Speaking English is appparently bad for your waistline

Doc: How dare you even slightly imply that us Amurkans are fat (God will send me to Hell for this, I know):

Dr M,

Interesting difference between position 1 and 10. 

The US stats are more than 50% higher than Finland in #10.

Now thats Huge !

Russ,

   That is just scary !

Note they were looking for the salad counter to be fair

Somewhat bucking the trend, speaking English has been good for my waistline over the past few years. It is shocking to see first hand how big the average in some parts of the country are getting. Very noticeable, just walking around.

Data from 2006. It would be interesting to see something more up to date.

And by obesity amount..

Best wishes, Julian

Not to start anything (as I too often do), but when I hear (as again, I so often do) about the widespread poverty in the United States as the evil rich get richer (and coincidently buy high-end Hi Fi gear ), I turn momentarily from the fact that 95 percent of American families own at least one automobile and 97 percent own a television (75 percent own two or more), and wonder what it says about the term "poverty" (as compared say, with some parts of Africa, South America, or Asia) when one considers that the same poverty-stricken populace is by far the most obese on the Planet.  Think about that for a moment.

Best regards,

Russ

If you must go there then you also need to correlate health and education coverage.

I have a very good friend in Rochester, NY, who is a postal delivery carrier, so he knows from mail who is on welfare, Food Stamps, Medicaid, etc.   He is a life long registered Democrat, but the years of bringing packages to welfare homes, only to see a bigger flat panel TV in the living room than he can afford working, and a better car in the parking lot than he can buy, has him second guessing.  (Note: NOTHING in that paragraphs should indicate anything pro-Republican; just illustrating where my friend has been politically all his life.  I am not prejudiced - I hate Democrat & Republican politicians equally.)

The entitlement culture in this country is a disservice both to the working people who have to supply the funds, and the legitimate poor and needy who could get better and needed benefits than they do were it not for those who milk the system, which is a FAR greater percentage than any social welfare program proponent would like to admit.

And yes, most of them are obese, largely because they make poor food choices for themselves, and while eating healthier is more costly, you get the impression that not much would change for most of them if they had more money, save for getting even more obese.

I was just at Costco this afternoon, which is always crowded on Sunday, and watching a morbidly obese woman get quite huffy because her drive around cart's navigation was being impeded by pedestrians in the store.  She looked to be in her mid-40's, and the urge to tell her to get off her fat @ss and walk the store was only kept in check by sheer force of will.

But that's how it goes in falling empires...history shows that it always has.

Speaking as one who has got sweat fanny adams out of the benefit system in my whole life - though the National Health Service certainly got me fit for work in short order after a massive injury from a road crash that was some one else’s fault - one does see a few benefit seekers finding the loopholes that allow them a better standard of living than we who cannot but work for a living ...

In the case of justice in the courts we have a system of innocent till proven guilty.

The general idea of justice is that it be better that 99 guilty parties be released than one innocent be convicted.

So it is better that the support system should deal with the real cases, while taking in some real scroungers, rather than drawing the line such that real cases should perish from starvation or lack of a roof, than rule them out with the blunt instrument of legislation, so as to prevent the scroungers.

It's a fine line to draw, and it is the cost of being a civilised society that the line must be drawn generously enough to risk the scroungers taking advantage so as to protect the real cases.

After all, the tax dodges cost far more ...

Farmer

When any of you get an hour to spare,go onto YouTube. In the search box type Walmart customers,then sit back and enjoy. Not all are fat(but most are) but you can have a good laugh just looking at how some people dress when they go out.

No doubt i have upset someone with this post.....do i care!!!

Mista h

I'm also gonna upset a few along the same lines

My observations in UK tend to agree Walmarts UK branch also has the same waistline issues,  ditto most of the other larger mass market supermarkets.  Seems to be less of this problem in the more upmarket end & hardly ever seen at fresh food markets.  Also noted the well endowed end of the waistline fraternity always seem to be stuffing snacks & giant sized drinks while shopping.

I don't see anything like the same in my other home in SA & also much less than UK around most of Europe.  

I'm a few pounds overweight and I have to note I have upset myself!

Russ

This looks like the fat cow that i saw on the tram to Wimbledon this morning. 20+ stone took up 2 seats and spent the entire 30 minutes stuffing her fat face with food.

Mista h

Translation help for our colonial cousins - 20 stone = 280 pounds

The rest of world including modern species of Homo Britannicus  = 127 kg