Thanks to Ashley for sending this in!
EllipticalTrainers.org presents us with this very well-designed infographic detailing the issues – as they see them – with obesity. (My notes come after the graphic… of course.) Check it out below:
A few notes, though:
36.8% of all Blacks are among “America’s Fattest People?” As in… 36.8% of us are obese?
“The fat get fatter: obesity rates increase faster in states that already have a high obesity percentage.” Gee, I wonder why that is.
They mention the BMI… I guess, because the BMI matters.
“Obesity is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death, just behind smoking.”
Is obesity the cause of the death, or a symptom of the TRUE cause of death? Listing “obesity as a cause of death” next to crap like “more likely to have high blood pressure/high cholesterol/type 1 OR type 2 diabetes (as if the two are interchangeable)” implies that obesity causes those things. The things that bring about THOSE ailments ALSO bring about obesity. Why do we refuse to accept that? Because we’d have to admit that the FOOD is the actual problem? C’mon, man.
“Less than 4% of adults engage in enough physical activity to improve their health, although 40% claim they do…. meanwhile, the rate of Americans undergoing weight-loss surgery has doubled in the last six years.”
So… people are undergoing surgery to lose weight, but aren’t engaging in enough physical activity to maintain it? Which implies that enough of them aren’t modifying their food intake to accommodate their decreased activity levels? Oh.
(There could also be an excessive focus on exercise, here, because this WAS created by someone who promotes and sells elliptical trainers, but… I’m sayin’.)
“Children who live in unsafe neighborhoods are 61% more likely to be obese than kids in safe neighborhoods.”
I wonder why THAT is – perhaps because unsafe neighborhoods are more likely to be neighborhoods without grocery stores… where the inhabitants are shopping out of gas stations to fill their fridges? Uh huh.
“Inactive lifestyle: We pay the price for many of our modern conveniences in physical inactivity: driving instead of walking or riding a bike and spending hours sitting at a desk, on the computer or in front of the television have all contributed to the rise of obesity.”
Hey… that’s the price we pay for convenience. Gotta be aware of the problems, so that you can go out of your way to create a solution. Right?
“Everything is in moderation. Don’t ban your favorite foods from your diet, just eat them less often and in smaller portions.”
I’d change this to say “Don’t ban your favorite foods from your diet, just cook them at home yourself.” ‘Cause goodness knows I’m neverrrrrrrrrrr giving up pizza!
Your thoughts?