Fat Land : How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World

Rating:
Summary: Nothing New Here
Review: I bought this hoping it would tell me something I didn't know, and boy was I wrong. Sure it's got some fun parts, but why bother to buy it? It's like a magazine article more than a book, with one idea, which is that if Americans were somehow better people we'd be thinner, like the French, who the author holds up as some kind of great example. Yeah, right, but this ain't France. Yes, Americans are fat because the portions are big and fast food is widely available, but no one's forcing this stuff on us, so why are we eating it? That's the big question, and this book doesn't even begin to address it. Yes, yes, we know that we should encourage our kids to eat healthier, but that's not news. Why do some kids (and some adults) seem to want to eat more than others? Well, according to the author, it's because some of us have more will power than others. We need a book to tell us that? There's nothing in this book that hasn't been covered in more depth by other books, and even by the women's magazines. I also found the author's personal story totally bogus: his message is basically that he lost weight because someone called him a "fatso" and that this embarrassed him to go on a diet. Then he admits that he actually took diet drugs. Then he confesses that he really didn't lose all that much weight and is still pretty fat. Which is it? And where does that leave us? Finally, like a lot of other people have pointed out, this book is so full of mistakes of all kinds that you can't trust it. Save your money.

Rating:
Summary: mildly disappointing
Review: "Fat Land" tells the story of obesity in America, and offers some solutions. Its analysis is far from comprehensive, however. In fact, the book is almost eccentric in the way it focuses on certain topics (religious attitudes toward gluttony; increased use of spandex clothing; the history of P.E. classes) and gives others less attention than they deserve (e.g. "supersizing" is presented primarily as an economic, rather than a cultural or psychological, phenomenon).

The author makes the important and welcome point that we do have personal responsibility for eating less and exercising more. I disagree with the reviewers who focused on technical details involving carbohydrates, the Atkins diet, etc. The fact is, you WILL lose weight if you exercise more and eat fewer calories. Your health may be adversely affected if you pursue an unbalanced diet, certainly, but focusing on faddish diets is silly if you're not willing to make the effort to exercise more and eat less.

Psychological factors may be responsible for people's inability to follow these simple guidelines. These factors are not explored in sufficient detail. Why do Americans turn to food for comfort? Could it have something to do with decreased satisfaction in the workplace, fraying social bonds, decline in parental authority? There's less here on these topics than there should be in this book.

The advantage of the author's approach is that it makes for a quick and entertaining read. The disadvantage is that it left me "hungry" for more details.

Rating:
Summary: Skinny volume throughly investigates why Americans are fat
Review: Back in the 1970s and before, about 25% of the American population was overweight. But in the late 80s, the rate of overweight spiked upwards, and is now around 60 percent. Also, the rate of obesity in children has doubled in 30 years, with about 25% of Americans under age 19 overweight or obese. Why? What has happened between the 1970s and today to cause this dangerous and dramatic increase in overweight and obesity? Journalist Greg Critser does a thorough job of answering this question in just 176 pages (the appendix begins on page 177). In addition, he presents the above statistics and more, discusses the hazards of obesity, the politics behind overly lax weight and exercise recommendations to the American public, and discusses why the low income people are more obese as a group than high income people.

There's the obvious answer as to why Americans have a huge weight problem: We eat more and exercise less. But Critser digs much deeper than this. Why do we eat more? For one thing, fast food restaurant meals and movies theater snacks are supersized. And Critser quotes research studies that people tend to clean their plates, regardless of how big the plate is. So why are meals supersized? Critser describes the history of supersizing, (the brainchild of David Wallerstein of the McDonald's corporation), with the skill of a master story teller. Each of Critser's discussion topics, such as childhood obesity and lack of exercise, is treated with considerable depth. Critser ends on a positive note, presenting some solutions that have worked on a small scale in areas of California, and are worth trying in other parts of the U.S.

As someone who has taught nutrition and weight management to college students, I was impressed with the thorough job Critser did of researching and explaining these issues. He summarizes studies in the peer-reviewed weight loss literature, quotes from the popular media, interviews some of the top weight loss researchers in the U.S. and others who shed light on the obesity problem such as California school officials. Far removed from the dry prose of the scientific literature, Critser presents his material in an entertaining and occasionally sardonic style.

My problems with 'Fatland' are minor: My biggest problem is there are no footnotes in the body of the book, making it difficult to cross reference the studies presented in the 37-pages notes section at the end. Also, the organization of the book can be a bit awkward: each chapter begins with an anecdote, some longwinded, and it can take several pages to ease the anecdote into the chapter topic so that the reader knows why the anecdote is presented in the first place. Also the chapter 'What the Extra Calories Do to You', would make logical sense for chapter 1, but instead is chapter 6 of 7 chapters.

Overall, this is an excellent, well-researched, and entertaining read. I highly recommend 'Fatland' for anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of why America's overweight and obesity problem has spiraled out of control.

Rating:
Summary: Can Help Millions Of People
Review: I read this book out of interest, not in America's terrible food and resulting health consequences, but because I see weight loss programs, diets, and exercise equipment and workout programs, being advertised and sold constantly. It's such a contradiction to have a multi-billion dollar diet industry thriving, propelled by 1 out of 4 Americans on a diet, while obesity at the same time is an epidemic. This interesting contradiction is why I picked up "Fat Land."

I am one of those overweight American people with a few intermittent ups-and-downs of the "lb." roller coaster. I try to eat healthier, but do indulge on stereotypical American food, which in general is garbage. When heart disease is the number one cause of death in a nation, the food is bad, and the choices of what people eat is moreso to blame. McDonalds and the likes of it are the roots, with their marketing, scientific R & D, and their construction of "plastic playgrounds" to get kids dragging their parents to Mickey-Ds. They want their customers to start young.

But: McDonald's doesn't put a gun to peoples' head and force them to eat there. It's a choice. Choice is one of the great things about American society. Kroch stated he didn't intend for McDonald's (and fast-food) to become the staple of the American diet, and he, like anyone including myself, won't turn customers away who've CHOSEN to eat there.

Fast-food has become and integral aspect of contemporary American culture. Whipping through the drive-thru to get a gut bomb on the way home while sitting in the car through rush hour traffic, after having sat through the day in front of a computer at work, and then later doing the same at home. That's Sedentary lifestyle with a capital "S." Like a lotta folks I read the newspapers and listen to the radio reports and see the T.V. stories about the "whys," and "hows" of the American flab epidemic because it's an interesting (and disappointing) thing. Supported by scientifically authenticated research, sociological studies, and an objective look at the truth of American lifestyles and eating habits, we learn more about what we talk about so often: fat. Being overweight, wanting to lose some El-Bees, exercising, and this and that new promotion just given birth from the billion dollar weight loss industry, with the before-and-after-pictures to boot. This, is us.

"Fat Land" goes deeper and examines the dramatic change in eating trends that have occurred over the last couple of decades. What we eat, where we eat, how we eat, is all a part of several demographic trends, lack of time (wanting convenience), lifestyle changes, increased restaurant portions due to food wars, fast-food inundation, and us loving delicious fatty foods. Sedentary lifestyles resulting from technological advances (less physical work & lifestyles), and 324 channels on our satellites are parts of a puzzle with many pieces.

This is an interesting look at a current phenomenon that we'll continue to hear about. For further reading check out, "Fast Fast Nation," by Eric Schlosser, and "Fat of the Land," by Fumento. The latter is a previous book (1997) that deserves much more attention that it's getting.

This book by Critser provides an interesting look into why and how many of us got this way. Understanding these reasons can provides us more opportunities to change.

Rating:
Summary: Insulin Resistance Is Futile
Review: In Fat Land, Greg Critser has written an important essay concerning the origins and effects of the looming obesity-driven health crisis facing the United States. This book is especially important in a country that can't seem to get its health care costs in line. Critser starts with the advent of cheap sweetner [high fructose corn syrup] and fat [palm oil], takes us through the development of supersized fast food and fast food in the public schools, and then moves on to what America's increased girth is doing to our health, with special focus on the youth of America. Critser never denies a genetic component in individual differences in weight, nor does he make light of the need for people to feel good about themselves, but he stresses that ultimately an obese person is not as healthy as a person with a normal body weight. Critser offers no panecea for weight loss, but sounds the now common [and accurate] refrain that a balanced diet that is lower in Calories accompanied by an increase in exercise is the only sure way to a healthy body weight. Critser is a tad strident at times, but given the urgency of the problem, I can forgive that in this highly readable [but scary] book. I wouldn't want the potential reader to base any decision on a small piece of anecdotal evidence, but I can attest to much of what Critser writes about. When I started teaching 18 years ago, I was only slightly heavier than what the charts say my normal weight should be, but I had already spent a decade since my teens fighting my weight and bad eating habits [which were not my Mom's fault - Mama tried!]. Last July, I was 150 pounds overweight, had high blood pressure [already medicated to normalcy], had high cholesterol [also medicated to normalcy], and my doctor was telling me that I was showing signs of impaired glucose tolerance. I faced my potential early demise [the morbid in morbidly obese] with great seriousness, went to the diabetic nutrition classes [I'm pre-diabetic, but my doctor doesn't want to wait until damage has been done], and I've lost 65 pounds. My diet is much healthier and I walk every day. It's hard, but the alternatives [are bad]! Some of my 9th graders are facing the obesity-related health problems that I didn't have to deal with until age 43! If you care about the health of your loved ones and the health of all Americans, I highly recommend that you read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing
Review: Great book on the American problem of obesity. Now if only getting out of this mess can go as easily (and painlessly) as we got into it.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read--If You Can Handle It
Review: This book was a wonderful find for me. It is a great read by someone who has truly thought through the difficult issues surrounding this complex public health crisis. Critser pulls no punches, and when he assigns blame for the crisis, no one gets off, even Critser. Judging from the diversity of reviews on this site, it's clear some people would rather character-assasinate this man that give confront their own demons. Too bad. I just hope he keeps on writing.

Rating:
Summary: Did he copy Mike Fumento or what??
Review: Hm, shall we compare titles?
"Fat Land : How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World" versus "The Fat of the Land: The Obesity Epidemic and How Overweight Americans Can Help Themselves"

Of course the science in Crister's book is a bit more up to date than in Fumento's, but the message is the same...Americans eat too much sugar and fat, and calories in general. The only thing is, back in 1997 when the Fumento book was released, people didn't want to hear that. Now, in the aftermath of "Fast Food Nation" and the McDonald's lawsuit (more to come I'm sure), Crister (or his publishers) have decided the time is right for this book...

Not nearly as interesting a read as Fumento's, I was only able to read "Fat Land" once - I'd recommend this as a library checkout book only...now "Fat of the Land" by Michael Fumento - THAT's a keeper!

I must admit that way way back in the "notes" section, Crister does give an eensy weensy credit to the Fumento book...

Rating:
Summary: The History, Economics, Politics, and Biology of Obesity
Review: America surpasses the world in many categories, and now we may rightly take on another superlative: we are the fattest nation. According to Greg Critser in _Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World_ (Houghton Mifflin), 61% of Americans are overweight, overweight enough to cause health problems, and 20% are obese, obese enough to shorten their lives. (Actually, Critser admits that his subtitle is not quite right, for a few South Sea Islanders surpass us in girth, but are by population numbers not comparable.) Our Founding Fathers were not fat, nor were our grandparents, mostly, but our parents were, we are, and our children - well, they are the saddest part of this report. Critser's book is a dismal, if entertaining, look at the history, economics, and biology of just how we got fat, and like any good muckraking tome, it has some suggestions of how we can make things better.

Critser's indictment is largely of the nutritional disasters of capitalism by which we have been persuaded to supersize all items. Basic foods are cheap enough that there is little cost in making portions bigger, and people will pay for the biggie size, at the fast food joint where more and more meals are being consumed. It's good business, and especially in the current political environment, what is good for business has to be good for America, even though Critser shows figures to demonstrate that in _every_ state of the Union, the incidence of obesity has increased by half since (get this) 1991. Agricultural policies by fun-loving Earl Butz, Nixon's Secretary of Agriculture, got us plenty of Malaysian palm oil, also known as "tree lard," and high fructose corn syrup, both of which can also be particularly implicated in type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes used to be called "adult onset diabetes," but that name became a misnomer as it now afflicts millions of children. Gluttony has been de-emphasized by the churches, and sloth is not always unfashionable. Children of the poor have a particular problem (and throughout this book, poverty is shown as a cause, not just an association, of obesity), for they have little access to soccer leagues, adequate public recreation, or good gym programs in school.

There are answers which Critser cites. Unfortunately, they always come down to the basics: take fewer calories in, burn more calories off, and neither of these endeavors are matters of delight for most people, let alone most obese people. Helping the children is especially productive, and in the past couple of years there have been noticeable efforts to try to make school lunches healthier and to get fast food and vending machines out of the schools (which can be reluctant to do so, since the food manufacturers pay to have them there). A Stanford study shows that simply restricting kids' hours of TV and video games causes weight loss; kids find other things to do besides sedentary snacking. It cannot be that the food industry will reform; the recent obesity suits against fast food outlets have not only lost, but are ridiculed in this epoch that President Bush has called "the era of personal responsibility." "Snack less, jog more" ought to be what our personal responsibility requires us to do, but up against poverty and profits, our personal responsibility may merely lead us to hunt a little harder for the television's remote control.

Rating:
Summary: A Fresh Perspective On Fat and What Not To Eat!
Review: Mr. Critser delivers a fresh and insightful approach in explaining the way Americans are facing the rising epidemic on obesity. The author's witty style helps the reader grapple with a subject that is not easy to "swallow". The book has opened my eyes to the issues of political, economic and emotional problems that stem from our use of food in America.

I highly recommend Fatland and look forward to other books from this very compelling writer. Mr. Critser's style is humorous on a very weighty subject. Now that I know what I am eating and the complexities of excercise and family meals, this will be worked into our meal planning and how we use our leisure time.