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When traveling though Europe you can really notice what a healthy society looks like. America's obesity rate has exploded in the last 20 years. I was lucky eno

When traveling though Europe you can really notice what a healthy society looks like. America's obesity rate has exploded in the last 20 years. I was lucky enough to have a chiropractor tell me if I didn't lose weight my life would suck. It's a social taboo for doctors to just outright say you're going to have a large array of medical issues unless you get to a healthy weight. You have the Huffington Post which runs a new "You can be morbidly obese and just fine" article once a month. As someone who used to be morbidly obese, it was a living hell. I was diabetic had no luck finding a partner and was in constant pain. Did the keto diet, lost about 70 lb, got rid of my diabetes, and finally met somebody nice in real life . Diabetes doesn't care about your feelings. I lean left , but theirs an insane amount of victimization on the left. You can buy a salad at any fast food restaurant, meaning you have access to healthy food even in a "food desert". It just takes an insane amount of self control. It's much easier to call everyone else a fat shammer. Doesn't help with your chronic pain or health issues though

535188B17C93743 5y ago
>You can buy a salad at any fast food restaurant, meaning you have access to healthy food even in a "food desert". Sometimes the salads are less healthy than the alternative at fast food restaurants because of the dressing and portion sizes they give.
- asow92 5y ago
  > Sometimes the salads are less healthy than the alternative at fast food restaurants because of the dressing and portion sizes they give. The dressing can be given on the side. This is also a personal choice.
  - jfengel 5y ago
    Even without the dressings, they tend to be loaded with items like meat, cheese, bacon, and croutons. The lettuce is a nutritional non-entity -- at best, a way of getting some extra water into you. Salads can be pretty good, if they're loaded with vegetables. You can get those at places that specialize in salad, and maybe even Subway. But the "side salads" that you get at fast food restaurants, while better than a burger and fries, aren't very good. As you say, personal choice. But a decent diet consists of avoiding fast food restaurants most of the time. If you have to, make the the best choice you can, but be aware that lettuce isn't magic health food.
    - asow92 5y ago
      What is magic health food?
      - netizen-936824 5y ago
        Greens that are actually green would be a good start. Most lettuce I see in those salads look like the plant incarnation of water
      - jfengel 5y ago
        There aren't any magic health foods. There are a lot of ways to eat a healthy diet. Most of them are based on a lot of vegetables (in different varieties), whole grains, pulses such as beans, and (if you like) some meat and dairy. The last is optional but makes certain things easier. It doesn't act like a video game power-up. It just provides adequate nutrition without overdoing any one aspect. It fills you up without giving you too many calories (the main thing that people overeat).
      - mbrodersen 5y ago
        Spinach, Kale, and Beans are as close to “magic” health food as you can get. However there is of course no magic going on. It’s just a question of giving your body the right source materials to heal itself from the damage caused by eating unhealthy food. The body is amazing at healing itself. But it can’t do it if you keep damaging it with crappy food and don’t give it the nutrients it needs to heal itself.
      - asow92 5y ago
        /s
- edanm 5y ago
  Or possibly not less healthy, but higher in calories leading to weight gain. Though really, I think it's unlikely you'll have a salad that's higher in calories than a burger and fries.
rootusrootus 5y ago
> When traveling though Europe you can really notice what a healthy society looks like. That's kind of sad, since Europeans are pretty fat too. When you hold up "only 25% obese!" as an achievement, it goes to show just how normal it is for humans to be overweight.
throwawayciv651 5y ago
Aside: see a physical therapist instead of a chiropractor. Edit: search for 'vertebral artery dissections from chiropractic neck adjustments
- 999900000999 5y ago
  Oh, I stopped seeing chiropractors once I realized they hadn't bothered to check my high blood pressure in years. Still it's kind of sad, you can't get honest medical advice from a doctor anymore. You can't even find maybe you should lose weight in a dating book. Even books targeted towards men are afraid to offend.
  - throwawayciv651 5y ago
    Maybe these 2 books are helpful: Strength Training Anatomy, 3rd Edition by Frederic Delavier https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0736092269/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0736092269/ The Strength Training Anatomy Workout: Starting Strength with Bodyweight Training and Minimal Equipment by Frederic Delavier and Michael Gundill https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Training-Anatomy-Workout-Bodyweight/dp/1450400957/ https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Training-Anatomy-Workout-Bod... I think for weight loss, seeing a dietician is better. Wikipedia says dieticians are better regualted than nutitionists - they list regulatory bodies in countries including USA. Dietician: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietitian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietitian
  - mbrodersen 5y ago
    Read “How Not To Die”.
- netizen-936824 5y ago
  >see a physical therapist instead of a chiropractor. Seconded. 90% of what chiropractors do is complete quackery. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic_controversy_and_criticism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic_controversy_and... https://quackwatch.org/related/chiro/ https://quackwatch.org/related/chiro/
Jtsummers 5y ago
> It's a social taboo for doctors to just outright say you're going to have a large array of medical issues unless you get to a healthy weight. Is it? I've had doctors literally tell me that my weight was the proximate cause of my medical issues. They may try to be delicate about it, but they say it.
mbrodersen 5y ago
You are absolutely right. Taking responsible for your own health is the only thing that will help you long term. Doctors in general are not trained in nutritional science, and are typically as unhealthy as the rest of the population. So you need to either get advice from a nutritional expert or read books that teach you the skills needed. That’s what I did and it saved my health. I recommend reading “How Not To Die”. It’s the best “one book solution” I have read so far.

535188B17C93743 5y ago

>You can buy a salad at any fast food restaurant, meaning you have access to healthy food even in a "food desert". Sometimes the salads are less healthy than the alternative at fast food restaurants because of the dressing and portion sizes they give.

asow92 5y ago
> Sometimes the salads are less healthy than the alternative at fast food restaurants because of the dressing and portion sizes they give. The dressing can be given on the side. This is also a personal choice.
- jfengel 5y ago
  Even without the dressings, they tend to be loaded with items like meat, cheese, bacon, and croutons. The lettuce is a nutritional non-entity -- at best, a way of getting some extra water into you. Salads can be pretty good, if they're loaded with vegetables. You can get those at places that specialize in salad, and maybe even Subway. But the "side salads" that you get at fast food restaurants, while better than a burger and fries, aren't very good. As you say, personal choice. But a decent diet consists of avoiding fast food restaurants most of the time. If you have to, make the the best choice you can, but be aware that lettuce isn't magic health food.
  - asow92 5y ago
    What is magic health food?
    - netizen-936824 5y ago
      Greens that are actually green would be a good start. Most lettuce I see in those salads look like the plant incarnation of water
    - jfengel 5y ago
      There aren't any magic health foods. There are a lot of ways to eat a healthy diet. Most of them are based on a lot of vegetables (in different varieties), whole grains, pulses such as beans, and (if you like) some meat and dairy. The last is optional but makes certain things easier. It doesn't act like a video game power-up. It just provides adequate nutrition without overdoing any one aspect. It fills you up without giving you too many calories (the main thing that people overeat).
    - mbrodersen 5y ago
      Spinach, Kale, and Beans are as close to “magic” health food as you can get. However there is of course no magic going on. It’s just a question of giving your body the right source materials to heal itself from the damage caused by eating unhealthy food. The body is amazing at healing itself. But it can’t do it if you keep damaging it with crappy food and don’t give it the nutrients it needs to heal itself.
    - asow92 5y ago
      /s
edanm 5y ago
Or possibly not less healthy, but higher in calories leading to weight gain. Though really, I think it's unlikely you'll have a salad that's higher in calories than a burger and fries.

rootusrootus 5y ago

> When traveling though Europe you can really notice what a healthy society looks like. That's kind of sad, since Europeans are pretty fat too. When you hold up "only 25% obese!" as an achievement, it goes to show just how normal it is for humans to be overweight.

throwawayciv651 5y ago

Aside: see a physical therapist instead of a chiropractor. Edit: search for 'vertebral artery dissections from chiropractic neck adjustments

999900000999 5y ago
Oh, I stopped seeing chiropractors once I realized they hadn't bothered to check my high blood pressure in years. Still it's kind of sad, you can't get honest medical advice from a doctor anymore. You can't even find maybe you should lose weight in a dating book. Even books targeted towards men are afraid to offend.
- throwawayciv651 5y ago
  Maybe these 2 books are helpful: Strength Training Anatomy, 3rd Edition by Frederic Delavier https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0736092269/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0736092269/ The Strength Training Anatomy Workout: Starting Strength with Bodyweight Training and Minimal Equipment by Frederic Delavier and Michael Gundill https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Training-Anatomy-Workout-Bodyweight/dp/1450400957/ https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Training-Anatomy-Workout-Bod... I think for weight loss, seeing a dietician is better. Wikipedia says dieticians are better regualted than nutitionists - they list regulatory bodies in countries including USA. Dietician: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietitian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietitian
- mbrodersen 5y ago
  Read “How Not To Die”.
netizen-936824 5y ago
>see a physical therapist instead of a chiropractor. Seconded. 90% of what chiropractors do is complete quackery. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic_controversy_and_criticism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic_controversy_and... https://quackwatch.org/related/chiro/ https://quackwatch.org/related/chiro/

Jtsummers 5y ago

> It's a social taboo for doctors to just outright say you're going to have a large array of medical issues unless you get to a healthy weight. Is it? I've had doctors literally tell me that my weight was the proximate cause of my medical issues. They may try to be delicate about it, but they say it.

mbrodersen 5y ago

You are absolutely right. Taking responsible for your own health is the only thing that will help you long term. Doctors in general are not trained in nutritional science, and are typically as unhealthy as the rest of the population. So you need to either get advice from a nutritional expert or read books that teach you the skills needed. That’s what I did and it saved my health. I recommend reading “How Not To Die”. It’s the best “one book solution” I have read so far.