Stay slim to save the planet

[The Straight Story]

Stay slim to save the planet

LONDON (Reuters) - Overweight people eat more than thin people and are more likely to travel by car, making excess body weight doubly bad for the environment, according to a study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

"When it comes to food consumption, moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a gas guzzler," and food production is a major source of greenhouse gases, researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in their study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

"We need to be doing a lot more to reverse the global trend toward fatness, and recognize it as a key factor in the battle to reduce (carbon) emissions and slow climate change," the British scientists said.

They estimated that each fat person is responsible for about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions a year more on average than each thin person, adding up to an extra one billion tonnes of CO2 a year in a population of one billion overweight people.

The European Union estimates each EU citizen accounts for 11 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE53I2RG20090419?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[Warpy]

1. Nobody actually wants to be fat

in this thin obsessed world.

Articles like this one assume people have a choice. Most don't.

[hlthe2b]

5. Yes... How ridiculous.... "Just be thin!"

Most obese people have enough guilt thrust at them for a lifetime and lower self-esteem than could be measured.

This naive' attitude by the authors of this paper is really amazing.....:shrug:

[Lex]

2. Pretty soon it's into the ovens for the fat people.

Or so it seems lately.

[Mari333]

25. heh and the cigarette smokers too nt

[TBF]

3. I'm sure they are correct, the hard part is dealing with the economics of it

on an individual level. Some just overeat and don't exercise, that's fact. But I also believe there is a significant populace (especially in the US) who are eating cheap pre-packed food because that's all they can afford.

One thing that could help - give kids water rather than juice or soda (cheaper & much better for you). Pediatricians in upscale neighborhoods remind you of this but I'm not sure if that message is widely broadcast or not.

[hlthe2b]

6. Healthy food is NOT cheap.... CHeap food is NOT Healthy

and more likely to lead to obesity and other health problems. Therein lies the paradox for the poor and many others.

[TBF]

10. That's a great way to put it. I'm alarmed as well when I buy produce

at the store & it comes from half-way around the world. I go out of my way to find locally grown stuff in season. You are absolutely right that it's mostly an economic issue, like many issues one way or another.

[unpossibles]

12. it's not as simple as that at all

As someone who was overweight growing up, and who could not afford expensive food when putting myself through college, I lost weight and saved money by eating more healthily and exercising more.

I am not necessarily blaming people, because I know it's not easy and that it takes time to cook food from scratch, but I also know from my own experience that becoming a vegetarian and not eating pre-packaged stuff worked for me 100%. I lost weight and saved money, and at the time was working more than full time and going to school full time, so it's not like I had a lot of excess free time.

Again, not trying to say that a lot of "healthy food" is not expensive - it definitely can be, but does not have to be, and frankly this is used as an excuse, both for weight and for eating meat.

Go ahead and flame me. I am not picking on fat people or making fun of anyone's weight, just saying that I disagree a lot with the premise you posted.

[hlthe2b]

18. I'm talking generalities...

But, it is NOT cheap to purchase fresh fruit, meat, fish, produce. Crappy nutritional quality convenience food is far cheaper by comparison. Now, granted, if one can be creative and cook from scratch it is possible to eat better, for less, especially with the relative free time you enjoy in comparison as a college student. However, while I won't flame you, I would urge you to step in my shoes--working as I have in the past with the poor and working lower middle class who work two and sometimes three jobs. If they had the luxury to cook as you do, they would have to trade getting sleep for it. Obviously it influences their ability to exercise as well and sleep deprivation is emerging as a major factor in obesity.

So, educate yourself, please. Being pious with those who are far less fortunate than yourself is just sad.

[unpossibles]

19. You missed a lot of what I said

First of all, I slowed and eventually stopped eating meat because I could not afford it. I was poor. Yes, I was in college, but I was also working one FT job and sometimes a second PT job to do so, often night shifts. I had zero free time, not much money, little sleep, and I worked physically demanding jobs to put myself through college.

I lost weight because I could not afford to eat out, and realized that the cheap shit out there at fast food joints is (a) not really that cheap and (b) horrible for you. I can make a huge pot of soup, pasta, vegan chili, and all sorts of food for less than a "value meal" and with far fresher ingredients, and it lasts for days. I was not supported by anyone, was not on a trust fund, nor was I eating organic although I did like to go to farmer's markets when I could. Again, most veggies and grains are cheaper than meat, more filling, and better for you.

Did you even read my post?

I realize I was outside of the norm, but I am sick of people saying that they cannot afford to eat non-fast food, not because I do not realize real hunger and poverty nutrition problems exist, but because I could not afford to not cook or to eat poorly. I was later motivated partly by health problems in my own family and my own weight to stop eating meat and to just eat better and reduce my fat, corn syrup and sodium, but the reality of it was simply that even before I started thinking of it that way, I was regularly eating 20 cents worth of generic pasta with a little bit of oil on it and some onion and peppers for meals because it was all I could afford and made more than one meal for almost nothing. Eventually I got better at making good quality cheap meals, and the few times I could afford to eat out at fast food, I realized how crappy the "food" really is and how awful it made me feel.

[hlthe2b]

20. I'm sure you've experienced periods of difficulties. I have too.

Going to college and working part time is difficult, I agree, but until you have seen what these single women with children or elders raising their grandchildren while working multiple jobs go through, I'm sorry--it doesn't equate.

[unpossibles]

24. you're not even reading my post

I worked 50-60 hours a week and went to school full time.

I was poor. This took me 8 years to graduate because I had to take quarters off fairly regularly because I could not afford it.

If you want to not read my posts and ignore what I am saying, that is fine I guess.

And if it helps, my single mother raised me and my brother before she died at the age of 40, so please don't act like I am some spoiled kid who knows nothing.

[hlthe2b]

26. I did read your post. It seems very important to you

that everyone know the level of tragedy in your life. If it is sympathy that you want, I have plenty to go around. But, and this is a BIG BUT, it does NOT give you the right to be so sanctimonious with others whose weight issues may be a combination of genetics, environment, failure to exercise and eat properly (whether understandable or NOT) and metabolic issues that we still do not fully understand.

I'm glad you have overcome your difficulties, including your weight loss. Be proud of it. Celebrate it. But do not do so at the expense of others even less fortunate than yourself.

[unpossibles]

28. I am not being sanctimonious about weight issues

I am saying that "I can't afford to eat better" is not necessarily true. I'm not trying to say it's easy and I don't give a fuck if everyone "knows the tragedy in my life" - in fact, I did not even bring up some of that until you kept ignoring what I was actually writing and being condescending to me. Hell, you still are.

I never once said I am not sympathetic or that there are not many factors to being overweight; I know this. I simply said that your premise - that only the rich can afford to eat even relatively healthy food - is a false one and a cop out. Why not encourage people to try to eat fresher foods, to cook more instead of eating out, to eat less (or no) meat, to eat smaller portions, and to be patient? My only point was that cooking at home was in my experience far cheaper than any pre-made convenience food, and that if one is willing to eat leftovers, is not even that time consuming.

It's not some magical cure; it's education.

[Blecht]

30. You have a lot of patience

... to spend this much effort making your point on an Internet message board.

And you made it -- several times.

People do not seem to have a very high level of reading comprehension these days.

[county worker]

4. Oh Boy another fat thread!

[AngryOldDem]

35. LOL.

:popcorn:

[dkofos]

7. People that exercise exhale 10 times more CO2 than couch potatoes.

I guess we should quit exercising.

[SheilaT]

8. Overweight people eat more.

Now that's breaking news.

What's really expensive is eating out. Do to changes in my finances I no longer eat out at all, and I'm actually eating healthier than ever. It does take planning and careful management, but you can eat healthily and relatively inexpensively. Not as cheaply as a diet of all noodle ramen, but you can do fresh veggies in season, some fruit, small amounts of meat, and so on. The really expensive part is buying seasonings, olive oil, and other condiments and cooking extras that make a good meal.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Oh, this oughta be good ...

:popcorn:

[auntAgonist]

11. fat people will soon be blamed for global warming

with all their 'emissions'

:popcorn:

:sarcasm:








DU is obsessed with fat threads these days!

[The Straight Story]

14. It is just another way for nanny staters to justify controlling the lives of others

posting on DU harms the environment, which drives up health care costs - second hand posting is affecting my life so we need to tax it, regulate it, ban it :)

[kimmerspixelated]

16. I always look forward to your posts!

Great observation!

[riderinthestorm]

13. Ok, where's the hidden camera? Were you spying on me as I snarfed down the last jelly beans

from my girl's easter basket??!!!!11!!!1







(looks around suspiciously!)

[walldude]

15. LMAO... yeah skinny people are so much more enviromentally friendly

OMFG I'm gonna need a backhoe to dig out of this steaming pile of shit.



This must be true because I have never seen a skinny person sit in their idling car at the mall waiting to get a close parking spot so they don't have to walk as far. That has never happened once, at least... not in the last 10 minutes.

[Hansel]

22. Or skinny people who shovel down the food because their metabolisms

are sky high. There are plenty of skinny people who eat more than fat people. The article is BS.

I have a niece who is a size 0 who plows through a package of microwave bacon, several ice cream bars and a bag of candy every night. And washes it all down with a few cans of pop. And she sleeps 10 hours a day. She's one of the laziest little things I've ever seen.

[surrealAmerican]

17. They've got it backwards.

It's not that "Overweight people eat more and are more likely to travel by car", it's that people who eat more and are more likely to travel by car gain weight.

[iris27]

21. So wouldn't eating more than your basal metabolic rate, but then exercising

to burn it off be even worse? Since, after all, you exhale more CO2 while working up a sweat. :)

[stevedeshazer]

23. *Burp* Huh? Whut??

[flvegan]

27. Bollocks. That London school should have talked to some athletes.

Both strength and endurance athletes alike eat quite a bit more, at times, than a good number of "overweight" people. Bodybuilders can and do weigh 290 to over 300 lbs at their CONTEST weight. They drive too. They consume calories in excess of 10,000 a day.

Then, they should have studied "overweight" vegetarians/vegans.

See, it's not the number registered by gravity.

[varelse]

29. Is there a global trend toward fatness?

I thought most of the world's human population was living at or under subsistence?

[GoCubsGo]

31. "More likely to travel by car"

Well, around here, we have no choice. Sidewalks are a rarity. Traffic near shopping areas is outrageous due to piss-poor planning. No shoulders on the road, so one puts their life into their hands if they walk or cycle on that road. I gave up riding my bike around here twenty years ago after one close call too many. Cyclists are considered target practice here and in much of the South. Have enough garbage thrown at you, or miss being side-swiped by a pick-up truck by millimeters enough times, and you retreat to the safety of your automobile. Too bad the author ignored that aspect of all of this.

[cpompilo]

32. Community gardens should be promoted across our country

so that people who do not have access to fresh vegetables and fruits have an alternative to buying "food" at their corner (probably) liquor store.

In my city a position was created in the Parks Dept. last year to promote community gardens. The Community Gardens Director is responsible for not only spreading the word but also implementing actual vegetable gardens. It's a very popular program here and gaining momentum in this economy.

[LiberalPersona]

33. lol

Reducing 12 tonnes to 11 is going to save the planet?
I don't think so.

[NeedleCast]

34. Wow, just when I think we've seen the height of idiotic studies

another comes along to surprise me...

I'm overweight.

I take mass transportation almost everywhere. I put less than 2000 miles a year on my car.
My house is as green as I can make it without me having to hire contractors to come do further insulation work.
I compost and have a garden.
I do what I can to minimize wasted water use at my house.

I'll put my fat ass and it's carbon footprint up against you skinnies any time.