Between 1975 and 2016, the prevalence of obesity in Europe rose 138%, with a 21% rise between 2006 and 2016. The prevalence of overweight rose by 51% between 1975 and 2016, and by 8% between 2006 and 2016. It is expected that by 2030, over half of Europe will live with obesity – up to 89% in some countries. No Member State is on track to reach the target of halting the rise in obesity by 2025.
The proliferation of unhealthy eating is a big problem for most of Europe, too. They’re on the same path as the US for mostly the same reasons, just a few steps back.
That said, if I’m going to be fat, I’d rather it be because of schnitzel the size of a dinner plate or cacio e pepe over a Monster Burger.
That said, if I’m going to be fat, I’d rather it be because of schnitzel the size of a dinner plate or cacio e pepe over a Monster Burger.
Do you actually believe that these numbers are from common people eating quality food?
No. I think it’s for the reasons outlined or suggested in the link I included: increased cost of healthy ingredients, decreased accessibility to the same, people struggling to find time to eat well in the increasingly fast paced world, etc.
My mentioning my personal preference is mostly a concession to nuggets of truth in the 4chan post. It’s also true; there is nothing common about how I would prefer to consume quality food.
The access to fresher ingredients and healthier food cannot be understated. Food is so much more processed in the US, even if you’re mainly cooking at home. Even the “ingredients” you buy at grocery stores are more processed.
That’s not making people fat. People are fat because they eat to much and have sedentary lifestyles. Watch secret eaters on YT, it’s from the UK, but demonstrates how much snacking and sitting most people do.
Yes, being sedentary hurts you. My point wasn’t about weight loss, just that the quality of ingredients and food in Europe is leagues ahead of the US. It is much worse for you nutritionally to eat refined, processed grains than it is to eat whole grains. Not to mention the amount of fresh produce…
Wait 'til you see the child size soda.
It’s 512 ounces, or roughly the size of a two-year old child, if the child were liquefied. It’s a real bargain at $1.59.
Straight from the orphan crushing machine. Delicious
512oz = 15.14L. Literally soda in a size of a child.
Who The fuck is able to drink that much? That’s a fucking bucket just with soda.
What the actual fuck?
Parks and recreation is a tv show. The clip is satire. Real American soda sized are still ridiculously large, but not this exaggerated “child size”.
I’ll have two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large soda.
All you have to do is follow the damn train…
If you think about it, that mission was a red flag about Smoke being a fucking traitor. Fatass couldn’t shoot dudes 2 meters away
Wouldn’t that just make him a busta?
Aw shit, here we go again…
I’ll take a Double Triple Bossy Deluxe on a raft, 4x4 animal style, extra shingles with a shimmy and a squeeze, light axle grease; make it cry, burn it, and let it swim.
We serve food here, sir.
Big food is kind of a marketing thing in America. Restaurants want to give their customers more " bang for their buck" (or at least appear to), but they don’t want to lower prices. Instead, they increase portions. This has lead to a size arms race where every restaurant wants to claim they have the biggest food in town. This is especially the case for burger joints. It doesn’t matter to the restaurant if customers eat all their food, since they pay for all of it either way. I’m guessing Americans are more culturally susceptible to this marketing tactic, since bigger-is-better is common here, and hence things have been taken further than in other countries.
This seems to be another case of someone throwing reason out the door for the sake of insulting Americans. There is no way you would be getting “shit eating grins” for ordering a kids meal. And if your large burgers are smaller than a kids meal, you either have very little size variation, or the small would be like a single bite.
Yeah, that worker is one of two in the entire restaurant. She has to take your order plus the five behind you, the drive-thru orders, make fries, bag it all up, take your monkey, clean tables, make coffee, refill the ketchup/soda/milkshake/yogurt contraptions with their various bags of sugary goo, restock counters/tables with all the varied plastic and paper geegaws, take out the trash, stock the walk-in, clean the bathrooms somebody sprayed with liquid shit, then count out and get to her other job by 3pm so she can then do it all again tomorrow. She doesn’t give a fuck what anyone orders, it’s just a blur of colors and lower back pain.
If she makes a face it’s probably the best she can do to fake a smile because you might be a secret shopper who is going to ding her points for not saying, “Welcome to McDonald’s Home of the McFlurry™ now with DoubleStuff™ Oreo™, what can I get started for you today because It Just Tastes Better!!℠” with the proper amount of obsequiousness.
There’s plenty of reasons to hate the hellscape, no reason for anon to invent some.
visit America
get shot
bystanders start clappingAmerican burgers are the king of all burgers, bottom line
That said 2 things I absolutely agree with:
A burger should be small enough to easily bite. It’s okay if you have to smoosh it down a bit with your hands to do so, but if I have squash it to shit or take it apart or cut it or eat it weird you’ve fucked up such a basic thing
If you already have ketchup, mustard, mayo, bbq, etc then why do I need “burger sauce”? Your burger sauce is probably just some variation on mayo and ketchup anyway. Thanks for making my burger a sloppy piece of shit akin to eating ribs
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Ok, serious question, is American fast food different from European? I’ve been to our local McDonalds and the like and the food is fucking atrocious. Tasteless non-identifiable meat patty with some mayo, ketchup, “cheese” and a sorry excuse for a vegetable. I mean it’s just bad. Is American chain food better or are you just delusional?
I mean, I don’t know an american that would list any fast food as the place that serves the best/their favorite burger.
I’m currently vacationing in Japan and have slimmed down a lot in just a week of walking, eating smaller healthier meals, and taking the train everywhere. America has a truly fucked standard of living. I don’t want to go back to driving and eating shitty oversized unhealthy meals while also tipping.
you’ve “slimmed down a lot” in a week? did you also give birth this week? or is this a bias?
You can lose 5 pounds in a week if you’re under 50 and healthy. This would cause clothes to loosen up on you.
Depending on your starting state/condition, you could slim down a noticeable amount during a week, sure.
you could also just say random shit on the internet too, wonder which is more likely
look i think America is a torturous shit hole just like the rest of lemmy but the above point is just fucking stupid
Are you not-so-subtly insinuating that I’m saying “random bullshit” on the Internet?
I’ve personally had periods in my life, too, where I’ve transformed my body significantly/noticeably within a timeframe of one week. It can happen.
A thing isn’t necessarily “fucking stupid” just because you don’t believe it (due to lack of knowledge), or you haven’t seen it (yet) (due to lack of life experience).
Maybe don’t react so strongly and you might have a more open mind in the future, and allow it to expand. 👍❤️
It’s good to be skeptical but it’s kinda sad to see someone cry bullshit so easily. Just go be miserable somewhere else dude.
I’m not “crying bullshit”. I do believe that you are slimmer than you were when you left, probably with a lot less water weight – but how do those changes reflect Japanese lifestyle? I’m saying that you cannot take your experience on a vacation where you make drastic short-term lifestyle changes and draw conclusions from them
We know American lifestyles are unhealthy, and your experiences on vacation have nothing to add or subtract from that. It’d be as if someone came in here and said “I ate a sandwich in Vienna and got diarrhea, the Austrian lifestyle is disgusting!” like cool story and im happy for you but it’s really irrelevant. (just like our argument XD)
at its core, we have to acknowledge that there are serious challenges posed to our own bodies by modern society. people DO live sedentary lifestyles in asia. people DO end up eating only garbage when they’re overworked and don’t have accessible healthy food choices. obesity rates ARE increasing in countries like japan and korea. people DO develop eating disorders in these countries. i watched a professional dancer in seoul plummet into binge eating disorder as a response to the very lifestyle changes that we could be propping up in this thread. it’s so complicated, and one person’s vacation week does not really speak to the tenuous relationship 21st century humans have with food. many of the same challenges we face in the USA are happening in asia too, and in increasing amounts
No, they’re right, it’s extremely unrealistic to lose much weight in fat in one week. Even if you ate literally nothing and hiked up mountains 12 hours a day, which is obviously impossible, it’d be maximum like 10 pounds. Walking a bit and eating normally? No more than 2, that’s already extremely rapid weight loss.
Water weight on the other hand you can easily lose more than 5 pounds in a day.
I never said I lost weight, but I have slimmed down. What I’ve lost in water or fat weight I’ve gained in leg muscles. I’ve already been trying to lose weight for months through occassional dieting, using a treadmill daily, and lifting free weights. I’ve definitely lost arm muscle mass but I can now easily climb up several flights of stairs navigating subway platforms. It’s possible to change body composition over a week and a half if you’ve been priming for months. It’s okay if no one else believes me, after all this is the internet and anyone can lie. I’m satisfied with my own results and that’s all I need.
It’s being a cry bully to point out that it’s physically unlikely they lost any appreciable amount of weight in a week? Or do they just have a basic understanding of how the human body works and not want to play along with an unrealistic masturbatory ‘America bad’ fairy tale?
I’m all for believing BS stories on the Internet, but don’t get your panties in a wad when people point out parts that are entirely unrealistic. And I say that as someone who actually lost a large amount of weight in a comparatively short time.
It took months and it was still fast enough that those around me were worried for my health. There’s no way they lost anything meaningful in a week, especially when losing a large amount of water weight upfront and hitting an initial plateau is a known thing in the weight loss community.
It’s not a bias it’s a fact. My shirts are way more loose on me and I’ve been walking an average of 15,000 steps a day. What’s it to you anyway? Are you upset someone’s making a valid criticism about American transportation and eating habits?
Because it’s a week lol you’re talking about losing water from sweating, stored sugars in muscles from exercising, and a teensy bit of fat loss. you haven’t “lost a lot” you’re just on vacation
what’s it to me? I like to tell people when they’re wrong in the internet. you said something stupid. hello.
lifestyle change and public transit are great but you’re just on vacation. and this is coming from someone who lived over a decade in the Americas and Asia both.
Because it’s a week lol you’re talking about losing water from sweating, stored sugars in muscles from exercising, and a teensy bit of fat loss.
Yes, and that is visibly noticeable on many people.
When I switch from bulk to cut the cut starts to take effect like almost immediately, and I slim down significantly within a few days. I know it’s mostly glycogen and water, but it physically looks very different after the water wooshes out of your body and your muscles become more visible.
(Also, it’s not exactly sweat, it’s that higher glycogen levels are bound to water molecules, which get released and can actually be used by the body or discarded as excess as the body seeks an equilibrium.)
Yes, and that is visibly noticeable on many people.
it’s not about whether its noticeable. it’s about whether or not it’s attributable to lifestyle differences between cultures or if a person is just being extra active on vacation and wanted to talk about their vacation online
I walk an average of 15k steps on a slow day. Before I got promoted out of the shipping dept I used to do 30k/day before I left work, then still had to run errands and do things, now it’s usually more like 10k-15k at work (and some bodyweight squats while I stand at my desk because why not) and go do things. All of this (and here’s the part that will shock you) was in America. You don’t have to be in Japan to walk, even if you don’t walk for work there’s always “exercising.”
Basically you’re saying “usually at home I’m sedentary as fuck but since here I’m a gawking tourist I’ve been doing a modicum of cardio, and it has affected me exactly as expected, but instead of give myself credit for the work I did and realizing I could take this lesson back home I’m going to turn it into some weird contest and continue to blame my environment.”
It is possible to eat healthy here too, though that is admittedly harder especially if you’re dead set on not cooking, yet there are healthy to go options if you know where to look still. Buy a used bike and eat healthy at home, you don’t have to have cool foreign shit to look at while you do it, there’s probably a nice park or trail nearby you can have cool local nature to look at too. Or travel a lot and use that as an excuse if you’re privileged enough, whatever, but make no mistake you don’t have to.
Vacationing in Italy was the same - smaller, healthier meals, lots of walking - I felt great and didn’t have the shits once on a 2 week trip. It’s a daily thing at home.
So anon blames an entire country for their shitty life choices?
I don’t remember the last time I ate fast food. I’m sure when I did, it was nothing like this - oh, it still sucked - but all I got was a burger and iced tea.
Though I completely agree restaurant portion sizes are insane anywhere. I akways get 2 meals out of a “serving”, often 3.
It’s not life choices, it’s getting to know a new culture
The fact that you are calling this a life choice and not a societal problem also reveals a lot about American culture. A public health policy that relies on personal responsibility has never worked and will never work.
It’s interesting reading responses on this because I’m gathering a lot of Europeans/non-americans think that burgers are always fast food?
When an american thinks of a good burger I think most of us are picturing our favorite bar and grill’s burger, not a chain fast food one.
Are burgers pretty much only at fast food chains in other countries?
Nope. Tons of places make them. I have no clue what these people are on about. Just fake outrage, I guess.
REEEEE NOT EVERYWHERE IS AMERICA REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I REALLY wish they would have went to Five Guys.
Guy 3/5: fills 32 ounce cup with fresh hot, salt slathered fries. Drops cup in a large bag. Takes another full scoop of the fries and throws them in the bag. Easily 4-5 potatoes worth.
The cup of fries should be 1300 calories, they easily put twice as many in. That’s a daily food intake worth of calories for the side alone.
The calorie count is accurate for what they give you, not what fits in the cup. They just use a cup that’s way too small to trick you into thinking they’re giving you more than what you paid for.
Ragebait, am European, love American Food!
In Europe, the portions are European sized. In the US, they are whale-sized.
In Europe you pay 20€ for a semi decent micro Burger some Hipster slaps together, wearing black Nitrile Gloves thinking his shitty minimalistic “Burger-
ShopArtisery” will become the next big joint.I think both cultures have their issues when it comes to food. Europeans are just more pretentious about it.
I don’t know where you live, but either you live in an expensive city, only eat burgers at hipster places, or are memeing. I can still find perfectly good burgers for 12€ in my city and they fill me up. It’s not necessary to get stuffed and roll back home like a US landwhale.
Exaggeration for the sake of the Argument. The US has loads of small restaurants and fusion kitchens with local diversity (soul food). Regarding the amounts I don’t mind to have a “cheat day”. I was at SaltLick BBQ in Texas and I was sad when I was filled up because of how good it was (Brisket!! pecan Nut Pie!!! Spearribs!!!).
While I love me a cheese assortment with fine wine in Europe or similarly awesome food.
It’s just hard to compare fine dining with food you just want to inhale asap.
You compare literal apples to oranges (and are pretentious about it, sry).
Wait until anon discovers a hamburger with a glazed donut for a bun and the entire thing is deepfried.
Where do I find this?
There are other places to eat, though? Why travel and get fast food? Get something local - anything that is a nationwide chain is nonsense, the US is too big to have one cuisine.
Here, get a Cuban sandwich, black beans, and fried plantains. You will still have enough for two meals, they aren’t wrong about the portions, but at least it will be good.
the “tiny” burgers like the $5 biggie bag at Wendy’s is the perfect amount of food. jr bacon cheeseburger, small fries, 4 piece nugget, drink.
THATS normal portion, even if it’s not healthy, not a 1/2 lb double cheeseburger 6 inches in diameter, 3 inches thick and a 32oz bucket of cola.
They call the tiny one a “biggie bag”?
They really don’t want to let on that small burgers are available, do they?
It’s because fastfood places need to compete on either value or quality. They can also try to do both by primarily aiming to convey quality and having a special menu or set of offerings that promise the same quality but at a better price.
Wendy’s mostly brands themselves as quality focused as compared to other fast food places. So their “good deal” offering has to promise to offer the same quality at a lower price, which means smaller. So they call it big to camouflage that it’s actually smaller.
I’m not asking for an explanation, I’m criticizing.
I already know very well that you people like to explain why it makes sense that things are screwed and backwards.
What do you mean “you people?” Racism.
After the 2024 election I’m 100% “racist” against Americans. Enjoy 2025.
I don’t even think the stereotypical giant american burger is a thing anymore unless you go to places that specifically market a special large burger. Now a $12 burger is just regular sized. And an $18 “artisanal” burger has a thin disc of meat and is taller than it is wide.
I think the point here is that “regular” for Americans is not the same as “regular” for Europeans.
A European “large drink” in a fastfood restaurant is 500ml. In the US, 473ml is a small one.
I understand that. I was referring to shrinkflation specifically, where the typical regular american size burger is the same as anywhere else now and not like the stereotype before where everything is bigger in the US. I agree it still applies to soda drinks though.
