Australia's Overweight

gunbound · 25-09-2007, 03:46 PM

How come on TV theres so much focus on Australians being overweight and eating unhealthy? The news love this stuff, so do you actually think theres a overweight problem in Australia?

I've been seeing this commercial around a lot, saying that 7 million Australians are overweight too, i think that its a bit exaggerated..

FORD3V · 25-09-2007, 03:59 PM

Australia is the fattest nation in the world per capita after america I believe and we are getting bigger,there are many australian kids under 12 with early signs of heart disease due to there diets of sugar,salt and fat in huge quantities,this is a very worrying statistic and will put huge pressure on the health system in the future,stopping the likes of mc donalds aggressively advertising during childrens programmes would be a good start.

alto · 25-09-2007, 04:02 PM

I've just got big stomach bones

Racecraft · 25-09-2007, 04:14 PM

I walk my dogs past the local schools and yep we do have a HUGE problem.. Looking inside the grounds and all I see is tubby kids sitting around... The days of footy, red rover, tag team tiggy and the likes have gone by the wayside imho.. Add to that the security risks of leaving your kids to amuse themselves after and before school is a predominate problem that even 10 years ago wasnt a huge issue.. I remember my school days fondly.. it was go,go,go ... from sun up to sun down, on the BMX bike, in the pool until I had pink eye, playing soccer, frisbee and tiggy .. I only stopped for lunch and dinner, These days the parents dont have the time to watch you 10 hours a day and the trade off being DVD's, TV and video games.. THey know you are safe if you dont leave the house but younger boys and girls simply dont get the excersise that we did. It wasnt even excersise for us, it was FUN!

Poetic Justice · 25-09-2007, 04:28 PM

I was always fairly fit and not really fat up until I stopped skating (roller blade) at the ramp down the road etc... at the same time I was working at Hungry Jacks (killer). That was when I was 15...

Now... 22... and all I do is make excuses not to exercise and I'm 98kg and not decreasing any time soon.

XAGSV8 · 25-09-2007, 04:32 PM

Yep got to agree with Racecraft. I only ever remember about 1 fat kid per class(if that), now it seems to be the normal thing to have many.

Xitdxr · 25-09-2007, 04:33 PM

I did the opposite, i was a fatty in school, not small by anymeans, but i weighed 85kg at school opposed to now at 75kg. I still carry too much weight, but it is coming off slowly.

||| · 25-09-2007, 04:36 PM

if you just work in an office or something being fat is fine. you dont need to be fit. it just means you die sooner but you get to eat stuff that tastes great while you are alive

boss-290 · 25-09-2007, 04:50 PM

What about the druggos clogging our health system

King Nothing · 25-09-2007, 05:16 PM

Racecraft mate I totally agree, I finished primary school in 96 and we played footy, handball, tips, bullrush, and heaps of other games where we ran around. But you could see that towards the end of primary school and certainly into high school the whole litigation thing really took off and kids werent allowed to play any of the rough (fun!) games, so everyone just sat around and ate and talked. We had video games, the original playstation and the nintendo 64, but we also played outside on the weekends. I was far from the skinniest in the class but I was hardly fat.

Now that I work in an office I am starting to put on weight (about 6 kilos so far). I find it really hard to do exercise as I leave the house early and get home late. I dont see my house in daylight during the week. Sitting at a desk also makes me feel exhausted and hungry at the end of the day, so I sit on the couch and eat something. Now that I'm engaged I'm going to make a serious effort to look good for our wedding.

Australia's lifestyle has changed so much in the last 10 years or so. I remember a lot of outdoor activities, particularly for kids like swing sets, started to disappear. Its the norm for both parents to work so they dont have time to watch their kids play, plus society is fixated on bad things so parents wont let kids outside by themselves anymore! Come the weekend everyone is too tired to take the kids to soccer/football/cricket, and they can't afford to anyway as the cost of living keeps rising.

Argh, time to put on the runners and go for a jog or something!

FORD3V · 25-09-2007, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boss-290

What about the druggos clogging our health system

Yes that is a problem to,but our health system is also clogged with fat people who eat nothing but s%#t and then wonder why they have heart disease,bowel cancer and diabetes,most australians die of preventable diseases and it all comes down to people's life style choices,diet,exercise etc

BA_Turbs · 25-09-2007, 05:34 PM

I am a 6'5" 26 y/o male. I weighed 113kgs. According to the BMI chart I did through work, I was OBESE, not just overweight.

I do agree that generally people are larger and not as aware of their diet, however I also believe that the statistics may be a little flawed...

Yellow_Festiva · 25-09-2007, 05:39 PM

Im a primary school teacher, and yes we have a HUGE problem. In fact, this year the minimum amount of sport per week a child is meant to do has gone up like 20 or 30 min per week.

Agreed with racecraft. just look at any school pictures from the 60's and 70's and they are full of slim fit looking children full of grazed elbows and dirty knees from running round till they were buggered or too sore.

Travel to other countries, mainly Asia where fast food hasnt taken over yet. In korea their size for "Large" matches our size for "Small".

GTS_300_Coupe · 25-09-2007, 05:48 PM

I thought all the media from movies, music, tv, fashion would have some effect on overweight people's self esteem.

There's not a movie that goes by which doesnt make fun of a fat person.
Its kinda of offensive in a way but I guess perhaps enough drilling will make somebody change their eating habits and lifestyle for the better.

TEaaron · 25-09-2007, 05:52 PM

I'm 61kg and 5'11

Jeld-Wen Falcon · 25-09-2007, 06:02 PM

Schools should really kick in alot more. I remember when I was in year 4, at the beginning of EVERY day we did a minimum of 30 mins excersize as a class and we all loved it. Kids wanted to be in that certain teachers class just to do that.

Powdered Toast Man · 25-09-2007, 06:29 PM

I was a tubby kid in school who bacame fat later towrds the end of high school. And this was back when fat wasnt the norm (ie late 80s to early 90s) and at my worst when I was 21.

Just adding some weight (pun intended) to BA Turbs point I have lost a lot of fat now, about 25-30 kilos, but I am actually almost as heavy now as I was when I was at my fattest. I still have about 15 kg to go but I have been weight training now since I was 21 (I'm 28) so I am heavy again but not anywhere as fat. The BMI index is a load of crap!! BTW I'm 6'2" and, wait for it, 120kg..

So many kids are much fatter now. It's the change in lifestyle of the western world. Too many mod cons. When I was a kid I didn't even have a radio, let alone a TV in my room. And video players were too high tech. Now every kid has their own computer, TV, DVD player, gaming console and no inclination to get out and hang with their mates.

Plus kids have so much money now. I was lucky to have 50c to my name when I was a little kid. I didn't even get enough pocket money to buy lunch until I was 15 or so. But now kids have money to spend on their junk food of choice.

Laminge · 25-09-2007, 08:45 PM

Guess What

Laminge loves his food more than most, you just interrupted a feeding frenzy and hence closure of thread is next course......