Fat Nation

Recent data show that in the U.S. 43 percent of Americans are obese. Not just a few pounds overweight, but obese. Forty-three percent! Comparatively, in the U.K. the obesity percentage is far lower at 25 percent (still not a percentage to be proud of).

Why are we, as a nation, so fat?

One reason: When comes to food, many people don’t know what a healthy portion size is. In restaurants, for example, the main portion of a meal is often big enough for two or more people.

Watch television commercials. More and more overweight people are being shown, which of course conditions us to think that being oversized is normal. In fast food commercials, hamburgers are huge! Do we really need two patties of meat, in a triple bun, plus bacon, and cheese, and topped off with sodium-filled dressings? Add an order of fries and a big sugary soft drink, and how can a nation help but be fat?

In the U.S., we do not eat enough vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. And, unfortunately, we make up for it by eating far too much sugar and highly processed foods.

Americans, on average, are not only consuming the wrong kinds of foods — we are simply eating too much of everything. A December Wall Street Journal article on health and fitness included a graphic to emphasize this point: It showed an average-size bagel from two decades ago, which was 3-inches in diameter and 140 calories, alongside an average bagel sold today of 6-inches in diameter and a whopping 350 calories. They weren’t picking on bagels. They used them to illustrate the widespread trend toward bigger and bigger U.S. food portions of all sorts.

Years ago, when I was working out like crazy, I would eat three moderate meals per day along with two or three between-meal snacks. I won’t get into the details, but when you are super-active, that’s fine. It works for younger people pushing workouts to the limit while piling on muscle. But as we get up in years, and are less active, food portions must shrink. If not, we become part of that awful 43-percent obesity statistic.

Here is a healthier pattern.

The people of Okinawa are among the longest-living and active elderly in the world. Okinawans claim an eating habit called the “80-percent rule.” They stop eating when they feel 80 percent full.

Years ago, here in the U.S., there was a saying that the best exercise of all is to push yourself away from the dining table. Apparently in Okinawa, they still do that. Nearly half of Americans don’t.

I have seen people take off unwanted pounds with programs like Jennie Craig, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, and others. Their formulas work simply because followers are taking in fewer calories.

My own method for keeping excess calories at bay is here. I’ve seen it work for serious, dedicated people.

Stay healthy. Stay fit.

Logan

Senior Exercise Central

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Sincerely,

Logan Franklin
The Gray Iron Fitness Newsletter
www.senior-exercise-central.com