Mitzi Vines  –  Nov 4, 2011  – Somebody needs to offer this guy some help!

Shannon Fortenberry  –  I think he’s a hottie! 😉

Eduard Burt  –  Does he really need to eat more? He looks pretty bloated already.

David DeVore  –  There are lots of factors for why people get fat, most of the time they don’t “allow” themselves to get that way. Thin people don’t get it Nov 5, 2011    +2

Mitzi Vines  –  I know why I have stretch marks (not from kids, 180 in 7th grade) & it’s from donuts, little debbie cakes & southern eating. That reminds me everyday why I eat healthy & workout. YOU make the choice what goes in your body. I have too many obese people in my family & it’s by their choice!!!!! You don’t go to an all you can eat buffet & get 5 plates of food……Duh, your gonna look like the guy in the picture. Nov 5, 2011

Mark Young  –  Obesity is a disease of psychology not physiology. As soon as people get that we’ll on our way to a solution rather than telling them to eat less and move more. I’m pretty sure they’ve heard that before. Nov 5, 2011

Mitzi Vines  –  I totally disagree. Your not born with nore can get obesity. You get a disease. You don’t get obese! YOU make yourself obese!
Same as I said above. 2 aunts of mine, obese most of their life (by eating too much) were told by dr that if they didn’t do someting they would die. So what happened. They changed their eating habits, started walking & Bam they lost weight! It’s been proved too many times that it works!

Nov 5, 2011

Mark Young  –  I agree that obesity is caused by an intake that is greater than output. But the real solution can only be reached when we figure out WHY people are eating more and exercising less and addressing those issues.Truth be told, telling people to eat less and exercise more rarely solves the problem. Obese people do know this. They aren’t necessarily stupid and/or lazy. Obesity can be protection from a history of abuse, it can be cause by treating loneliness with food, it can be caused by non-walkable communities. There are so many factors.But ultimately, I think we need to stop criticizing obese as though this form of discrimination were any different than insulting gays or people of any other race or religion. Rarely does tearing anyone down build them up.And I’m happy for your aunts that have lost weight. But it is important to remember that 95% of people who lose weight will regain some or all of that weight within a year. The solution is not simple…and it certainly doesn’t come from insulting those who are in the most need of help. Nov 5, 2011   +3

Dave Ward  –  Good points. I also think people simply do not understand what happens when they eat certain foods, most particularly simple carbs and sugar. In my experience, when people understand the metabolic process associated with food intake and what happens after they swallow, they start to change. The care and feeding of the human body isn’t that hard. People just don’t know how to do it. We shouldn’t be surprised. We teach kids simple arithmetic, but not how to balance a budget. We drill them in PE, but don’t teach basic nutritional theory (not that the Food Pyramid would help much). Therefore, it shouldn’t be a big shock that our Government can’t balance their budget and our people can’t figure out how to eat. Obesity is far more complex than education, but in my experience working with people that are very overweight, few of them understand these issues. They focus on calories in and calories out, but are unaware that calories are simply not created equal. In any event, isolating people and making them feel less than “normal” doesn’t help. It’s part of the problem and we need to be part of the solution.  Nov 5, 2011    +3

David DeVore  –  Eating is addictive, for some more so than drugs. Our culture promotes recreational eating, because people will buy more if they enjoy it. On top of the marketing agenda, most of the processed foods we eat today have chemicals in them that make them addictive. When people have low self-esteem (because they don’t look like a magazine model), people can become depressed. Eating is a favorite way for people to cope with depression, because it releases endorphin’s for a little bit, which will make the person think they feel better when they eat. Another factor that causes people to eat chronically is stress, and we are the most stressed out now than we have ever been, as a nation. People often resort to stress-eating because of the same endorphin high, but also because of the dopamine, which temporarily calms people down. The other reason people overeat is because the processed foods most people eat, because of whatever reason, is calorie rich, and nutrient poor. So the body is going to keep sending hunger signals because people are mal-nourished, even while being over-fed. I agree, people must be accountable for their lives, but it is shallow to look at them and think they are dumb for being flawed.  Nov 5, 2011    +3

Dave Ward  –  Very true +David DeVore. When I explain this fact to people they are absolutely surprised. The food companies label their food in such deceptive ways. They use buzz words like “Fat Free”, “No Sugar Added” and “Gluten Free” on foods that shouldn’t have any of that in them anyway. The label has a big “FAT FREE” sign on it, but the food is loaded with sugar. People pick that up and think they are putting something good in their body. It’s a massive misinformation campaign designed to keep people eating more and more food that they think is healthy for them, but is not. Tony Horton told me once “eat more things with one ingredient in them, like a strawberry. You know what that is, because it’s a strawberry. You don’t need to google that.”Nov 5, 2011    +3

Mitzi Vines  –  So very true +David DeVore & +Dave Ward Very good info & points. I totally agree. I had a lady that told me that she literally thought Micky D’s was trying to make her fat. I laughed (to myself) but then tried to explain how much money she could save & better choices she could make by cooking at home. It’s all about trying to educate & help people!  Nov 5, 2011

Eduard Burt  –  Excellent points everyone. Individuals must understand what they eat and make educated choices of what goes inside of their bodies. After all we are what we eat. I think I might use this thread for a new blog post and include everyone’s profile in it. If anyone objects please let me know. Nov 5, 2011  +1

Dave Ward  –  Cool with me. Off to roast some calories with some sprints and my kettlebell on the beach.  Nov 5, 2011    +2

Eduard Burt  –  Awesome +Dave Ward. Going to ride my single Speed MTB before 6 hours flight to NYC   Nov 5, 2011  +1

Andre Deveaux  –  Until you dig deep into the psyche of why a person overeats, it is difficult to have them adopt a healthy lifestyle. It is not as simple as cutting calories and increasing activity. There are so many different factors in play that often such a simplistic solution just will not address the true problem. Overeating for the most part is not the problem, but a symptom of a more serious problem.  Nov 5, 2011    +2

Mitzi Vines  –  Ok with me too +Eduard Burt Today is my rest day but may have to go jump on the Treadmill!!!!!  Nov 5, 2011