Of course, there are other things I should be doing that I’m not; maybe one of these days.

You are the first person, in the obesity debates I’ve seen, that has taken full responsiblity for your own situation.

Thanks for being one of the brave few who will stand up for personal responsibility!

American food is cheap for the consumer at the grocery store, but much of the cost of production via ‘modern’ industrial agriculture is externalized, and is not reflected in the consumer price.

Now I’m not advocating a return to the past, because as you correctly point out, life wasn’t all that long in the “good ol’ days”. But I do believe current food methods are unsustainable and unhealthy, and the best way forward is a balance between the traditional and modern.

Food is energy (calories) and exercise is energy (calories) the two have to match to stay at the same weight and if there is a balance that is off, that causes problems (overweight or underweight)

Certainly advertising has a place in making us drool over a shrimp dinner and reducing us to a puddle of WANT. Advertising is a science that they are always refining.

However we have a responsibility to ourselves to make sure we have time to exercise and eat right. Until we suffer the consequences and get a good kick in the face we won’t change it seems.

my 2¢

It appears we need to do a post specifically on this issue… not many of these comments are in regards to the bulk of the post – obesity crisis.

“Optimal fluoride levels recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service and CDC for drinking water range from 0.7 parts per million (ppm) for warmer climates to 1.2 ppm for cooler climates to account for the tendency for people to drink more water in warmer climates.”

First I can’t find direct reference to that quote. But I do find that quote attributed to William Hirzy. William Hirzy is/was a VP of the labor union that represents EPA scientists. So if he said that then he was NOT SPEAKING FOR THE EPA but as an employee and on behalf of its union members.

Here’s a speech from Hirzy: http://epw.senate.gov/107th/hir_0629.htm

EPA regulates how much floride can be in drinking water. Too much floride could be harmful.

Straight off EPA.gov:

“Fluoride. Many communities add fluoride to their drinking water to promote dental health. Each community makes its own decision about whether or not to add fluoride. EPA has set an enforceable drinking water standard for fluoride of 4 mg/L (some people who drink water containing fluoride in excess of this level over many years could get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones). EPA has also set a secondary fluoride standard of 2 mg/L to protect against dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis, in its moderate or severe forms, may result in a brown staining and/or pitting of the permanent teeth. This problem occurs only in developing teeth, before they erupt from the gums. Children under nine should not drink water that has more than 2 mg/L of fluoride.”

US EPA Union’s Senior Vice President, Dr. William Hirzy: “In summary, we hold that fluoridation is an unreasonable risk. That is, the toxicity of fluoride is so great and the purported benefits associated with it are so small – if there are any at all – that requiring every man, woman and child in America to ingest it borders on criminal behavior on the part of governments.”

I am still looking for the original source, but this helps shed a light on the context.

For everyone else, I can see that emotions are getting stirred up on both sides of the debate, so I will encourage everyone to remain open and calm, and to unbiasedly study both sides of the argument and draw your own intellectual conclusion. Then rest assured in that conclusion.

One piece of advice… follow the money. Some people have a vested interest in their reporting and others do not. Make sure you understand who is behind each source.

Cheers!

–

It all comes down to calories. If you take in (eating!) more calories than go out (exercise, poop), you’re going to gain weight. You can balance the equation how ever you like (more exercise, less eating, liposuction, gastric band…) but that’s what it comes down to.

HFCS and McD’s might have more calories than normal foods but it’s not because they are evil.

http://www.ada.org/public/topi...../index.asp

EXERCISE!!!

It’s frugal because it’s free!

I also agree with Austin (Comment #8) it’s a simple math problem that all PF bloggers should know use more calories than you take in. Very similar to spend less than you earn!

Your body fat is not out to trick you, it’s not finding devious ways to stay in your body, if you burn more calories than you take in, your body then targets your fat cells.

Sooooo… put down that jelly donut, turn off the TV and get your running shoes on!

As for childhoold obesity… whatever happened to going outside to play? I rarely see kids outside anymore. Resist the urge to be a overprotective parent and send them outside.

Many people will complain… it’s not that simple… yes it is! 1% of all obesity is due to medical conditions, Google it. You’re fat because you choose to be just like you’re broke because you choose to be.

My wife and I just picked up our 1/4 of grass fed beef a few weeks back – it is delicious and you would not believe how much different the meat is than their pesticide rich, hormone rich, antibiotic rich, corn fed counterparts.

Remember, you are what you eat.

That basically sums up my stance.

Because it is nearly impossible to provide a convincing argument in a blog post comment, instead I will encourage those who care and are wondering to do further research for themselves… like I did.

Before I studied fluoride, I held a similar position to everyone else – “it’s good for you.” Well, I found otherwise… and if you look into it, you will too.

Here are some solid resources. If you care, check them out:

The Beautiful Truth – a link to the documentary on Netflix for those who don’t like read.

Fluoride FAQ’s at FluorideAlert.org

That outta get you started… happy research.

There was so much in this post that is great advice in addition to your advice about obesity…

My favorite was “Don’t tell your kids, show your kids”. I found that to be great advice for all forms of communication with kids.

I think that as a country and a planet, we broke away from our “natural” roots, where locally grown produce and self-sustaining farming was the norm. Don’t get me wrong–I’m not against progress. But we have to put our foot down when it’s no longer beneficial to continue said progress by making us sicker, no matter what the cost savings.

In the past 2-3 years, the organic and local market has exploded, or at least the perception is that it has. It’s now much easier to find locally grown stuff and many more companies are doing TRUE “organic” products that are closer to our natural roots.

I think in the years to come, we’re going to see a big outcry against food manufacturers and a return to home cooking and local markets. It’s already starting.

But that’s just my perception…

John DeFlumeri Jr

The organized pack-of-lies known as ‘Global Warming’ has now been exposed worldwide as outright fraud. This Obesity-Mythology won’t be far behind.

See: http://www.obesitymyths.com/

I can’t quit fast food – some of it I gotta have. But I try to limit it to once a week and I make sure I pick good stuff. If I’m gonna have a hamburger its coming from Five Guys, not McDonalds. Five Guys has better fries, too, if that’s possible, than McDs. I’m fairly certain that Five Guys uses fresher, more healthful ingredients. Its still junk food, but at least it isn’t full of preservatives, too.

What most people don’t understand is it is ok to splurge on occasion. But that doesn’t mean eating a whole box of cookies. Have one cookie, save the others for later, they’ll still be there tomorrow.

The frozen organic veggies and fruits I eat over the winter, whether I froze them or bought them, are encased in plastic bags.

Tis a bit of a problem.

Frondly, Fern

http://www.reuters.com/article.....ZJ20090729

The Food Network is the worst of all. They show gourmet food that we have neither the time or inclination to prepare, yet when we go to the fridge there’s nothing we can eat that will satisfy the urge we have for what we just saw on TV.

It’s so hard to avoid eating when you’re being bombarded by messages telling you to eat.

Just my opinion, but the surge in obesity – which is unique to our time – parallels the development of TV as a central element of modern life. Coincidence? I truly doubt it.

Now, WHY we consume too many calories is pretty much in line with American society today: “I want it all, I want it right now, and I’ll pay for it later”

Oh, and another quick tip for maintaining or losing weight,switch your dishes to smaller dishes (salad plates and bowls vs. full size dinner plates and bowls that hold 3-4 cups). It’s a very sneaky way to get everyone in the house to eat less, and it works.

Tom: I’ll let Matt respond to your question about his statement on fluoridated water, because I’m not sure of his reasoning. A bit of Googling, however, reveals that there is some evidence that fluoride affects thyroid function, which could in turn affect obesity. It seem that the argument is that we now get fluoride from a variety of sources (or at least most of us do), so it’s not necessary to fortify water with it.

I enjoy reading your blog and use some of the tips you write about. I just wanted to point out the hypocrisy I see in the amount of advertising you allow on your site. I understand you make some money by having the ads, but if you are preaching less advertising, shouldn’t you be practicing it as well?

Obesity does cost a lot, but so does dental care.