US youngsters are too fat to fight, warn generals

[Infohawk]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8655651.stm

Let's just go for a fat tax. Victims of the tax would be to unhealthy and lazy to oppose it.

 

[blackangst1]

And once again the health "experts" are focusing on the wrong thing:

They want Congress to introduce laws to give US children better nutrition in schools, with less sugar, salt and fat.

There are two main reasons for Americas obesity, and those arent them. The first is lack of excercise, the second is carbs.

 

[Infohawk]

There's one cause for obesity: lack of self-control.

 

[Moonbeam]

The military should be training our children to be Spartans. No religious or home schooling shit. 300 American kids should easily be able to do Iran.

 

[dammitgibs]

Didn't China or N Korea say the same thing a few months back??

 

[ShawnD1]

Put amphetamine in the water. Problem solved.

next month we'll talk about trying to solve the insomnia epidemic.

 

[DAGTA]

Exercise is one component. Another is the fact that processed food has MUCH more sugar in it than it did 30 years ago. Food manufacturers know that increasing sugar in their food (often as HFCS), increases desire / addiction for that food.

Even if exercise levels went back to 30 or 50 years ago, people would still be fatter, on average, because of these changes in food products.

Next time you're in the grocery store, try to only buy products with no added sugar or HFCS. It's not easy in most stores.

 

[PJABBER]

Basic training fattens you up if you are skinny and slims you down if you are fat. Everybody knows this. Or they should.

 

[Tristicus]

There's one cause for obesity: lack of self-control.

Lack of caring.

 

[her209]

And once again the health "experts" are focusing on the wrong thing:

There are two main reasons for Americas obesity, and those arent them. The first is lack of excercise, the second is carbs.

If the parents are fat and lazy, why would they take their kids out to exercise when they won't/can't do it themselves? Similar question regarding diet.

 

[blackangst1]

Exercise is one component. Another is the fact that processed food has MUCH more sugar in it than it did 30 years ago. Food manufacturers know that increasing sugar in their food (often as HFCS), increases desire / addiction for that food.

Even if exercise levels went back to 30 or 50 years ago, people would still be fatter, on average, because of these changes in food products.

Next time you're in the grocery store, try to only buy products with no added sugar or HFCS. It's not easy in most stores.

Well, its not just sugar, its mainly corn based sweetners (which I think you were hinting at). The bullshit associated with the corn industry is worth its own thread, but youre right. It all comes down to carbs.

 

[nageov3t]

we could lose weight.

or we could have robots fight our wars... what could possibly go wrong?

 

[CaptnKirk]

How about we stuff a rag in their back pockets and light them on fire,
so we can use them to light up runways for night landing operations?

 

[Kappo]

Well, its not just sugar, its mainly corn based sweetners (which I think you were hinting at). The bullshit associated with the corn industry is worth its own thread, but youre right. It all comes down to carbs.

Um, I eat like an Ethiopian with an unlimited giftcard McDonald's (not that I eat there except for yummy sausage breakfast burritos), and I'm MAYBE 5lbs overweight (probably from my age at this point).

The problem ISN'T that bad stuff is out there, the problem is mommy couldn't tell them NO and to GTFO and play outside. The problem ISN'T that they have access to things that could make them gain weight. The problem is THEM and crappy parenting. This is what we get when we aren't allowed to tell kids NO and let everyone always win every single time.

A culture of fatties who think they are better than sliced (and heavily buttered) bread.

 

[Lemon law]

Our leading generals are a bunch of fat heads making excuses for their inability to come up with effective strategies.

 

[cwjerome]

Our leading generals are a bunch of fat heads making excuses for their inability to come up with effective strategies.

You tell them generals! Hell, if Obama had any brains he'd promote you to Chairman of the JCoS.

Back to topic... The generals are just passing on what Drill Sgts (and most NCOs in general) have already known for years: Young people are fatter than they were before, and it affects things. BCT has become a giant weight loss program.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

There's one cause for obesity: lack of self-control.

So what has changed that has made the US lose it's self control for food? For a hundred thousand years this wasn't a problem and in one or two generations it's all changed?

Logic fail.

 

[Kappo]

So what has changed that has made the US lose it's self control for food? For a hundred thousand years this wasn't a problem and in one or two generations it's all changed?

Logic fail.

When "parents" remove personal liability for their actions in every aspect of their lives, why WOULDNT gorging yourself on crappy foods follow?

"But mom, I LIKE twinkies!" Instead of saying NO, they either look the other way or let them have their way.

 

[nageov3t]

So what has changed that has made the US lose it's self control for food? For a hundred thousand years this wasn't a problem and in one or two generations it's all changed?

Logic fail.

it's like natural for an animal to gorge itself.

modern society has combined two major things that are proving to be deadly -- dramatically increased availability to simple carbohydrates that are both inexpensive and easy to eat, and sedentary lifestyles.

most of our grandparents didn't spend 45 hours a week sitting in one place in the office followed by going home and sitting in one place on the couch or at the computer for another 3-4 hours/day.

what I'd be really curious to look at would be the modern countries where obesity doesn't seem to be as much of an issue (compare France against it's fatty neighbors in England and Germany... is it just a matter of French culture valuing physical appearance more?)

 

[nageov3t]

When "parents" remove personal liability for their actions in every aspect of their lives, why WOULDNT gorging yourself on crappy foods follow?

"But mom, I LIKE twinkies!" Instead of saying NO, they either look the other way or let them have their way.

my parents were food nazis. I was given a bloody nose for eating ice cream once.

still didn't stop me from weighing over 300 pounds before graduating from high school.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

When "parents" remove personal liability for their actions in every aspect of their lives, why WOULDNT gorging yourself on crappy foods follow?

"But mom, I LIKE twinkies!" Instead of saying NO, they either look the other way or let them have their way.

The three biggest reasons for weight gain are:

Portion Creep- A "meal" contains more calories than it used to.

Sedentary lifestyle- Sit in your cubicle for 10 hours.

Sleep deprivation and stress- These are huge factors in obesity.

Of the three, the last two are virtually impossible to control when the society we live in demands self destruction.

Sucks maybe, but that's biology for you.

 

[Infohawk]

So what has changed that has made the US lose it's self control for food? For a hundred thousand years this wasn't a problem and in one or two generations it's all changed?

Logic fail.

There have always been weak-willed people. The republican Romans looked down on fat people and recognized their lack of civility. Fat people are have about as much self-control as animals. With abundant unhealthy food it's just easier to spot them.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Didn't China or N Korea say the same thing a few months back??

Yes, the Chinese said that their youth is physically unfit to handle the next Japanese invasion of China. I cannot find a link now, but I recall reading an article about it from either the AP or Reuters.

Fat people are have about as much self-control as animals. With abundant unhealthy food it's just easier to spot them.

This almost sounds like something TheFlyingPig would say. I guess his education campaign in AT P&N has been successful?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

There have always been weak-willed people. The republican Romans looked down on fat people and recognized their lack of civility. Fat people are have about as much self-control as animals. With abundant unhealthy food it's just easier to spot them.

Evidently being too thin makes one's intelligence plummet. I bet you aren't overweight?

 

[Infohawk]

Evidently being too thin makes one's intelligence plummet. I bet you aren't overweight?

Being overly-emotional (making personal attacks when faced with opinions you don't like) is another sign of lack of self-control.