Why We Are So Fat

I am stunned, sometimes, at the lack of care people give to their own health. Specifically, the growing waistlines of Americans. In an article published online on Jan 13, 2010 by the Journal of the American Medical Association, titled "Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2008", they reported that one out of every three adults over the age of 20 was obese. Not just overweight, but obese.

To determine what level of "fatness" a person is, the general measurement used is the Body Mass Index, or BMI. For a person to be considered obese, their BMI must be 30.0 or higher. In short, it uses a calculation of your weight and height.

I would like to side-step for a moment and point out that I have been on the wrong end of the BMI calculator. At my max, I was as much as 265 pounds. Calculated with my height, my BMI was 35.9.

I realize that there are some people out there who have legitimate health problems that cause them to be overweight or obese. I am not talking about them. I am talking about the rest of us who make thoughtless decisions on what we put into our bodies. The frequency at which we eat food that is packed with calories is often alarming. While some may disagree with me, I do not think the fast food companies are the reason for this. Sure, their foods are packed with calories, but it is ultimately up to us to decide what we put into our bodies. And far too often, we are eating large portions without even taking one second to think about how much we should be eating.

Unfortunately, most people only think about how much they are eating, not how many calories are in what they eat. The prevailing thought is that I am not eating a Claim Jumper sized portion of food, so it cannot be that bad. Sadly, there are many cases where this is wrong. Let's take a simple McDonald's cheeseburger and small fries. They combine for 530 calories. On the surface, this does not appear all too bad, but in most cases, including someone of my size, this would not be enough for one meal. They are both very small and a lot of people end up getting a bigger order of fries, or they add an additional burger. If we add another cheeseburger, we are then pushed over 800 calories for one meal. Of course, there is also the drink, and a lot of people order the fully leaded soda because they just can't stand diet. Given that you cannot get a drink less than 16 ounces anymore, if the non-diet drink is added, you are suddenly over 1000 calories.

I am not out to point fingers at McDonalds, I am just using it as an example. The same would apply to Wendy's, or KFC, or name-your-favorite joint (man I miss In-n-Out). My point here, is that we just order what will fill us up, but give no thought to how many calories are in the meal.

Back in 2006 I was challenged by a friend to run a half marathon. As part of my training I learned that eating right can improve running performance. So, I set out to understand what I was eating by reading labels. Specifically, I began counting calories. In my opinion, at the end of the day, it is all about calories in, calories out. Many people look at fat content, but loose sight of the fact that lower fat items often have higher sugar content, which packs on the calories. As a result of exercising 4-5 days a week and reducing my calorie intake, I dropped 35 pounds. In April of 2009, I re-dedicated myself to watching my calories and running again, and I have dropped another 20 pounds. I weigh less now than I did when I got married at 19, and am almost down to the weight I was as a senior in high school. My better half has lost 20 pounds simply by eating less calories.

Is it easy? Not at first. The main key is that it is not a diet, it is a lifestyle change. Once you get used to checking the calories, it becomes easy. Also, once you have done it for a month or so, you begin to remember, generally, how many calories are in an item. This becomes helpful when you go out to dinner. One of the places we like to go to is Red Robin. The thing is, I know that one of their awesome burgers is likely going to be close to or over 1000 calories, just for the sandwich. I keep this in mind when making my decision on what to eat.

If I can preach anything, it is to take the time to know what you are eating when it comes to calories. With no regular exercise plan, a man should probably not be eating more than 2500 calories a day. For women, and I say this is not fair, they should not be eating more than 1800-2000 calories. This can make it tough with couples because a man is able to get away with that extra item or that slightly higher calorie menu.

One last item to leave you with. For those that watched the Superbowl, you probably saw the Taco Bell commercial with Charles Barkely. It was about the NBA $5 Buck Box. Here are the contents of one of the boxes:

Cheesy Gordita Crunch
Burrito Supreme
Crunchy Taco
Cinnamon Twists
Medium Drink

Assuming this is ordered with a diet drink, the total calorie content is 1270!! Given that this is so cheap, I wonder how many people will order this thing, not having any clue they just consumed half, or more, of the calories they should eat in one day!

In comparison, a Five Dollar Footlong Ham from Subway, ordered with wheat bread, no cheese, all of the vegetables, mustard, no mayo or oil, is all of 580 calories. Mmmmm, Subway.

By the way, my BMI is now below the obese range at 28.5 and I continue to work to move it even lower.