September 24, 2024 Share Obesity is high and holding steady in the U.S., but the proportion of those with severe obesity — especially women — has climbed since a decade ago, according to new government research.
The U.S. obesity rate is about 40%, according to a 2021-2023 survey of about 6,000 people. Nearly 1 in 10 of those surveyed reported severe obesity, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Women were nearly twice as likely as men to report severe obesity.
The overall obesity rate appeared to tick down vs. the 2017-2020 survey, but the change wasn’t considered statistically significant; the numbers are small enough that there’s mathematical chance they didn’t truly decline.
Obesity is a such a deceptive disease. The majority of people regain significant or even more weight after losing it, even with surgery and the long term dependency on drugs to maintain loss is very telling.
We need better quality food, much more physical activity and a far less chemicals in our everyday lives but shaming fat people is so much more idealistic than the fat acceptance everybody dunks on. The material reality is so much more grim when people are going to just regain weight again.
The majority of people also don't make meaningful dietary changes. They just eat the same things but less for 2-3 months and act surprised when going back to the old lifestyle results in weight gain. I've lost a significant amount of weight and have kept it off. It was very easy to lose the weight if you avoided ultra-processed stuff but maintaining while still occasionally eating that shit is nearly impossible.
Childhood obesity is abuse. Ultra-processed food should be illegal or severely regulated, institutional changes should make a good diet and exercise easier. But the fat acceptance movement is not our ally in this. Anymore than drunk driving acceptance or smoking acceptance should be.
I did say that we should ban that shit being mass produced.
While not calling for an “alliance” with the fat acceptance “movement” from which I can tell is a long gone movement in the 70s and some instagram accounts. It mostly exists in the imagination of chuds.
If telling them getting off the junk was going to work it would have worked. Same with smokers. You have to deal with all people as they are. Unique and complex neurological train wrecks that will sniff paint cants and chew lead paint if there was nothing better is available to temporarily escape the human condition. Change the environment as much as possible but people are going to find ways to fuck themselves up and socialism will just need to scale with it.
Child obesity is a a horrible byproduct of the collapse of social reproduction and advertising that affects the poorest and minorities first. Just calling it abuse is dangerous when we need real solutions like reduced working hours, healthy communal meals, sports programs for all.
My comment was in response to people who did lose weight but gained it back. The point is that people can lose weight, but most can't handle ultra-processed food in moderation. Rebounding is not fatalistic, it is a consequence of returning to a previous diet. Saying 90% regain their weight doesn't tell the full story.
You can make the same argument for alcoholism and domestic violence. We can acknowledge societal factors of behavior while still calling a spade a spade. Childhood obesity is abuse, domestic violence is abuse, I don't care why people do it. The fact that you won't label this is just disgusting. Permanently fucking up a child's growth, hormones, and self-esteem would be considered the highest form of abusive if the method was anything but food.
To be clear, I'm not saying these parents should be arrested. But it is abuse, full stop.
It is remarkably easy to regain weight. 90 percent of people who lose weight end up regaining most of it back. It really is a struggle. You're absolutely right about the need for quality of food
Would even go so for to say a lot of the “treats” as hexbear often put them should probably be banned from production and just be something home made. At least effort is involved then to make stuff at home and with won’t be engineered with the sweetness bite point that makes easier large quantities of ultra processed foods.
It seems we crossed that point. Smokings death toll directly and indirectly is catastrophic. Some say it will kill 1 billion. Diabetes will affect 1.3 billion people in 2050. Guess how many of those will be able to afford treatment I mention smoking because like the other treats they're pretty addictive. So many aren't gonna give it up. Even if it kills them which unfortunately it is in large numbers
And the levels of disability from bad spinal health and joint injuries. The bullshit they can lose the weight if they get off the scooter that saved them from becoming a shut-in.