Where are all the fat people..?

[Chizzang]

The City of Utrecht (Netherlands)
USA: adults age 20 years and over who are overweight or obese: 67% (2005-2006) CDC report

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[93henfan]

Americans would be skinny too if we rode our bikes that fast. Those people need to take a chill pill.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

We build them here in the US, its one of the only things we produce anymore..................

[Skjellyfetti]

Last Summer I was watching a documentary on Woodstock. In the crowd shots... EVERYONE was skinny (or what would be considered skinny today). If you did the same crowd panoramas at a huge music festival today... you'd really have to try hard to pick out people that aren't overweight.

It's sad, really.

[Gil Dobie]

Michele Obama's War on Obesity will eliminate the fat people.

[bandl]

Last Summer I was watching a documentary on Woodstock. In the crowd shots... EVERYONE was skinny (or what would be considered skinny today). If you did the same crowd panoramas at a huge music festival today... you'd really have to try hard to pick out people that aren't overweight.

It's sad, really.

Not sure which festivals you've gone to, but the people at the fests I go to (All-Good, Bonarroo, Coachella, Coventry, V-fest, Jam in the Dam, etc.) are always skinnier than the general population. The overweight/obese are definitely in the minority. Mainly because of the drugs.

[ASUG8]

Michele Obama's War on Obesity will eliminate the fat people.

Michele should start the war on her own ass and get about 40 lbs off of it.

[bandl]

Michele Obama's War on Obesity will eliminate the fat people.

Michele should start the war on her own ass and get about 40 lbs off of it.

Between that ass, her gigantic underbite and her thunder thighs, we could open up a ski lodge in D.C.

[93henfan]

Michele should start the war on her own ass and get about 40 lbs off of it.

Between that ass, her gigantic underbite and her thunder thighs, we could open up a ski lodge in D.C.

(one for each of those posts)

[93henfan]

How rude of me? I almost forgot.

Morning boys!

[ASUG8]

93, I could have gone all day without seeing the Vienna Sausage Boys choir

[JMU DJ]

That's nice and all Zang, but many of these European cities have built the infrastructure to support the bike culture, especially in the Netherlands. Also, considering how small the Netherlands is, the size/span of the cities and the climate... riding a bike to work each day is much easier for them than for someone like me who lives 10 miles from work, in 100% humidity 90+ degree weather for 6 months out of the year with no bike lanes on heavily trafficked roads. Plus you gotta factor in what the CDC considers "overweight," it's based off of BMI which doesn't factor in numerous other issues that are associated with being overweight. I know many athletes who would be considered "overweight" by the CDC. There are a good number of fatties out there, but number's inflated.


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[grizzaholic]

That's nice and all Zang, but many of these European cities have built the infrastructure to support the bike culture, especially in the Netherlands. Also, considering how small the Netherlands is, the size/span of the cities and the climate... riding a bike to work each day is much easier for them than for someone like me who lives 10 miles from work, in 100% humidity 90+ degree weather for 6 months out of the year with no bike lanes on heavily trafficked roads. Plus you gotta factor in what the CDC considers "overweight," it's based off of BMI which doesn't factor in numerous other issues that are associated with being overweight. I know many athletes who would be considered "overweight" by the CDC. There are a good number of fatties out there, but number's inflated.


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[Chizzang]

That's nice and all Zang, but many of these European cities have built the infrastructure to support the bike culture, especially in the Netherlands. Also, considering how small the Netherlands is, the size/span of the cities and the climate... riding a bike to work each day is much easier for them than for someone like me who lives 10 miles from work, in 100% humidity 90+ degree weather for 6 months out of the year with no bike lanes on heavily trafficked roads. Plus you gotta factor in what the CDC considers "overweight," it's based off of BMI which doesn't factor in numerous other issues that are associated with being overweight. I know many athletes who would be considered "overweight" by the CDC. There are a good number of fatties out there, but number's inflated.
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I live in Redmond "Bike Capital of the North West" and people ride everywhere and all over... it's a complete circus out there for car traffic - hysterical really...

Nintendo reports that over 35% of their Redmond Corporate HQ based employees ride a bike to work at least three times a week / Microsoft reported that over 10,000 people every day ride a bike to the main campus in Redmond

[93henfan]

Hate to get serious here for a brief moment, but poverty has a bit to do with this. Let's face it. Some of you here buy your groceries at Whole Foods and pay people to organically raise your beef. That's just not happening with people in tough urban neighborhoods or out in rural areas. It's far cheaper to eat food that's packed with fat and calories. I saw a show (forget if it was PBS or 60 Minutes or what) where neighborhoods in Detroit were pleading for a place where they could buy fresh fruits and vegetables. There simply weren't any supermarkets providing them. All they have are fast food, convenience stores, and liquor stores lining their streets.

And like JMU DJ stated earlier, it would be great to bike to work. I applaud the efforts that Portland, Seattle, the California cities, etc. have made, but they have climates to support it. Biking to work might make sense for 30% of the year with the humid, rainy, snowy, freezing hodgepodge we get in these parts. And really, I'm not too keen on making the 130 mile round trip to my work on bike. Thank God they let me telework three days a week. It allows me to watch TV while I enjoy my KFC and Ben and Jerry's.

[Col Hogan]

Last Summer I was watching a documentary on Woodstock. In the crowd shots... EVERYONE was skinny (or what would be considered skinny today). If you did the same crowd panoramas at a huge music festival today... you'd really have to try hard to pick out people that aren't overweight.

It's sad, really.

Recently, a movie was being shot that involved Woodstock...the producers had a hard time getting people skinny enough to replicate the stock footage from the original Festival...

[grizzaholic]

Last Summer I was watching a documentary on Woodstock. In the crowd shots... EVERYONE was skinny (or what would be considered skinny today). If you did the same crowd panoramas at a huge music festival today... you'd really have to try hard to pick out people that aren't overweight.

It's sad, really.

Recently, a movie was being shot that involved Woodstock...the producers had a hard time getting people skinny enough to replicate the stock footage from the original Festival...

Was it that, or was it hard to find people that would listen to the bad music?

[Skjellyfetti]

Hate to get serious here for a brief moment, but poverty has a bit to do with this. Let's face it. Some of you here buy your groceries at Whole Foods and pay people to organically raise your beef. That's just not happening with people in tough urban neighborhoods or out in rural areas. It's far cheaper to eat food that's packed with fat and calories. I saw a show (forget if it was PBS or 60 Minutes or what) where neighborhoods in Detroit were pleading for a place where they could buy fresh fruits and vegetables. There simply weren't any supermarkets providing them. All they have are fast food, convenience stores, and liquor stores lining their streets.

This is very true. And sad.

[JMU DJ]

I live in Redmond "Bike Capital of the North West" and people ride everywhere and all over... it's a complete circus out there for car traffic - hysterical really...

Nintendo reports that over 35% of their Redmond Corporate HQ based employees ride a bike to work at least three times a week / Microsoft reported that over 10,000 people every day ride a bike to the main campus in Redmond

Sure, if I lived in a place that had good infrastructure where I didn't have to fear being mowed down by a car and where I didn't have to shower when I got to work from riding my bike there, I'd be all over it too. If you live in Redmond and commute by bike in Redmond, it's actually a lot smaller area than Utrecth with the exact same climate. Simple fact is that the bike culture will never pick up in the south where everything is spread out and it's hotter than Satan's ball sack.

[Skjellyfetti]

You can ride in the South. You just have to get used to rednecks throwing beer cans at you.

And, you can usually avoid the really busy streets. You just have to be creative in planning your route. Google maps recently added a route planner for cycling. It's not perfect and you have to do some tweaking yourself... but, I think you can ride your bike between any two points you wish.

This guy has a bunch of great commuting videos... you can learn a lot... plus they usually have a great soundtrack:
http://vimeo.com/joeybike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[travelinman67]

That's nice and all Zang, but many of these European cities have built the infrastructure to support the bike culture, especially in the Netherlands. Also, considering how small the Netherlands is, the size/span of the cities and the climate... riding a bike to work each day is much easier for them than for someone like me who lives 10 miles from work, in 100% humidity 90+ degree weather for 6 months out of the year with no bike lanes on heavily trafficked roads.

Spot on. European's transportation needs cannot be equated to American's. With cities covering 50-100 miles, it's wholly unrealistic to expect Americans to utilize bicycle as the principal means of transportation. Selling Europe as utopia is more lib delusion that detracts from resolving America's transportation needs. The anti-obesity craze is more lib alarmism to justify yet more big government "social engineering" (one only need look at the origin of all the dietary regulatory proposals over the past few months to verify the agenda).

Are Americans overweight? Yes. Is it a pandemic warranting government control of how Americans eat? Never.

This is a complex issue which includes social and industrial trends that have been ignored by MSM and govt. Fix the underlying problems, and the manifestations dissappear.

[Chizzang]

Sure, if I lived in a place that had good infrastructure where I didn't have to fear being mowed down by a car and where I didn't have to shower when I got to work from riding my bike there, I'd be all over it too. If you live in Redmond and commute by bike in Redmond, it's actually a lot smaller area than Utrecth with the exact same climate. Simple fact is that the bike culture will never pick up in the south where everything is spread out and it's hotter than Satan's ball sack.

AH.. yes..
I had a meeting in Building 4 at Microsoft last summer in August and I had to wait outside the womens shower in the main lobby for the gal I was meeting with... she went for a bike ride at noon and then showered before our meeting

Weirdest thing - meeting with somebody 30 seconds after they shower... its oddly intimate - she smelled of fresh shampoo had her hair very wet up in a kind of bun thing and not a trace up make-up... needless to say I was completely distracted during the entire meeting...



Yes... all of the MAJOR's in town (Expedia - Amazon - Microsoft - Nintendo) all have bike racks out from of every building and shower areas for people who workout at lunch or during their breaks...

[JMU DJ]

You can ride in the South. You just have to get used to rednecks throwing beer cans at you.

And, you can usually avoid the really busy streets. You just have to be creative in planning your route. Google maps recently added a route planner for cycling. It's not perfect and you have to do some tweaking yourself... but, I think you can ride your bike between any two points you wish.

I know you can, it's more of the distance/weather aspect. I'd have no problem riding 10 miles in the upper North West. There's a big bike scene in Athens, and when I lived closer to work I'd ride every now and then... but from where I am now, in order to get 'creative', I'd still have to hit up some high traffic roads with no bike lanes, it's just where I live. Trust me, I'm a very active person, I don't mind sweating... I just don't want to be soaking in sweat when I get to work.

[93henfan]

You can ride in the South. You just have to get used to rednecks throwing beer cans at you.

And, you can usually avoid the really busy streets. You just have to be creative in planning your route. Google maps recently added a route planner for cycling. It's not perfect and you have to do some tweaking yourself... but, I think you can ride your bike between any two points you wish.

This guy has a bunch of great commuting videos... you can learn a lot... plus they usually have a great soundtrack:
http://vimeo.com/joeybike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

At least in the South you get a potential long winter to ride. To piggy back on JMU DJ's comments again, you get two windows of opportunity for riding (comfortably) in our part of the country, spring and fall, and even they are unpredictable. Hell, we had a 90 degree/90% humidity day here this year about two weeks after the last snow melted.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

A couple friends of mine and I went to Canada in 2006 for 3 weeks on a motorcycle trip through Banff and Jasper National Parks then back through BC into Washington state and back to Montana.

After a week or so of being in Canada we started noticing the Americans in the crowds of tourists. We started a game of picking out a fat person we were sure was from the US and then bumping into them and asking if they were enjoying their trip and then where they were from.

We were 99.99999999% correct we hit up well over a hundred people in the last 2 weeks and there was one guy we were wrong on, dude was from Finland.

Most of you are some fat fu*ks, just admit it.