And they wonder why Americans are overweight?

ErikFive said:
If I order a medium college T-shirt from the US, its the same size of an XL T-shirt over here. Why is that?
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Erik,

This could be because of savings on cloth in your country.:D
 
Huh, I thought everything is supposed to be bigger in America, what's wrong with that? :)
 
ErikFive said:
Wasnt trying to offend anyone, but it is kind of strange that it is so. Europe is also getting fatter each day. I had forgot about the sizes of the portions in the restaurants in the US, but you are most certenly right. They are huge.
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No offence taken. It's true, we've become the fat boy on the block. Not all of us but it's getting scary over here. I recently sat neck to a man on a plane tat needed a seat belt extension. Didn't even know they existed until he ask for one.
 
I never thought Pizza was the basic food of the american diet ... nor that it was the main cause of Americans overweight ... looks like I must reconsider my opinion about the mediterranean diet ...
 
Oh, I see. He's just bought an M8... so it'll be a while before he can afford real food again :D

It's as much inactivity as poor diet that attributes to Americans being overweight. But that's obvious.

I used to reward myself with a trip to the local Ben & Jerry's at the end of a long bike ride...
 
BillP said:
Not my point, Ken, and you know it. Don't be obtuse. I was reacting to your tart condemnation of Noel's remark. And before you get all sanctimonious on me, I am 19 st. If someone chooses to make a comment about my weight, good on them. It is in my power to do something about it. Obesity is a "physical characteristic" in your words, not a disability. it is a matter of personal choice. Has it ever occurred to you that it is the politically correct tacit acceptance of morbid obesity that is offensive, and not the reverse? We have images of lung cancer victims on the side of cigarette packets, but not quadruple heart bypass patients on the side of McDonalds cartons. Go figure, as I believe the expression goes.

Regards,

Bill
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I know no such thing, and resent the implication that I'm being "obtuse". You may feel obesity is always a life choice; you're entitled to your opinion. I know otherwise.

Trust me, I'm one of the most politically incorrect people you could ever meet. That said, I found the comment that an obese person would "roll after" another to be highly offensive. I rank it right up there with referring to a black male as being shiftless or someone of Jewish extraction a cheat. Tell me, are *these* characterizations acceptable to you? I expect not - why are characterizations of the obese any different?
 
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Madrigal said:
Oh, I see. He's just bought an M8... so it'll be a while before he can afford real food again :D

It's as much inactivity as poor diet that attributes to Americans being overweight. But that's obvious.

I used to reward myself with a trip to the local Ben & Jerry's at the end of a long bike ride...
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Don't chalk it all up to sloth. The nature of the economy has moved in such a direction that the majority of adults now have relatively sedentary jobs. You can work your butt off behind a counter or a computer, but you'll never burn as many calories as someone who was out plowing a field or driving rivets on the Empire State Building.
 
landsknechte said:
Don't chalk it all up to sloth. The nature of the economy has moved in such a direction that the majority of adults now have relatively sedentary jobs. You can work your butt off behind a counter or a computer, but you'll never burn as many calories as someone who was out plowing a field or driving rivets on the Empire State Building.
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I read somewhere that Americans are amongst the most productive workers, of course, we work long hours and don't get anywhere near the vacation time we should. Coincidentally, a recent report on the "happiness index," whatever that is, showed us as being an unhappy lot. To paraphrase "Fat *******" of Austin Powers "We eat because we are unhappy. We are unhappy because we eat"

Disclaimer: I'm just adding this as an observation. Americans are fatter for lots of reasons, most are noted in this thread. I hit the gym 3-4 times a week in an attempt to counteract the inactivity of my job. It's an up hill battle, but it works. BTW, if your waistline is greater than your hips, you could be considered obese to a degree and apparently there are degrees of obesity.

:)
 
"Obesity" sometimes goes well with your job. Here's a (scottish, this time) fine example.
 

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Did anyone hear the interview where Martin Parr said he wouldn't photography extreamly overweight people?
 
PHOTOEIL said:
An Arab yold me a while ago "...you are what you eat...".
In europe we eat a lot of porc... I do like fish!
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This sounds good, and in the end you're made of what you eat, but it's not entirely true, is it?

If you're a vegetarian, that doesn't mean you're a vegetable.

(It means you're a vegetable with lots of pesticide, herbicide and fertiliser residues :( )


colin
 
No Pherdinand that would be dangerous. Sorry ,didn't mean to sound like I was sarcastic and mocking. It seems that the undertone of the discussion is begging the question of what is "acceptable" in documenting obesity or mass consumption. I posted Raab's to show that it did not necessarily have to be centered around pictures of heavy people, though she doesn't seem to shy away from them as Martin Parr has stated that he does.
 
yes it's a sensible issue (or sensitive, or whatever).
But first of all: every overweight person knows he/she is overweight. Most of them also know it's not healthy (except of course cultures where it is considered to be a sign of wealth or fertility etc). Many people can freely talk about their overweight problem, or even make jokes about it. At that point comes the question: is it ok to make some kind of fun of, or joke with sbody of this category?
take the shot i posted, e.g. .The woman on the shot clearly has no problem with her size, as shown by the jacket she is wearing.

Moreover. Some badly overweight people I know are really fun people, loving life and they really know how to enjoy their days. I love being with them.
 
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