They say we're Overweight

sailormoon · #1 14-09-2007, 03:15 PM

Well according to this commercial and a news stories, Australians are overweight. Do u think its true? cause i ever see them around on the streets and its a shame because we're a great outdoors country. What do u think are the contributing factors that caused Australians to be overweight?

mickoking · #2 14-09-2007, 08:42 PM

Many Aussies are overweight; even I am am still a bit 'chunky' despite losing over 10 kilos since coming to China. Quite a few Chinese are starting to get fat too, even in the sticks where I teach. Sign of the times I guess?

norm · #3 14-09-2007, 09:05 PM

I think lifestyle has definitely got something to do with it.

Change in technology. Eg, 30yrs ago, I don't recall whipper snippers being around, things were down by hand (garden shears). No blower vacs - manual sweeping. These 2 inventions have reduced the overall effort to burn of calories. Another eg, are TV games, in my days you went out the yard and kicked a ball around. Some kids favour playstation over backyard cricket.

Fear - 30yrs ago as a 10yr old I'd be walking to school 300m+ up the rd, these days with weirdos around, parents prefer to drop kids off in cars - exercise is lost.

Workforce - there is a decline in blue collar, hard labouring jobs these days. Automation has taken care of a lot manual work. Eg, garbos no longer need to lift bins into the trucks, its done automatically.
There is a shift from blue collar to white collar occupations. People sitting on their butts 8-10hrs a day, punching keyboards - not really a calorie burner!
Many blue collar processing jobs have gone offshore as well.

Available of food choices. 30-40yrs ago Hungry Jacks, Maccas, KFC were around, but not in every town. 2ndly these were treats once in a very blue moon. Now, some people have these as regularly lunch meals once, twice a week.
Even foods/beverages - coke, cholocates - they have been around for yonks, but again, these were treats, now these are consumed without much thought.

I know there is more, but the above is just an example. Thats my 2bw!

Ric · #4 14-09-2007, 09:11 PM

Yep, I must admit I was very overweight and now have diabetes as a result. so far I have lost 20 kilos but still have another 20 to go.

As far as factors causing this convenience food would have to be a major factor and sitting behind a computer in an office all day probably doesn't help either.

A walk for 30 minutes a day is a good start, It's helped me immensely.

Cheers

§AB · #5 14-09-2007, 10:09 PM

I'm a bit on the chunky side aswell but walk atleast 500m to the bus stop everyday and once a week I spend 4 hours walking during my newspaper round. I also go for half-hour walks with my dog on most nights.

h0ughy (David) · #6 14-09-2007, 10:14 PM

good on you ric, and yes I am a fat tub of lard - sitting at an office desk all day with stress foods all too easy to get at. Not good. need to change my lifestyle drastically. So my response is generally yes we are a fat society.

wavelandscott (Scott) · #7 14-09-2007, 11:16 PM

While I can not speak for others, I am clearly overweight...kind of snuck up on me too a few kg a year and well, you know the drill.

I sit at a desk all day and eat and drink coffee to relieve stress and do not get nearly enough exercise.

Compared to where I come from in the US, Australia is on the whole still very fit.

GrahamL · #8 14-09-2007, 11:37 PM

Quote:

What do u think are the contributing factors that caused Australians to be overweight?

Internet !! ....

erick (Eric) · #9 14-09-2007, 11:59 PM

As we all know, the reason is so simple - too much of the wrong types of food and not enough exercise to consume the intake! However the rectification of this can be a real challenge.

Got serious three years ago. Gym at my work, three mornings a week, starting at 6:30 - alternate cardio and weights. I was 93kg, I wanted to be 83kg. Now I'm 100kg! Trust me - it's all muscle!

Well, it truth it is due to that, but I still carry 5-10kg around the stomach that is a real challenge to lose now I'm in my 50s (early 50s! - I'm not old!!). I weighed myself after every gym session. My weight dropped into the high 80 kgs, then turned around and went up again to the high 90s and stayed there for 2 years. I've just increased the weights and after a couple of months I've cracked the "ton". But my clothes (waist in particular) fit well for trousers that were too tight some years ago. I am struggling a bit with shirt collars.

But, oh the challenge of keeping it up. I regularly have to swap mornings due to work commitments in different locations. A 6:30 start means leaving home at 5:15 - a real struggle after a late night to midnight or beyond!

Food wise, I eat well, but not enough fruit. One small chocolate bar as a treat every few weeks, no fast food (McDonalds' salads only), no softdrinks, no icecream, few sweet desserts. My weakness for cakes and biscuits means I have to have none in the house! By the way, fortunate enough to not drink nor smoke - that helps with the health and weight. I do drink far, far too much coffee (and strong coffee - come round and I'll make some Arabic coffee for you!)

So, I'm overweight by any measure - but doing fairly well (so says doctors, cardiologist and chiropractor) and look like keeping it that way IF I can keep up the willpower - that's the challenge.

madwayne (Wayne) · #10 15-09-2007, 12:44 AM

14 months ago I went to the doctor and he put it to me in plain simple terms. Lose weight or I'll put you on blood pressure medication. As I have a family history of high blood pressure and a wife who has problems with high blood pressure it was a no brainer.

After a discussion with a good mate of mine he suggested I join the local gym that he went to. I joined the gym in an instant, great local gym not a chain store operation like some. In the past 14 months I have shed nearly 45kg, I want to lose a total of 60kg by Xmas this year.

As others have said, how it happens is it creeps up on you. And the older you get the quicker the creeping gets. My "diet" prior to this was all the bad things, fast food, chocolate, chips etc etc etc and plenty of it. Plenty of alcohol and absolutely no exercise. My diet now is reasonably controlled and alcohol is an exception rather than a rule (I now spend my grog money on astronomy gear

). I try to avoid carbohydrates after lunch time. Breakfast is Weet Bix or Porridge. Lunch is either salad or multi grain sandwich of chicken/fish and salad. Dinner is a choice between stir fry (no rice), soup, meat/fish and vegies or frozen meals containing no or low fat. My exercise routine is three visits to the gym per week and Tuesday night volleyball as a minimum. Gym work is a combination of cardio and weight training leaning toward cardio.

A really good healthy recipe is get a can of pumpkin soup and a can of tuna (drained). Throw them in the saucepan together and heat up the soup. You now have a very low fat and healthy dinner. I screwed my nose up at this when I heard about it but don't knock it till you try it.

Orion · #11 15-09-2007, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0ughy

and yes I am a fat tub of lard

YOU ARE!...I thought it was my glasses.....

Dujon · #12 15-09-2007, 12:13 PM

Bloody hell, Wayne, in the words of some of our sportsmen: "you done good".

Keep it up. I must be one of the lucky ones. For years and years I held a steady eight and a half stone but have slipped a bit upwards in the last few years. I now nudge the 70 Kg mark (all of the excess around the gut)
Whilst I don't treat the scales as some form of god I do do a daily walk around the block; it isn't very far - about a kilometre - but as it's a bit steep in parts it gets the metabolism working. I haven't weighed my self for ages but I have noticed that a couple of pairs of trousers are easier to to put on and secure than they used to be.

sailormoon · #13 17-09-2007, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric

Yep, I must admit I was very overweight and now have diabetes as a result. so far I have lost 20 kilos but still have another 20 to go.

As far as factors causing this convenience food would have to be a major factor and sitting behind a computer in an office all day probably doesn't help either.

A walk for 30 minutes a day is a good start, It's helped me immensely.

Cheers

Good luck to u Ric, hope i didn't insult u in any way.

Theres a section on the site i mentioned, according to it im closely overweight. So how accurate can it be?

White Rabbit · #14 17-09-2007, 01:46 PM

I'm over weight, about 15kg's. The heaviest I've ever been was 105kg, my target is about 85kg.

About 6 years ago, I split up with my ex and weight just fell off me. I got down to 86kg's, I'm back up to 100 atm.

I stopped smoking in June and I've started packing it on again. Hopfully I should be able to nip this in the bud now before it gets worse, I've started doing a 45 min bike ride 2/3 times a week now so hopefully this will help.

ving (David) · #15 17-09-2007, 01:59 PM

6 Foot and 70kg... i spent for about 18yo to about 34yo sitting on 65kg. since then my weight has fluctuated much going up to 75 at which i became really uncomfortable and couldnt fit into anything in my wardrobe. since i have settled back down to 70kg and fit into all but my skinniest.

it all changed when i stopped exercising. my eating habbits didnt change at all it was all exercise or lack there of. whe i was 75kg i started doing swimming with cheryl at the local pool, within a few weeks i had lost 9-10kg. we stopped when cheryl had a pulmonary embolism and havent started back up agian yet as she is still recovering.

you guys might be thinking wow! 65kg to 75kg, big deal, but i guess its what you are comfortable with. i was very uncomfortable with 75kg. I used to race mountain bikes....

rogerg (Roger) · #16 17-09-2007, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailormoon

What do u think are the contributing factors that caused Australians to be overweight?

Work. The sooner humans realise they weren't meant to sit on the one chair continuously for 8 hours a day the sooner we get rid of many health issues including weight and stress.

I hope one day I can find a working situation that allows 3-4 days sitting in an office and 1-2 days doing physical work. It just isn't right sitting in an office all day. We need to move!

ving (David) · #17 17-09-2007, 02:34 PM

too right roger. the fact that we spend out lunch breaks sitting in front of the same screen we spend our time working at doesnt help either... we could go for a walk during lunch instead of posting here

mill (Martin) · #18 17-09-2007, 02:44 PM

I must be lucky then.
Didn't gain weight for 27 years so that was when i was 20.

Eat everything and not a little bit too.
Staying on 70 kg and hope to stay that way for many years to come.
Eating hot twiggy sticks while typing this

erick (Eric) · #19 17-09-2007, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ving

6 Foot and 70kg...

Do you have to run around in the shower to get wet?

ps. we hate you!

ving (David) · #20 17-09-2007, 02:57 PM

pretty much eric

but you know, it was a bit of a shock to my system... being super fit with the whole six pack thing happening to having a bit of a keg... i became rather lethargic too. it weirded me out.