The Weight debate: science unit
Everyone:
1. Scan the footnotes of Caloric Imbalance…from Journal of the American Medical Association. For what sorts of statements do the authors cite sources? Generally, how dependable do you find the information in this editorial?
2. Write a paragraph summarizing what for you are the CDC key findings in one of the two tables.
3.How does NAAFA summarize the stereotypes of fat people? What stereotypes about fat people have you encountered in your experience?
Next, answer one of the following, based on your reading chosen in class:
4. Gibbs and others have remarked on the importance of preventing obesity by working with children and adolescents. Think of various kids you know—siblings, cousins, neighbors, and friends. How agreeable would they be (or have they been) to anti-obesity messages? Do you see them easily cutting back on, let alone giving up, fast food? Could you, personally, make that kind of sacrifice in the name of slenderness? The medical community is now calling for a War on Fat, reminiscent of the War on Tobacco. Adopting strategies for anti-smoking campaigns, activists have considered suing food companies for creating unhealthy, “addictive” products. They have also discussed taxing junk food both to make it less affordable and to create funds for combating obesity. Compare and contrast these two wars. Draw on the readings and consider the roles of individual choice and willpower in eating and in smoking.
5. What assumptions does Critser make about the origins of overeating? In considering this question, you might think about the roles of individual power, genes, parental and institutional authority, and a child’s autonomy. If, as several of the authors in this chapter report, diets are ineffective for the great majority of dieters, then one could conclude that dieters themselves are not to blame for their failure to lose weight. If there is no one to blame, if we can’t point to the dieter’s lack of willpower, how should we think about the problems of being overweight and obese? What evidence do you see that we as a culture are prepared to approach the problem without laying blame (focus on blame-making or who takes for should take responsibility for the problems of being overweight or obese?
6. What role has NAAFA played in helping Worley think and feel differently about herself? Write an explanatory synthesis that presents the ways in which fat people are made to feel inadequate by the culture at large.
7. Seid argues that in the 20th century the world of fashion has focused not only on clothes but on the body, the result being that a woman who wants to dress fashionably must attend to the body beneath the clothes as well as to the clothes themselves. How consciously are you aware of having to “manipulate” yourself—that is your body—in order to be fashionably correct? For cultural reasons, women and men may feel the need to lose weight. But the scientific reality is that many should lose weight to maintain good health. Compare and contrast the argument that being overweight or obese is a socially constructed problem with the argument that excess weight is a medical condition. Recall that comparison and contrasts should lead to a central claim (thesis) that can help you form a synthesis of sources.
8. Respond to Schwartz’s extreme assertion that weight loss regimes are a species of “murder” by organized medicine and the larger society. Schwartz remarks that far people are unhappy largely due to the pressures that the larger culture places on them to go on diets that inevitably fail. Medical specialists observe that most dieters are doomed to regain the weight they lose. Given such overwhelming agreement on the prospects for successful dieting, what is an overweight person to do? Formulate a brief argument drawing on selections from this chapter. Define the problem, and formulate a sensible response.
9. In Why the Fries Taste Good, were you at all disappointed—amused? Pleased?—to learn how the products you eat get their “natural smoke flavor?” More broadly, on completing this section, do you have any sense that the processed food you eat is inauthentic? Explain. Were you at all aware of the science put to work in the service of appealing to your taste buds and sense of smell? With such sophisticated resources backing the fast food industry, creating the complex taste and “mouthfeel” of a French fry, is there any sense in which you think the fast food industry is making the individual eater’s attempt to maintain a healthy weight especially difficult? More broadly, observe the tug-of-war taking place over the American consumer of food: on the one hand, the food industry is helping scientists create delectable products that scream “Eat me!” while the fashion magazines scream “Be Skinny!” In an explanatory synthesis that draws on the selections in this chapter, discuss this tug-of-war. Who is being fought over? What are the forces arrayed on each side of the fight? Who is winning? (look at the tables from the CDC and Koplan and Dietz)
10. What evidence can you find (for example in the tone of his writing, in the questions he poses, or in his choice of subject matter) that Gawande is a physician? How extreme do you find the surgery? Do you understand why morbidly obese people would elect to undergo the operation? Do you understand why “moderately obese” people would do so? Write a synthesis in which you discuss the various cultural pressures to be thin and the various remedies available to achieve this goal. If you have no strongly held views, write an explanatory synthesis governed by a carefully constructed thesis.
posted by DrEmmerling at 9:31 AM
18 Comments:
Koplan and Dietz cite for specific statistics that they use in the article. From what I can tell the sources seem reliable and trustworthy.
Prevalence of Obesity among U.S. Adults, by Characteristics. Ever since the data started to be collected obesity percentages have been increasing in every category. It is interesting to see that statistics between ex-smoker, current smoker, and never smoked;. It is surprising that the ex-smoker has a higher rate of obesity then those who had never smoked. Though it’s understandable that current smokers have very low obesity rates, as smoking decreases appetite. Men are only slightly more (.5%) likely to be obese. Also, the more education you have the less likely you are to be obese. I would think this is because the more education you have the more motivation you have and the more you learn of the dangers of obesity. I wouldn’t expect the black race to have the highest obesity rates, but it may be because of the high sodium content of their food (generally).
They are made to feel fear and guilt because of their weight, and that it’s their fault that their fat. The diet industry pushes on these feelings for monetary gains. People think fat people are fat because they haven’t tried to lose the weight, or are lazy. Fat people are “unhealthy, unattractive, asexual, weak-willed, lazy and gluttonous”.
In my personal experiences I have no run into many problems with stereotypes with weight. I grew up with fat parents and have an overweight roommate. Both my parents and roommates project power with their weight and have become very successful. I have learned to accept that some people are just obese, and have met many people that look obese but are in fact super athletic and strong. In paintball being overweight is almost a blessing as more paintballs bounce off of you, keeping you in the game for longer.
Critser makes assumptions on overeating are that based upon how you are rationed food as a kid determines the amount of food you will eat later in life. Throughout the article he explains how dieting programs are 95% unsuccessful. If we can’t blame it on the people’s personal willpower to loose weight then I think we should shift blame onto the dieting industry. They use fear and guilt to sell their products, making a $30 billion per year industry. I believe that it is up to the diet industry that make products that work, but with so many out there and so many different body types, how is it possible to match two and two together? I think this should create a new type of doctor that really can match what works with the right people, and this should solve the issue. Because the causes for obesity are so diverse, it may be next to impossible, but I am sure with enough research it is completely possible.
They cite sources when they use a fact, statistic, number, results from a survey etc. The fact that they can cite so specifically where they obtained there inoformation, helps with its reliability. The sources seem reliable also (some are big name corporations) that help add to the work's validity.
In the first chart, i thought it was interesting to see how the percentage of obese people has increased pretty dramatically. Also, males, people ages 50-59, black (non-hispanic) individuals, people who have less then a high-school educaiton, and ex-smokers, are most likely to be obese. The highest raise in percentages came from the hispanic population with a raise of 12.1% from 1991 to 2001.
In the second chart, i found it interesting that California was rated in the middle of ranges. i would have guessed that California would have been lower becuase everyone seems so weight-conscious. Mississippi had the highest number (25.9) and Colorado had the lowest number (14.4).
People who are overweight are seen as lazy people who must just sit and do nothing all day. Usually, it is considered their fault and they just dont care. Overweight people are consistently viewed as ugly and weak-willed. I have encountered people who think that if someone is overweight they just dont care about themselves. They dont realize that they could be working-out less and eating more then the overweight person is, becuase there are other factors (such as genetics) involved.
NAAFA held a conference that Mary Worley attended. At the conference she said she felt like she was in a whole new world. Everyone around her was obese, yet they were "confident, radiant, and happy." She was able to be herself and feel comfortable with her body. After the conference she realized many new things and wanted to see herself in a new light. The Conference led her come to the conclusion that she loves her body and "appreciates the miraculous bodies we have."
Fat people are made to feel inadequate by our society.Mary Ray Worley discess how our society may shun obese people. She talks about how its hard to find clothes that fit her and how people are constantly trying to cover up their fat. Society makes it hard for obese people to feel like they fit in and are no different then everyone else. Society is constantly critical on obese people as they survey whats in thier shopping cart, what they chose to eat for dinner etc. without even knowing the person. She discusses how fat people feel ashamed of their weight and won't go to the beach because they dont want others to feel disgusted. Society makes it hard for obese people to do anything without being aware of their larger size. Worley recalls feeling bad when trying to exercise because people were to judgemental. Also, research that has been does is constantly warning about health risks while the more important risk is that of depression and self-loathing. once organizations like NAAFA and more people become aware of this issue, life may be a much safer and comforting place for overweight people. The beliefs of the NAAFA as described in "NAAFA Policy on Dieting and teh Diet Industry" have helped people like Worley to overcome her personal issues. This organization has allowed Worley and others to feel like they belong, which directly points out how society makes obese people feel worthless.
1. The statements that are cited are specific facts unknown to the general audience. The information seems very reliable because the author has done a lot of research. Since the facts are cited, the reader knows the author is not making them up. The reader can go back and look the facts up if they question the reliability.
2. The “Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults, Region and State” graph shows weight distribution among regions of the U.S. This information helps the reader interpret the obese percentage among U.S. states. The reader can compare which states as well as which region has a higher percentage and then make a guess as to why. Also, you notice that the percentages get higher every year, so the obesity percentage is growing nation wide. On average, each state grew around six percent.
3. All the stereotypes about obese people have a negative connotation. Usually, they are perceived as having bad self-esteem and no determination. The NAAFA says that most diets plans are “built on guilt and fear” from the obese. The only characteristic I have experienced is seeing friends go through a cycle of loosing and gaining weight.
5. Critzer claims that obesity originates when children are young. Their parents discourage the children to overeat, causing the children to gorge or to have an eating disorder. It is easy for babies and children to learn to overeat because all their habits are begging to form.
Dieters are not the only ones to blame when they don’t loose weight. The creators of the diets are probably giving false information because their product does not work. Also, the way you were raised plays a big part in your eating habits. The mass obesity in the U.S. may be caused by mass media and the way restaurants make food look so good. Children are said to eat three fast food meals a day. This pattern of fast food eating gives children bad eating habits from the beginning.
The evidance our nation gives about being ready for mass obesity is the belief there is no one to blame. Who is going to fix the problem if no one takes the blame?
1. The footnotes they use are generally to cite different statistics, and facts. The information in the editorial seems to be dependable because they seem to cite very precisely, and most the sources they are using seem to come from people with a degree, which makes their input valuable.
2. The key CDC findings from table one are that no matter what the circumstances are obesity went up. Every year the number continues to increase, but there seems to be less increase from 1998 to 1999 in most categories. It was also obvious to me that people with a higher education level are eating healthier.
3. Fat people are stereotyped as "unhealthy, unattractive, asexual, weak-willed, lazy, and gluttonous." I think that I have heard some of the same generalizations about fat people. Most people stereotype them as lazy and unhealthy.
4. I know a few people that deal with obesity. They don't really pay attention to the messages that are put out for them. They don't seem to be cutting back on fast foods or the amounts of food they are eating. I think I can cut back on the amount of fast food I eat. SInce I have moved into my own house in IV, I have found myself cooking for myself, and trying to eat vegetables and things that are healthier. I try very hard not to eat out, and I of course do this so that I don't gain weight, and have to deal with the issues that come with obesity. The idea of taking the War on Tabacco and using its tactics to help obesity seems like a good idea. By taxing unhealthy products people will buy less, and hopefully help decrease the obesity rate. Gibbs says that a typical adult gains about 20 pounds between the ages of 25 and 55, and that they eat about 900,000 million calories a year. By cutting back, and eating healthier people can save themselves from eating those extra calories that will cause them to gain 20 pounds and can probably save a lot of money along the way. America's obesity is increasing and something must be done. Everyone needs to think about what they are eating, and realize that they need to find a way to eat healthier.
1. The authors cite statistics and other facts that are integral to their argument. These are outside pieces of information that they researched and synthesized into their article. The sources appear to be scholarly and effective. Many of them come from medical journals and all have to relate to the discussed topics in the piece.
2. I found the US Region and Sate table to be the most interesting because it showed the demographics of obesity throughout the nation. There is a significantly larger mean for the percentage of obesity in East and West south central US countries. These countries include: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Also, generally speaking, the percentage for each state has increased each recorded year.
3. NAAFA has summarized fat people as victims of the diet pil and media who are always accucsed of not having self control. I have encountered similar stereotypes of fat people. Also, that they are unable to play sports or live as nice of lives as "skinny" people because they are looked down upon in our materialistic society.
8. It is unfortunate but true that society has a gigantic emphasis placed on skinniness and wieght loss. However, often times many "fat" people are simply unable to lose this weight for either genetic or physiological reasons. Clearly, this is a problem that must be solved. Yet, solution in this case must come from society itself. In Schwartz's description of a "utopian fat society" he claims that models for magazines would be sized like the people. In our society, only the "prettiest" people are portrayed in the media, and are often considered the standard. If we are able to deny this false standard, we will just begin to start easing the problem that "fat" people have in our derogatory society.
1. The Caloric Balance article uses citation whenever it gives a specific statistic, often when it makes a statement without giving actual numbers, and also cites any study that is mentioned by name in the body of the article. I find the piece to be very reliable. It cites quite a fairly exhaustive number of studies, and many of these are long-term studies, which are often more reliable. and it appeared in a leading medical journal.
2. The most important feature of both CDC tables is that all of measures of obesity go up between 1991 and 2000. This not only identifies obesity as a problem that has been growing with changes in diet and activity among the population in theses years, it greatly weakens the argument that obesity, or at very least, all obesity, is genetic. If obesity was purely genetic, it could not have climbed so steeply in only nine years. I would say that the second most important part of the first table is that which shows that college graduates, while also increasing in obesity between 1991 and 2000, have not done so to the same extent that the less educated have. This seems to confirm that knowledge of fitness and nutrition does stave off the rising tide of obesity the country is facing.
3. NAAFA identifies fat stereotypes relating to laziness, asexuality, unattractiveness, lack of will or morals, and gluttony. While it is hard to think of every stereotype one has encounter, either explicitly or subtly, it seems reasonable to say that I've encountered all of these stereotypes at some point.
5. Some of Crister's major assumptions are that genetics do not play a large role in determining obesity and that children can be made to largely follow food regimens administered by their parents.
I think that obesity problem should be seen as an interplay of the way food is created, marketed, and sold, both the contents of the food parents raise their children eating and the way they raise their children eating, and the way eating is fit into the average daily American schedule. I would think that in a nation where 60% of adults are, in fact, overweight, people in general would be quite willing to accept that the root causes of widespread obesity lie outside the realm of personal vigilance and food-related will. This does not guarantee that the media would portray it as such, or that people in general would be willing or able to change the societal factors that have lead to the obesity epidemic.
When they site sources, they use solid factual information such as number and statistics. The fact that it’s so specific helps its reliability and helps validate his idea.
The prevalence of obesity among US adults, by characteristics showed that overtime, men became more obese than women. Also I found it interesting that you would more likely be obese if you are an ex-smoker than if you never smoked at all. The prevalence of obesity among US adults, by region and state showed that the US total raised 6.9 percent over the span of 8 years. It is surprising to see that California is not even near the top percent.
Overweight people are considered lazy and unhappy people, who do nothing active all day. These people are usually seen as having low self esteem issues. Many of the diet plans out there are based on guilt and fear, just to help sell a product. There are many people that go through gaining and loosing weight.
In our society, fat people are shown to be “not of the same world.” They are socially out casted people who are ashamed to do some activities that “thin people” do. They are seen as people we think of “what they are eat for dinner” rather than asking what type of person they are. Worly explains a “place not of this world” where these people, who are the same as everyone else, do the same things, and are not ashamed to do certain activities. The NAAFA have helped people like Worly overcome some of these many issues, and help bring these supposed different worlds together.
Kyle Valenzuela
The statements that have footnotes are statements that seem to be opinionated, have information generally not known to the public or are terms that the general population may not know.
The source where the information is gathered from seems dependable. Most are from medical doctors, published professional journals, and government written articles and reports. All of which are assumed to be reliable and accurate sources. Therefore, I think the information presented in this article is reliable and accurate.
What I think are the key CDC findings includes: the general increase of the percentage and prevalence of obesity with the passing years, the high percentage of obese children under high school age, lower obesity rates with rising educational levels, how smoking habits affect eating habits, and finally how similar obesity levels are in each area.
The general increase of the percentage and prevalence of obesity with the passing years is important because it shows an alarming trend that American are getting more and more obese as time passes. The high percentage of obese children under high school age was also alarming since they will also add to the trend of increasing obesity percentages, since most eating habits are formed in grade and high school years. The fact that obesity rates lower with a higher education is also crucial since it proves that more information acquired about obesity and health can help prevent or alleviate unhealthy habits. As for how smoking affects eating habits, the data the CDC compiled makes perfect sense. Smokers have lower obesity rates than nonsmokers since tobacco can cause the loss of appetite. Ex-smokers, however, have a higher obesity rate than both smokers and nonsmokers since their bodies make up the nutritional deficit during smoking by eating more. This also gives weight to the common fear of smokers who want to quit, since by quitting smoking, you increase the chance of gaining weight. What was surprising for me in the second chart was the fact that most areas of the United States more or less had the same percentage of obesity. I thought because of the different and popular foods of each region, they would vary more.
NAAFA summarizes stereotypes of fat people by listing them. It first starts off by definition of what is a diet and continues with what it considers negative stereotypes. One of its major points is the negative societal portrayal of fat people, such as showing these people as “unhealthy, unattractive, asexual, weak-willed, lazy and gluttonous.” It also points out that many health problems associated with obesity are actually caused by dieting.
Personally as an American I get a lot of stereotypes about the food I eat. During this summer vacation (before school started) I went on vacation to Hong Kong and did volunteer work in China. When I got there I received many comments that I liked fried and greasy food and all other types of junk food (which I usually avoid) simply because I live in America. Especially in Hong Kong, there was a lot of negative stereotypes about the obese which ranged from eating too much, eating unhealthy food to simply not having enough self-control to avoid fattening foods.
Crisner claims that the origin of overeating is from a combination of sources. Individual power plays a part since most parents believe that their children should be given the choice of choosing their own food and know when they are full. Crisner also draws attention to the fact that parents avoid changing eating patterns of their children because it might cause them to have health problems in the future or overeat when they aren’t supervised. Genes play some part since they determine the likelihood of obesity. However, genes only determine potentials. The media also selects certain studies to elaborate and advertise. This causes misinformation and in some cases, outdated information. In addition, the economic incentive also causes overeating to be encouraged. There is a great deal of money to be made by keeping people eating too much and having them pay money to lose weight.
As a society, I don’t think we can ever move away from the problem of the obese without laying blame somewhere. In order to truly alleviate the problem, I think that external and internal reasons for being overweight should be considered. Both the society and the individual both have to take the blame in order for any progress on the problem to be done. Individuals have to make smarter choices about the food they eat, how much they eat as well as try to exercise more. The society has to stop portraying such unrealistic ideals, cease or limit the amount of artificial ingredients in food, serve reasonable portions and overall provide better and updated health information. Obesity should be thought of as a problem like global warming. There is no single source to blame but all have to do their best to try and solve it.
Koplan and Dietz cite sources when using a fact or statistic that they obtained from an outside source, such as a book or magazine. As far as I can tell, these sources seem to be reliable.
The key findings in the "Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults, By Characteristics" chart show that obesity has increased in all age groups all around the United States. It is interesting that although every race is becoming increasingly obese as a whole, the black community has the highest percentage of obese people. The chart also shows that ex-smokers are more likely to become obese as opposed to people who have never smoked. By looking at the chart it is also shown that people with lower levels of education are at a higher risk of becoming obese. While the percentage of obese people with a college level education is on the rise, there are not nearly as many of these people suffering from obesity as compared to those who have not completed high school. This seems logical because those who are educated are aware of the increasing problem of obesity, and they are able to learn how to prevent the problem.
NAAFA summarizes the stereotypes of fat people by assuming that fat people are portrayed as unhealthy and unattractive. Fat people have the false stereotype that they are for some reason weak-willed and lazy, when in reality this can be completely false. Fat people are also assumed to have no will power or moral values. I have witnessed some of these stereotypes first hand. Many of my peers make the assumption that those who are obese are this way because they don't have the will power to exercise and lose weight. They don't even stop to think that this person might be concentrating on there eating habits much more than they're doing themselves, and that the obese individual has a slower metabolism rate than that of their own. I realized that these stereotypes are false and I don't support the views that some of my peers believe to be true.
Although I do agree with Gibbs when he states that it is imperative that we attempt to prevent obesity by working with children and adolescents, I think finding a solution to the problem is easier said than done. I know many children and adolescents that would still continue to eat junk food even if they new it was bad for them. For example, I have an overweight friend named Jake who is completely aware of the fat content in the food he eats, yet he does not cut back on his intake of this junk food. It is much easier to see the solution to a problem than it is to apply this solution to your own style of living. There are many kids, as well as adolescents, that would agree with Gibbs strategies, yet they would be unable to carry them out because of their already formed bad habits. Giving up junk food would seem easy at first, but when that overweight eight year old child attends his friend’s birthday party, he is going to eat cake and ice cream with his friends. I myself understand how unhealthy many fast food restaurants are, yet I know I am unable to stop eating these types of food. Gibbs suggests that we take a stand on obesity and start campaigning against it, much like the nation started doing with the tobacco war. These problems share some similarities, one being that obesity as well as tobacco use both increases mortality rates, but they are not exactly the same. It is much more complicated when trying to prevent obesity as compared to quitting smoking. When quitting smoking all one has to do is not smoke. Although this is easier said than done, it is still far less complicated than solving the nation wide problem of obesity. In order to prevent obesity people would not only have to refrain from certain foods, but they would also have to make profound lifestyle changes. It would be nearly impossible to persuade people to make these changes through the use of propaganda techniques. This is the major distinction between the wars on tobacco as opposed to the War on Obesity. Although both wars have a have a worthy cause, their solutions are very different. If the epidemic of obesity is going to be improved, it is going to have to be because individuals are motivated enough to take care of these health issues, not because of commercials that tell you how big a problem obesity really is.
Chris Albo
1. Koplan and Dietz use actual facts and statistics in there article, and for that they used lots of sources to prove their evidence is worthy. I found these sources to be reliable for each seemed to be a specialist dealing with obesity, which was what the main article was about.
2. What I found in the Prevalence of Obesity among U.S. adults, by characteristics was interesting. IT seems that over the years obistry had only been rising between both men and women, young or old. All the ethiticities, education levels, and smoking status had rising numbers.
3. NAAFA summarizes that a person who is overweight is lazy, doesn't work out, eat healthy, and should feel bad about themselves because of all of this. I have an aunt who has tried every kind of item you see on infomercials for losing weight. She has been trying for years now, and I think on some level she has a low self esteem because of it. I just wish she wouldn't feel bad because she hasn't lost a couple extra pounds. I think we should embrace and award a person on what they have accomplished, rather than what they look like.
7. I believe you are very conciously aware that you have to look a certain way because it's society and almost every other girl in America's standards. With fashion and looks being so important to a woman you are going to have worry about things that you shouldn't, and it comes with a price. Sometimes girls manipulate themselves into looking a certain way with harmful things such as eating disorders and bulimia.
Does one need to be skinny in order to succeed in life? Society would suggest it, medical experts would say yes, but will anyone ever say no? In society it used to be that a woman who had "dimple flesh-what we would today shudderingly call "cellulite" - was considered desirable. (3) So what happened from then to now? Well after World War II "Fatphopia" as it was called took place. "The perception was that Americans were too fat and getting fatter, that they ate too much, ate the wrong foods, and were...flabby." When these new thoughts emerged into households throughout the country, people began to "enjoy the best heath and greatest longevity ever known into American society." So it seems that when the people viewed being flabby as being diseased, in actuality they were helping themselves out medically because they were eating healthier and living longer. Medical reports showed that life expectancy grew and grew after that new idea brought to society.
I believe socially that being obese wasn't a big problem until that craze after the war. Icons such as Marilyn Monroe, voluptuous woman, were seen as beautiful and healthy. But soon new icons emerged such as Twiggy, a five foot seven, ninety eight pound real life twig who "women thereafter aspired to meet." Soon it was seen in society that "if you're fat, it's you're fault." That led to low self esteem issues, and depression in life.
In contrast, when the craze of becoming skinny came into effect, this only helped medical experts get there point across that not only would you be socially "ugly" but you would also be in jeopardy of your life. There are so many risks when it comes to obesity such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, sleep apnea, and stroke. It seemed that once people felt bad about their looks and became healthier, this helped them in the long run in life.
1) The authors seem to generally cite souces when giving precise statistics. I feel that the information is very reliable. Each source is cited very specifically.
2)Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults, by Characteristics. I feel that the key finding to this research is that in every category the percentage of obesese citizens increased from 1991 to 1999. I fell that several of the findings made sense from what I have expereinced in my life. It seems that women are much more self concious about their weight and therefore the percentage only increased from 12.2, in 1991, to 18.6, in 1999. A difference of only 6.4. Compared to males 11.7, in 1991, to 19.1, in 1999. A difference of 7.4. It was also interesting to see that the prevalence has increased very little in the youth, ages 18-29. It seems that there is so much pressure to stay fit and slim so that you "look your best" that young people will do whatever it takes to lose weight.
3) It seems that "fat people" are looked down upon in society. They are seen as lazy, unhealthy, dirty, etc. I have encountered all of these stereotypes in my experience, especially going through high school. I myself do not hold any of these stereotypes. My best friend is "fat" and none of the stereotypes mentioned would describe him.
6) Mary Ray Worley was able to feel better about herself by surrounding herself with people who shared the same problem. These people however, were very confident and did not look at obesity as a handicap. Mary realized that it is not about how you look to others, it's about how you look to yourself.
in reading Caloric Imbalance... from Journal of the American Medical Association, the kind of statements that the author cites sources for are for statistics and facts that seem to be very reliable because it cites the facts from a number of sources that all seem pretty prestigious. I see this information in this editorial extremely dependable because it is filled with hard facts.
CDC key findings in the table that discussed the prevalence of obesity among u.s. adults, by characteristics was the most interesting to me because it discussed how typical obesity is in men and women in different age groups, ethnicities, and socio-economic standards.I also really felt the even narrowed down chart regarding obesity in each state was very factual because it shows throughout a given length of time the percentage of state population who were obese. Very useful if you were completely a dissertation/study on obesity because you can just based on this chart, discover the obesity and how prevalent it is in the united states.
NAAFA summarizes the stereotypes of fat people as being negative. Fat people are generally said to be lazy and not opened to changing their eating habits. people view obese people as not caring about their health and just give them an overall condescending tone when speaking of someone who is overweight.NAAFA feels that diets are ridiculous because usually people go on them out of guilt and fear on what society is going to mark them as. It is truly sad and NAAFA feels that obese people shouldn't be stereotyped in a negative light.
In my experience, i have encountered the stereotype that fat people are just outright lazy, they are opposed to change and just don't care about what they look like. they are lazy and stubborn and eat because they are bored and lazy. it is really sad because i have met some incredible larger people who are far more goal orientated, neat, and non-lazy, than skinny people.
In reading the article, The Man Who couldn't stop eating, The clues that tip me off that Gawande, the author, is a physician are that in the pre-story when it is introducing some background info on the subject of the story, it says outright that he is a physician. Also throughout the story of ‘Vincent Caselli’, it was clued in that the author was a doctor because it wouldn’t just talk about the patient, but about other disorders that he experienced during and after his surgery, also his weight, and other medical data that is typical in a medical dissertation on a patient.
The surgery doesn’t seem too extreme, it is the aftermath of the surgery, and the life the patient has to become accustomed to after the surgery that is frightening. The stomach is resized from two fist lengths, to the size of a small shot glass. Any over eating can lead to vomiting, the stomach stretching back to its original size, and other serious health factors. The surgery is good in that it can lead to a dramatic weight loss, but the risks are high not only during surgery, but for the rest of the patient’s life as the not only have to live in a new life, but have to become accustomed to a new body, a body that they aren’t used to, and a control that then now must take hold of unless they want to die of obesity.
I understand why morbidly obese people would go through with this risky, life-threatening surgery because they see it as their “ last hope” or else if they don’t do something about their obesity, they can die.
I also understand why moderately obese people are interested. Most of the interest and curiosity for the surgery comes from them not only being “above average” in size, but because they have the fear instilled in them that if they don’t get the surgery, they COULD become that large and that heavy as a morbidly obese person.
In society now, the pressures to be thin are incredible outrageous. Not only in adults portrayed in the media, but now it is shifting to children, as they see smaller, “ normal” sized kids on television, the larger, above average kids feel that they need to be like the kids that society “ accepts”. I think it is awful that people can’t love themselves for themselves and not based on the fat that is on their bodies. Everyone has things wrong with them and nobody is perfect, weight alone doesn’t make a person who they are, yet society treats people very differently based on their clothing size. Skinny people are praised when really they look unhealthy. Fat people are stereotyped in condescending tone as being lazy and unmotivated, when skinny people can be unmotivated or MORE unmotivated than the larger people they are compared with.
Societies pressures to be thin include clothing in a story only really accommodating thinner body types, which is actually a small mass of the population, especially in America when men and women are larger. A way that society pressures people to be thin is by portrayal in the media, and by the actors and actresses we see. All are slim and gorgeous, designed with the “perfect body”. Many people who wish to be thin then seek out extreme measures to get there, especially since gastric bypass surgery is so expensive and hard to undertake, people will result in life-threatening tasks of vomiting, starvation, and maybe even trying to remove their excess fat without a doctor’s permission or a doctor doing the procedure. So many people are obsessed with the idea of being thin when really there are far more serious issues to worry about in society today,.
1. The statements used mostly statistical facts about obesity. Most of them seem to be from research conducted by numerous people. With so many different sources from names like Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Life Sciences Research Office and National Institutes of Health and US Departments of Health and Human Services, I pretty much trust what they say.
2. From the chart, obesity has been increasing over the years in all categories given. Ages 50-59 is the age group that is most obese in all the years. Blacks are leading in the race/ethnicity section, as is people who have less than a high school degree and Ex-smoker.
3. Some typical stereotypes of fat people are they are lazy, unattractive sloths. I have heard people make fun of fat people which go through a bunch of stereotypes, but I personally dont think much of stereotypes in general
4. In "The Man Who Couldn't Stop Eating", Gawande talks writes a lot of physical statistics, such as height, weight, and others. That could make someone think he is a physician. He was able to depict the situation in the operation of Caselli, like giving heights and stuff. I think the surgery is pretty extreme, but, then again, I haven't been put in the situation of the patient. I understand that if a morbidly and moderately obese people have tried other ways to lose weight and still haven't found success, they are correct in going through the operation if they really want to. I can understand the pressure society places on fat people. However, I always think surgery should be done as a last option. Culture in the current days put pressure on people to be fit and attractive, which puts a lot of pressure on the obese. Obese people can diet, excercise, get liposuction, get a gastric bypass, or eat diet pills to get thinner.
1.)The authors cite sources when they refer to actual numbers, facts, and other information. They gather all of this in order to make their point clear to the reader. This makes the editorial more informative as it engages the reader with real evidence as to what the author is writing.
2.)The Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults, by Characterisitcs. Beggining in 1991, the obesity percentage has been increasing as the years go by. Men also tend to be more obese than women by a minor difference. People in the 50-59 age range tend to be more obese than any other age group. By race, blacks have a higher percentage of obesity with hispanics following behind. People who have not yet finished high school have a higher obesity percentage than that of a college student. The most surprising to me was that an ex-smoker has a higher obesity percentage than a current smoker.
3.) NAAFA believes that fat people are faced with negativity all the time. It is their fault that they are fat, they never go out and exercise or make an attempt to follow a diet. Fat people are simply lazy not wanting to better their image, and therfore we categorize them as ugly.
I have heard many things said to people who are overweight and I feel sorry for them at times. Sure they may not seem as "normal" but they are human nonetheless and we should not go out and embarras them only making them feel less than human.
9.) I was dissapointed in the fact that McDonalds fries contain an artificial flavor that makes them taste great. I was amazed as to how the IFF has created many artificial flavors and smells that are found in our every day processed food items. I never seemed to take into consideration how much science was involved to take control of my taste buds and sense of smell. Fast food companies make it difficult for people to maintain a healthy weight as they are commonly entering these restaurants for the only satisfaction of a mouth watering french fries. This is where the tug-of-war comes into play as the ideal image goes against the nature of the beast. Obesity in the United States has increased over the past decades and it continues to do so. By using their sophisticated resources, fast food restaurants are one of the problems which continue to feed the beast. Magazines and television on the other hand remind us that we also seek perfection, and idolize a thin person as healthy and beautiful. They are two complete opposites and with the rise of sophisticated food production I believe the beast will continue to grow.
1) The authour cites sources for factual information that is based of knowledge not universally known by everyone. I think that this editorial is very dependable because all of the factual information is cited so one could check the information if they did not believe it.
2) I found the table entitled "Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults, Region and State" to be extremely interesting. It shows the BMI of people from different regions of the country from 1991 to 1999. Generally the BMI for every state increased from year to year. The south clearly has the most obese peope out of anywhere in the country. However the south increased at the rate that other regions did, it is just that they started out in 1991 with a larger BMI.
3) The NAAFA summarized the sterotypes of fat people as "unhealthy, unattractive, asexual, weak-willed, lazy and gluttonous." In my own personal experience I have found that obese people are often more apprehensive and less outgoing when compared to people who are not obese. My best friend growing up was normal size but his twin was obese and never seemed to want to do anything with us.
4) I think that various kids that I know would not be agreeable to anti-obesity messages. Not all people that are obese have a choice and it is not their fault, they are born that way. I don't see them cutting back on or giving up on fast food. For many of us fast food has become a way of life because we cannot afford to lost valuable cooking a meal. I think that I would be able to make that sacrafice because I don't find places like McDonald's or Burger King all that appealing, although I do enjoy eating there every once and a while. I have never really had that problem myself. I think that the War on Tobacco and the War on Fat are two very different things. Tobacco is not a necessary part of life. Food is. I think that the idea of suing companies for making "addictive" products is ludacris. It is a business and people should just not eat there if it is that bad for you. I think that people make choices in life and if one of them is to eat junk food or smoke cigarettes, so be it. Don't get mad at companies for trying to make money, unless they are advertising to children which I think is wrong.
The author cite for the facts and statistics. This editorial is dependable because the author used various kinds of datas from many resources to support his argument effectively. It is also clear that where he acquire the information from.
In the first table, I found that men, ex-smoker and age group 50-59 have more higher possibilities of being obese then others. Additionally, I see that people who had college education or higher have very low percentage of being fat. I think it is because they learned to make healthier manu and acknowlege of many problems that are cause by being obese.
According to NAAFA, “Fat people are portrayed as unhealthy, unattractive, asexual, weak-willed, lazy, and glutoonmous” (317). The obese often suffer from lack of self-esteem as family, coworkers, and friends because they are seen as dull, powerless, and weak-willed. I know many people who think that they are overweiht or obese. These people can be categorize into two groups; the group of people who put their efforts to lose weight and the group of people who do not care about their health and dieting. The second group of people are usually lazy to practice self-denial and lack of a strong will.
I was amused with the facts that I just learned from the text because I thought that the flavors of food originate in the kitchens where people cook. I had any sense that the processed food I eat is inauthentic. Without concering of people’s health and diet, the fast food industry is only concentarting on developing new flavor of food and ingredient. I believe that the manufactories of food industry has to be responsible for innocent people that eating their food without acknowledging the actual fact that their food can increase the obese. The fast food is difficult to resist even for the individual eaters who are trying to eat healthy. The American consumers of food are the victims of the tug-of- war. People spend big amount of money to lose weight and keep their body healthy each year while the food industry are developing new tasty flavor. We can see that the food industries are influential by observing the tables from the CDC and Koplan and Dietz, the graph shows that the obese percentage among U.S. states has been increasing overall.
1. The footnotes that Koplan and Dietz use cite reliable facts and statistics. The authors cite the precise information to make the Characteristics, I was surprised to see how the obesity rates drastically changed in only the time difference of eight years.
2. The chart shows the differences between men and woman, whose results did not surprise me at all. There are also results in different age ranges, race, education levels and smoking status. I was interested in the results with the current smoker, I always assumed that smokers lose their appetite but their obesity also increased.
3. NAAFA summerizes the stereotypes of fat people as being unhealthy, asexual, weak-willed, lazy and gluttonous. NAAFA states that the diet industry's advertising and marketing strategy is based on the creation and perpetuation of fear, biases and stereotypes. In my own experience I have encountered many negative stereotypes about overweight people. I have witnessed people judge others based only on their weight.
4. In the recent years our society has concentrated more and more on the weight of women in the fashion industry. The fashion industry relates being obese to a vanity problem more than a health issue. Eating disorders became more popular in recent years because of the fashion industry's obsession to be thin and to have their clothes be worn by thin women. This article compares the difference between losing weight for vanity reasons or for health reasons. In every magazine I have read I find myself being very concious of the body image the fashion industry is appealing to, and that is what Seid is trying to get across in her article. Some may look at the social aspect of being overwight before they focus on the health issues, our society created that way of being. We are pressured to make vanity our priority over health.
1) The authors cite for their survey results and this seem to be reliable since they cited precisely and the information is not old.
2) The key CDC findings were the numbers of obese people are growing and generally speaking, the higher the educational level is, the fatter people become.
3) The stereotypes of fat people are "unhealthy, unattractive, asexual, weak-willed, lazy and gluttonous."
In my experience, fat people are good at cooking and they are eating all day long.
4) Schwartz asserts most of the fat people fail in dieting since they get frustrated and feel hungly constantly and they "upset the natural equilibrium of their bodies"( Schwartz, par.3). How fat people can succeed in losing their weight? According to Mary Ray Worley, people should exercise to lose weight. She felt better when she was active and she states that people should do variety of workouts so that they do not get bored. Also, she thinks becoming a vegitarian is a good way to lose weight since they do not need to afraid of food. I have never been fat and I do not really know what the best way to lose weight is, but I agree with Worley's ideas. Also,I recommend fat people to work more so that they have less time to eat.
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