The American "Obesity Epidemic?"

[kidcolin]

[ QUOTE ]
Yup. What's needed is lifestyle changes, not diets. Going back and forth from cramming ice cream in your face to living off grapefruits is ridiculous and unhealthy. You just have to start eating like an adult, once you're an adult. I think a lot of people have trouble making that adjustment to reality. You can't cheat reality. It's just, there. And it's not going away.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. This is something I've been slowly learning the past year or two. I, like many people I know, just ate whatever when I was a kid. I had tons of energy, I ran around all day, never ate much veggies, ate the biggest burger on the menu, etc. I never weighed a dime over 155 until I was 18. Me and all my friends were pretty much like this. It might be somewhat family related, as my whole family was never really great eaters, but we're all pretty healthy. My dad ate a huge bowl of ice cream every night before bed and didn't start gaining weight until a couple years ago (he's 59). It was just how I grew up.

Now it's a whole different ballgame. My lifestyle is different - I work long hours and don't really have time (or the desire, really) to play organized sports for 2+ hours a day. My metabolism isn't what it used to be.

At first, my adjustment was like you said. Cycles of crappy eating followed by cycles of healthier eating, though I'd probably under-eat. It's taken me over a year to just change to a healthy eating habits, and I still struggle with it from time to time. It's a big shift.

As for the time management/scheduling issue, I agree with others who say it's mostly laziness/poor planning. The truth is, fast food never saves you time. Just effort. If I'm stuck late at the office and I swing by In n Out on my way home, it's either because I'm cheating or because I'm too tired and lazy to cook something simple. In the time it takes me to stop there, order my food, get my food, and get home, I could've just went straight home and grilled up some chicken and veggies on the foreman grill. Similarly, if I know I'm going to have late nights in the office, instead of thinking "I'll just pick something up", I should plan ahead and pack dinner and eat it at work.