One-size amusement ride seats may be a problem for guests of various sizes

Its obvious that cigarette companies do what they can to keep people smoking. Same is true for fast food companies, and pretty much any food mfg. I certainly believe that they put additives in that make their food irresistable once you get a taste for it.

But you can't blame cigarette companies for being addicted to cigarettes. I'm not addicted to them.

You can't blame McDonalds or Junk Food makers for being fat because everyone is not fat.

Just because they may make it easier to like doesn't mean it's their fault that you started ingesting it in the first place.

I'm not sure I buy that argument. There are some things which are irresistible to some people but not to others. Which also isn't to say they have no personal responibility.

Well, there are people who have addictive personalities for sure. But still, I'm with Gonch on I'm not into everyone being a victim for every issue they have.

I'm overweight because I eat lots of fast food and don't excercize. Maybe I have an actual medical issue that makes me more susceptible to being addicted to something, and yes, the company trying to get me hooked is doing all they can, but it's still not, IMO, a reason for me to be victimized.

I think both of these statements can be true:

- Fast food companies have no conscience whatsoever when it comes to your health or the health of the nation in general, and;

- If you truly don't want to be fat, you don't have to be.

I agree though I might change "conscience" to "responsibility" in the first sentence. Maybe. Well...it'd be worth debating anyway.

I've always wondered why we pick on fast food. There are plenty of foods that are every bit as bad (if not worse) than fast food for your general weight and health.

Or from the other angle, it's totally possible to have fast food to be a part of your diet and still be of good health.

Seems like an easy scapegoat.

I agree that fast food has become a scapegoat in this discussion. Take out started as an occasional convenience, where as today it has become the steady diet of a lot of people. I can remember prior to going to college, that a trip to Winky's or Hardee's was maybe done once or twice a month, with an occasional pizza thrown in. While going to school, I ate mostly in the university dining halls. While they said it was healthy for you, looking back on what they fed us it was high in carbs and fats (I gained twenty pounds my first semester, and that was with walking a couple miles a day plus marching band). It seems to me that moderation should be the order of the times, something that has been forgotten.

What Lord Gonchar said.

While reading one of the Men's Health magazine line of Eat This Not That books, I was surprised to learn they suggested choosing a Taco Bell burrito over one from Chipotle.

Turns out the Chipotle burritos clock in at over 1000 calories, compared to 400-500 calories for most of the burritos off the Taco Bell menu. And Taco Bell's XXL burritos still have about 200 less calories that Chipotle's.

Big chain fast food restaurants invest millions of dollars to make their food taste good. Unfortunately, what they put together to taste good is very unhealthy if you eat it more than sparingly. The fast food companies then invest millions of dollars in advertising to get us to eat their unhealthy food. I think fast food has played too much of an active roll to call it a scapegoat. However, there are other entities that deserve blame too.

There was a news story that made the rounds a few days go. In summary, it basically said that if you tell people: you should eat 2,000 calories a day, then tell them how many calories are in the meal they are about to eat, they will actually eat more calories than if you didn't tell them anything. This tells me that there is something very wrong with how American's view eating habits.

If you look around, it's much easier to get unhealthy food than healthy food. I've seen some news stories around about how some poorer neighborhoods don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, as there are no places to get them that don't require a long bus ride.

Tekwardo said:
Right. Apps make people lose weight. Okay.

Sorry, Tek, but absolutely. Almost. I've used My Fitness Pal in my effort to reduce and it's not only been a good record keeper, but even more so, an excellent motivator.

I'm 22 lbs down now and, granted, it's all my choice and my own doing, but using an app for keeping track is an eye opener and a useful tool. I honestly feel like I owe a great deal of my success to the app.

Can't speak for everybody, but maybe if amusement rides, restaurant booths, plane seats, shoes that tie, and pants that fasten were made to "accommodate" everybody I wouldn't have had the motivation to do the right thing for myself in the first place.

I don't need an app to lose weight. I eat like a pig, and I still have trouble getting weight. I once lost 7 just walking around a theme park for a day.

Impossible. Are you sure you weren't sprinting? I bet you were...

I think I'm just energetic. It's nice for staying in shape, but most clothes are too wide for me.

RCMAC, I was responding to the notion that it was easy to lose weight because there's an app for that. I realize that apps can help and don't deny that they're great motivation for some people but the way it was presented sounded as if all you have to do to lose weight is download an app.

I think you're nitpicking. Here's the post I assume you were responding to:

Pete said:

There are many software apps and websites around now, like MyFitnessPal, that make losing weight simplistic. Even if diet soda makes you feel hungry sooner, the log you keep everyday gives you a clear picture of how many calories you can still have and allows you to make a good choice as to what to eat. It just takes a little dedication and willpower.

He said the app makes losing weight simplistic, not that the app makes you lose weight. Also note comment about dedication and willpower, which makes perfectly clear he doesn't put the onus on the app.

"There's an app for THAT?" ;~)

I still feel that's oversimplifying the whole thing. Apps track calories and what you eat and what not. Cool. They're great for that.

make losing weight simplistic

Sounds to me that he was saying that an app makes it easy to lose weight. Makes losing weight simplistic. I totally disagree. It makes it easy to track what you eat, sure. I also think it takes more than just a 'little' dedication and will power.

Having an app or website that helps you is fine, but ask anyone who has struggled with weight (I'm not speaking from personal experience, per se, because I don't actually struggle with my weight, but have plenty of family that have) and they'll likely agree that it takes hard work. Excercize and eating right. Track calories all day for a nice picture of what you eat, but if you don't burn off more calories than you take in, which is hard work, you won't lose weight.

And I'm sorry, I had a feeling I knew what you meant, Tek, but thought I'd spout off anyway!

Clearly, there is no app that 'makes' anyone do anything. I was just agreeing with Pete, in that it's a useful tool for those that are making lifestyle changes.

"There is no app that makes anyone do anything..."

Obviously, you haven't been around the internet much, ;-)

Tyler Boes said:

I don't need an app to lose weight. I eat like a pig, and I still have trouble getting weight. I once lost 7 just walking around a theme park for a day.

Enjoy it while you can. I used to eat 6 doughnuts every day at break, plus whatever I wanted throughout the rest of the day and was as skinny as a rail. That was a long time ago. Still skinny but it comes at the cost of not eating everything in sight and a lot of exercise. And I bet the 7 you lost was mostly water loss.