American Obesity:
A Consequence of Exploitation

We are a fat country. Americans are continuing to contribute to the rising rates of obesity. Still, even after knowing about the problematic disease, we choose to spend thousands every year on “weight loss solutions.” Pills, gym memberships, surgeries, expensive equipment, and personal trainers are encouraged now more than ever. People are constantly exposed to the algorithms and expectations of having a healthy lifestyle, where social media displays the enticing lifestyles of thin, active, and healthy celebrities. Taking advantage of this, weight loss programs conspire to addict us to an endless cycle of gaining and losing the same weight over and over again. The real solution is to eat healthier. The lack of knowledge about diet contributes more significantly to the obesity epidemic in America than the lack of exercise. While physical activity is an important factor in maintaining a healthy weight, the overwhelming commonness of misinformation on nutrition pushed on us by exploiters who want our money plays a crucial role in the rising rates of obesity. 

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, “1 in 3 adults are overweight” and “more than 2 in 5 adults have obesity.” This shows us that obesity is a problem in America. It’s a chronic and complex disease defined by excessive fat deposits that can impair health. It is said to likely lead to higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and bone health and reproduction issues. The diagnosis for obesity is done by dividing a person’s weight by their height to get their BMI, body mass index. Body mass index is a surrogate marker of fatness and additional measurements that help indicate whether or not a person has obesity. This takes us back to a person’s insulin resistance and how well their body is able to control it. Insulin is a peptide hormone that is released in the body every time a person consumes food, it’s a complex condition in which your body does not respond as it should to insulin, a hormone your pancreas makes that’s essential for regulating blood sugar levels. The American diet however, has no respect for insulin control and has neglected their bodies. The truth is society and world rulers want us in a cycle to exploit and control humans. The cycle of consuming unhealthy foods, gaining weight, wanting to lose it or become healthy, and then going to the gym and paying more money when the temporary results don’t last.

In all reality, the number one cause of this obesity epidemic is said to be the consumption of processed foods. Processed foods are a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic and it doesn’t help that these options are addictive, and cheaper in price. While this issue exists, it’s essential to consider the broader context, including lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and education about nutrition. Processed foods today are all around Americans, everywhere we go. It is portrayed as something not necessarily healthy, but not completely bad for you either. Everyday we are met with ads, videos, images that promote processed foods, which subtly promotes obesity and unhealthy consumption. Processed foods refer to any food that’s changed from its natural state. This can include food that was simply cut, washed, heated, pasteurized, canned, cooked, frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed, or packaged. It also can include food that has added preservatives, nutrients, flavors, salts, sugars, or fats.

The truth is Americans don’t want to give up their Burger King’s Triple Whopper with Cheese, or the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream at 2 am, and the bottomless all you can eat fries, wings, and sodas at their favorite restaurants. This undeniably contributes to the rising rates of obesity in America. The fat country problem can be understood through four stages, of awareness, understanding, belief, and action. The first stage is awareness where scientists have researched and gathered data on the unhealthy habits that contribute to obesity, where they can come up with alternatives and helpful strategies for a healthy lifestyle by providing the causes and risks of obesity. The second stage is understanding, where society processes and absorbs the information. At this point, the responsibility shifts to us as individuals to decide how to use this knowledge. The third stage is belief, which is often the most challenging. Regardless of the overwhelming evidence, many people struggle to trust or embrace the facts about obesity, sometimes feeling defensive or resistant to ideas that challenge their lifestyles and comforts. Finally, the fourth stage is action; deciding to turn understanding into meaningful change. While information about healthy living is readily available, widely distributed, and understood, many individuals need help to break free from secure habits. This resistance to change keeps unhealthy behaviors, contributing to the growing obesity statistics in America.

Awareness; to successfully solve any problem like obesity in America, we first have to find information about the disease. Why does it happen? How do we stop it? And how do we still enjoy our favorite foods and maintain health? Scientists, realizing the problem and wanting to better the American population, have uncovered significant insights into the obesity epidemic. They have devised valuable strategies to reduce unhealthy habits and promote a healthy lifestyle. Through research, science has found that several biological, environmental, and behavioral factors control obesitỵ Studies from Harvard Health, show that genes in a person can affect their appetite, sense of fullness, metabolic rate, and food cravings. Furthermore, the CDC reported that Americans now are consuming 300 more calories a day than the average person 60 years ago. This increase in food intake has significantly contributed to the problem. Americans have become too comfortable with eating excessively. 

Environmental factors such as tempting foods being super prominent at shopping centers, sports stadiums, amusements, workplaces, and on common roadways or areas only make healthier living 10 times harder. Will people have self-control, or let their desires get the best of them?  At a physiological level, the balance between caloric intake and energy expenditure is fundamental. When individuals consistently consume more calories than their bodies burn, the excess is stored as fat, leading to weight gain. The solution to combat obesity, while challenging, is rooted in dietary choices. It is scientifically approved that the whole foods diet is the most effective in fueling a healthy human body. Whole foods are closer to their natural state of process. They are typically low in calories but still keep a person full and energized. What exactly are whole foods? The American Journal explains that whole foods are rich in fiber, proteins, whole grains, essential nutrients like fruits and vegetables, proteins like eggs, beans, nuts, chicken breast, and fish, and carbohydrates for energy.

Understanding; could the problem be that Americans are too oblivious and misinformed to understand obesity? The solutions are blatantly simple and widespread through countless sources such as social media platforms, television or radio channels, schools, workplaces, and gyms. Even though the causes of obesity and solutions to it are simple and out there Americans fail to fully understand or act on it. We are a fat country that contrastingly sabotages ourselves into believing skewed concepts of healthy eating. Resorting to unhealthy habits like “calories in, calories out,” fast magical weight loss meds, or myths that overcomplicate what should be straightforward. These flawed concepts will never work long-term and they just hurt and set us back even more. In reality, it is simply, don’t overeat, consume mostly whole food meals, and treat yourself to those cravings occasionally and in moderation.

Belief; if you are not oblivious to obesity and understand it, maybe you just refuse to believe it and don’t take it seriously. Americans are great at turning a blind eye to pressing issues, sweeping our problems under the rug, or being senseless about certain topics that challenge us. The information on obesity is heard by the public but not cared for. Some of us aren’t affected by the issue so we end up promoting contributing factors that support the disease. An example of this is unhealthy drug and alcohol use and eating habits. We often see what looks to be healthy people around us that consume unhealthy amounts of drugs or foods, social media is a prime spreader of this kind of content. This results in some people becoming victims of the unrealistic connotations of living certain lifestyles. They get confused and decide to not take the situation seriously. This is now everyone’s problem and not only an obese person’s duty to solve it. This collective apathy not only worsens the problem but also reflects a larger cultural pattern of avoiding accountability when it matters most. 

A person’s food choices are often influenced by cultural, behavioral, environmental, and socioeconomic influences. Today, there is less concern of what Americans necessarily put into their mouths, but instead if you go to the gym, or participate in a physical activity or not. We are programmed to this lifestyle by societal costumes, influenced heavily by the media. Americans are fooled, believing that solutions for health and weight management are to get in the gym. Exercise is often the first recommendation for those looking to lose weight. Many are advised that the most effective strategy for rapid weight loss is the “calories in, calories out” approach. While experts typically advocate for incorporating some form of physical activity, the question remains: how should one go about it? This cultural practice is fueled by the fitness industry, which emphasizes physical transformation and gym memberships as markers of success. Social media platforms are permeated with images of toned bodies and workout routines. This influences others that exercise alone is the key to achieving health and aesthetics. A study done by the University of Colorado Anschutz claimed that exercise was more critical than diet when maintaining weight loss. The study included two groups, one with successful weight loss maintainers with high levels of physical activity and the other group being unsuccessful weight-loss maintainers with little to no physical activity. “The findings reveal that successful weight-loss maintainers rely on physical activity to remain in energy balance, rather than chronic restriction of dietary intake, to avoid weight regain.” “Our findings suggest that this group of successful weight-loss maintainers are consuming a similar number of calories per day as individuals with overweight and obesity but appear to avoid weight regain by compensating for this with high levels of physical activity,” said Victoria A. Catenacci, MD, a weight management physician and researcher at CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

While it may be true that exercise plays a significant role in overall health, the notion that exercise is more critical than diet in managing weight loss is misleading. This narrative made up by the University of Colorado Anschutz creates an incomplete picture of what it truly takes to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Numerous studies highlight that diet accounts for about 80% of weight loss results, with exercise contributing a much smaller fraction. For instance, you’d have to run nearly an hour to burn off the calories in a single fast-food meal, but simply choosing a healthier, lower-calorie meal in the first place would eliminate the need for that hour-long run. Glorifying gym culture creates a distorted view of health by prioritizing aesthetics over sustainability. While it’s inspiring to see people dedicate themselves to fitness, relying on exercise alone often leads to burnout or discouragement because it’s hard to out-exercise a poor diet. The cycle of overindulging in unhealthy foods and attempting to “work it off” in the gym can be both physically and emotionally exhausting. 

It’s hard to resist, when the popular, new culture, created by humans is to look good, and feel good. How is this attained? They tell you to get surgeries, go to the gym, take certain medications, or get on weight loss plans. America is very quick to look at the outer appearance to want to start making changes when they don’t meet the stereotypical expectation of a healthy lifestyle. According to the Weight Loss Resources article, What is Exercise?, exercise is “any movement that works your body at a greater intensity than your usual level of daily activity. Exercise raises your heart rate and works your muscles and is most commonly undertaken to achieve the aim of physical fitness.” 

This comes back to the cycle of gaining weight, wanting to lose weight, and then becoming victim to the unrealistic solutions. These solutions are put in place simply to make the rich man richer. America has always been a country run by money, so it is no surprise that doctors who own weight loss remedies, or gym franchises, and fast-food industries promote false narratives to trap easily-influenced zombies into their money lure. The real issue lies in education. People aren’t obese because there’s a lack of gyms or weight-loss pills; they’re obese because they’ve never been taught how to eat right. Diet culture bombards us with conflicting advice, while fast food is marketed as cheap and convenient. Society glorifies these quick fixes without addressing the simple truth: without the knowledge and discipline to sustain healthy habits, no surgery, injection, or newly trending diet will keep the weight off for good. Ultimately, the choice comes down to what’s more beneficial and ethical for us as human beings. Humans weren’t designed to rely on needles or scalpels to manage their weight. Instead, we thrive when we nourish ourselves with real food and move our bodies in natural ways that are not forced. It is normal to see people online participating in mukbangs or food reviews. The common pattern in these videos however, is that the food being consumed is almost always fast food, or processed foods and excessive amounts of it. 

Who cares! Why worry about eating a whole foods diet and having self-control with food when there are easy-to-take weight loss pills, surgeries, gyms, and other quick fixes? Contrary to my argument that the lack of knowledge about healthy eating habits contributes more significantly to the obesity epidemic in America than the lack of exercise, or fast remedies society has discovered, many people have expressed opinions of ‘emphasizing the importance of exercise’ or ‘Pushing the idea of weight loss procedures and pills.’ According to the ASMBS, a society for metabolic and bariatric weight loss surgery; they state that bariatric surgery is more effective and durable than obesity drugs and lifestyle interventions. Researchers for the ASMBS found that lifestyle interventions such as dieting and exercise resulted in an average weight loss of 7.4% that eventually was generally regained within 4.1 years. They claimed that their procedures resulted in 10.6 – 21.1 % weight loss. While this way of becoming skinny may be appealing given the fast results and lazy-friendly process, it isn’t at all sustainable or a smart choice to make. 

Becoming a victim of these procedures, named, tirzepatide or GLP-1 semaglutide means months of weekly injections, and on an estimate, a cost of 1,000 dollars a month. This approach not only drains wallets but also locks an individual into a cycle of dependency on medication. And for what? Once you have finally had enough of these weekly tortures, it is said that about half the lost weight will return within a year. Knowing this, it truly doesn’t make a difference in the amount of weight you lose and how long it stays off. Clearly, if you stop eating right, you will regain unhealthy weight. And if you stop taking these injections, you will also regain the unhealthy weight. This comes down to whether the process of injections is more beneficial and morally ethical for you as a human being. Humans weren’t designed to live a life of painful injections forever, but instead to simply eat a balanced diet. In addition to this, eating well fosters a sense of self-control and accountability that quick fixes can’t provide. It’s about building habits and learning how to listen to your body. It’s important to know when you’re hungry and when you’re full. These are skills that stick with you for life, unlike procedures or pills that ineffectively hide the problem without facing its root cause. 

Action: will we as a society ever reach a breaking point where we’re fed up with looking sluggish, soft, or stuck in a constant state of discomfort? The reality is many of us are living with a sense of dissatisfaction about our bodies, knowing deep down that the way we feel is linked to our choices. “You are what you eat” is an expression often tossed around as a joke. However, it has become more real than we realize. These easy and simple approaches to fitness often provide only temporary solutions, addressing the symptoms rather than the underlying issues. A more effective way to tackle the obesity epidemic is to change the food industry and how we consume food.  We should start to think more and have a mind of our own. It is very easy to get drawn in and submit to the controls of the world. Addressing the obesity epidemic requires a comprehensive approach centered around improved dietary plans. Embracing a diet that prioritizes whole, unprocessed foods, where what we eat is as close to its natural state as possible, can offer a healthier, more sustainable solution. We now have all the answers and solutions to tackling obesity, but will we take action on it? Solving this issue has never been easy and won’t get any easier. It requires time, energy, and effort to turn away from the comfort of quick, unhealthy fixes, but the payoff is more than worth it. Choosing healthier options may feel difficult at first and can be stressful when we’re surrounded by tempting alternatives. But the truth is, the benefits of making those choices are invaluable. We can live more effectively, more energized, and yes, for longer. We as humans always strive to look better by acting a certain way, dressing a certain way, putting on makeup, and even trying to obtain social status or items that may make us more attractive. We need to do the same for our health and know that this is a long-term investment in ourselves for a better life.

References

Ariane Hundt. (2017) What the Fitness Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know. https://www.arianehundt.com/post/what-the-fitness-industry-doesn-t-want-you-to-know

ASMBS. (2024) Bariatric Surgery More Effective and Durable Than New Obesity Drugs and Lifestyle Intervention. https://asmbs.org/news_releases/bariatric-surgery-more-effective-and-durable-than-new-obesity-drugs-and-lifestyle-intervention/

Christophe Haubursin and Julia Belluz. The Science is in: Exercise Won’t Help You Lose Much Weight. https://www.vox.com/2018/1/3/16845438/exercise-weight-loss-myth-burn-calories

Elvira isganaitis and Robert H. Lustig. (2005) Fast Food, Central Nervous System Insulin Resistance, and Obesity. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.atv.0000186208.06964.91

Harvard Health Publishing Medical School. (2019) Why People Become Overweight. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-people-become-overweight

Julia Milzer. (2019) Study: exercise is more critical than diet to maintain weight loss. https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/cu-anschutz-study-reveals-exercise-is-more-critical-than-diet-to-maintain-weight-loss

Melinda Gibbons. (2005) Weight Loss Surgery Is More Effective Than Diet and Exercise in Helping Severely Obese People Lose Weight. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9140.html

Patrick Mustain. (2016) How the Fitness Industry Gets Rich Doing Nothing. https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-fitness-industry-gets-rich-doing-nothing/

Slyvia Davis. (2023) Obesity: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment https://www.webmd.com/obesity/what-obesity-is

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (2024) https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)66356-7/fulltext