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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
Friday, May 28, 2004 =B7 Last updated 7:57 p.m. PT
Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight By WILL LESTER ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER WASHINGTON -- Many Americans are in denial about their weight problems, according to an Associated Press poll, although more than half say they have been on diets at some point. Those who do watch what they eat are more likely to trim fat than take the trendier approach of cutting carbohydrates. Such issues are on people's minds with the approach of summer, when many will try to squeeze into swimsuits without wincing in front of the mirror. In an overweight nation, just 12 percent say they are on diets right now, the AP-Ipsos poll found. Most people who have been on diets say they've regained at least some of the weight they had lost. Twenty-three percent say they've gained it all back. "I've been up and down for many years - it is hard," said Ann Burris, a 59-year-old teacher from Tallahassee, Fla. "I've tried, and I understand nutrition, but it's a lack of self-discipline. I'm going to retire this year, and I want to try to get to a healthy weight." Who's to blame for America's weight problem? More than three-quarters said individuals bear the responsibility for themselves, while 9 percent pointed to family and 8 percent blamed fast-food restaurants. The AP poll found that six in 10 who qualify as overweight under government= standards say they are at a healthy weight. Only a quarter of those who are= obese consider themselves very overweight, according to the poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs. People are unlikely to admit the severity of their weight problems for fear= of being seen in a bad light, said Dr. William Dietz, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Many also may be unfamiliar with= government standards. "There have been lots of changes in food intake - fast foods, increased portion sizes, soft drink consumption," said Dietz, director of the CDC's division of nutrition and physical activity. Additionally, he said, people are exercising less nowadays. About two-thirds in the poll said they have tried to start regular programs= of physical exercise in the last year. When asked which health risk posed the greatest danger to Americans today, most in the AP-Ipsos poll said unhealthy eating habits. The AP-Ipsos poll asked people their height and weight and used a government formula to determine if they were overweight. About half, 49 percent, qualified as overweight or obese, based on their reported height and weight. However, respondents in a telephone poll could be inclined to understate their weight, and men were more likely than women= to report weights that would make them officially overweight. Only 36 percent in the AP poll described themselves as overweight, just over half the number considered overweight by government standards. A 1999-2000 government study of nutrition found that almost two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. Almost one in six said being overweight is a major problem for them or someone in their family. More than half said it was at least a minor problem. A majority in the poll, 56 percent, said they attempt to restrict fat in their diets, while 33 percent said they try to restrict carbohydrates, foods like bread and pasta. Low-carb approaches like the Atkins diet have been around for decades but have grown increasingly popular in the last few= years. "It's not surprising that a good percentage are sticking with the lowfat diets they knew about when they grew up," said Eric Rimm, a nutrition specialist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Jennifer Bryan, a 36-year-old massage therapist in Coronado, Calif., said exercise is the key component since she has had to focus more on her weight= in recent years. "I'm not overweight on anybody else's standards," said the former NFL cheerleader. "I've always had a magnificent, fantastic body. But it's all about exercise." In that group of people who have dieted in the past, almost four in 10 said= they gained back most of the weight they lost, and about as many said they gained back some of the weight. "My problem is that I have no approach to it at all," said Jim Lunger, a 44-year-old market researcher from Louisville, Ky. "I know it can be a health problem, but what a way to go." The AP-Ipsos poll of 1,000 adults was taken May 17-19 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. --- |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
On 29 May 2004 16:35:51 -0000, Neutron wrote:
More than three-quarters said individuals bear the responsibility for themselves, while 9 percent pointed to family and 8 percent blamed fast-food restaurants. Does it matter? I don't think so. I was raise by parents that went through the depression. When in high school and college, student discounts usually amounted to two food items for the price of one. When I married, the in-laws always treated us like we weren't eating enough. Any church celebration was around food. So, there are many reasons why a person get overweight. In our free society, a fault of it is that we do not look out for our brothers and sisters. Once I became diabetic, my doctor gave me a pamphlet on cutting down on calories. As my blood pressure went up, more medication was prescribed. Yes, my weight was taken and mentioned at each visit but no one really told me that my weight was getting out of control. In my eyes, I did not appear all that heavy. Does it matter? After all this is a free society. I am free to eat myself to an early death, or worse. We do not live in a vacuum. My being overweight has been a burden on my health insurance company, family and coworkers. I sit here recovering from expensive foot surgery due to my overweight condition. Ironically, it is from doing many miles of hiking on the weekends in an attempt to burn off calories! Being overweight affects more than the individual so I think it is the communities responsibility to help and support those headed in the wrong direction. More emphasis on wellness would go a long way. We tax cigarettes and booze. Maybe it is time to tax the blubber food purveyors. |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
Steve Bukosky wrote:
Being overweight affects more than the individual so I think it is the communities responsibility to help and support those headed in the wrong direction. More emphasis on wellness would go a long way. We tax cigarettes and booze. Maybe it is time to tax the blubber food purveyors. I agree. The fat and obesity epidemic impinges on the welfare of society as a whole I disagree. It is not the responsibility of society to turn people going in the wrong direction around. Aside from the super tiny minority with medical issues it was the individual who made fattening choices and it in the end it will be the individual who makes the decision to slim down. If someone is an adult it was their decision making, their choices. It behooves society to provide support for individualls who want to change and it behooves society to encourage people to change, but it is not socieities responsibility. Steve |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
A Sun, 30 May 2004 08:38:17 -0400, Steve
escribió: It behooves society to provide support for individualls who want to change and it behooves society to encourage people to change, but it is not socieities responsibility. Sounds good to me, but with one add-on. It behooves society to find a way to place the costs of unhealthy behaviors squarely on those who exhibit those behaviors, and relieve society of those costs. -- bicker® Watch Good Morning America on June 1 to meet members of the National Weight Control Registry, who share their experiences losing weight and keeping weight off for life. |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
*bicker* wrote:
A Sun, 30 May 2004 08:38:17 -0400, Steve escribió: It behooves society to provide support for individualls who want to change and it behooves society to encourage people to change, but it is not socieities responsibility. Sounds good to me, but with one add-on. It behooves society to find a way to place the costs of unhealthy behaviors squarely on those who exhibit those behaviors, and relieve society of those costs. My add-on to your add-on....spread the cost to the organizations that encourage those behaviours as well. Amen. |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
A Sun, 30 May 2004 10:03:00 -0400, *bicker*
escribió: bicker® Watch Good Morning America on June 1 to meet members of the National Weight Control Registry, who share their experiences losing weight and keeping weight off for life. Ack. Sorry folks. Just got word from Good Morning America that this will probably be on June 2 instead. Surely sometime during the week, but they're reluctant to specifically say which day. -- bicker® Watch Good Morning America on June 2 to meet members of the National Weight Control Registry, who share their experiences losing weight and keeping weight off for life. |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1 On Sun, 30 May 2004 04:36:13 GMT, Steve Bukosky wrote: On 29 May 2004 16:35:51 -0000, Neutron wrote: More than three-quarters said individuals bear the responsibility for themselves, while 9 percent pointed to family and 8 percent blamed fast-food restaurants. Does it matter? I don't think so. I was raise by parents that went through the depression. When in high school and college, student discounts usually amounted to two food items for the price of one. When I married, the in-laws always treated us like we weren't eating enough. Any church celebration was around food. So, there are many reasons why a person get overweight. In our free society, a fault of it is that we do not look out for our brothers and sisters. Once I became diabetic, my doctor gave me a pamphlet on cutting down on calories. As my blood pressure went up, more medication was prescribed. Yes, my weight was taken and mentioned at each visit but no one really told me that my weight was getting out of control. In my eyes, I did not appear all that heavy. Does it matter? After all this is a free society. I am free to eat myself to an early death, or worse. We do not live in a vacuum. My being overweight has been a burden on my health insurance company, family and coworkers. I sit here recovering from expensive foot surgery due to my overweight condition. Ironically, it is from doing many miles of hiking on the weekends in an attempt to burn off calories! Being overweight affects more than the individual so I think it is the communities responsibility to help and support those headed in the wrong direction. More emphasis on wellness would go a long way. We tax cigarettes and booze. Maybe it is time to tax the blubber food purveyors. No. taxing the hell out of something is not the answer. When people learn that positive reinforcement works much better then ridicule people will lose weight. Regardless, eating, just like most any other things is an individual choice and one must live with the result unless one does something about it. Only idiocy will try to force the issue and try ridicule as a solution. I am assuming you are talking about your own situation and blubber and no one else's, right? Why do you think that the other groups listed here are interested in what the original poster had to say? You like being troll bait? LV Lady Veteran - ----------------------------------- "I rode a tank and held a general's rank when the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank..." - -Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil - ------------------------------------------------ People who hide behind anonymous remailers and ridicule fat people are cowardly idiots with no motive but malice. - --------------------------------------------- "To Do Is To Be" Socrates "To Be Is To Do" Plato "Do Be Do Be Do" Sinatra - ------------------------------- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP 8.0 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com iQA/AwUBQLotTukoPZAZfLgsEQKisgCgm7w8p3Akl+6DeaB+79Y7lP E4hR4An0hb 0/OjFBowrnGYTS/i/osBwM9V =KuRL -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1 On Sun, 30 May 2004 10:03:00 -0400, *bicker* wrote: A Sun, 30 May 2004 08:38:17 -0400, Steve escribió: It behooves society to provide support for individualls who want to change and it behooves society to encourage people to change, but it is not socieities responsibility. Sounds good to me, but with one add-on. It behooves society to find a way to place the costs of unhealthy behaviors squarely on those who exhibit those behaviors, and relieve society of those costs. I think the cost should be share by those who deliberately go out of their way to ridicule people who happen to be obese. It only intensifies the problem. That way there would be a solution to both problems-the people who WANT to lose weight can get assistance and the idiots who can't keep their opinions to themselves when they hurt others can feel the pain they cause to some. LV Lady Veteran - ----------------------------------- "I rode a tank and held a general's rank when the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank..." - -Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil - ------------------------------------------------ People who hide behind anonymous remailers and ridicule fat people are cowardly idiots with no motive but malice. - --------------------------------------------- "To Do Is To Be" Socrates "To Be Is To Do" Plato "Do Be Do Be Do" Sinatra - ------------------------------- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP 8.0 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com iQA/AwUBQLouY+koPZAZfLgsEQLRSACeORb8j+InqMuSeK1+KktSwb Wvo6QAnA4V omPXqiGUFu81Y4z9rQawh0fK =mIRY -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1 On Sun, 30 May 2004 10:30:42 -0400, Steve wrote: *bicker* wrote: A Sun, 30 May 2004 08:38:17 -0400, Steve escribió: It behooves society to provide support for individualls who want to change and it behooves society to encourage people to change, but it is not socieities responsibility. Sounds good to me, but with one add-on. It behooves society to find a way to place the costs of unhealthy behaviors squarely on those who exhibit those behaviors, and relieve society of those costs. My add-on to your add-on....spread the cost to the organizations that encourage those behaviours as well. And which organizations are those? Who is going to define these "unhealthy behaviors?" Not you, for sure... LV Lady Veteran - ----------------------------------- "I rode a tank and held a general's rank when the blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank..." - -Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil - ------------------------------------------------ People who hide behind anonymous remailers and ridicule fat people are cowardly idiots with no motive but malice. - --------------------------------------------- "To Do Is To Be" Socrates "To Be Is To Do" Plato "Do Be Do Be Do" Sinatra - ------------------------------- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP 8.0 - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com iQA/AwUBQLou1ukoPZAZfLgsEQK5vwCgzqXxU0bnBM2D8W2DuJVpwc OStosAn1v2 02sG6v5TCa7YBLMFq957nYOa =laR1 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- |
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Poll: Many in U.S. in denial about weight
Steve Bukosky wrote:
Being overweight affects more than the individual so I think it is the communities responsibility to help and support those headed in the wrong direction. More emphasis on wellness would go a long way. We tax cigarettes and booze. Maybe it is time to tax the blubber food purveyors. You mean it's time to tax the fat who raise welfare costs ? No one is forcing you to eat junk food. -- polar bear |
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