No, I don’t mean to the buffet table. I mean literally, help yourselves!
Let me start by saying that I realize not all obesity is caused by over-eating. This article is not for those people. Let me also say that I completely understand the “addictive” qualities of food. I don’t have an addictive personality, but the closest thing I have to an addiction is to food. I also understand that we need to eat to live, so while an alcoholic can choose to abstain from drinking for the rest of 
their lives, this is not an option for a “grub-a-holic”. The problem I have with obesity though is that it doesn’t happen overnight. In order to become obese, you have to consciously and consistently make bad decisions with regard to your health and nutrition.
If you put all fad-diets aside, it has been proven time and time again that the best way to stay healthy is to eat healthy and in moderation while maintaining some sort of physical activity a few times a week. It is simple math… If you take in more calories then you expend, you will gain weight. Expend more then you take in and you will lose weight. In short, shut your mouth and move your butt!
I went to Arbys today for lunch (I never claimed to be a saint). I sat down in my booth with my Market Fresh Turkey Sandwich & a Sweet Tea. After unwrapping it I noticed a woman, barely able to fit into her booth, sitting down to a tray full of food. Fried Potato Bites, Mozarella Sticks, Curly Fries (all being dipped in Ranch Dressing), a Beef & Cheddar Sandwich and a Vanilla Milkshake. Watching her eat her meal was like watching someone slowly commit suicide and enjoy every minute of it. It’s like a drug addict.
Why are we killing ourselves? Why are we the fattest country in the world when we know exactly how to fix it? Better yet, if we know it’s wrong 
and we know it’s bad for us, why are we passing these habits down to our children? Is it out of pure laziness because we don’t want to cook? Pure selfishness because we want to eat the meal ourselves, so why not have the kids tag along?
We’ve all heard enough about the big Fast Food chains over the past decade to
know that they’ve been put through the ringer. Most of them offer healthy alternatives to the traditional fast food meal (ie – burger, fries, soda). Nobody is forcing you to go to McDonalds, and they’re certainly not forcing you to order the #1, superize with a vanilla shake.
So my question to you is… what do you think about our obesity problem in this country? Do you think it is fair that the public pays higher premiums to offset the costs associated with overweight people and the vast medical issues that stem directly from obesity? How about the classic airline example? Do you think it is fair that on many airlines, overweight people can get a second seat, for free, simply because they are overweight?
thequintessentialgeneralist.wordpress.com 
I think the problem in the country is that everyone has the on-the-go mentality. We need our information, money, time, and most importantly food FASTER! How do we do this we create restaurants that pride them selves in being the fastest with no effort given by the consumer. In grocery stores we need everything prepackaged so all we have to do is unwrap and GO, GO, GO! It is in complete disregard that we do this to our selves and it only seems that no one seems to care. Just look at the other side of the world, we will use Europe as an example. They take food very seriously, everything is fresh, wholesome, and above all not FAST! Meals seem to last for days there. Not only does it provide great nutrition but also a great way to share ideas and time with friends and family. Besides that they also use walking as a form of transportation not an exercise. Which adds to expending more calories than consumed. Why do we as Americans think everything needs to be so fast in life? It is the arrogance of the country that drives us to this. I think we all need to slow down in this country and enjoy the ride while we can, because you never know when it is going to end.
I had a Cordon Bleu sandwich, some curly fries, and a vanilla milkshake last time I went to Arby’s. I no longer go to McDonalds because the servings are too small. And I am not ashamed of this.
So many factors shape our food choices. Yes, I like my food fast. That takes care of my problem of eating while I cook. Heredity sometimes proves to be a big factor as do eating habits and attitudes formed as we grow up. Certain illnesses put weight on some of us. Even some medicines do. Emotions can shape our bodies–and on and on.
You might not be addicted to food, but I would guess there are certain foods you have a hard time not overeating.
Obesity bigots like yourself would not understand the plight of someone who eats much too much. You may never have the problem of being overweight.
Tell me if I’m wrong, Nolan, but if you can see daylight between the tops of a woman’s thighs, she probably never has had the need to go on a diet.
Susan Wolf
Susan, I was following you until you threw the “bigot” out there. I am many things, but a bigot is certainly not one of them. I am in no way intolerant of people who overeat themselves into obesity. I just don’t understand why anyone would do it. I don’t look at or treat anybody differently, and many people I know and care about struggle with it as I’m sure is the situation with almost anyone who reads this. As I said in the blog, it looks like a drug addiction. We know it’s not good for us and we do it anyway.
This post was not directed at one particular person. I realize that each person has their own unique situation and that overeating is not the underlying cause for many overweight people. I stated plainly that this was not directed at those individuals. My goal here was to better understand the struggles of a person with eating problems and to open a dialogue to talk about the obesity problem we have in this country, what causes it, and how we can go about solving it. The undeniable fact though is that this is a societal problem, and not one to be ignored. Americans have the highest rate of obesity among both adults and children in the world… The only thing that I can think of is that there must be something fundamentally wrong with the way Americans look at food and exercise.
Not sure if you thought your “Market Fresh Turkey Sandwich” was a healthier alternative; it has more than 720 calories bro, making it one of the worst things you can order at Arby’s
I never said it was a healthier alternative. It has 691 calories. That’s a hell of a sandwich, but if you ate 3 of these meals at 691 calories each (which I would never do), you’d have a DAILY TOTAL intake of 2073 calories… While it’s not the most nutrient rich meal, it is well within the recommended calorie intake.
The lady at Arbys? Her meal? Adding up everything she ate in THAT meal alone based on the nutritional facts on Arbys website and assuming she got the SMALLEST size of each food I saw her eating…. 2455 calories… In 1 meal…
I used the term, “obesity bigot”, primarily for its incendiary properties. I’m guessing that you adhere to the maxim: Hate the sin; love the sinner. That is harder to do than most people think.
Most prople who have problems with their weight have underlying reasons for their condition, but , technically, overeating causes people to be fat. And why? Because we are hungry! What makes the experience of hunger more pronounced in some more than others? And for what? Usually for comfort foods as the individual perceives them. What triggers a binge similar to the Arby’s lady’s? I don’t know, But I do know that I have never eaten brussle sprouts during a binge.
Now if I saw that lady at Arby’s eating the same meal, I would probably think, “She is probably very hungry.” I know you were using her for an example, but an example of what? I may be wrong, but I sense some contempt in your example and elsewhere in your article. Please study your article, and see if you can understand where I’m coming from.
Susan Wolf
I understand being hungry and needing to eat. I even understand that hunger effects people differently. BUT still, its simple…make better choices with food. You can eat MORE of something thats better for you so that you can fill up with less calories. And secondly, move more. Does excessive hunger really impact the ability to go for a walk? Its really not that difficult.
I am not super thin. I have 3 kids. I gained over the “normal” amount for each child because of health issues, so I do understand that factor. But guess what? I lost almost all of it. I am BUSY. But I make good food choices and I move.
Excuses are excuses.
The bottom line is not about being skinny and what you can see through your thighs. Its about being healthy. Overweight people are not healthy. Period. Plain and simple.
America needs to encourage everyone to chain smoke. Obesity really went through the roof when people took the cancer sticks out of their mouth and started shoving f*cking Krispy Kremes in there instead.
It is DEFINITELY what you put in your mouth and it is your responsibility and no one elses,,,There are no valig “generic” or “gland” culprit. Stop putting FAT in your mouth and you will lose FAT> Ignore the carbohydrate and protein diets…pay attention to the FAT you eat and you won’t get FAT….and thats an empirical fact from experience.
Advertisements like Jimmy Dean’s Lite Sausage and other blatant distortions and lies should be outlawed…laughter. I am sure Krispy Kreme will tell you they are nutritious and low in fat…laughter.
They are trying to sell this stuff crammed with non food ingredients, taste enhancers, harmful corn syrups, taste enhancers, dyes, freshness preservers and FAT.
I read every label…haven’t had a potato chip in 35 years. No prepared foods. Think on this: If you buy prepared foods you seem to save time. However, you have to work longer to pay for prepared foods than the time it takes to fix healthy dinners from SCRATCH…thats a FACT folks…….Prepared foods start at 300% higher than scratch cooked foods and only go up from there. So you actually use more time working to pay for them than if you used that time to cook from SCRATCH…thatsanother FACT.
I was just reading the other two acknowledged females on this blog. Why the anger? What is it really directed to.
A lot of people defending obesity here…it sure is a problem all over the country…laughter. The author is “quinessentially correct” …laughter, and you are still overweight. Hows that for anger Susan?…laughter.
Am cool