Why are Americans out of shape?

I think there’s definitely a push towards healthier habits here in America. I’m trying to gain weight and I’ve noticed that so many things nowadays is “light” or “less than 100 calories” or something. I started eating a healthy diet about three years ago and have been healthier since. I also work out.

Web surfing has created obesity in America.

You know, people have tried to sue McDonalds for “creating obesity”. How absurd.

Cheap fast food, electronics, comfortable couches. Cola drinks.

Many reasons.

America is a very large country with a significant amount of the population living in the suburbs. Most suburbs are not walking friendly, everyone has to sit in their car to get to wherever they are going. Other countries have large cities and rural areas more dominant than American like suburbs. We also have the wealth to have cars or more than one car per household. When I was young we had one car. My mom and I would walk downtown or walk to the bus, she finally got her own car when she went back to work full time when I was around the age of 10.

I think food is a huge part also. Fat content and portion size being the biggest problem, which is also wrapped up in fewer home cooked meals. Hidden fats in restaurant food and prepackaged foods is ridiculous.

Also, I think there is an emotional component. We are possibly more lonely and more bored. Previously in history we had more extended family around us, I think that helped with raising children and even for support as adults.

Large, spread out urban areas led to an automobile culture that started it, with drive thru food restaurants, then….along came television, but it got worse when people discovered the internet, and everyone got a computer

It never ceases to amaze me the number of overweight young people I see. I’ve said it before. I’m shocked when I see young men and young women (teens, 20s and 30-somethings) with their stomachs hanging out of midriff shirts and hip hugging pants.

If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. A few things I think contribute to obesity include our culture has changed to not put as much importance on physical education in our schools anymore. Kids don’t play outside very much and sit in front of televisions, computers or other electronics.

People use to consume calories and burn them with physical labor. Obese people consume lots of calories and don’t do much physical activity. We have become pretty sedentary, she said sitting in a chair typing out an answer on the Internet.

Sorry, but it isn’t just Americans who are large. Australia, Canada and the UK aren’t far behind.

@flip86 Why them too do you suppose?

What’s interesting is that some cities and states in America are much heavier than others. They all have some of the same chain restaurants. Same access to computers and TV’s. Even if we cut out major cities and just look at the suburbs there are differences statisically town to town. I personally lost 5 pounds just moving back to FL. So much easier to be thin here. I am not exercising more. I am eating healthier. I noticed when I visit my university the students are almost all thin. Poverty seems to be associated with weight in America (in most parts of the workd poverty means you will be rail thin).

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought I’m not really quite sure what causes it. I think it has to do with the over abundance of corn syrup in everything we eat. Look at the ingredients of processed foods. They all contain corn syrup. especially soda.

I drank a ton of soda growing up and was very thin. I am not saying it was a good thing I drank a lot of soda, I’m just sayin’.

I’m not. Shame on the rest of you Americans if you can’t keep up with a wizened old bastard like me. :-)

It’s not just America trust me. In point of fact I think Australia may be worse off in that regard.

I trhink that in the last generation that food additives and drugs added to create a need for more and more sweets plus other foods. Portion sizes are a laf=rge factor too.
Lack of daily exercise as well.
Diabetes has tripled.People are eating themselves to an early grave.

…but isn’t it hip to be square, I heard it on the news.

Cheap, plentiful food, lack of exercise, no peer pressure, and a safety net that pays even if you never worked.

In Western NY you will see incredibly large, lumbering creatures, rolling out of their cars and into the All-you-can-eat China Buffet. You don’t see that many in Washington DC or NYC where people have to take the subway to get around.

@LuckyGuy What do you mean by “no peer pressure?”

Decades of cheap calories, which have led to immodestly large portions; the development of the interstate highway system and the commute-work-sleep way of life; a very backward food culture (eating while driving, skipping meals, junk food, TV dinners, families grazing whenever the hell they want instead of having regular meals together, companies suckering customers into accepting the existence of “4th meal”, general ignorance/indifference to nutrition and disrespect for food); the farm bill/ubiquity of corn products; an overreliance on cheap and industrially-produced meat…

@dxs: That “100 calorie” thing is pure marketing cynicism, preying upon the realization in the U.S. that maybe we need more healthful habits. Most Americans have no sense of portion control, so Nabisco is glad to charge you far more money for tiny bags of oreos that are 100 calories.

@LuckyGuy: What is this safety net of which you speak? Are you referring to disability payments, or something else? Can one get SSI just for being obese?

They think deep fried butter and replacing the bread of a sandwich with 2 pieces of fried chicken is a good idea.

We put wheels on our luggage. No one carries anything anymore, lol.

Because you have to make time to exercise, and time is in short supply in a fast-paced lifestyle. I make the time every day but I’m still not skinny by any means.

Here’s my American day: Breakfast bar, sit at work, healthy lunch and 30 min walk, sit at work. Drive home. Make husby dinner. Walk the dog or exercise as time allows. 8 hours sleep.

In the zoo where I live, I have a pal who lives a few cages away, a pig who is aptly named Piggy. Poor old fellow. Over the years he’s gotten big and fat and lazy and you know why? Because people are always tempting him food, which he absolutely can’t resist. I don’t think he even really tastes anything anymore, he just shovels it down because it’s available everywhere, and also, I think, because his mother always encouraged him to eat, eat, eat.

I love Piggy but I worry about his health, not to mention his looks, but by now, binge-eating is just a bad habit he can’t break.

All I can say is, thank goodness he can’t go to McDonald’s.

Sorry for the delay in getting back. I’ve been a busy boy.

What did I mean by “no peer pressure”. In our PC society we are taught it is fine to be just the way we are. There is no societal push to slim down if one does not want to. Clothing sizes are renumbered so people can still say they are a smaller sizer, furniture seats are enlarged to accommodate the extra girth. Handicap spaces are given out to obese people because they can’t walk the distance to the buffet. If yo think I am making up, do this experiment. Park in front of the nearest All you can eat Country Buffet and watch who goes in there. Look who parks in the handicapped spot. It will not be an elderly man or woman, nor a young man with crutches. It will be 2 incredibly obese individuals that look like they were ladled into the front seat of their car. They will lumber into the restaurant like cows. Those are precisely the people who should actually be walking an extra few feet. Save the space for someone on crutches or who just had surgery. But no… their doctor will write the slip that say they have bad knees and can;t walk far. They will however manage to walk back and forth to the feeding trough many times – a distance far exceeding the distance from a normal parking space.

We’ve adjusted portion sizes up, plates sizes larger, and recommended BMI numbers up as well, so people can say they are only having one serving and are in the healthy weight range. We say: “It’s ok. That is just the way you are. Be free. And have another piece of pie.” We may fool ourselves but not mother nature.

I lived overseas in an Asian country. Furniture, clothing, portion sizes, etc…. everyday life is geared toward a small person. Very little accommodation is given to someone on the plus side of the spectrum.

What did I mean by safety net? People here can apply for all sorts of disablilty payments
disability benefits for depression, bipolar, anxiety, OCD, panic disorder, schizophrenia, diabetes, kidney disease, urinary problems, thyroid disorders, dementia, coronary artery disease, valvular defects, blood vessel problems….(Go to the link. There are probably 5x this list.)

Many issues can be improved or solved completely if the person ate right, exercised and /or went to work. Some people cannot work. That is true. But an awful lot can work!
Go into WalMart during the day and listen to the conversations of the WalMartians. They will have the fanciest phones and the longest fingernails.
Unfortunately too many people have discovered that it is easier to just collect a check than it is to get up and out and go to work. They are idle during the day so they eat and get no exercise.

Sure this is not a PC answer and once again I will be hit with tomatoes. But, I answered the question as honestly I as could.
Why are Americans out of shape? Because they keep filling the pie hole and nobody is forcing them to change..

@LuckyGuy I completely agree with you, it’s a bad joke. And yeah, you made so much sense that you probably will get tomato’s…lol

@LuckyGuy “No peer pressure”. That’s hilarious.

Ask someone who is perceived as overweight if you think you can stand it what a typical day is like for them. And actually listen, instead of running the mental tape of “this frigging cow just needs to be more like me”.

I’m not saying there is no truth to your post. However, it is heavily skewed toward railing against the focus of your hatred, then ducking behind a shield of “it’s not PC to talk this way”.

“An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.”

And now I’ve got to stop procrastinating and get on with my busy day… lol

@LuckyGuy Have you ever been overweight? If not, then you have no clue what type of peer pressure weighs on those who are, so I’d suggest not speaking about things you know nothing about.

The constant pressure, for women in particular, to measure up to the media’s version of beautiful leaves psychological (and sometimes physical) scars. If there is no pressure to be thin, explain the young men and women that starve themselves and abuse their bodies to feel as if they belong, or even matter.

Obesity is certainly a big problem and you did have a valid point or two, but lack of peer pressure is not the cause of the issue. And it has nothing to do with being PC.

Tell her about the lack of societal pressure to be thin.

I’m back.
I’ve never been fat. Every time I noticed my weight going up or my pants getting tight I backed off eating a little or did more exercise outdoors. It is much easier to make many small changes than trying to knock off 50 pounds at one time. The most I was ever overweight was 12 pounds. My pants were tight and I noticed I got out of breath going up the 4 flights of stairs to the lab. I decided to fix it. I ate less and exercised more. I also did it with a cheapskate friend of mine. We would get one double cheeseburger from the McD $1 menu. (do they still do that?) He was on Atkins (all meat, no carbs) so I would take the bun and half the of one pattie and he would get 1½ patties. It was plenty. We did not order drinks. Sometimes instead of the double cheese we’d get a $1.49 (?) filet of fish and split it.

Sure, there are (mostly young) girls who are obsessed with weight. I am not talking about them. I am talking about the cows lumbering into the China buffet and up to the feed trough while complaining about their bad knees hurt and their “sugarbetes” while collecting disability because they cannot work.
From what I’ve seen (20+ countries) America is the only country in the world where the poor people are overweight.
Until you’ve been in Asia you know nothing about being ostracizes for being overweight. American know noting about

We need to take responsibility for our own actions and accept the consequences of our choices. That does not happen enough now.

@LuckyGuy I agree for the most part. The Big is Beautiful slogan was a bad idea I think. In my opinion it is like a snowball. If everyone around you is heavier, that starts to look normal. They already have done studies showing have fat friends makes you fat to. So, the problem grows and grows and grows, no pun intended.

At the same time, for those who truly have health problems or take medications that add pounds, we don’t want those people judged or ostracized. It’s a hard balance. We tried to take away the shame, which maybe led to people gaining more wait, but we don’t really want to shame people do we? I say no, but we do need to have a good expectation. Finally Dr. Oz is reaching people I think, and telling them fat is unhealthy, don’t listen to overweight people who say their doctor tells them nothing is wrong with them.

About 7 years ago I was connecting in an airport, I don’t remember which one, and the wheel chairs were so much wider than I was accustomed to seeing. It made an impression, it was so siginificantly wider than wheelchairs I had seen in other airports. I thinking it might have been either Chicago or Atlanta? I wish I remembered.

@LuckyGuy Frankly my Vietnamese friends make me crazy with their ‘I forget to eat’ way of living…lol

Here in the Midwest, we have a lot of what we call ‘troughs’/ buffets. Last time hubsy and I went it was several years ago, waiting for Best Buy to open, and I swear it was the mumu and over-haul crowd and we swore one plate was not worth the buffet price to people who didn’t overeat. I try not to judge them, but as far as disability and all that, we’ve got a literal ton of them in my area who could work if they put the plate down.

Cars.

@LuckyGuy Oh, gotta love that, “it’s easy for me, so it must be easy for everyone,” attitude.

Just because people are fat despite the peer pressure does not mean the pressure does not exist. Sure, there are plenty of overweight people that got that way simply by being lazy and eating too much. There are also those with medical conditions that keep them from getting down to a healthy size. That “cow” you see on the street may be one of those people, and how would you know either way?

Also, just because someone is thin does not mean they’re healthy. There’s nothing healthy about rating a McDonald’s cheeseburger every day, no matter how little you eat of it. Some of us keep strict accounts of our calorie intake, exercise nearly every day, and see no changes on the scale at the end of the week. Good for you that you’ve never had that problem, but not everyone is that fortunate. Of course, you may not be concerned with health – as long as you aren’t subjected to watching that fat ass walk across your line of sight.

I’m 5’5” and 150 lbs. I go to the gym 4 nights a week and do cardio at home 2 nights a week. I never go over 1200 net calories a day. I watch my fat, sugar, carbs, sodium, etc and stay within my recommended limits. And yet, the scale hasn’t moved in over a month. No, I’m not obese (I wear a size 6), but I know I’m not the only one that has a hard time losing weight even when they do everything right.

Should lazy overweight people with bad knees get handicap stickers? No. But putting all overweight people in one category or blaming it on a lack of peer pressure when you’ve never taken a walk in their shoes is not helpful to anyone.

@peridot You wrote “And angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.”
Sometimes he shuts his eyes because he might be at work and does not want to use company assets or wifi to connect to a site that might not be considered necessary or applicable to normal work operations.

@livelaughlove21 I did not say it was easy. I said I did it when I was only a little overweight and that it is easier to fix when the necessary changes are small. I also did not say anything about how thin people are always healthy. Look at me. I am in great shape, get plenty of exercise, eat right, have a perfect BMI right in the middle of the normal band, never smoked, and drink maybe 1 or 2 glasses of wine a week – and I got prostate cancer! WTF?! Now because I ate right, was not overweight, exercised, was in great shape, etc., I was able to recover from the surgery very quickly and was able to get back to work instead of claiming disability.
It is great that you are working out so hard . You will likely live longer, laugh harder, and love longer than those out of shape tubs I watched in the parking lot.

The OP asked “why”, and I gave my opinion, just like everyone else. I refuse to say they are that way because nature made them way. They got that way the way we all gain weight – one ounce at a time.

It is MUCH easier to make small changes. I do the same thing that @LuckyGuy. If I start to gain weight I know exactly what to do.

@LuckyGuy That quote was meant in the general sense. Are you “maybe” at work at all times? You sure seem to have a lot of time to spare to rant about “tubs”, “cows”, etc. Is the idea I suggested so threatening to you that you had to defensively non-reply?

@JLeslie I agree, the “Big is Beautiful” campaign was painful and awkward to witness. It was likely blowback from our culture which worships the barely-legal-child body as ideal—which is pretty disgusting itself, when you think about it.

Many people are overweight because they overeat and under-exercise. Others do not fall under that umbrella, and others only partially so. To arbitrarily decide ALL overweight people are doing the exact same thing merely showcases one’s own stupidity. Often loudly, as we’ve seen.

I don’t understand why you’re hollering at @LuckyGuy, @peridot. What did he do?

@Dutchess_III You see this as “hollering”? Um… okay. I haven’t been calling anyone nor any group names, yet I’m the one who’s hollering. Got it.

[Edit] I just ripped this direct quote from another thread, from an unnamed mod, no less:
“it is totally your prerogative to avoid spirited debate. That being said, when you opt to engage in that way it doesn’t work to cry attack when people disagree with you.”

No, you didn’t call him names but you were “hollering,” as in “berating” him, and I was just curious as to why.

I’m just curious how I am “berating” him. Also, since I’m the only person on this thread being called out, I’m curious why you seem to think I deserve special attention.

Because you are new here. You have to pass their test.

LOL! No! Just trying to figure out what @LuckyGuy said that upset @peridot

Try it again, different words. What did Lucky Guy say that caused you to respond with “That quote was meant in the general sense. Are you “maybe” at work at all times? You sure seem to have a lot of time to spare to rant about “tubs”, “cows”, etc. Is the idea I suggested so threatening to you that you had to defensively non-reply?” What was the idea you suggested? And how did he “defensively” not reply?

1) Distrust of government interference
2) Misunderstanding of the time is money principle (like saving time by eating fast food)
3) Lack of sidewalks
4) Too many commercial breaks on tv advertising unhealthy food

@bkcunningham ;)

@Dutchess_III I think not. Look at his posts. Look at my responses. Look at your responses. I think you’re more interested in a diversion argument than an actual dialogue.

You think not? Think not what? What are you talking about? Just…send me to the comment he made that upset you, please. (BTW, if you hover your mouse to the right of the “Great Answer” and “Flag as..” notations at the bottom of a comment an orange permalink will appear. You can copy and paste that in your comment and it will direct me to the comment in question. Or you can copy and paste what he said. Whatever. I’m just trying to find out what he said that upset you.)

@LuckyGuy You are absolutely right about handicap spots. I work at a small retail store where the handicap parking is directly in front of the store. You know who parks there? Obese people. Sure, a few senior citizens will, but usually the seniors park in the regular parking spots that require them to walk across the parking lot.

It’s funny, the other day I said to my coworker “I didn’t know being a fat ass was a handicap.” Sure, it might be an insensitive comment but when you see these fat tubs of lard, who can barely walk or breath, buying gobs and gobs of candy, soda, Little Debbie cakes and any other junk you can think of, It causes you to loathe them. Most of these people get this crap with food stamps.

@flip86 I guess I read @LuckyGuy‘s answer too fast because being critical of people parking in the handicap spots to me is like spitting into the wind. I never question why someone has a handicapped parking permit. Maybe they are overweight because they have a very real physical problem that makes it more difficult to keep their weight down. Sure some people are fat and develop physical problems due to their weight, but it is hard to know by just looking if it was the chicken or the egg. You can’t tell by looking at someone how sick they are or how much pain they are in. It is why people who suffer in chronic pain get little understanding from people who have never suffered that type of prison.

@flip86 @JLeslie Here in the US, in our state anyway, it’s easy to get a Handicapped Parking Permit, and if they don’t have one in their car on display, the vehicle is subject to towing and fees. If it bothers you or you see actual legally handicapped people having to walk distances or being dropped off, call the cops and bust people for breaking the law.

@KNOWITALL I don’t know what you are getting at. Are you saying it is too easy to get a permit? Or, are you saying that people don’t realize they can get one if they need one? I wasn’t commenting on how to get a permit or how easy or hard it is. I was just saying as people on the outside observing those who do park in handicapped spaces we should not be quick to judge. My mother has a handicap tag and she walks 3 miles a day and swims almost every day. Her tag is for the winter months because she has severe raynaud’s. She rarely uses the tag because she prefers to walk, but in extreme weather she can if she needs too. The point is, even people who know my mother have no idea she has the condition. They could easily sit back and gossip that they know she doesn’t need it, feeling confident they know her physical situation, when they have no idea.

@JLeslie I’m saying that if fat people using the handicapped spaces illegally bothers you, call them in so legitimate people like your mom can use them.

@Dutchess_III Check your PM. If it doesn’t send, I have a copy.

And with that, I’m done with this little “bait the noob” game. Play Nurse Ratched with someone else. :)

@KNOWITALL If they have a permit I am fine with them parking there. I was being critical of @flip86 questioning fat people using the spaces. I was defending the people who are overweight parking in handicapped. I guess maybe I wrote my response to @flip86 poorly, because it seems my intention with my statement was misunderstood. I didn’t get the impression the overweight people @flip86 was referring to didn’t have a permit.

If they don’t have handicap permits I would say something to them if I saw them parking there. I would tell them to move their car.

I got it @peridot. Thanks. I understand where you’re coming from now. I didn’t see anything that @Luckyguy said that upset me, so I was just trying to figure out what was upsetting you.

One time I was at a grocery store and an announcement came over the PA about a super sale on donuts in the bakery section. I didn’t normally buy donuts because they’re useless junk, but this was a really good sale…they were practically free, and I thought my kids would enjoy the treat. By the time I got there, about a minute later, there were about 5 people hogging up 3 tall display cases (they must have sprinted there!) There were about seventy donuts, all different kinds, and those first five people were literally pushing and shoving each other to get at them. Another 10 of us were patiently waiting our turn….which never came. Those first five were grabbing donuts hand over fist, 4 and 5 bags full. They were practically crawling into the display cases—they looked and acted literally DESPERATE. We 10 started looking at each other with wide, disbelieving eyes, all of us getting more and more over-awed by the unmitigated greed of those people. Finally a guy standing next to me said, loud enough for them to hear, “Well, I guess some people need them more than others.” I said, “I guess so!” We got some dirty looks from the pigs (I mean, that just wasn’t a nice thing to say, was it!) They picked the cases clean in about 15 seconds, then they hurried away, avoiding eye contact with anyone. There was NOTHING left. They had all but licked the trays clean.

Without exception every single one of those first five people were very, very over weight. But it wasn’t their fault, of course. It was the government’s fault, the advertiser’s fault, the store’s fault or they maybe had a medical condition. At any rate, it wasn’t their fault.

@JLeslie I’m critical of these fat people because I see everything they buy. They buy nothing but junk food. They don’t do a damn thing to better their situation. They eat and eat and eat, making their health worse and worse. It doesn’t help that this lifestyle is subsidized by the government via food stamps.

I don’t believe it is necessarily diet, but laziness. Everything is computers, video games, automation, etc. It is even becoming more difficult to engage in conversations with others, for their faces are always dug in to their iphones.

@KNOWITALL: Whether we approve of it or not, if they have a handicapped parking permit, no matter what their weight is, calling the cops on them makes no sense, as they’re parking legally (as long as they display their current permit).

@flip86 I understand why you feel as you do, but I still fall on the side of not making some sort of generalization. I don’t want food stamps to be restricted to specific foods, although I would exclude candy possibly, and I want people to be able to get their handicapped parking sticker if they currently need it. I say this because I don’t want to inadvertently punish people who aren’t abusing the system. I think it is a very complicated problem without a simple fix.

NO! Don’t exclude candy! The kids would never get anything in their stockings at Christmas or in their Easter Baskets either!

Ok. LOL. Do people on food stamps have enough food stamp money to cover all they eat? I have a relative on food stamps and she doesn’t get enough money to cover all her food needs and she is not heavy at all, it isn’t that she eats a lot of food. If anything we worry she does not eat enough.

Oh hell yes they get enough! WAY more than they need. I got, like $600 for me and two kids (this was in the 90’s.) My daughter has 4 kids, two of them are infants. When she started working for minimum wage they“reduced” them to $700 a month. Way more than they need.

@JLeslie I see people buying $20 to $25 worth of junk with their food stamps. They get cookies, soda, candy, ice cream, chips and if they get anything for a meal it’s usually something frozen or the cheap packs of ramen noodles. Never anything good. These people come in and get this crap a couple times a week.

In Maine the maximum food stamp benefit for one person is $200 a month. It goes up for each child you have.

$200 would be plenty for me.

A family member of mine gets $500/month in food stamps and she has two kids and a husband. My husband and I eat fairly healthy (me more than him) and we drop about $150/week on groceries just for the two of us. Needless to say, we don’t clip coupons or scour the store for deals, but I’d think $125/week for four people would be pretty tight if you’re buying good foods as opposed to Ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese.

@Dutchess_III Is it $200 a week? I don’t remember how much my relative gets.

A month.

I was just telling my husband I want to see how much we are currently spending on groceries. I feel sure I am spending less here in FL than TN, part of that is TN taxes groceries (which I think is awful) and I have been eating healthier, which I think actually is less expensive than when I eat badly.

About the taxes, do the food stamps go towards the subtotal? Or, towards after tax prices.

@Dutchess_III That’s what I figured.

I don’t know how someone could consume a sufficient number of calories on $50/week.

Easy. Lots of beans and potatoes and bread. You can get a buy one/get one free pot roast, cook one up with your veggies and that’s dinner for 2 or 3 days.

@livelaughlove21 I think I currently spend around $75 for myself per week on groceries. Although, it would be interesting to tally the credit card and see for sure what the number really is. I eat out once a week, so that meal isn’t included; sometimes twice a week. Less than $75 and I would probably feel a little deprived for sure, but I could do it. Some weeks I am sure I spend more than $75.

I don’t often see “buy one get one free” in the meat depts.

They used to have them on the roasts about once a month, and I’d make a point of watching for them, but come to think of it, I haven’t seen on in a while. But…I also don’t shop very much any more.

@Dutchess_III You don’t shop for food? How do you eat?

I’ve reduced my animal intake significantly at home and I think that has contributed to much lower groceries bills. Lots of veggies and fruit. More legumes. Still eating pasta and bread.

I see pasta for 88 cents a box but it’s not very helpful for people’s weight issues.

I eat a lot of bread.

@Dutchess_III Oh hell yes they get enough! WAY more than they need. Not everyone who qualifies for food stamps gets more than they need. The working poor are lucky if they get more than $150 per month to feed a family of four. I know because our family has been in that situation before. Try feeding two growing boys and a hard working husband on $150 per month. Beans and bread aren’t enough for a healthy diet.

I know it’s based on income and mine would go up and down accordingly until they were gone all together. I simply cut back accordingly. I’d buy ground beef instead of chuck, and corn flakes instead of Cheerios.

Here there are people who get $16 per month in food stamps. At that point, a burger a day from the dollar menu would not be possible.

@livelaughlove21 $50 a week is plenty for one person. I currently spend that for two people. Add $30 for my daughter and I spend $80 a week for three people. My daughter eats 3 meals a day, plus snacks, and my girlfriend and I eat 1 large meal a day with a few snacks. It works for us. As long as my daughter gets enough food, I’m happy.

I keep confusing this with the “Why do people blame prices/fast food for making people fat?” thread.

Wait @dxs…. where are we? Oh. Out of Shape.

That’s a bad place to be @jca. You make an extra .25 an hour and they cut out $300 in food stamps, and you really don’t make enough money to make up for that loss. Plus if you’re in assisted housing (which I never was) they start charging you rent. For a person on minimum wage with kids, that’s a bad place to be. Your whole check is gone on stuff that was free to you before. That’s what makes it so hard to get out.

One time my kids were denied medical coverage because I made $12.00 a month over the poverty limit. I think I made $15,000 that year, and as a sub I didn’t get insurance coverage. I was in a freaking panic. My ex was paying $100 a month in child support, and they included that as “income.” I almost called him and told him cut that back by $12.00.

My husband would be psyched if I only spent $50 on our groceries. We certainly wouldn’t be eating much meat – not lean meats anyways. We buy absolutely NO junk or snacks and we spend $150/week. I’d have to clip coupons for a week to decrease that by a third. I don’t know how you do it. I’d love to see one of your shopping lists, just for my own curiosity.

Well, I don’t have any kids at home any more, but when I did a typical shopping list for 3 to 5 people would be:
2 gallons of milk
3 cans of refried beans
A hunk of cheddar cheese
Flour tortillias (burritos were a stable around here)
2 loaves of bread
dry pinto beans
corn bread
hamburger
pasta
Canned spagetti sauce
canned stewed tomatoes
canned and fresh corn
canned green beans
Big box of cornflakes
oatmeal
Strawberry jam
banannas
apples
Raman
Velvetta
Onions
More milk
Roast (if it was buy one get one)
carrots
potatoes
‘Merican cheese
Chicken
Noodles
flour
strawberries
Mozz cheese
English muffins
canned tomato sauce (for baby pizzas)
Celery
Lettuce
fresh tomatoes (romas are the least expensive)
Campbells soups
crackers
butter
creme cheese
Salsa

I guess that’s about 2 weeks worth of food (except for the milk. We could go through a gallon a day, especially as they got older. Lot of bread too.)

Now, just me and my husband, you could cut that list by ¾ths. (Although I did just have a burrito!)

@livelaughlove21 $150 a week for the two of you? So, that would be about the same as me.

That would be a LOT for us.

I’m going to get a couple credit card bills out and really tally it up. I think one thing I buy that is expensive compared to your list is I buy some fish. I buy organic milk, although we only drink a half gallon a week, and also eggs sometimes I buy the expensive cage free ones. When I buy cheese half the time it is a more expensive one than American. I also buy bakery breads usually, rather than sandwich bread. Not to mention I half the time I buy the more expensive Boar’s Head cold cuts.

I do use coupons here and there. Maybe I save $500 a year with coupons, so nothing much to brag about there, but everything counts! $500 can be a mini vacation for us.

My shopping list is really sparse.

For myself and my girlfriend, we survive on quite a bit of ground beef, chicken breast, pasta, potatoes, carrots, rice, sausage, cube steak, and eggs. We also get big bags of tater tots, french fries, canned vegetables and white meat chicken nuggets. Repetition is key to keep the grocery bill down. Occasionally, we will do something different and spend extra money for a change of pace.

My daughter eats milk, eggs, cereal, chicken, fruit, oatmeal, bread, granola bars, a few veggies, and she’ll usually eat what I make for dinner. For lunches she has cold cuts, mac and cheese or chef boyardee.

@Dutchess_III and @flip86 That looks like a lot more than $50–80/week to me. We buy enough food for 5 nights of dinner and stuff for my breakfast and lunch (which is the same stuff all week). I guess our problem is we don’t cook a lot of meals that have leftovers after he takes some for lunch the next day. Here’s a typical list for us:

½ gallon milk
2 loaves bread
Peanut butter (1 tub per month)
Fruit (bananas, strawberries, apples, etc)
Yogurt (3 little cups)
Pita bread
Ham and turkey deli meat
Swiss cheese
Canned veggies (corn, green beans)
Instant mashed potatoes or au gratin potatoes
Rice
Sweet potatoes
Chicken breast
Turkey burgers
Hamburger buns
Pork chops
Ground beef
Canned beans
Tomato juice
Water
Gatorade (1 pack of 6)
Protein bars (2 boxes of 6)

We buy the leanest meats we can find, so that may be costing us a few extra bucks. Plus we shop at Publix, which is more expensive than Wal-Mart (but sooo much better). We could stand to buy more store brand items or pay more attention to sales, but we only do that when we’re strapped for cash.

Everyone seems to think we spend too much on food, but we’re trying to be healthier, which is hard to do cheap. Hamburger helper and spaghetti for five nights – not so good for my waistline.

You BUY water??

Well, my list was assuming we were out of everything. I mean, dry pinto beans, for example, will last 2–3 months. The jam, about 4 weeks.

@livelaughlove21 I described everything I buy in a typical month. I usually buy most of my meat at once and freeze it. It lasts the whole month. Same with the fries and tater tots. During the week I’ll buy the ingredients for specific meals like tacos, meatloaf or spaghetti. I’m telling you, I really don’t spend much more than $350 a month on groceries.

@Dutchess_III Yes, I buy water. Our tap water, filter or no filter, has a funny taste. I’m picky about my water and will only drink one brand.

The water where I grew up was horrible. Smelled like rotten eggs. We had a water softener in our basement. I remember hauling 80 pound sacks of salt down stairs.

~They might just be under tall instead of being overweight.~

Ah.

That is actually an impairment that is referred to as height challenged, @talljasperman.

It’s interesting to see what people buy for groceries each week. That should be a Q. I looked at my credit card bill and we spent about $310 last month at grocery stores, but a few of those dollars would have gone to nonfood items like nail polish remover or shampoo. My husband ate at his work caf or was taken to eat maybe 2 times a week during that month, which is a little more than usual. Plus, as I mentioned before we eat out dinner 1–2 times a week. So, it does seem about $75 is correct for groceries. I still think I spent more in TN, but those bills are in a box right now. But, wait, that would be $75 a week for both my husband and me. That seems low. That was my first full month in FL, so what is not included in there is any condiments, because I did a mass buy a couple weeks before along with stocking some other things in my pantry like some rice and pasta and a few soups. Still, I am sort of confused. I think this coming month I will actually save my grocery receipts, I am really curious now. I guess you can tell I don’t keep a budget of any sort.

Typical grocery list for me now is:
Medium sized spring mix salad
Head of romaine or ice berg
2 tomatoes
1 onion
2 chili peppers
1 avocado every other week.
2 bananas or package of strawberries or cherries (depends what is in season).
a pineapple or melon or 3 apples or grapes.
1 cucumber
French cut green beans (frozen or fresh) or 3 zuchinnis
Mushrooms
Couple stalks of bok choy or half a cabage or eggplant or peas or corn.
Carrots and celery I buy once a month or less.
2 limes
2 types of bread (one would be a couple bagels or english muffins or tortillas or pita)
½–1 pound of cold cuts
1 package of cheese every other week.
3 frozen meals (this includes things like veggie patties, pizza, and frozen lasagna)
Rice or potato or pasta (just depending on what I am running out of. Sometimes a prepackaged type thing just add water or milk, sometimes not).
1 can tuna
1.5–2 pounds of meat (this is a total of all meats combined, but excludes cold cuts, is including seafood, can be frozen or raw).
½ gallon of milk (sometimes the half gallon lasts more than 1 week)
Eggs or egg beaters
1 box cereal every other week (that’s an estimate because we usually have 4 boxes open at once).
2 cans of beans or soup.
2 two-liter sodas
1 half gallon orange juice evey other week.

1 package of nuts per month.
1 package of raisins per month.
1 salad dressing per month (more or less).

Plus, there is flour and sugar once in a blue moon. Oil, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, tea or lemonade every 3–6 months. All that stuff is hard to count. Also things like peanut butter or jam is maybe once a month or less.

@livelaughlove21 I guess it is true that lean pork and chicken are more expensive, but with steak I don’t think so. Tenderloin, NY Strip, those are all much more expensive than say a sirloin or round. I have no idea with ground meat, I only buy round, I don’t know what the others cost.

Eating healthy does not cost me more money. When I am eating healthier I am eating less food to begin with. Veggies, fruit, and legumes don’t cost more than meat and chicken, usually less money for me. But, for me healthy is fewer animal products, because I watch my cholesterol, and when I watch my cholesterol I also am thinner (about a 7 pound difference) without even thinking about the calories (probably mostly because I am eating less cheese and desserts) but to get to the weight I really prefer, another 5 pounds) I do have to pay attention to calories.

@JLeslie I’ve taken the advice of the trainers at my gym, so I eat as closely to their recommendations as possible.

I eat meat every day because 1) I love it, and 2) I need protein for my wokouts. I eat lean meats, whole grains, fresh fruits, as many veggies as I can stomach (still having trouble with that), and A LOT of water.

Counting calories is no longer good enough. I watch my sodium, fats, carbs, protein, fiber, and vitamin intake to ensure they meet my daily recommendations. Cholesterol is one thing I don’t have to worry about.

When we ate badly, we spent less money. Now we spend more. That’s all I know.

@livelaughlove21 The only thing I recommend, if I may, is get your cholesterol checked. Any recommendations a trainer would give me would raise my cholesterol, but I am genetically bad in that department. My girlfriend’s trainer has dangerously high cholesterol and his cholesterol ration of good and bad freaks out his doctor, but he doesn’t care he likes his muscles. Per calorie a diet of veggies, fruit and greens has as much if not more protein, but nobody thinks of it in terms of per calorie. But, I am not trying to lecture or anything. If I didn’t have a cholesterol problem I would eat more meat and eggs, I wish I could.

@JLeslie No one in my family has cholesterol issues or any heart problems. If I develop either of these, it won’t be genetic. Plus, I doubt my cholesterol is high, at my age/weight/health.

I see nothing wrong with eating meat unless I have reason to believe I should stop.

@livelaughlove21 Age and weight means nothing. You only know for sure if you get a blood test. My total cholesterol was 270 the first time I had it tested at age 16, I was 5’6” and 125 pounds. Cholesterol should not be more than 200, back then they used to say not more than 220. But, it does sound like you have genetics working in your favor so that is good.

Like I said I am not trying to preach no meat, I am just jealous of everyone who doesn’t have to worry about it :). There is quite a bit of scientific evidence that a lot of animal protein is a bad thing, but I have no idea where the line would be drawn, and plenty of people have meat in their diets and live long lives, so I personally think a lot of health related issues are genetic, and each person has to see what is best for themselves as individuals.

@JLeslie Regardless, I’ll get cancer before I get high cholesterol. Thanks a lot, genetics.

There is a statistical correlation between low cholesterol and cancer.

I figure those people live long enough to get the cancer.~

you could be adopted and they just didn’t tell you, @livelaughlove21

OMG. My sister tells me I am the doctor’s baby all the time.

I will soon be out of shape because I don’t do much and I eat wonderful stuff like a baked potatoe with butter, cream cheese, cheese sauce and bacon bits on it! moufmumbhet

@LuckyGuy “WalMartians” made me lol. ;)