sad, actually.

You'd be amazed what diabetes can do to a person's body weight. And they pretty much have to live off of healthy food and diet drinks. Besides, if you get disabled or elderly (an excellent way to fall into a low-income bracket), you can't help but be inactive.

[Araciel]

Let's just say most then.

[Mirage]

I think it's unfair to say that all obese people should be blamed for their weight. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to lose even a little weight.

I'm sure there are some people who are majorly fat because they eat far too much all the time, but I'm positive the majority does not fall under that category.

I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

I disagree. Even if they can only afford the unhealthy stuff, you can't get THAT morbidly obese unless you consume mass amounts of that stuff and stay completely sedentary. Believe me, I've seen it happen to some of my family members. It's pretty sad, actually.

You'd be amazed what diabetes can do to a person's body weight. And they pretty much have to live off of healthy food and diet drinks. Besides, if you get disabled or elderly (an excellent way to fall into a low-income bracket), you can't help but be inactive.
Ok then. I apologize to the few percents of the population that get overly obese because of diabetes or some other illness. However, the other 95+% of the overweight population has no real excuse. And yes, I'm overweight myself, but not by so much that it degrades my quality of living in any way, thankfully. Actually, it's not really apparent unless I wear very little clothing.

[Rye]

Those damn fat people and their epidemic. The other day I coughed up french fry grease because of their disgusting fatty fumes coming out of their fat folds, polluting me. Focusing on a cure for AIDs or cancer? Waste of time, because it's a much more productive pursuit to persecute all of those fat people before their fat kills us all. I heard it's air-borne now. Don't leave the house without shoving some celery down your throat.

Srs bizniz beams on: Does someone else being fat personally effect you? Does it hurt you? Can you catch the fat? No. The world needs to honestly cry more about obesity and let people live how them want. And as for the "epidemic"... where is it? In my school, we have 2 kids who are obese. TWO kids. The vast majority of my school, and town at that, is thin, as in size 5 and under thin. As in I feel obese being a size 8-9 in comparison. Show me the "epidemic." Until then, I'll show you propaganda aimed to make even children who are slightly overweight feel worthless.

[Mirage]

Well for my part, I'm not really calling it an epidemic. It just annoys me when a lot of obese people put the blame on everything except their own willpower, or lack thereof.

[Avarice-ness]

I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

I don't agree with this, the closest fast food place I have to my house is a Hardee's. Which is a burger place for northerners.

Well me and my boyfriend will buy there and spend about 15$ on food.
I spend about 18$ at Quizno's and 14$ at Subway. 13$ at Arby's and up to 11$ at Taco bell.
When I'm by myself I try to never spend over 5$ but everywhere I go, the value meals I want are over that. And trust me, the ammount of fast food the people eat to become obesse from fast food add's up and FAST. Spending only 6$ at a fast food place monday through friday is 30$ a week, 120$ a month, and 1440$ a year. Personally my GROCERY budget isn't even 120$.

Now, until the weather prevented me, I was going to make healthy mediteranian chicken wraps for dinner. I already had the chicken and the spices and all I needed is ONE tomato, ONE cucumber, ONE bag of romaine and a small container of ceaser salad dressing.

All of that would have made dinner and more for the both of us for under the price of normal fast food and it's much healthier than fast food.

Either way, now I'll be panfrying chicken in light olive oil and eating it over rice.

After having a set limit for money, I realized that fast food eating's the worst thing for my money. So the people able to eat at these fast food places arn't eating there because they don't have alot of money to spend on food, it's for their own personal reasons that isn't about money. Fast food at this point is like gormet for me since I end up going a month or so without being about to afford it.

[Psychotic]

Blaming the OBESITY EPIDEMIC! on McDonald's is old. I need a newer trendy cause to support.

Back in 6th form, I used to there every day for lunch, and I didn't get fat. Why? Because I didn't eat lots of it. If you eat lots of anything you're going to get fat. It's just common sense.

[Avarice-ness]

Blaming the OBESITY EPIDEMIC! on McDonald's is old. I need a newer trendy cause to support.

Back in 6th form, I used to there every day for lunch, and I didn't get fat. Why? Because I didn't eat lots of it. If you eat lots of anything you're going to get fat. It's just common sense.

Seriously. My dad and I used to go to a chinese Buffet every friday, and I'd get like a plate of chicken sticks and a bowl of fried rice, and he'd... well get like 5 full plates by the time he was done.

Then he'd go "We need to start eating better! I'm gaining weight" and I'd respond with "I havn't gained any weight, but that might be because I know how to ration my food, where as you'll eat as much as you can because of the ammount of food available to you."

He still hasn't learned. But he lives in the middle east now, so he doesn't really get tempted by the bad foods as much anymore.

[rubah]

I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

I don't agree with this, the closest fast food place I have to my house is a Hardee's. Which is a burger place for northerners.

Well me and my boyfriend will buy there and spend about 15$ on food.
I spend about 18$ at Quizno's and 14$ at Subway. 13$ at Arby's and up to 11$ at Taco bell.
When I'm by myself I try to never spend over 5$ but everywhere I go, the value meals I want are over that. And trust me, the ammount of fast food the people eat to become obesse from fast food add's up and FAST. Spending only 6$ at a fast food place monday through friday is 30$ a week, 120$ a month, and 1440$ a year. Personally my GROCERY budget isn't even 120$.

Now, until the weather prevented me, I was going to make healthy mediteranian chicken wraps for dinner. I already had the chicken and the spices and all I needed is ONE tomato, ONE cucumber, ONE bag of romaine and a small container of ceaser salad dressing.

All of that would have made dinner and more for the both of us for under the price of normal fast food and it's much healthier than fast food.

Either way, now I'll be panfrying chicken in light olive oil and eating it over rice.

After having a set limit for money, I realized that fast food eating's the worst thing for my money. So the people able to eat at these fast food places arn't eating there because they don't have alot of money to spend on food, it's for their own personal reasons that isn't about money. Fast food at this point is like gormet for me since I end up going a month or so without being about to afford it.
I was talking about foods you buy in a grocery store actually. If something doesn't taste up to par, pour in some salt and sugar and let it soak in some grease to improve the taste.

[Martyr]

I ain't got any beef against McDonalds.

It's fast food. Nasty and unhealthy, but the only way that most men on the job can cram a lunch break into their day.
If that's why so many people are obese, then it's bad, but what are we going to do? Pack lunches? A sandwich can't satiate my hunger when I'm killing myself in the sun, and two sandwiches or more will weigh too much in my stomach and make me sleepy.
Fast food is an awesome, although unfortunately disgusting solution.

There is one great alternative, and that would be to open a fast food place that sold high grade food and had good chefs behind it, but then I imagine the food would cost roughly $22.00 per meal, and nobody who gets a half-hour lunch break can afford that every single day.

I do stomach crunches in the morning. I try to hustle at work to stay fit and agile.I eat double whoppers and 5 piece plates of kfc when I need to buzz through a meal and get to work. It tastes good. It works.

The fat guy next to me probably doesn't work like I do, and when I see him still sitting around after I bust out of the restaurant, I suspect that he likes the food. But he's a minority. He's dangerously obese. Not just obese. Remember that fitness experts think that a normally fit person should be benching his own weight too. That's really fit. I can only bench about 175 and I weigh 210, and I work in construction. I may be fat from McDonalds. Or maybe the statistics are mad.

[Avarice-ness]

I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

I don't agree with this, the closest fast food place I have to my house is a Hardee's. Which is a burger place for northerners.

Well me and my boyfriend will buy there and spend about 15$ on food.
I spend about 18$ at Quizno's and 14$ at Subway. 13$ at Arby's and up to 11$ at Taco bell.
When I'm by myself I try to never spend over 5$ but everywhere I go, the value meals I want are over that. And trust me, the ammount of fast food the people eat to become obesse from fast food add's up and FAST. Spending only 6$ at a fast food place monday through friday is 30$ a week, 120$ a month, and 1440$ a year. Personally my GROCERY budget isn't even 120$.

Now, until the weather prevented me, I was going to make healthy mediteranian chicken wraps for dinner. I already had the chicken and the spices and all I needed is ONE tomato, ONE cucumber, ONE bag of romaine and a small container of ceaser salad dressing.

All of that would have made dinner and more for the both of us for under the price of normal fast food and it's much healthier than fast food.

Either way, now I'll be panfrying chicken in light olive oil and eating it over rice.

After having a set limit for money, I realized that fast food eating's the worst thing for my money. So the people able to eat at these fast food places arn't eating there because they don't have alot of money to spend on food, it's for their own personal reasons that isn't about money. Fast food at this point is like gormet for me since I end up going a month or so without being about to afford it.
I was talking about foods you buy in a grocery store actually. If something doesn't taste up to par, pour in some salt and sugar and let it soak in some grease to improve the taste.


Ew! That's why they make spices! If you ration them right they can go a long way, and if you use them right, they can give the best flavors ever. :D

[Heath]

Those damn fat people and their epidemic. The other day I coughed up french fry grease because of their disgusting fatty fumes coming out of their fat folds, polluting me. Focusing on a cure for AIDs or cancer? Waste of time, because it's a much more productive pursuit to persecute all of those fat people before their fat kills us all. I heard it's air-borne now. Don't leave the house without shoving some celery down your throat.

Srs bizniz beams on: Does someone else being fat personally effect you? Does it hurt you? Can you catch the fat? No. The world needs to honestly cry more about obesity and let people live how them want. And as for the "epidemic"... where is it? In my school, we have 2 kids who are obese. TWO kids. The vast majority of my school, and town at that, is thin, as in size 5 and under thin. As in I feel obese being a size 8-9 in comparison. Show me the "epidemic." Until then, I'll show you propaganda aimed to make even children who are slightly overweight feel worthless.

Well actually, I could argue that obese people do hurt me because hospital resources and tax money is spent treating them and that the increased burden on the NHS does hurt me if I ever need treatment.

I think McDonalds is just a symbol of obesity really. There are many, many ways in which obesity has become a problem and McDonalds is simply one of them. I don't think it's the central cause at all, but it and other fast food chains are certainly a contributor.

As for the food itself, it's the type of restaurant I'll only visit if nothing else is on offer. Like if I go to Liverpool on the train and I've only twenty minutes or so in Chester to get something to eat, McDonalds is an option then because it's quick to get and run back to the train station with. If something other than fast food is on other, such as sandwiches (not Subway because I find it too expensive), I'll take that instead. Besides, a portion of chips from the chippy is cheaper (and nicer) than a meal from McDonalds if I want something unhealthy.

[Madame Adequate]

Well actually, I could argue that obese people do hurt me because hospital resources and tax money is spent treating them and that the increased burden on the NHS does hurt me if I ever need treatment.

It never ceases to amaze me how this is seen as a problem with anything other than the NHS.

Socialized healthcare justifies controlling people's lives. A warning to Americans.

Also: My epic poast was tl;dr. In short: it's not the fault of fast food companies.

[Ultima Shadow]

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/6624/ihatemcdonaldsposteryb2.jpg

[Ashley Schovitz]

McDonalds is expensive, plenty of other fast food alternatives here in London for when I'm feeling lazy :p

expensive here in America you can get a meal for only $2.00, but that's always been me and having to live off the dollar menu. I don't care much for Mcdonalds their burgers taste like boiled possum meat. I only go there to get a Sunday or for breakfast. That's the only thing that they beat Burger King in.

[Breine]

I'm with you on this. It is absolutely impossible to not lose weight if you use more energy than you consume. The only real problem for overly obese people is that they've got bad habits that are hard to get rid of. It is a mental problem.

Yeah I agree. They've bascially got themselves to blame for being obese, but going on a diet and changing your eating habits can be very difficult. It's easy for a thin person to just say: "Go on a diet!" or whatever.

[LanceOfTime]

What's the differene between Burger King, MacDonalds and KFC??

true..i should have said fast food in general

[cloud21zidane16]

I love Mcdonalds and i lot of other fast food, but its not their fault for obesity, people know its bad for them so they need to learn to balance their food out;)

[Mirage]

McDonalds is expensive, plenty of other fast food alternatives here in London for when I'm feeling lazy :p

expensive here in America you can get a meal for only $2.00, but that's always been me and having to live off the dollar menu. I don't care much for Mcdonalds their burgers taste like boiled possum meat. I only go there to get a Sunday or for breakfast. That's the only thing that they beat Burger King in.

Sure, you can get a meal real cheap. But it's cheap in the same way as gasoline mixed with 75% water is cheap :p.

I do agree that Burger King is better than McDonalds though, except for McD's milkshakes. Those are pretty nice.

[Roto13]

Burger King's fries are awful, and in fast food, the fries are half (or more) of the meal. :x

[Finsge]

i'm eating mcdonalds right now

chicken selects and buffalo sauce

[Jess]

It's not McDonalds fault that people get fat.

I'm not really a fan of McDonalds, because I don't like a lot of salt on my food and they have the saltiest fries evereverever. :barf:

I prefer Burger King. :jess:

[Mirage]

Burger King's fries are awful, and in fast food, the fries are half (or more) of the meal. :x

McDonald's fries taste just as terrible. For the longest time, I *thought* McD fries tasted better, because I seemed to remember that since the last time I had been to McD, which at the time was several years ago. But then when I ate at McD more recently, I discovered that they taste just as bad, if not worse.

Regardless, I go to burger places for good burgers, not fries. I usually get the least possible amount of fries with my burgers, and sometimes I skip both fries and soda, and get a much bigger burger instead.

[Peegee]

People have tried to sue McD's for making them fat. They failed. And rightfully so. As Milf stated in his essay at some point, there are no documented cases of a fast food company forcing people to eat. You cannot win a case saying they are guilty of antitrust laws (laugh out loud) nor that they have monopolized the food industry. Ergo they don't force you to eat, and therefore it is the fault of the consumer every time they eat at McDonald's.

That said, I will disagree with Rubah in that I think we should put some blame on the obese. At the same time I have to recognize that some people are genetically predisposed to be obese, apparently. I am not sure of the extent of the truth value of this claim though, as it has been some time and I haven't followed up on it. I will thus argue that if it can be shown that it is at times physically impossible for certain individuals to lose weight, then no fault at all can be rightfully assigned (it would be akin to faulting a person for being white or male). However if it can be shown that in all cases, or in specific cases that the person's actions led to obesity, then, would be it okay to fault the person? Rye says no on the basis that we each have freedom to our own bodies. Heath argues that we can on the basis that obese individuals are a preventable burden on our economy and health care system. I tend to side with Heath, though I feel strongly about Rye's sentiments of our liberty to ourselves (the reason I side with Heath is that I think that we can be reckless in our pursuit of goals and affect others, and being needlessly obese is one of these ways).

I have incessant pressure to lose between 1/16-1/8th of my mass. It is not a good feeling to have considering I was once upon a time not 'overweight'. I assure you both males and females are made to feel as if they should conform to the physique that (allegedly) only a small percentage of the population has, and it is due to genetics primarily (I can never, ever get a visible 8 pack).

At this point I will stop babbling because I'm about to tangent off to another topic (specifically advertising and marketing)

[Madame Adequate]

I don't see how obesity can affect you in any way unless you have socialized healthcare. I have no responsiblity to be look healthy any more than I have a responsibility to have short hair. If you DO have socialized healthcare then, as I said, the problem is not that people are irresponsible but that you have socialized healthcare, because it justifies controlling people.

My stance, in short, is that when I read something like "Obese people only have themselves to blame" I balk. Blame? Blame for what? It's a characteristic. Leave them alone. Let them be obese. Yes, it is for the most part their doing, but to me, looking down on fat people because it's their own doing is like looking down on people with dyed hair because it's their own doing. It makes absolutely no difference in any way. We would never get away with vilifying any ethnic or cultural group like this. We'd be lynched if we spoke about women as we speak about fat people.

You (general you) have created a debate and controversy over absolutely nothing. It is a personal issue, to be discussed by the obese person and their doctor.

[Seraphic]

I don't really think the arguement is about just pointing the finger at people who are obese,but rather people who are obese and then blaming others for their condition.
Using your hair dyeing comparison,people choose to dye their hair,but they dont blame people because their hair is dyed,they did it themselves.
I think its okay to be obese as long as the person understands the health risks involved,but its really not okay to blame someone else,such as a fast food train like McDonalds, as if they brought this upon you in some secretive spiteful way.

[Loony BoB]

All I have to say is something regarding those debating the fries: For the most part, every individual McDonalds / Burger King restaurant is different with how much salt it adds, how often the fries are left to be cold, how crisp the coating is, etc. etc. The only real thing that stays the same is the structure, I suppose - BK make thicker friends, McDonalds make them thinner.

It's the same for the burgers, actually. The burgers I've had in NZ and the burgers I've had in the UK are surprisingly different - particularly McChickens!

As for obesity - I find it ugly, personally, and that's about it. If a person wants to look more attractive to the average girl/guy in the world, they can do what they like to get fit. Sometimes it will involve a diet. Whatever. I don't care so much about such things, really. :)

[Trumpet Thief]

Hey it's people's choice to go to McDonalds or not. I go there like once every 2 months and I love it, but I know loading up on that stuff won't really do any good. I don't believe in blaming them for becoming obese if you go there all the time though. :choc2:

[LanceOfTime]

Those damn fat people and their epidemic. The other day I coughed up french fry grease because of their disgusting fatty fumes coming out of their fat folds, polluting me. Focusing on a cure for AIDs or cancer? Waste of time, because it's a much more productive pursuit to persecute all of those fat people before their fat kills us all. I heard it's air-borne now. Don't leave the house without shoving some celery down your throat.

Srs bizniz beams on: Does someone else being fat personally effect you? Does it hurt you? Can you catch the fat? No. The world needs to honestly cry more about obesity and let people live how them want. And as for the "epidemic"... where is it? In my school, we have 2 kids who are obese. TWO kids. The vast majority of my school, and town at that, is thin, as in size 5 and under thin. As in I feel obese being a size 8-9 in comparison. Show me the "epidemic." Until then, I'll show you propaganda aimed to make even children who are slightly overweight feel worthless.

well rye....you dont live in the good ole south do ya?....thats where the obesity is worst........seems like 40% of kids in my school are obese



Those damn fat people and their epidemic. The other day I coughed up french fry grease because of their disgusting fatty fumes coming out of their fat folds, polluting me. Focusing on a cure for AIDs or cancer? Waste of time, because it's a much more productive pursuit to persecute all of those fat people before their fat kills us all. I heard it's air-borne now. Don't leave the house without shoving some celery down your throat.

Srs bizniz beams on: Does someone else being fat personally effect you? Does it hurt you? Can you catch the fat? No. The world needs to honestly cry more about obesity and let people live how them want. And as for the "epidemic"... where is it? In my school, we have 2 kids who are obese. TWO kids. The vast majority of my school, and town at that, is thin, as in size 5 and under thin. As in I feel obese being a size 8-9 in comparison. Show me the "epidemic." Until then, I'll show you propaganda aimed to make even children who are slightly overweight feel worthless.

well rye....you dont live in the good ole south do ya?....thats where the obesity is worst........seems like 40% of kids in my school are obese and to all who say its the fat peoples fault...yes you're completely right....but apparently they have no sense and need protection(like a child), that protection is the removal of fast food....it may not fix the problem, but it would lower some percentages...

[Roto13]

but apparently they have no sense and need protection(like a child), that protection is the removal of fast food...

Wouldn't parents who don't feed thier kids fast food for every meal make a hell of a lot more sense than getting rid of all of the fast food in the world?

[Araciel]

My stance, in short, is that when I read something like "Obese people only have themselves to blame" I balk. Blame? Blame for what? It's a characteristic. Leave them alone. Let them be obese. Yes, it is for the most part their doing, but to me, looking down on fat people because it's their own doing is like looking down on people with dyed hair because it's their own doing. It makes absolutely no difference in any way. We would never get away with vilifying any ethnic or cultural group like this. We'd be lynched if we spoke about women as we speak about fat people.

The only problem is THEY sometimes blame people, which is what the whole 'suing mcdonald's' thing is about. I agree, if they don't have a problem looking into the mirror then I say be fat. If it's something they can't control, well there is help for them as well. But when they turn to society and cry out that it's someone else's doing...I don't know...It's hard for me to understand since I hit the genetic jackpot.

[LanceOfTime]

but apparently they have no sense and need protection(like a child), that protection is the removal of fast food...

Wouldn't parents who don't feed thier kids fast food for every meal make a hell of a lot more sense than getting rid of all of the fast food in the world?

not necissarily just children.....i meant any obese person....they need help....as a child does

[demondude]

Britain and obesity have become friends now or something the amount of fat people in my school is large to say the least.
Most fat people don't see their obesity as a problem though, one of the kids thinks diets are funny and pointless but I'm the one laughing when he struggles to catch up in the copious amounts of cross countries the school does.

[Peegee]

My stance, in short, is that when I read something like "Obese people only have themselves to blame" I balk. Blame? Blame for what? It's a characteristic. Leave them alone. Let them be obese. Yes, it is for the most part their doing, but to me, looking down on fat people because it's their own doing is like looking down on people with dyed hair because it's their own doing. It makes absolutely no difference in any way. We would never get away with vilifying any ethnic or cultural group like this. We'd be lynched if we spoke about women as we speak about fat people.

The only problem is THEY sometimes blame people, which is what the whole 'suing mcdonald's' thing is about. I agree, if they don't have a problem looking into the mirror then I say be fat. If it's something they can't control, well there is help for them as well. But when they turn to society and cry out that it's someone else's doing...I don't know...It's hard for me to understand since I hit the genetic jackpot.

Good start. I agree with Milf's stance as usual in principle but disagree on how universally applicable it is. I try not to judge people but I have a standard (however subjective and arbitrary) that I use when judging equally subjective and arbitrary values like say, attractiveness. I'm not saying that being obese automatically makes you unattractive but I'd be hard pressed to agree with the statement 'you should have absolutely no standards of beauty lest you deny a group of individuals the status of beautiful in your eye'. In short, if I want to find a person who is obese unattractive, that's my right as an free agent (I don't automatically do this, it is an example).

However, other people, and arguably a great majority of people have villified obesity, whether out of being 'brainwashed' by media's tendency to show aethestically pleasing actors who are not obese on camera, or because it is just a cultural phenomenon in this country to value being healthy. Incidentally because of the idea that USA is supposedly very obese I am not sure at all what to think. I don't have any reputable studies on hand and my personal experience is not sufficient for a statistically relevant sample.

So if we have the standard that obesity is 'bad', people who are obese will feel 'bad' if they subscribe to it, and they do, because society has made it a social norm to do this. (*Now again, I agree that judging people on the basis of how obese they are is a pretty silly thing to do, but that's just my subjective view on the matter. If enough people who the alternate subjective view that judging based on, I dunno, mass to height ratio is something meaningful, I can't really say much about it other than that I disagree. ) This has the fun side effect of creating a value system that regardless of one's decision to endorse, is still there.

There was another EoEo thread arguing that regardless of social conformity, the value of social conformity is still there. Some people care enough about it to conform to be 'good' and some people don't. As James said, if you don't care, it doesn't matter. However people who do care, want to change, want to conform to the expectations, and I argued above that it might actually not be a fair expectation if it can be argued it is impossible to achieve.

[Heath]

Well actually, I could argue that obese people do hurt me because hospital resources and tax money is spent treating them and that the increased burden on the NHS does hurt me if I ever need treatment.

It never ceases to amaze me how this is seen as a problem with anything other than the NHS.

Socialized healthcare justifies controlling people's lives. A warning to Americans.

Also: My epic poast was tl;dr. In short: it's not the fault of fast food companies.

I'm not excusing the lack of the resources in the NHS, I was simply stating that given the current state of the NHS, it's more pragmatic to look at it that way. It's certainly not a viewpoint I agree with, but I think it's a valid point all the same. And trust me, I think the NHS is one of the most valuable institutions that the UK has. I read your essay, for what it's worth, but didn't find much to respond to.

[NeoCracker]

What is wrong with people?

OF course you will get sick if you eat nothing but McDonalds for a month.
The vast majority of their food are Deep fried, soaked in Grease.

Eating very greasy foods, contrary to popular belief, is not healthy for you. They teach it to you in freaking Elementry school. If you seem to think otherwise, you are horribly wrong.

People know McDonalds is deep fried food. But they still eat there because they like it. Their desire for deep fried food overwhelms thier desire to stay healthy. That's all their is to it. Take away McDonalds and these people still have plenty of other unhealthy options to choose from.

[aquatius]

I'm extremely anti-McDonalds, mostly because of the negative environmental effects though.

[Shiny]

It isn't just food that determines a person's weight. You have to take in account, genetics, medicines that person may be taking and illnesses. Some people tend to assume that because a person is fat that automatically means they ate alot of crap which isn't necessarily true in some cases.


Beats eating at Arby's.
I like Arby's like a druggie loves crack. Pecans and chicken wrap! :love:

[Madame Adequate]

No, if a fat person blames McDonald's, they deserve to be ridiculed.

But if you think that's the only time fat people are attacked, I lol at your naiveté. I've no problem with telling morons when they're at fault. I do have a problem with the entire social stigma surrounding being overweight.

[Vikeve]

I hate most fast food in general even before I saw that movie but I wanted to throw up after I saw it. It was so nasty.

The only thing I actually remember from the movie was how his girlfriend or wife or who ever started talking about how she need to be on top since he was so fat and I'm sitting there like damn too much information.

[I Took the Red Pill]

I'll eat McDonald's every once in a while, but usually I feel pretty sick after it. When the bun is soggy from grease it's kinda hard to enjoy a hamburger.

[fire_of_avalon]

The vast majority of you have no idea what you're talking about. It makes me lol all over the world. Do you even know what technically defines obesity? Do you know why people become obese? Do you know obesity has more to do with genetics, depression, disease, poverty and under-education than it does with gluttony? I'm not saying individuals aren't responsible for their own health, but you people are pretty heartless. You'd call an obese person looking for support in EoEO a glutton bringing about their own ruin, but you'd work your asses off to make someone depressed feel better, wouldn't you? So what if they were the same person? Hypocrites.



I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

I don't agree with this, the closest fast food place I have to my house is a Hardee's. Which is a burger place for northerners.

Well me and my boyfriend will buy there and spend about 15$ on food.
I spend about 18$ at Quizno's and 14$ at Subway. 13$ at Arby's and up to 11$ at Taco bell.
When I'm by myself I try to never spend over 5$ but everywhere I go, the value meals I want are over that. And trust me, the ammount of fast food the people eat to become obesse from fast food add's up and FAST. Spending only 6$ at a fast food place monday through friday is 30$ a week, 120$ a month, and 1440$ a year. Personally my GROCERY budget isn't even 120$.

Now, until the weather prevented me, I was going to make healthy mediteranian chicken wraps for dinner. I already had the chicken and the spices and all I needed is ONE tomato, ONE cucumber, ONE bag of romaine and a small container of ceaser salad dressing.

All of that would have made dinner and more for the both of us for under the price of normal fast food and it's much healthier than fast food.

Either way, now I'll be panfrying chicken in light olive oil and eating it over rice.

After having a set limit for money, I realized that fast food eating's the worst thing for my money. So the people able to eat at these fast food places arn't eating there because they don't have alot of money to spend on food, it's for their own personal reasons that isn't about money. Fast food at this point is like gormet for me since I end up going a month or so without being about to afford it.
For the record, you're wrong. It's cheaper to eat fast food and junk food than it is to eat healthily. That's why poor people are fatter than wealthy people. Fatty meats are cheaper than lean meats. Frozen entrees are cheaper than fresh meat. Bread, chips and snacks are cheaper than fruits and veggies. If you're a single parent earning minimum wage, what are you going to choose?

[Loony BoB]

I don't know if that's completely true. I do agree that in some areas it is certainly cheaper to eat unhealthy food.

However, tell me how much a bag of chips is in your area, foa, and then tell me how much a it costs to get a bunch of around six bananas. It's certainly cheaper, without a doubt, to get fresh fruit.

The problem is that fresh fruit expires quickly, whereas a lot of junk food does not.

Also, I don't go by "technical" when it comes to obese. I go by the person who can't fit onto one seat on the bus. The kind of person who struggles to get up a flight of stairs, that sort of thing. The ones that you look at in the street and go "woah".

[rubah]

you can't get bananas at local convenience stores when you live out in the country and car-time is expensive.
</example from article about why poor rural families are so much fatter than urbanites>

[BB_blitz]

i eat at mickydees like 2-4 times a week :Do ya i weight like 240 for my hight and frame thats 45 pounds overweight its not the heaviest i've weighed however what i keep at home is this (you be the judge of how healthy it really is) corn dogs, beritos (<- :mad:sorry cant spell), pizza rolls, stuff to make sandwiches, cereal + milk, roman, and condiments
i can eat for $100 usd a month if i eat only that stuff and i can tell you this for sure it coast me like $180 usd a month to eat some of that and eat mcd twice a week and as far as blaming mcd for fat ppl i dont think thay should be blamed that found a way to exploit ppl and did it just like almost ever corp out there i mean look at wall-mart they have single handily screwed the worlds economy as a whole with there what seem to be great low prices and i still shop there what im saying is fast food joints know ppl will pay for fast convenient cheep food and will form habits so that will bring them in and then keep them there they finished the deal when they introduced the drive throu

[Mirage]

you can't get bananas at local convenience stores when you live out in the country and car-time is expensive.
&lt;/example from article about why poor rural families are so much fatter than urbanites>

You can get bananas in the rural "town" where I grew up, and it's got about 300 inhabitants.

[fire_of_avalon]

you can't get bananas at local convenience stores when you live out in the country and car-time is expensive.
&lt;/example from article about why poor rural families are so much fatter than urbanites>

You can get bananas in the rural "town" where I grew up, and it's got about 300 inhabitants.
Good for your rural town. In my rural town the closest store that sells food is about 10 miles away, and it doesn't sell fresh fruit. Just because things are a certain way for you doesn't mean they're like that all over.

[Mirage]

you can't get bananas at local convenience stores when you live out in the country and car-time is expensive.
&lt;/example from article about why poor rural families are so much fatter than urbanites>

You can get bananas in the rural "town" where I grew up, and it's got about 300 inhabitants.
Good for your rural town. In my rural town the closest store that sells food is about 10 miles away, and it doesn't sell fresh fruit. Just because things are a certain way for you doesn't mean they're like that all over.

The same can be said about your statement. Unless we've got some decent statistics over how easy/hard it is to get fruit and vegetables in rural towns, we won't get anywhere :p. I can't seem to find that article that's being mentioned here either.

[rubah]

Penn State College of Education : Childhood Obesity May Be More Prevalent in Rural Areas (http://www.ed.psu.edu/news/obesityrural.asp)

That is not the article, but it says the same thing. See the third and fourth paragraphs.

I don't think this was it either, but it also says the same thing: Healthy Food Choices Scarcer in Rural Areas, Study Says | Daily Yonder (http://www.dailyyonder.com/healthy-food-choices-scarcer-rural-areas-study-says)

Living in Junk Food County | Newsweek Health for Life | Newsweek.com (http://www.newsweek.com/id/76929)
Changing lifestyles to fight obesity in the Delta—a tale of three communities | Agricultural Research | Find Articles at BNET.com (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3741/is_3_54/ai_n16108658)

Mirage, it's practically impossible to find fruits and vegetables in rural areas. We aren't talking towns. We're talking settlements of people living miles apart who live 20 or more miles from any place that could sell them anything resembling healthy food. People will put gas stations out there, and that's where some people go for food. There is just not enough population to support mass grocery stores (they still wouldn't buy there as they'd have to spend way more money. Even gas is more expensive out there). You're thinking of this with a european perspective, I'm sure, so maybe it's hard to imagine miles and miles of trees and pastures where there simply isn't civilization past one street towns with a gas station and a church.

These are the areas where people used to be self-sufficient, you know, farming the land and stuff. Except times changed and it wasn't self sufficient anymore unless you owned a lot of acreage and had a mass operation. There are no facilities there because they were the facilities and now they aren't.

[Mirage]

Penn State College of Education : Childhood Obesity May Be More Prevalent in Rural Areas (http://www.ed.psu.edu/news/obesityrural.asp)

That is not the article, but it says the same thing. See the third and fourth paragraphs.

I don't think this was it either, but it also says the same thing: Healthy Food Choices Scarcer in Rural Areas, Study Says | Daily Yonder (http://www.dailyyonder.com/healthy-food-choices-scarcer-rural-areas-study-says)

Living in Junk Food County | Newsweek Health for Life | Newsweek.com (http://www.newsweek.com/id/76929)
Changing lifestyles to fight obesity in the Delta—a tale of three communities | Agricultural Research | Find Articles at BNET.com (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3741/is_3_54/ai_n16108658)

Mirage, it's practically impossible to find fruits and vegetables in rural areas. We aren't talking towns. We're talking settlements of people living miles apart who live 20 or more miles from any place that could sell them anything resembling healthy food. People will put gas stations out there, and that's where some people go for food. There is just not enough population to support mass grocery stores (they still wouldn't buy there as they'd have to spend way more money. Even gas is more expensive out there). You're thinking of this with a european perspective, I'm sure, so maybe it's hard to imagine miles and miles of trees and pastures where there simply isn't civilization past one street towns with a gas station and a church.

These are the areas where people used to be self-sufficient, you know, farming the land and stuff. Except times changed and it wasn't self sufficient anymore unless you owned a lot of acreage and had a mass operation. There are no facilities there because they were the facilities and now they aren't.

Im not sure what you mean by "European perspective... The population density is lower here in Norway than it is in the USA. I always imagined my town (and calling it a town is an exaggeration imo) to be small, even by Norwegian standards, and theres more people in Washington than in all of Norway. I suppose it was just hard to imagine that there would be a lot of places smaller than that in the US. I mean, I realize there would probably be a few, but not a whole lot of them.
-edit-
I mixed up the state Washington with Washington DC. Fixed now.

[Rostum]

I don't blame McDonalds for making people fat. If they weren't there, then there'd just be another way for people to eat junk food.

I'm in the general opinion that eating junk food in moderation (what I mean is, you also eat healthy and exercise), isn't a bad thing. I don't really have much junk food, but I don't mind the newer stuff at McDonalds (like the ceaser chicken wrap or the snack wraps).

I'm still very much healthy and fit, and I can still enjoy junk food. Obviously this may change as I get older, but for now I really don't see a problem with myself eating it.

I would generally blame obesity that is caused by eating, a general lack of will power (if nothing medical can explain it) and I seriously have no time to feel pitty for those people.

Oh, by the way, I'd have to say KFC and Hungry Jacks (I think it's Burger King in America), is a lot more fatty and disgusting than any other junk food I've ever had.

Also... Around here in Melbourne (inner city), it's much easier to just go to a cafe and get healthier and better tasting food. It only costs a little bit extra, but it's worth it.

[Momiji]

It isn't just food that determines a person's weight. You have to take in account, genetics, medicines that person may be taking and illnesses. Some people tend to assume that because a person is fat that automatically means they ate alot of crap which isn't necessarily true in some cases.


Yes, but that's relatively rare in comparison to those who consume mass amounts of crap and do nothing but sit around.

EDIT: Yay, post 2500 GET~

[fire_of_avalon]

Guess where I ate tonight, bitches. xD

Mirage, I don't have to prove what I say! because rubah will do it for me! xD



Im not sure what you mean by "European perspective... The population density is lower here in Norway than it is in the USA. I always imagined my town (and calling it a town is an exaggeration imo) to be small, even by Norwegian standards, and theres more people in Washington than in all of Norway. I suppose it was just hard to imagine that there would be a lot of places smaller than that in the US. I mean, I realize there would probably be a few, but not a whole lot of them.
-edit-
I mixed up the state Washington with Washington DC. Fixed now.
The US is a strange country like that. Technically we probably do have more people per square mile, but we also have vast country side. There's a town in West VA with literally six people in it. Crazy.




It isn't just food that determines a person's weight. You have to take in account, genetics, medicines that person may be taking and illnesses. Some people tend to assume that because a person is fat that automatically means they ate alot of crap which isn't necessarily true in some cases.


Yes, but that's relatively rare in comparison to those who consume mass amounts of crap and do nothing but sit around.

EDIT: Yay, post 2500 GET~

You don't have any proof of that.

[Avarice-ness]

The vast majority of you have no idea what you're talking about. It makes me lol all over the world. Do you even know what technically defines obesity? Do you know why people become obese? Do you know obesity has more to do with genetics, depression, disease, poverty and under-education than it does with gluttony? I'm not saying individuals aren't responsible for their own health, but you people are pretty heartless. You'd call an obese person looking for support in EoEO a glutton bringing about their own ruin, but you'd work your asses off to make someone depressed feel better, wouldn't you? So what if they were the same person? Hypocrites.



I think a bigger factor in american obesity is the relative cheapness of unhealthy food. Oils and sugars and carbohydrates are incredibly inexpensive, so those on low incomes are more likely to consume them, making them more susceptible to obesity and related diseases like diabetes.

I don't agree with this, the closest fast food place I have to my house is a Hardee's. Which is a burger place for northerners.

Well me and my boyfriend will buy there and spend about 15$ on food.
I spend about 18$ at Quizno's and 14$ at Subway. 13$ at Arby's and up to 11$ at Taco bell.
When I'm by myself I try to never spend over 5$ but everywhere I go, the value meals I want are over that. And trust me, the ammount of fast food the people eat to become obesse from fast food add's up and FAST. Spending only 6$ at a fast food place monday through friday is 30$ a week, 120$ a month, and 1440$ a year. Personally my GROCERY budget isn't even 120$.

Now, until the weather prevented me, I was going to make healthy mediteranian chicken wraps for dinner. I already had the chicken and the spices and all I needed is ONE tomato, ONE cucumber, ONE bag of romaine and a small container of ceaser salad dressing.

All of that would have made dinner and more for the both of us for under the price of normal fast food and it's much healthier than fast food.

Either way, now I'll be panfrying chicken in light olive oil and eating it over rice.

After having a set limit for money, I realized that fast food eating's the worst thing for my money. So the people able to eat at these fast food places arn't eating there because they don't have alot of money to spend on food, it's for their own personal reasons that isn't about money. Fast food at this point is like gormet for me since I end up going a month or so without being about to afford it.


For the record, you're wrong. It's cheaper to eat fast food and junk food than it is to eat healthily. That's why poor people are fatter than wealthy people. Fatty meats are cheaper than lean meats. Frozen entrees are cheaper than fresh meat. Bread, chips and snacks are cheaper than fruits and veggies. If you're a single parent earning minimum wage, what are you going to choose?

My mom was a single mother on minimum wage (in Texas at the time it was 5.15$) for 3 years and we could never afford fast food.

We ate canned corn (80cents) and a single peice of chicken that came out of a bag of 12 that was 4.99$ for the store brand. That's 41cents for each peice of chicken in the bag, including milk (for my mom) and a gallon of 99cent juice for me.

That's 2dollars and 2cents max for our basic food needs each. I could go to McDonalds and get the same filling ammount for 5 dollars.

Prices also vary depending on where you live. Those 4.99$ chickens from Texas cost 9.99$ in Wisconsin, They're 6.99$ if I'm lucky enough to find them on sale. Also, the canned corn ranges from 92cents to a dollar, and the 99cent juice is 1.08$. It may not seem like much but that change can go a long ways. Even with the cheapness of the food, baked chicken, canned corn and juice was alot more healthy than McDonalds.

My dad was out of job for two years and all he ate (alone by the way) everyday was Speghetti (1dollar a pack) and sauce (1dollar a can), then he'd have some bread and butter, which lasts longer so those could be bought by saving up.

There's a difference between the people who CAN be able to buy fast food and those who literally make so little they can't. My parents for about 2 years (my dad) and 4 years (my mom) were just that, so I personally know from eating Chicken and corn everyday, that fast food was like going out to eat at a resturant for me.

Those people who are able to go eat fast food everyday for even just one meal are lucky and don't really realize that there ARE people who can't even afford that.

Wonder why there are few obese people in the poor area's of town? And not the lower-class people, I'm talking about the people in the dangerous "ghetto" part of town. Because they can't afford to eat at fast food.

[fire_of_avalon]

You're ignoring the fact that poor people are MORE LIKELY to be overweight than wealthier people. I will grant you it isn't all to do with fast food, a lot of it is to do with plain old unhealthy food and I will grant you that very poor people can't really afford fast food. But when you're making minimum wage and you have the choice of a $3 burger meal and a $5 salad, you're going to pick the burger meal.

I'm not saying it isn't a choice, I'm just saying there is a lot more to it than that.

[Avarice-ness]

You're ignoring the fact that poor people are MORE LIKELY to be overweight than wealthier people. I will grant you it isn't all to do with fast food, a lot of it is to do with plain old unhealthy food and I will grant you that very poor people can't really afford fast food. But when you're making minimum wage and you have the choice of a $3 burger meal and a $5 salad, you're going to pick the burger meal.

I'm not saying it isn't a choice, I'm just saying there is a lot more to it than that.

I can't admit it's true 'cause I've never met a person who was truly over weight because of the food they could afford. When my dad was on the under-poverty level side, he weighed a good 30 pounds less than he does now that he makes a.. well alot of money. Basically, he can eat what ever he wants no matter, and he knows that, so that's what he does. That's 'caused him to be in the "over-weight" category and when he was poor he was "under-weight" all because the money could buy him all the eats he wanted. He'd basically go to a resturant and get his money's worth in food, then complain later that he gained weight, and it was because when he was poor he had to ration his food, and when he had his money he didn't because the cost was no problem.

Granted from all the obese show's I watch on Discovery Health, most of them are poor with not so great health to begin with. Not to mention, most of them have gotten so big that really all they eat is fast food and junk food so they are so large they're literally unable to cook themselves a meal with the basic needs of a person. It's like a really bad habbit almost.

Given those choices, of course one would pick the meal. Personally, I wouldn't pick the salad because a salad wouldn't be as filling, and really when you have run out of food at home and you -have- to get something cheap and filling for you buck, you'd go for the burger.

I do believe though, that in certain places people find it easier to just go out to fast food and buy that 3 dollar meal than realize that they could be saving alot more money. Saddly, that's where the laziness part comes in, which is another thing people argue is a cause of the obesity trend. Instead of going to the grocer and making a semi-healthy meal for the night, it's easier to just go through a drive through and bring home what food you can then have to suffer through the not so good food or even have to deal with grocers.

Part of me wants to say it's this day and age's laziness that overall causes the obesity problem, but then another part makes me believe that there are people out there that are either spoiled by the fast food's food and don't want to have to live off Speghetti and Sauce because they lack the taste of their favorite burger or that they just don't know how to budget a basic health needs grocery list. Then again, instead of anyone helping the people out and making public announcements on how someone can eat healthier, we get people who protest fast food. :eep: