Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions

[clintjm]

Originally Posted by Columbine

One thing I heard about donuts, as it happens (and I can't validate this in any way) was that Dunkin' Donuts tried to launch in Japan and failed because people found the sweets too sickly. Frankly I'm not entirely surprised, i've tried american candy and I haven't liked much of it (except reeses peanut butter cups). Chocolate especially, seems really grainy with too much sugar and not enough cocoa.

However North Carolina USA Based Krispy Kreme is quite successful in Japan as it is in the states. I still remember the lines when they launched. They aren't bad, but I don't have much of a sweet tooth...
Dunkin Donuts should be a fail boat every where ever they go. Their coffee is just not good either. The North East of the States are just plastered with them and their commercials with John Goodman just annoyed me.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by clintjm

However North Carolina USA Based Krispy Kreme is quite successful in Japan as it is in the states. I still remember the lines when they launched. They aren't bad, but I don't have much of a sweet tooth...
Dunkin Donuts should be a fail boat every where ever they go. Their coffee is just not good either. The North East of the States are just plastered with them and their commercials with John Goodman just annoyed me.

Mr. Donuts is the go-to donut shop in Japan, and the donuts are half as sweet as a Dunkin D. donut. They are also smart about marketing, and serve things besides donuts like small bowls of ramen.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by clintjm

However North Carolina USA Based Krispy Kreme is quite successful in Japan as it is in the states. I still remember the lines when they launched. They aren't bad, but I don't have much of a sweet tooth...
Dunkin Donuts should be a fail boat every where ever they go. Their coffee is just not good either. The North East of the States are just plastered with them and their commercials with John Goodman just annoyed me.

I don't mind Krispy Kreme. At least they're nicer than some, if still as unhealthy. I wonder about those lines though, a little cynical part of me is whispering things like 'novelty' and 'attached to ideas that anything American=cool'. I've never seen a Dunkin' D. donut in person but I have a couple of friends from the N. E States and they were pretty vitriolic about Dunkin' D. as well. I don't think i'll bother trying one.

I also noticed the ramen and things! It surprised me, but it's quite nice because then you can go there with people who don't like donuts, or if you don't want something sweet. It used to be our study place. I also noticed they didn't seem to push to sell giant boxes of donuts like Krispy Kreme do, although that may just be me and the branch I was in.

Let's face it though; if anything is causing obesity in Japan it's less likely to be the snacks and more likely to be the booze. I never saw a giant fat japanese person, but I did see beer guts.

[Barone1551]

Originally Posted by Columbine

Let's face it though; if anything is causing obesity in Japan it's less likely to be the snacks and more likely to be the booze. I never saw a giant fat japanese person, but I did see beer guts.

I just felt like commenting on this. "Beer guts" are somewhat of a myth. They dont happen becuase of drinking solely beer or alcohol. Beer makes you gain weight but not just in the gut section. People who have "beer guts" would have the same gut if they just ate unhealthy.

[Artvampire]

Unfortunately our government works us like dogs, and are are enslaved by credit cards because it's difficult to keep up with bills, so we live a fast paced life with high stress.

It's easy to go through a fast food restaurant and get something that seems to be cooked in 10 seconds. But fast food, high in fat and sugar, is making America obese. These foods are not natural, and it's my belief that the body has a hard time breaking them down in the system.

I don't understand why there are foods on shelf that advertise "less fat", but they cost more. Fruits and Veggis cost a pretty penny too! Paying for gym membership or paying for gym equipment that you can use at home is a luxury that most people can't afford.

If healthy food was cheaper, and we had more time for our selves in our daily lives then maybe Americans wouldn't so fat. If America's idea of "fast food" was healthy sushi maybe we'd be as thin as Japanese. When I have sushi I feel energized, even a little giddy. When I have a hamburger my stomach feels heavy.

People fall into bad habit without realizing it because of a life of work and debt we're forced into, that I can sympathize for. But I can understand that a company can be at high risk for insurance costs when their employees take up bad habits like obesity and smoking.

Maybe if companies were focused on healthy living and offered a gym for employees to use, and had a cafeteria with a healthy selection, that would help Americans to become healthier.

But health in general is an attitude. My attitude is that I can cook something healthier, tastier, and more satisfying at home so I shouldn't bother shelling out money for Toco Bell. My attitude is that if I feel thirsty I should hydrate myself with water, not with sugary soda that will make me twice as thirsty. My attitude is that I don't have to clean off my whole plate at a restaurant, I can take the left overs home. You just got to be more thoughtful about eating habits.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by Barone1551

I just felt like commenting on this. "Beer guts" are somewhat of a myth. They dont happen becuase of drinking solely beer or alcohol. Beer makes you gain weight but not just in the gut section. People who have "beer guts" would have the same gut if they just ate unhealthy.

I'd be more inclined to back down if I hadn't personally seen the affect giving up alcohol for a month had on my dad. Nothing else changed in his diet; just he stopped drinking because of a severe case of gout and by the end of it, he had lost some inches quite noticeably. Perhaps I'm limiting it too much with the expression 'beer gut' though; I agree it doesn't just go to the belly; it tends to show in the face and round the neck as well.

[Barone1551]

Originally Posted by Columbine

I'd be more inclined to back down if I hadn't personally seen the affect giving up alcohol for a month had on my dad. Nothing else changed in his diet; just he stopped drinking because of a severe case of gout and by the end of it, he had lost some inches quite noticeably. Perhaps I'm limiting it too much with the expression 'beer gut' though; I agree it doesn't just go to the belly; it tends to show in the face and round the neck as well.

Yeah I know what your saying. I'm not trying to nitpick. I was just trying to say that unhealthy foods and ways of living effect you weight. Alcohol adds to that, it makes you gain weight. It just isn't confined to the belly area, and gaining weight in the belly isn't directly related to alcohol, just an unhealthy lifestyle. Lets say your dad kept drinking but changed his diet, he very easily could have lost the same amount of weight. I attribute weight gain to unhealthy living, if you go overboard any certain factors of that cause weight gain.... you going to gain weight. There are plenty of people who drink a lot but can keep slim by exercising or eating right.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by Barone1551

Yeah I know what your saying. I'm not trying to nitpick. I was just trying to say that unhealthy foods and ways of living effect you weight. Alcohol adds to that, it makes you gain weight. It just isn't confined to the belly area, and gaining weight in the belly isn't directly related to alcohol, just an unhealthy lifestyle. Lets say your dad kept drinking but changed his diet, he very easily could have lost the same amount of weight. I attribute weight gain to unhealthy living, if you go overboard any certain factors of that cause weight gain.... you going to gain weight. There are plenty of people who drink a lot but can keep slim by exercising or eating right.

I think my dad's in a bit of a different situation, but suffice to say, it is a combination of things that contribute to health or a lack thereof.

[darksyndrem]

Originally Posted by Artvampire

Unfortunately our government works us like dogs, and are are enslaved by credit cards because it's difficult to keep up with bills, so we live a fast paced life with high stress.

It's easy to go through a fast food restaurant and get something that seems to be cooked in 10 seconds. But fast food, high in fat and sugar, is making America obese. These foods are not natural, and it's my belief that the body has a hard time breaking them down in the system.

I don't understand why there are foods on shelf that advertise "less fat", but they cost more. Fruits and Veggis cost a pretty penny too! Paying for gym membership or paying for gym equipment that you can use at home is a luxury that most people can't afford.

If healthy food was cheaper, and we had more time for our selves in our daily lives then maybe Americans wouldn't so fat. If America's idea of "fast food" was healthy sushi maybe we'd be as thin as Japanese. When I have sushi I feel energized, even a little giddy. When I have a hamburger my stomach feels heavy.

People fall into bad habit without realizing it because of a life of work and debt we're forced into, that I can sympathize for. But I can understand that a company can be at high risk for insurance costs when their employees take up bad habits like obesity and smoking.

Maybe if companies were focused on healthy living and offered a gym for employees to use, and had a cafeteria with a healthy selection, that would help Americans to become healthier.

But health in general is an attitude. My attitude is that I can cook something healthier, tastier, and more satisfying at home so I shouldn't bother shelling out money for Toco Bell. My attitude is that if I feel thirsty I should hydrate myself with water, not with sugary soda that will make me twice as thirsty. My attitude is that I don't have to clean off my whole plate at a restaurant, I can take the left overs home. You just got to be more thoughtful about eating habits.

I sort of agree with this....you can't blame American's unhealthiness on credit cards and bills, that's ridiculous. People convince themselves that they "don't have time" for health, when they should be saying that they don't have time for fa(s)t foods. Health is something that you now have to make time for, because of our way of living. But people don't want to make time for it because they think they're healthy enough with drinking a diet coke. This, as we should all know, is just stupid. I really hate how American's treat themselves.

[ozkai]

Originally Posted by clintjm

Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.

To reach its goals of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years, the government will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets. The country’s Ministry of Health argues that the campaign will keep the spread of diseases like diabetes and strokes in check.

Should something like this be initiated in Japan and other places of the world, say the US? Why or why not?

Do you think it could happen in the States?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/world/asia/13fat.html

Nothing is more appealing than a Japanese girl with a "Trim Waist"
http://lh4.ggpht.com/apple.Albums/SI...jpg?imgmax=512