The Latest Fashion Fat
As somebody who looks high and low for people in Los Angeles not wearing sweatpants, or worse, yet, sweatpants with "JUICY" plastered across the ass, I liked this bit speculating on how and why so many people are obese and dress as they do. Giles Coren writes in The Times/UK:
An even heftier reminder of the crisis in Britain came at Tokyo airport when I was checking in, where three Englishmen of 18 stone each or more stood in front of me, their feet wide apart in that stability-maintaining stance to which the morbidly obese resort, wearing the first tracksuits I had seen since I arrived (for I had attended no athletics meetings) and clutching vast Starbucks tubs of warm frothy milk drinks, just like mother used to express. This tubby triumvirate looked not like toddlers, but bona fide babies.Did we start dressing as infants because we got too fat to be comfortable in grown-up clothes, or did we eat ourselves into the shape of babies because once we were dressing like them we thought we might as well look like them?
Heh. Pollution makes you fat? Then why did I lose twenty ponds when I lived in Hong Kong?
What causes weight gain? Calories.
Oh wait. That doesn't give license to eat whatever you want, does it? How illiberal of me.
Jeff at January 22, 2008 1:01 AM
Lately I've been gaining weight. I've never been one to work out....at first everyone was happy I had put on the pounds...and then I gained a little too much and they started to grab my little excess areas. Everyone has made it clear that they do not want me to be fat. I've been working out since to tone my body and get back my flat abs, but I was joking the other day with my friend that if I had low self-esteem other peoples obsession with my body might get to me. Since I'm good on the esteem front, I just find it pretty amusing that people think it's their duty to remind me not to let my body go. It's a subconscious thing they're acting out on I'm assuming.
PurplePen at January 22, 2008 1:43 AM
I've gained a few pounds lately - less than five. Combination of Christmastime eating habits and bad exercise habits. No one notices...but none of my pants fit well. Oh, I can put them on, and they're not threatening to break, but they're uncomfortable to sit in around the hips. (Note: These same pants are comfortable, even loose, when I'm just a few pounds lighter.) Since I don't want to limit myself to sweatpants, my New Year's resolution to exercise is being kept. (And I'm working on eating less - bad to get into the habit of eating more in the first place!) If only those extra pounds could be convinced to redirect themselves to my chest area...
marion at January 22, 2008 6:14 AM
I just returned from a study trip to Berlin...the first thing my host family said to me was that I didn't look like a "typical American" because I wasn't fat! (Actually I was born and raised in Germany to American parents, but Germans don't really seem to get the global nomad thing.) I guess I hadn't realized how inured I had become to seeing hefty Americans or how much our surroundings accomodate them. The cars and seats are narrower, the portions smaller, and walking expected. Also, I rarely saw people carrying around cups of coffee or soda. Although I was eating cake for practically every meal, I ended up losing a bit of weight because I wasn't snacking at all and walking several miles a day. Coming back was a bit of a culture shock. I mean, everything here is so big, and not just the people.
amh18057 at January 22, 2008 6:32 AM
Forget self-esteem or even vanity. Best motivator I've found for actually taking responsibility for my weight and fitness: fear of death. Nothing like passing age 40, getting a checkup, and finding out your blood pressure is on the far side of 150.
After that, you can look at snacks and think to yourself, "is that Cheeto worth dying for?"
Cambias at January 22, 2008 6:33 AM
I suggest eating better. For me, that's meat or protein with enough fat in it that I'm not hungry, green vegetables in olive oil, and deserts fabulous and rich enough that you don't have to mow through a pile of them. Really, for me, eating enough fat to not be hungry is key.
Per Gary Taubes (Good Calories, Bad Calories). And before that, I learned how to eat from going to France. Really small portions of fantastic, high-nutrient food. Eating regular meals.
Amy Alkon at January 22, 2008 7:21 AM
I think it's a cultural thing. Not only as mentioned above does everything from clothes to car seat conform to heavy but junk food is so ingrained into our society that it takes conscious effort to resist and if your plate (pun not intended, just can't think of a better expression for it) is too full of other things, you don't tend to.
Yes, I'm speaking from experience. I'm currently losing a ton of weight gained while raising my daughter alone. Not only did I get more comfort from comfort food than friends and family after going through difficult times but after skipping state with my daughter to protect her from her father, incurring a $7,000 a year pay cut on top of moving and legal expenses (futilely trying to make such an action unnecessary) but poverty and eating well doesn't go hand in hand. Elton John had it right "times are changing, now the poor get fat". Don't think he precisely meant this but with thin being in and more health awareness, the popularity of fit foods has made them more costly than the cheap. I know on the face of it, it doesn't seem that way when you're looking at the price per pound for bananas or apples or lettuce but it adds up far more quickly than does the equivalent in cookies or boxes of macaroni and cheese for instance, not too mention the weight if you have to carry your groceries home on the bus.
I'm not excusing myself but I plain didn't have the money to eat right for years and years. I hit twice what I should weigh and it was a wake up call. Of course, it coincided with a return to NY (and better pay and benefits because CO doesn't compare) and my daughter growing up so the money isn't the issue it was. Nor is the stress.
I guess my point is just that anyone too poor or too stressed out it's gonna take a back burner, rightly or wrongly to more pressing issues. Education is probably some of the problem but not the entire problem. Good food has to be more easily available. It's a good sign that even the junk food industry is starting to respond to demands for better food.
Donna at January 22, 2008 7:27 AM
Eating well does cost more - that's a fact that's been reported on. Sorry that you had to experience that first hand.
Right now I'm munching on whole wheat pretzels and roasted red pepper hummus (all natural). Later I'll have some low-fat yogurt w/ berries and almonds. It's not cheap but I'm not fat so I'll keep doing what I do. I have a glass of red wine w/ dinner maybe twice a week (a little more o weekends). My biggest issue isn't what I eat, it's how much. I could snack all day. So instead I force myself to watch portions and I eat five smaller meals/day. That ensures I never feel deprived. I try to stop at the little gym after work for a 20-30 minute leisurely walk on my "off days" - days when I'm not *really* planning a work out. Then, a few times a week, I'll go an really break a sweat. I lift, too. I don't think it helps me keep the weight off (b/c working out makes me hungry and I usually get pizza or something bad after) but it keeps my heart and lungs healthy.
AMH: when I arrive at someone's house in Germany they have a full spread waiting for me. Meat piled high on cutting boards, fresh bread, home made preserves, fresh butter...then don't forget the kuchen and kaffee at 16:00. Oh how I want to go back! ...And everyone is really thin! Just a totally different lifestyle.
Gretchen at January 22, 2008 8:29 AM
Eating well does cost more
It's a bargain compared to cardiac bypass.
Amy Alkon at January 22, 2008 8:30 AM
Also: I noticed a huge change in my body b/w the ages of 18 and 22. When I went to college I was really good about watching what I ate b/c I didn't want to gain the freshman 15. But then I got hips! And pants wouldn't fit and I gained 10 pounds and grew another 1/2 inch. Things just change even when your diet and exercise don't!
I'm STILL trying to figure out my body and still angry that I can no longer eat what I want. My body grew early so I was denied the ability to pig out into my 20s. Upside: when it happens to all my friends in a few years and they gain weight I'll look good! :-) That said, bf likes the hips and ample (yet tight) ass.
Gretchen at January 22, 2008 8:38 AM
"Eating well does cost more
It's a bargain compared to cardiac bypass."
Yeah, but we'll just end up paying for it anyway b/c we pay into the health insurance risk pool. We pay for the choices of others, but that's the gamble ;-)
Gretchen at January 22, 2008 8:40 AM
I've noticed that there is a real stigma attached to walking in the States. On my travels to different places down there, I noticed that if it takes longer than 3 minutes to walk somewhere, it is judged too far to walk to.
I enjoy walking and think it helps me stay fit. My relatives are all in Germany and Austria, and walking is big there, which is probably why my grandparents lived to be over 80, and in great shape too.
Chrissy at January 22, 2008 9:13 AM
Also: I noticed a huge change in my body b/w the ages of 18 and 22
I experienced something similar, and traced it back to the availability of free chocolate frozen yogurt in the dorm cafeteria.
Amy Alkon at January 22, 2008 9:15 AM
I experienced something similar, and traced it back to the availability of free chocolate frozen yogurt in the dorm cafeteria.
Oh, our (mandatory) meal plans included unlimited ice cream, but I also pretty much walked everywhere in college, which kept my weight down. I really think that's one of the keys to the obesity issue in the U.S. - few people use their two feet for any significant proportion of their personal transportation. The cities set up for walking tend to have few obese people.
I'm trying a new experiment - standing up, rather than sitting, when possible when I'm on the computer. We'll see if it makes any difference in my physical shape.
But...some women do develop hips later than others. (Some never do. Grrr.) The body is a weird thing. I recently read an article about a woman with health issues for years whose doctors kept blaming her obesity...well, turns out that she had Cushing's syndrome, an endocrine disorder that leads to abnormal fat deposits. Once the disorder was treated, she lost a *significant* amount of weight.
marion at January 22, 2008 11:12 AM
I'm not implying that the United States does not have a lot of overweight and obese people as well as a society biased against walking places, but Germany seems to have a weight problem of its own, according to this article:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2449356,00.html
So, not everyone there can be so remarkably fit and fabulous.
Jennifer at January 22, 2008 12:06 PM
I can sympathize with you Cambias. I'm turning 50 this year and I noticed within the last few years, my eating habits have been changing for the better out of survival instinct I guess. I find myself cutting all of the fat off any meat. I am eating fruit and cheerios again for breakfast. I'm cutting back on the beer, (wish I could do the same with the bacardi), but I find myself eating a lot more fruit and vegetables than I used to and less food altogether.
During Christmas, I was shopping in a mall in Tucson and saw identical twin brothers that were probably about 380lbs each, maybe 5'8" tall. They were young black guys that looked to be about 18 years old and they were wearing those velour(? I don't know one fabric from another) sweatsuits, one black and one grey. The fact that they were exactly the same size really got me to thinking about how much our size is genetic. If one of these guys had worked out and dieted well, would he still be large. I don't know, but it really made me think.
Bikerken at January 22, 2008 12:45 PM
It's very easy to say that Americans need to walk more, but that assumes that people live in safe neighborhoods, have sidewalks, streetlights and crosswalks, the weather is decent, and that stores, theaters, etc. are within walking distance.
If you live in a suburb with no sidewalks and nothing but houses for miles, or in a climate where staying outside more than a few minutes puts you in real risk of frostbite or if you live in a city with a lot of street crime, walking just isn't feasable.
JoJo at January 22, 2008 1:02 PM
It's very easy to say that Americans need to walk more
Ah, but note that I didn't say in my post, "Oh, clearly the quick and easy solution to the obesity crisis is to get Americans to walk more!" I live in a city that is not set up for walking at all - it's set up for cars. Short of tearing things down and rebuilding them, that's the way it's going to stay for the foreseeable future. But not *everyone* who lives in the city is obese - for example, I'm not. Not living in a pedestrian-focused area doesn't doom you to obesity, but I think it does force you to take conscious steps on a daily basis to restrict your weight, whether that be walking up stairs rather than taking the elevator or pedaling on an exercise bike rather than sitting on the couch while watching TV.
marion at January 22, 2008 1:17 PM
Everybody's getting defensive about weight, and yes people are fat and will be fat. But no one's addressing this point: Why are grown adults dressing like freaking toddlers?
Ahem. Thank you.
Charlton Hawking at January 22, 2008 2:36 PM
Don't mock my "JUICY" sweats, goddamnit.
Paul Hrissikopoulos at January 22, 2008 2:41 PM
Charlton: Because they find it more comfortable and doing so saves them time.
Next?
marion at January 22, 2008 2:45 PM
You know it's funny, because unless I am hauling tools or materials around, I use public trans and walk a lot. I also get pretty physical when I am working. On top of that, I go out to the Columbia River Gorge, hiking on a regular basis. Yet I have still managed to develop a belly. I was the same weight, from sixteen until about eighteen months ago. I then shot up about twenty pounds and haven't really gained any more or lost any of it since. I haven't changed my lifestyle, excepting a few months when I decided to try to lose it in vain.
Not sure what I'll do if I get any fatter (not that I am bad off now, I was almost at a dangerously low fat ratio before). Sounds silly, but it was a bear trying to get my balance on ladders again. I gained the weight in less than a two week period and it threw my balance all to hell.
Charlton -
I wear sweats and have even been known to wear my pajamas to coffee shops in the morning. I do this, because I could truly and honestly care less. In fact it is rare when I go out of the house with really decent looking clothes on, because I am usually either working or trying to be more comfortable. After wearing a forty pound tool belt and working my ass off, often enough in really contorted positions I have absolutely no interest in wearing jeans or slacks. I try my best to get any running done between leaving a job and getting home, so mostly I am seen in workclothes. Otherwise, I am going to wear soft and comfortable. I am far more concerned with my comfort, than my appearance.
Now if I am going to be going to a restaurant of higher quality than the neighborhood Mexican dive, I wear decent casual. I can even get into dressing up nice, got two fitted suits (on a work trade deal) and a wide selection of great ties. Fitted, the suits are probably the most comfortable clothing I own, so I really don't mind having an excuse to wear them. Unfortunately, my business doesn't pay nearly enough for fitted casual - sweats pick up the slack and I am happy to wear them. Don't like it, don't look at me. I work hard and deserve the comfort I can achieve.
DuWayne at January 22, 2008 4:17 PM
Where I live, there are many girls who make the extra effort with their makeup and hair and wear sweat pants. I don't get it.
Kendra at January 23, 2008 4:04 AM
"It's a bargain compared to cardiac bypass." Agreed, Amy, but it's kind of like buying the Lazy Boy couch that will last for 20 years vs. one from the bargain furniture store that will last maybe five if you're lucky. If you don't have the cash up front, you don't have it.
I also have to agree with Chrissy that there's a real stigma attached to walking here in the US. Because I don't drive, I do one hell of a lot of walking out of pure necessity and I also like walking just for fun. I love a pleasant walk on a nice day and walking in the rain. Not usually snow but Xmas time I love to walk around and look at the pretty lights. Walking has probably kept me alive in spite of bad diet and bad genetics. But, not only do I horrify people with the concept of not driving anywhere but the roads are not pedestrian friendly. I thought this was in my head until I went to some public transportation meetings and found out that city planning has largely been Detroit-friendly. Sidewalks curve at intersections now making crossing by foot a take your life in your hands proposition especially with shorter red lights. You can wait for the walk signal but even if you do it starts flashing before you get across even the first lane and this is only going to get worse and worse as I age and walk slower and slower.
I'm with DuWayne on the sweats. Throughout the day, it's jeans or khakis with tees or sweaters (depending on the weather) because I find them comfortable and I work for the state with no dress code. I'm a secretary but for the building manager of the state office building I work in (i.e., maintenance) so I don't have to dress up in the usual girly secretary look (thank fate) though I could if that were my bent since I only write up the work orders and don't do the actual work. When I know I'm in for the night though, after dinner, it's into the shower and into my comfty sweats. If I run to the corner store, deal. Or look the other way. I really don't care. And my bra and shoes are the first two things to go when that door shuts behind me. (I wish I had the guts to burn that goddamn thing but I am not small chested and too old school to be comfortable going braless in public.)
Donna at January 23, 2008 9:17 AM
San Francisco was actually very pedestrian friendly and everyone seemed to be into walking. I just found it odd when I was in Scottsdale (just outside Phoenix), and I got the sense it was more of a class issue. I was staying in a timeshare next to the Phoenician hotel, and I wanted to walk to the nearby mall, and the supermarket. It's around 2 miles tops, but I was told by everyone that it was too far to walk. This was in January, when the temperature was a comfy 71 degrees, so it wasn't like it was too hot. My observation was that the only other people walking appeared to be Latino, hence the class issue theory.
I'm planning on wearing yoga pants on my flight to Cancun, because they're comfortable, but they are very expensive yoga pants (Lululemon), and I think I look quite fabulous in them!
Chrissy at January 23, 2008 11:09 AM
I work in the office and some level of dress code is required. Slacks and a button up shirt is expected. They are pretty lax about the foot ware for engineers, sales and marketing is different. Once I'm home the pants come off still keep my shirt on but of come the pants ans shoes. If I have to go anywhere I'm either in sweat pants and t-shirt or city combat blue camo pants and a t-shirt. I have never had an issue with it since I'm either going out to buy beer or most often going to the Home Depot, Lowes etc.
As far as the weight issue, I have a belly always have and no matter how much I do the damn thing wont go away. When I was in college I walked every where and went to the gym constantly. I was in great shape but I NEVER took off my shirt in public, still won't. My brother who was always skinny when we were younger got huge. He was used to a diet that would balloon an Olympic athlete and when his metabolism hit a brick wall he didn't change his habits. So I'd say part genetics and part environment.
vlad at January 23, 2008 11:58 AM
The one pet peeve I have with clothing and people is certain people should where certain things. I don't wear lycra-spandex because I offend my self in the mirror. I would expect the same respect for me as I show for other people. Examples 400 lb man wearing a shirt that says "No Fat Chicks". 350 LB women wearing a mini skirt and tube top. Wear what you are comfortable in but there are limits. Also if you are wearing a dress that would require 2 hairnets to work in a cafeteria or pants that become transparent when you bend over don't get indignant with me if I'm staring.
vlad at January 23, 2008 12:05 PM
The 300 lb shirt guy wearing a Speedo, at least I hope he was.
vlad at January 23, 2008 12:13 PM
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