Why Americans are Overweight and How the Rest of the World is Thin

There is this belief that Americans are not only fat, but fatter than people in other countries- every other country… which might be why we ravenously devour Euro-centirc books like the bestselling French Women Don’t Get Fat, and tailor our diets to olive-oil touting diets like The “Mediterranean Diet.” Still, we Americans stay massive. How massive? According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, 63.1% of adults in the U.S. are either overweight or obese.

Why Are We So Fat?
Let’s look at the historical (and by that I mean 10 years ago) food and lifestyles of us (Americans) vs. them (the World).


AMERICA:

-Fast Food. We preferred “complete” meals made up of fast, fried, and handheld foods- for cheap. These foods have little nutritional value. You can keep Track of what you eat with Jillian Michaels’ Keep a Food Journal on ExerciseTV.




-Home-Cooked… what? Why cook when processed foods are so easy to nuke n’serve?

-Size Matters! Heaping portion of spaghetti topped with gigantic meatballs (tomato sauce is a vegetable right?), over a demure plate of handmade ravioli with a side of fresh-picked sautéed veggies? Any day! Personal trainer Kathy Smith believes it’s “Partly based off the financial aspect, ‘more bang for your buck’ – Americans associate value with size as opposed to quality – so why buy healthier foods (which tend to be a little more expensive) when they can get a huge hamburger, fries and a coke for $2.99.” Learn more about portion control from Kathy Smith on ExerciseTV.

-No Carbs, No-Fat, No Flavor. “No” somehow meant “good for you,” ie: no-fat, no-carb diet crazes that led to lots of overeating and little satisfaction.

-Drive to the Gym. We were either sitting or spinning.

-Playtime=TV Time. Why run outside when you can sit and stare at the TV?



THE WORLD:

-Small Portion, Big Flavor. Small portions of favorite, full-flavor foods.

-Lifestyle Exercise. Walk or bike to work, stroll and socialize after dinner, play and adventure outside on weekends. Exercising and staying active plays a huge role in weight maintenance. Cardio, Pilates and yoga can help get more activity packed into the day.







THAT WAS THEN… THIS IS NOW


Top Chef’s Stefan Richter, who lived and cooked all over the world (including Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, France, Italy, and of course America) before showing his culinary skills (coupled with a heaping portion of confidence/cockiness) on national television, has something to say (doesn’t he always) about how food, fitness and lifestyles are evolving… possibly for the better in the US and the worse everywhere else. "The idea that America is fat and the rest of the world is skinny is not really true. It used to be. But food and lifestyle have changed since then… We didn't eat processed food like we do now. We also walked 2.5 miles to school each day and played outside instead of commuting to school in the bus and sitting inside playing video games.”

“Globesity”

Obesity has gone global. Yup, it’s not just an American issue anymore. Sadly, even in developing countries where hunger has always been the known issue, the number of obese individuals is outweighing those who are underweight.


Seems America is going back to “old ways,” while the rest of the world is adopting “new ways”- like fast food and living a sedentary lifestyle. The result is that weight seems to be flip-flopping, with Americans seemingly slimming down while the rest of the world is beginning to bulk up. “Now, other countries are following American lifestyle,” says Stefan, “You see fast food chains are all over Europe and Asia.

(Parents) sit their kids in front of the TV to keep them busy because it's safer than playing outside. Americans are starting to focus more on fitness and cooking fresh meals at home again. We may still be sitting our kids in front of the TV, but at least we are putting on fitness video games to get the kids to exercise. There's a shift in focus and priorities as we are becoming more health-conscious.”

It will be interesting (and sad) to see if a reversal ensues, if Americans in fact start to get skinny while the rest of the world gets fat.

Win an Brandon Mull autographed Fablehaven - Keys To The Demon Prison poster

Win an Brandon Mull autographed Fablehaven Keys To The Demon Prison poster.

Visit the "Join us!" page on http://www.romanyonline.com

Up Close Interview with Brandon Mull author of Fablehaven

Brandon Mull is an outstanding New York Times best selling author of The Fablehaven series.
And how fortunate was we to get the opportunity to sit down and do an interview with Mr. Mull.

His books receive wide attention for readers of all ages, they deal with such creativity and fantasy.
If you haven't picked up any of the Fablehaven series, The Candy Shop Wars or Pingo yet we highly recommend it!



Check out his website at:

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Trailer

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Trailer

Lindsay Lohan Suing E-Trade for Milkaholic "Parody"

Lindsay Lohan is no milkaholic.

And that's likely why the 23-year-old star is suing financial company E-Trade for $100 million for using her name in its latest commercial about a boyfriend-stealing "milkaholic" baby.

In the ad, which debuted during this year's Super Bowl in February, a baby boy apologizes to his girlfriend for not calling her the night before.

"And that milkaholic Lindsay wasn't over?" the baby girl asks before another baby girl pops into the screen saying, "Milk-a-whaaat?"

Lohan filed the lawsuit Monday, which claims the ad violated the star's rights under New York state civil-rights law.

"Many celebrities are known by one name only, and E-Trade is using that knowledge to profit," Lohan's lawyer, Stephanie Ovadia, said in a statement to the New York Post. "They're using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn't they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody's talking about it and saying it's Lindsay Lohan."

The spokesperson for Grey Group, which produced the "milkaholic" commercial, said that they "just used a popular baby name that happened to be the name of someone on the account team."

In the lawsuit, Lohan is seeking an injunction to force the spot off the air.

Oscars short recap.

For those of you who didn't feel like spending those few hours watching
The Oscars.

Heres a few highlights.

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock The Blind Side
Actress in a Supporting Role: MoNique - Precious
Actor in a Supporting Role: Chrisoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

You can read more at
http://oscar.go.com/oscar-night/winners?cid=10_oscars_landingCallout_nominations

James Cameron must feel crushed after working nearly ten years on the filming of Avatar and being beating out my his ex wife Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker.
Thats one for the ladys! This is a first time Oscar nomination and win for a female Director.

Up Close with Jeff Stone ( Author of The Five Ancestors series )

Up Close with Jeff Stone (Author of The Five Ancestors series)
by Priscilla John.

Jeff Stone is one of the most successful upcoming children Authors, not only does he have great talent/personality but his book is so amazingly creative.

Jeff took the time to do an interview with Romany Online and answered a few questions for us.
You can check it out at: http://www.romanyonline.com
or visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYGfq4zc154


Short description of the book, if you haven't read it yet. We highly recommend it!
When China's Cangzhen Temple is destroyed 350 years ago, only five young warrior monks survive. Each is named after a different animal--Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Crane, Dragon--for each is the youngest-ever master of that animal's kung fu fighting style.The five young monks separate and begin teaching not only their formidable martial arts skills, but also their peaceful philosophy of life. It is said that today's martial arts come from the teachings of these five young warrior monks, who must uncover the secrets of their own pasts if they are to become... The Five Ancestors.

For more info about Jeff Stone or The Five Ancestors
Please visit: http://readjeffstone.com/

Jeff with fans!









Signing some books for
a few lucky fans!