AOLNews: Are Americans Too Big To Drive Small?

[Enter Apotheosis]

It's so easy to say "fat people are lazy." It's also utterly damned ignorant and insulting.

Most stereotypes are like that... but there is often a kernel of truth behind them. Becoming fat is rarely a conscious choice but staying fat is largely the result of a lack of conviction. That's not exactly the same thing as laziness, per se, but it's close enough that the sentiment some people have is completely understandable.

I have a cousin who can eat whatever she wants, and not gain an ounce. I, other hand, look at food and gain weight. It's taken me two years to lose almost 60 pounds, eating right, and wearing out pair after pair of running shoes.

The idiots in this threat would look at me, with 30 pounds or so left to lose, and "geez, what a lazy fat ass." They look at her, and say "damn, she must be really disciplined to stay in such great shape." And they'd be wrong.

Metabolism is a factor in the discrepancy between you and your cousin... but I'd be willing to bet that discrepancies in habit represents the lion's share of the difference.

As for the bolded part, the human body is extremely efficient. At this point I wouldn't bother to even factor in exercise as a component of weight loss unless you're training at a near-professional level. The benefits of exercise aren't particularly quantifiable with a scale.

[Pick6]

But you didn't get to where you are by running 18 miles a week and eating less than 1800 calories.

You are essentially paying a penalty for previous bad behavior.

And in all honesty, running will not increase metabolism as much as weight training. Cardio is good for getting your heart rate up and burning calories, but you want to see a big difference add weights.

[Bibby]

I'm 6'0 155 and I manage to eat what I want at whatever time I want. Key is moderation. It's just all bad habits for people. As for small cars, screw that give me a damn truck.

[Mickalino]

I'm becoming more and more surprised at how many tall ESers we have.

You guys are giving BLTO a run for his money.

I'd love to see an ES contest on who could dunk a basket over top of a defending BLTO.

[Burgold]

Way to go Hog if you are really doing that. I jog about 12 miles a week (on about 3 runs) and in this heat I barely can do that.

[Darth Tater]

Comrade,

Ha-Ha

[pointyfootball]

Americans' lack of discipline/self-control, coupled with the horrible restaurant food choices, cheap fattening food, huge amounts of sedentary entertainment (TV), over-protectiveness of parents and a frenetic lifestyle that exhausts people to the point where they don't want to be active when they have spare time, has put us in the situation we are in. What frustrates me the most is how people are setting their children up for failure for the rest of their lives, based on their awful decisions/control.

I coach a select soccer team, and have a kid on my team that is a great player, but he is in awful athletic shape. His older brother and dad are way overweight, and I've told him that he needs to be running/exercising more and eating right. So, the other night we had a hard 2-hour practice where the boys worked pretty hard and it was hot. On the way home, I stop to buy a Gatorade, and guess who comes out of the WaWa with a "100ounce" Coke/Pepsi and a KING SIZE Nutrageous? Probably about 600 calories, more that what was just burned up playing soccer. What happens in 5-10 years when he starts working a desk job, stops playing sports and continues his eating habits?

Frustrating. And I know it's hard as a parent because my kids are always wanting the crap as well, but it's a battle that has to be fought, even if they're older, and fought often.

[TimmySmith]

If this woman is average height, that means she weighs 230lbs. That is pretty fat, even for an SUV. She worries about the environment without addressing the fact that her carbon footprint is already absolutely gigantic, even is she drove a Yugo.

[karmacop]

I'm becoming more and more surprised at how many tall ESers we have.

You guys are giving BLTO a run for his money.

I'd love to see an ES contest on who could dunk a basket over top of a defending BLTO.

I'm 6'7", but i have no vertical leap whatsoever.

And yeah, we need to stop the excuses for overweight people. Eat less, move more.

[Homercles82]

I am fat and drive my Yaris with no issues.

[mardi gras skin]

Yeah I wasn't small even in college (6'1", 250) and my sentra 4 banger was plenty big. You have to be really obese for any car to be too small. You might WANT more room, but you don't need more room.

I love my huge Dodge Durango but that doesn't have anything to do with my weight...I just like hauling and towing stuff.

[Forehead]

I can't really fit into my wife's Corolla, but that's more of a function of my legs not fitting. I can't drive it without my knees in my chin. Those cars were not designed with anyone over 5'9" in mind.

As for the woman...consider it a blessing. The small car can be an expensive version of skinny jeans for her. Buy the car and sit it in your driveway. Look at it, imagine what it would be like to actually drive it. When she loses enough weight to fit comfortably, voila. If she doesn't, she's out five figures. Sounds like good motivation to me.

[PeterMP]

I can't really fit into my wife's Corolla, but that's more of a function of my legs not fitting. I can't drive it without my knees in my chin. Those cars were not designed with anyone over 5'9" in mind.

I'm almost 6'6'', and I fit into one just fine. I have issues if somebody is in the back seat, but this weekend I made two different trips that were both 2+ hours.

I drove there both times and rode back both times. I can drive it with no problem and fit well enough on the way back that I can easily fall asleep (fell asleep for most of the trip both times on the way back).

There are things that are hard to fit into (normal airplane seats, seats at most stadiums). A Corrolla seat isn't one of them.

[Thiebear]

What are our choices? http://editorial.autos.msn.com/listarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=745437&page=2

seems like we are behind: Again.

Family of 3+ need not apply.

[Mickalino]

I'm 6'7", but i have no vertical leap whatsoever.

Ay 6'7", you probably don't even need to jump to dunk it.

Although you may need to jump, to get past the formidable, defending BLTO.

[shk75]

Some people on here should really google the wallerstein effect to understand why people are so obese in the US

[Pick6]

Some people on here should really google the wallerstein effect to understand why people are so obese in the US

All it pulled was stuff about divorce and I hope you not coming up with another excuse for people being obese in this country. I said it yesterday, overeating unhealthy food and no exercise is the problem we face.

This woman isn't just fat, she is obese and I surprise she can't fit in any kind of car. The article said her BMI is 7 points above the level set for obese. That is really big.

[Mickalino]

Some people on here should really google the wallerstein effect to understand why people are so obese in the US

And some people need to just watch one episode of Biggest Loser, to get motivated and realize that no matter how obese you are, or what your background is that caused the obesity, you can overcome it, if you truly want to.

[Thiebear]

So when we were average size we had bench seats with buried seatbelts.. kids sliding all over the place, not uncommon for a 7yr old to hit the floor.

And now we have bucket seats with 29 settings and heat, built in armrests and supersized cup holders.

Go back to 1 seat 3.8' wide with NASA like springs.

[rictus58]

I am just under 6'4'', and weigh 225. I drive a dodge caliber. Not a real small car, but not an SUV either.

I know I'm not slender, it's something I work on. But people in this country are too fat. Take a trip to a theme park and look at the herds of buffalo in their motorized wheelchairs. Some people are too fat to even walk around a grocery store. Even if I were to buy into the theory it's genetic or glandular, then find a diet that works for you. Your body cannot build up and store that much fat without you giving it fuel to do so.

I also believe in the theory that Mini-vans are the reason people are fatter.

[shk75]

All it pulled was stuff about divorce and I hope you not coming up with another excuse for people being obese in this country. I said it yesterday, overeating unhealthy food and no exercise is the problem we face.

This woman isn't just fat, she is obese and I surprise she can't fit in any kind of car. The article said her BMI is 7 points above the level set for obese. That is really big.

Huh, that is odd and not what I was referring to. The Wallerstein effect is named after a guy who owned a movie theater in the 1960s and found out people would eat whatever portion you gave to them. It used to be industry standard to sell very small amounts of popcorn but it was cheaper to sell larger portions for more money. He found out that if you have people no other option but to increase all sizes they would buy the larger sizes, pay more, and eat it all. This lesson was then sold to a guy named Kroc at McDonald's who used this tool to increase his portion sizes and you know where we are today.

The food industry has to share a lot of the blame but obesity in this nation really is a multifaceted problem (larger food portions, the built environment, dated government regulation, decreased physical activity, etc.). There is no easy solution like oh just eat less and work out more. It really is complicated and why we have not yet found the answer to this epidemic.

[Pick6]

Huh, that is odd and not what I was referring to. The Wallerstein effect is named after a guy who owned a movie theater in the 1960s and found out people would eat whatever portion you gave to them. It used to be industry standard to sell very small amounts of popcorn but it was cheaper to sell larger portions for more money. He found out that if you have people no other option but to increase all sizes they would buy the larger sizes, pay more, and eat it all. This lesson was then sold to a guy named Kroc at McDonald's who used this tool to increase his portion sizes and you know where we are today.

The food industry has to share a lot of the blame but obesity in this nation really is a multifaceted problem (larger food portions, the built environment, dated government regulation, decreased physical activity, etc.). There is no easy solution like oh just eat less and work out more. It really is complicated and why we have not yet found the answer to this epidemic.

I think the answer is individual to be honest. Just like we know smoking is bad, then it is on the individual not to smoke. People need more self-control and I think most would actually enjoy a healthier lifestyle, they are just not willing to try it.

[Rudechain]

Do you think poor kids, or even suburban kids with busy schedules and two parents working their asses off to make ends meet, and get the kids to three different practices in the evening eat the same thing as, say a one-earner household, where either mom or dad is home to cook?

It's so easy to say "fat people are lazy." It's also utterly damned ignorant and insulting. I have a cousin who can eat whatever she wants, and not gain an ounce. I, other hand, look at food and gain weight. It's taken me two years to lose almost 60 pounds, eating right, and wearing out pair after pair of running shoes.

The idiots in this threat would look at me, with 30 pounds or so left to lose, and "geez, what a lazy fat ass." They look at her, and say "damn, she must be really disciplined to stay in such great shape." And they'd be wrong.

Here's the thing....

One would expect to have common sense to realize what is and is not healthy. It should be expected that if your eating foods high in fat and cholesterol then your going to gain weight. Somehow I doubt the woman in this article does a whole lot of exercise with a BMI of 37.

I grew up in a single family household, and even had to prepare meals for my sister and myself. ( yet my BMI is 22) There is some work involved, it means you have to take a moment to research your food and how you can eat healthier. The subject of this article lives in Rome GA. She is not in the boonies, and has access to grocers, farmer's markets, and could even till the soil to grow her own food. If you have a BMI of 37, you can only blame yourself.

As for her choice of vehicle, when your that big, then you have to drive a bigger car. Which means your paying more for fuel and maintenance on the larger vehicle.

HH, glad to see your working on losing that extra weight, it's a step to a healthier and longer life. It sounds like you have hit a plateau and the weight loss is more difficult. ( btw, that's completely normal) If you continue with healthy food intake, and proper exercise, the weight will begin to drop again once your body is ready. It took years to gain all that weight, and it needs to be shed at a healthy rate.

[shk75]

I think the answer is individual to be honest. Just like we know smoking is bad, then it is on the individual not to smoke. People need more self-control and I think most would actually enjoy a healthier lifestyle, they are just not willing to try it.

Except when you look at the literature it really seems to point to the fact that it was increased taxation and bans on smoking that really lowered smoking rates and not increased education or awareness of the dangers of smoking.

---------- Post added June-2nd-2011 at 10:42 AM ----------

Here's the thing....

One would expect to have common sense to realize what is and is not healthy. It should be expected that if your eating foods high in fat and cholesterol then your going to gain weight. Somehow I doubt the woman in this article does a whole lot of exercise with a BMI of 37.

I grew up in a single family household, and even had to prepare meals for my sister and myself. ( yet my BMI is 22) There is some work involved, it means you have to take a moment to research your food and how you can eat healthier. The subject of this article lives in Rome GA. She is not in the boonies, and has access to grocers, farmer's markets, and could even till the soil to grow her own food. If you have a BMI of 37, you can only blame yourself.

As for her choice of vehicle, when your that big, then you have to drive a bigger car. Which means your paying more for fuel and maintenance on the larger vehicle.

HH, glad to see your working on losing that extra weight, it's a step to a healthier and longer life. It sounds like you have hit a plateau and the weight loss is more difficult. ( btw, that's completely normal) If you continue with healthy food intake, and proper exercise, the weight will begin to drop again once your body is ready. It took years to gain all that weight, and it needs to be shed at a healthy rate.

So if it is such an individual choice why are we seeing obesity rates skyrocket worldwide? Are people all over the world all of a sudden just less motivated than they used to be and don't care that they are obese? Or could it coincide with the importation of the western diet and lifestyle to these areas that never had access to these types of food before. Obesity is not just a problem in the US, countries like Japan that have traditionally had no issues with obesity are seeing their children become heavier than ever because of the importation of western foods. The same is occurring in Mediterranean nations as well.

[Rudechain]

Except when you look at the literature it really seems to point to the fact that it was increased taxation and bans on smoking that really lowered smoking rates and not increased education or awareness of the dangers of smoking.

---------- Post added June-2nd-2011 at 10:42 AM ----------

So if it is such an individual choice why are we seeing obesity rates skyrocket worldwide? Are people all over the world all of a sudden just less motivated than they used to be and don't care that they are obese? Or could it coincide with the importation of the western diet and lifestyle to these areas that never had access to these types of food before. Obesity is not just a problem in the US, countries like Japan that have traditionally had no issues with obesity are seeing their children become heavier than ever because of the importation of western foods. The same is occurring in Mediterranean nations as well.

It is a choice. You don't HAVE to eat a 1900 calorie meal 3 times a day. You don't HAVE to be sedentary. You don't HAVE to super-size your food. You CAN use your brain and find out that there are healthy alternatives even if they do require more effort.

It's true that globally, we have become more sedentary and look for easier food choices. Generally, that food will be processed, have higher cholesterol, sugars and fats. But the onus is still on the individual or parents in the case of a family to set and maintain healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle.

This is a personal responsibility issue and only the individual can take control of their health. If you choose to live and eat unhealthy, then be aware that you will end up unhealthy.