Why Are We So Fat? That's the
question asked in the cover story of a recent issue of National
Geographic magazine.
"Americans enjoy one of the
most luxurious lifestyles on Earth: Our food is plentiful. Our
work is automated. Our leisure is effortless. And it's killing
us," says Geographic senior writer Cathy Newman.
Some of the latest facts and
statistics revealed in the article are chilling:
* One out of three Americans
is obese, twice as many as three decades ago
* The Center for Disease control
and Prevention (CDC) has declared obesity an "epidemic"
* 15% of children and teens
are overweight, a nearly three fold jump since 1980
* Other countries are catching
up to the United States, especially newly industrialized nations.
KFC opened a drive through restaurant in Beijing in 2002 with
more on the way. UK snack food consumption rose 25% in the last
five years. Sales of processed food rose 20% in Latin America
between 1980 and 2000.
* Being overweight is now associated
with over 400,000 deaths per year
* Obesity is associated with
an increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis,
stroke, and colon, breast and endometrial cancers
* Next year, Obesity is expected
to surpass smoking as the leading cause of preventable death
in the United States
* The Puget Sound Ferries increased
their seat width from 18 to 20 inches to allow room for bigger
bottoms
* An ambulance company in Colorado
retrofitted its vehicles with a winch and a plus size compartment
to accommodate patients up to a half a ton in weight
* A casket maker in Indiana
now offers double-sized models
* One in four Americans gets
ZERO exercise and one-third of Americans dont get the minimum
amount the government suggests we need just to avoid chronic
disease
* The average child will watch
10,000 commercials per year touting food or beverages, nearly
all of them for junk and fast food
So what's the answer to the
question? What does this article reveal? Has a new hormone been
discovered that is secreted excessively in overweight people?
Was the obesity gene discovered and isolated, confirming that
your genetics determine whether fat is fate? Does blood sugar
and insulin go haywire in certain people regardless of how they
eat or how they exercise? Has it finally been proven that carbohydrates
make us fat? Is the appetite mechanism in the brains of overweight
people out of kilter?
Although there may be a sliver
of truth and scientific fact in each of the statements above,
none of them are the real reason we are so fat. The conclusions
made in the National Geographic article on the other hand, are
refreshing, because they are the right ones, and the most obvious
ones: The reason we are so fat is because we eat too much and
exercise too little. Surprise, surprise!
"For all the Americans who've
blamed bulging bellies on a slow metabolism, the jig is up,"
says Newman. "A report earlier this year by the Center for Disease
Control (CDC) finally confirms what many of us didn't want to
admit: We're fat because we eat a lot - a whole lot more - than
we used to, and most of the increase comes from refined carbohydrates
(sugar)."
Marion Nestle, professor of
nutrition at New York University is quoted in the article as
saying, "How about some common sense? It's a simple matter of
eating fewer calories. But nobody wants to talk about calories
because doing so does not sell books."
Truer words have never been
spoken. Unfortunately, few people want to listen to that simple
message, "Eat less, exercise more," because everyone is too
busy looking for the latest breakthrough or the "next big thing
in fat loss."
Besides, fat loss couldn't be
that simple, could it? Well, maybe fat loss isn't "easy", and
certainly "eat less, exercise more" is an OVER-simplification,
but the fundamental cause of obesity really IS that simple and
the facts confirming it are now in:
According to the CDC report,
we ate 1775 pounds of food per year per person in 2000, up from
1497 pounds in 1970.
In the 70's we ate 136 pounds
of flour and cereal products and now it's up to 200 pounds per
person - and the increase is almost all from processed, white
flour, high sugar foods. Not to mention, everything has been
Super-sized. Example: 1955 McDonald's French fries: 2.4 ounces,
210 calories. 2004 Super size Fries: 7 ounces, 610 calories.
When you add this increased
food intake (mostly refined food) on top of the lack of exercise
encouraged by technology, cars, video games, television, washing
machines, riding lawnmowers, elevators and other modern conveniences,
you have the recipe for obesity on a global scale.
In all our searching and waiting
for the latest scientific discovery, the newest pill, or the
next breakthrough supplement that will free us from the shackles
of body fat, most people have continued to overlook or ignore
that simple and obvious advice: "Eat less, exercise more."
Is it really that simple? Isn't
there a lot more to it? Well, yes, of course. There's how much
less, specifically, should you eat, what do you eat, how much
you exercise, what kind of exercise and so on. But those are
just details. Often what we must do, in order to see the big
picture clearly, and solve a problem, is to reduce the problem
to its most basic level FIRST before worrying about any details.
A principle called Occam's Razor
was proposed by English philosopher and theologian William Occam
in the 14th century. It said, "Entities should not be multiplied
beyond what is necessary." Plainly stated, it means, "The simplest
and most obvious solution to a problem is usually the correct
one and the best one."
Does accepting this simple answer
to the obesity epidemic make the process of losing the weight
any easier? Perhaps not, at least not physically. Permanent
fat loss will always require sweat, discipline and effort, and
as with freedom and liberty, "eternal vigilance" will be the
price that must be paid to keep the fat off once it is lost.
In addition, it would be naïve not to admit that genetics do
play a small role, so weight loss will be a greater challenge
for some than for others.
However, if we would stop allowing
ourselves to be so caught up and immobilized by the myriad of
different weight loss methods and theories today and just acknowledge,
accept and practice the simple advice given to us in Newman's
article - which we've all heard a thousand times before - "Eat
less, exercise more," we would not only be rewarded with results,
we would also see the fog of confusion that seems to shroud
the whole "weight loss thing" begin to lift. Certainty would
take its place, and that would at least give us the confidence
to continue to forge ahead towards our goals.
Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle
(BFFM) is a fat loss program and lifestyle which acknowledges
the real, simple solution to fat loss: Eat (a little) Less,
Exercise (a whole lot) more. Don't allow yourself remain or
become a part of these chilling obesity epidemic statistics.
To learn more, visit: www.BurnTheFat.com
About Tom Venuto
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural
bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified strength
coach (CSCS), and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book
in the world, "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle." Tom has written
hundreds of articles and been featured in IRONMAN magazine,
Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, CO-ED magazine,
Exercise for Men and Mens Exercise. For more information about
Tom's e-book, visit the Burn The Fat website at www.BurnTheFat.com.
To get Tom's FREE monthly fitness newsletter, visit: www.tomvenuto.com
