A case of denial
Here’s an interesting piece from MSNBC.com, in which three-quarters of obese people surveyed by telephone said that they have healthy eating habits and perform “vigorous” exercise three times a week.
75 percent of obese people say they eat healthy
More than three-quarters of obese Americans say they have healthy eating habits, according to a survey of more than 11,000 people.
I think it’s likely that the vast majority of these people don’t have a clear concept of what healthy eating and vigorous exercise are. I’d guess that the majority of Americans don’t get it either.
Healthy food choice is part of the equation; appropriate portion size is too.
OK, most people know that fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are good things and that saturated fat is a bad thing. That may be the level of most folks’ dietary sophistication.
But when you throw in the effects of advertising, how’s the average person supposed to know that filling up on fat-free this and low-carb that is just as likely to make you fat as snacking on Krispy Kremes?
As for vigorous exercise, I suspect that when one is seriously overweight, even the mildest form of movement feels strenuous and unpleasant. When I was 30 pounds overweight and out of shape, just walking up the hills in the neighborhood got me out of breath. Was that walk vigorous exercise? Not really, but because I was out of shape, mild exercise was difficult.
