Are the Fast Food Restaurants Responsible for Our Obesity?

This time of year, the ‘resolution time,’ we are inundated with weight loss ads. I don’t know the exact dollars spent, but I assume about 25% of the ads we see in January are about weight loss. (Another big chunk in spring, ‘bikini season’). That is just based on my experience, I don’t have the numbers to back it up. I did do my own research based on prime time shows and that is how I came up with the 1 in 4 formula.

Fast Food restaurants get the blame for our obesity, always. Seducing us with tantalizing food shots and TV spots that advertise incredible deals that are impossible to pass up.

But what is the real truth? An excellent show, Penn and Teller’s: Bullshit, did an episode on this topic (entitled, "Fast Food").

Most fanatics love to blame it on genetics, or some other less scientific excuses. But really, what we put in our bodies, that is totally our choice, right? Do we actually believe that a number 10 special, big size meal (take your choice of Fast Food restaurants here) are actually low fat, healthy and harmless to our bodies? According to Penn and Teller’s show, we aren’t that stupid. We know what we are doing. And I couldn’t agree more. The show is on Showtime, see if you can find the episode on Fast Food.

Is there anyone out there (with an IQ above 75) that believes a plate of broccoli, beans, a lean fish – is actually worse for you than anything we can get at a fast food drive through? And don’t be fooled by the salad phenomenon, most of us smother it with fattening dressing and think we are doing right by our bodies. And it is also a myth that healthy food is tasteless, you just have to know what you are doing, hundreds of books on the subject to read.

Likewise, if I put before you a plate of fresh cut veggies – red peppers, celery, carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, some spinach leaves – next to a plate with a bacon cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake – could you possibly be fooled into thinking the first plate is worse for you? I would hope not.

Diets don’t work. Permanent life food changes do work. And you don’t have to be extreme about it and become a tree hugger, eat fruit and nuts for a living. You just have to make smarter choices. Still give the small, excessive food indulgences to yourself once or twice a week. You don’t have to feel guilty about that. You don't have to go crazy.

So my message here is don’t fall for the lose 600lbs in three days ads that entice you into thinking someone has found a miracle cure for weight loss. The miracle cure is you – and what food decisions you make each day. I’m not saying to pass up the occasional trip to a delicious fried chicken dinner at KFC or that utterly fulfilling Taco Bell Salad w/Salsa (that packs a whopping 850 calories and 52 grams of fat). Just don’t make it a habit.

Try this tip. Start slow. Replace one meal (you can switch it up every day) with a much healthier choice. You will find over time, you feel better, you look better and most likely, your health will improve greatly. Then up it to two meals a day. Give it a shot for a month. Will cost you less in the long run (simple out of pocket costs) and it will make you much more conscious of your food choices. Eventually when you do feel better, you might just try to make it all three meals.

And in the wisdom of The Who, “Don’t Get Fooled Again.”

Some excellent information on obesity can be read about here.

And for the record (from the site listed above)…

Some rare illnesses can cause obesity. These include hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, depression, and certain neurologic problems that can lead to overeating. Certain drugs, such as steroids and some antidepressants, may cause excessive weight gain. A doctor can determine if a patient has any of these conditions, which are believed to be responsible for only about 1 percent of all cases of obesity. 

And yes, that said 1%.

And as to my disclaimer, I am not a doctor. This is simply advice to not be fooled by guaranteed weight loss programs or mouth-watering food imagery (that never looks like the food product that ends up in the bag). And also, as we all know, we don't need that fancy new ab machine that is going to transform our body in 30 days or less, but we do need to exercise every day.