Junk food: opiate of the masses Forum Topic

May 10, 2009 11:56pm aferraro 72 posts ...	interesting read at: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?articl… “..I vaguely recall ex-ironman Grant Kenny saying years ago that if he wrote a weight-loss book it would be no more than a couple of pages long and called something like “Eat less crap and get off your arse”. His advice was good although a lack of exercise is widely overrated as the cause of obesity. Many fat people do plenty of physical work. If you disagree, try getting off your own arse to drag a 30kg bag of fat around all day…”

May 11, 2009 8:33am lizanneh 757 posts	I agree with your point that lack of exercise is overrated. Susan just posted a link to a new study that compared calorie intake from the 1970s to current day in the United States of America. Then it compared actual weight to the weight that would be projected after considering the increase in calories. What it showed is that people actually weighed LESS than expected, which was hypothesized to mean that their activity level has increased along with the increased calorie intake. The problem is that the calorie intake increased so much more, that it would take 2 solid hours of walking to burn it all off! So the recommendation was to cut back on calories. Maybe Susan will see this and post another link. I think the advice to “Eat less crap and get off your arse” is good. I have Michael Pollan’s quote in my profile which is “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.” Put those two quotes together and that might just be all you need to know! LOL! http://lookinggoodmom.blogspot.com

May 11, 2009 5:40pm witeowl 515 posts	Quite a few years ago, a study came out that said that eating a significant amount of chocolate leads to a euphoric chemical reaction in the brain similar to that from THC (the active ingredient in pot). About six months later, they had to revise that. The reality is that eating a significant amount of any food leads to that chemical reaction. But there are a number of reasons that people overeat. (Not to mention the number people who are overweight because unhealthful food is cheaper and less filling.) . This is also important: “[F]ew people are totally clueless about what is healthy food and what is not. These days, smokers know cigarettes are toxic but have them anyway. And, despite the often-deceptive advertising, people do not usually eat mountains of junk food thinking it is particularly good for them.” . For anyone interested, I had a somewhat related diatribe on my blog years ago (before my relapse). (Skip the first third or so.) My point wasn’t/isn’t that we should all be overweight (any more than we should all be smokers); it’s that overweight people all have something else blocking a healthful lifestyle and unless that’s dealt with, Kenny’s and Pollan’s statements are just reminders of our failure to do what we all know we should do.

May 12, 2009 1:11pm tomahawkeer 57 posts	I have to say the quote is spot on, however, I would like to point out, that people can do VERY well, with just focusing on thier nutrition. For me, nutrition is more then half the battle. I can beat the hell out of my body at the gym, and burn 1.5k to 2k calories in a session easily, but if I dont eat right, I feel it. Nutrition is my biggest issue atm, the gym is not.

May 14, 2009 9:02am IPBrian 106 posts	Just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading everyone’s views in this post. Nutrition is such an important component of any health plan (I would agree the most important component) and it is extremely interesting reading your slightly different takes on the same topic. Thanks to everyone for sharing!

May 14, 2009 6:42pm sirwebbie 2 posts	You guys are killing me. I don’t eat enough vegies.