F.A.T. - 17.6 billion pounds of Fat American Travellers per annum

Anyone like Snappers missus who has visited the US in recent years cannot fail
to have observed the gross obesity which prevails in the general population
over there.

As one who has been forced to sit by obese sweating Americans intruding on my
personal space on busses and planes I can well relate to the following. Forbes
cites government statistics to say that "the average weight of an American has
increased 24 pounds since 1960."

Writer Emily Stewart then does the math: Airlines flew 735 million passengers
last year. Multiply that by 24 pounds and airlines are flying 17.6 billion
pounds of extra weight around. It takes roughly a gallon of jet fuel to move 100
pounds on a domestic flight. That means 176.4 million gallons of fuel, costing
$538 million (at an industry average price of $3.05 a gallon)

Last month, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
came out with another report, in what has been a parade of dire warnings about
obesity in the United States. In a study published in the July issue of Obesity,
they concluded that unless our eating habits or exercise habits change, 86
percent of the American population will be overweight or obese by 2030. More
than a third of American adults—over 72 million people—were obese in 2005 and
2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The obese are more
susceptible to an array of health problems, such as hypertension, type 2
diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Widespread obesity also means that today's
children may even have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

But poor health isn't the only way Americans pay for all that extra weight,
there's also a hefty financial price attached. Here are the top five costs
associated with obesity:

1. Lower wages: Stanford University researchers found that obese men and women
earn, on average, $3.41 per hour less than their peers.

2. Fewer work hours: On average, obese workers tend to lose a week of work a
year due to ailments related to their weight, according to the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

3. Higher medical costs: Overweight males incur medical costs that are $170 more
annually than their leaner co-workers, while overweight females incur costs $495
higher than their counterparts, Finkelstein and Zuckerman write.

4. Extra air travel costs: Budget airlines such as Southwest require obese
people or people who may take up more than one seat to buy an adequate number of
seats on the flight.

5. More gasoline: Obviously, more weight burns more gasoline in cars, too. A
2006 study published in the journal The Engineering Economist found that
Americans pumped 938 million more gallons of fuel a year than they did in 1960
because of their heftier frames. That adds up to roughly $3.55 billion in
increased annual gas expenditures nationwide.

More at http://www.newsweek.com/id/153309

And for our US friends travelling downunder who just cant help themselves we
have a Krispy Kreme Donut franchise located conveniently next to the Sydney
domestic terminal.

Ned

"Ned" wrote in message ...

You seem to be awful selective. You fail to realize that it's a world wide
problem.

And for our US friends travelling downunder who just cant help themselves
we have a Krispy Kreme Donut franchise located conveniently next to the
Sydney domestic terminal.

Yeah, it's a problem "down under" too.
http://www.annecollins.com/weight_he...-australia.htm

Get your facts straight before you start bitching.

4. Extra air travel costs: Budget airlines such as Southwest require
obese people or people who may take up more than one seat to buy an
adequate number of seats on the flight.

Haven't humans been getting taller over the past 100 years or so? This
would increase our weight without even taking into account diet changes.

And for our US friends travelling downunder who just cant help themselves
we have a Krispy Kreme Donut franchise located conveniently next to the
Sydney domestic terminal.

Maybe, but we don't have Dunkin' Donuts here in Australia, which is a real
shame...

"Jim Davis" writes:

You seem to be awful selective. You fail to realize that it's a world wide
problem.

And for our US friends travelling downunder who just cant help themselves
we have a Krispy Kreme Donut franchise located conveniently next to the
Sydney domestic terminal.

Yeah, it's a problem "down under" too.
http://www.annecollins.com/weight_he...-australia.htm

I hope so... Otherwise the Earth would get out of balance and start wobbling.



--
A host is a host from coast to
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433

"Larry in AZ" wrote in message
.. .
Waiving the right to remain silent, "Jim Davis"
said:

"Ned" wrote in message ...

You seem to be awful selective. You fail to realize that it's a world
wide problem.

And for our US friends travelling downunder who just cant help
themselves we have a Krispy Kreme Donut franchise located conveniently
next to the Sydney domestic terminal.

Yeah, it's a problem "down under" too.
http://www.annecollins.com/weight_he...-australia.htm

And in the UK...

"UK women are now officially the fattest in Europe"
http://tinyurl.com/2y4st8

Right! It's world wide, but every now & then we get some hypocrite whiner
that likes to sling ****. Some people just don't take the time to look
around.

Better look in your own back yard first Ned...
Australia is currently number 1 in the fat range mate:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle4171160.ece

"GB" wrote in message
...
"Jim Davis" wrote in
m:
Yeah, it's a problem "down under" too.
http://www.annecollins.com/weight_he...-australia.htm

This wikipedia page should help you to interpret the language
used on the 'obesity' page you've linked to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_words


Get your facts straight before you start bitching.

You first.

You give me a bull**** link to a site where anyone can re edit? Try again.
In the mean time, here's a few more to read. Welcome to the rest of the
world.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle4171160.ece
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...12/2242348.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/99415.php

Ned wrote:
Anyone like Snappers missus who has visited the US in recent years
cannot fail to have observed the gross obesity which prevails in the
general population
over there.

As one who has been forced to sit by obese sweating Americans intruding
on my personal space on busses and planes I can well relate to the
following. Forbes cites government statistics to say that "the average
weight of an American has increased 24 pounds since 1960."

Writer Emily Stewart then does the math: Airlines flew 735 million
passengers last year. Multiply that by 24 pounds and airlines are flying
17.6 billion pounds of extra weight around. It takes roughly a gallon of
jet fuel to move 100 pounds on a domestic flight. That means 176.4
million gallons of fuel, costing $538 million (at an industry average
price of $3.05 a gallon)

This gives the assumption that heavy people fly as often as not so heavy
people.



1. Lower wages: Stanford University researchers found that obese men and
women earn, on average, $3.41 per hour less than their peers.

Given this, then they would obviously not be as able to pay for tickets.

GB wrote:

"Jim Davis" wrote in
m:

Yeah, it's a problem "down under" too.
http://www.annecollins.com/weight_he...-australia.htm


This wikipedia page should help you to interpret the language
used on the 'obesity' page you've linked to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_words


Doesn't wikipedia just let anyone write anything?

David Lesher wrote:

"Jim Davis" writes:


You seem to be awful selective. You fail to realize that it's a world wide
problem.


And for our US friends travelling downunder who just cant help themselves
we have a Krispy Kreme Donut franchise located conveniently next to the
Sydney domestic terminal.


Yeah, it's a problem "down under" too.
http://www.annecollins.com/weight_he...-australia.htm


I hope so... Otherwise the Earth would get out of balance and start wobbling.


They would have to be more overweight, because the percentage of people
in the southern hemisphere is much smaller than the north.