Greg Critser (1954–2018)
Author of Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World
About the Author
Greg Critser contributes regularly to USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and Harper's Magazine. Educated at Occidental College and UCLA, Critser lives in Pasadena, California
Works by Greg Critser
Associated Works
The Skinny Rules: The Simple, Nonnegotiable Principles for Getting to Thin (2012) 144 copies, 6 reviews
Jumpstart to Skinny: The Simple 3-Week Plan for Supercharged Weight Loss (Skinny Rules) (2013) 58 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1954-07-18
- Date of death
- 2018-01-13
- Gender
- male
- Short biography
- Born in Steubenville, Ohio, on July 18, 1954, Critser earned a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College and a master’s in history from UCLA.
His work frequently appeared in national publications, including the New Yorker and the Atlantic and newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the Times of London. He was part of the original editorial team at the Pasadena Weekly.
He also taught science writing classes at Caltech and USC, lectured and teamed up with a personal trainer on a series of weight-loss and training books.
Taken from the LA Times Obituary - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Steubenville, Ohio, USA
- Place of death
- Pasadena, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Critser is on a mission to convince the reader of the horrible impacts of poor eating habits stemming from fast foods and of limited exercise on the current obesity crisis.
He does a good job of describing the economic, societal and cultural elements which have all contributed to this state: from cheap eats made from unhealthy ingredients to cuts in physical education programs, there is a convergence of issues which have led to huge weight gains throughout the US.
There are some weaknesses: a show more vague attempt at the genetics and biology of weight gain (which did nothing to convince me), a gross exaggeration of 'future man combating excessive weight' and the esthetics whereby men and women prefer their lean counterparts (while ignoring cultural canons), but generally the message is clear: the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be fat.
Like all one-sided presentations, this book fails to turn to other, more successful, cultures like European ones (especially France which has tremendous success with its five fruits and vegetables campaign) but I found the conclusions and next steps solid with some innovative and optimistic conclusions. Ultimately only education and access to healthy foods will help reshape mentalities, a process that will be slow. show less
He does a good job of describing the economic, societal and cultural elements which have all contributed to this state: from cheap eats made from unhealthy ingredients to cuts in physical education programs, there is a convergence of issues which have led to huge weight gains throughout the US.
There are some weaknesses: a show more vague attempt at the genetics and biology of weight gain (which did nothing to convince me), a gross exaggeration of 'future man combating excessive weight' and the esthetics whereby men and women prefer their lean counterparts (while ignoring cultural canons), but generally the message is clear: the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be fat.
Like all one-sided presentations, this book fails to turn to other, more successful, cultures like European ones (especially France which has tremendous success with its five fruits and vegetables campaign) but I found the conclusions and next steps solid with some innovative and optimistic conclusions. Ultimately only education and access to healthy foods will help reshape mentalities, a process that will be slow. show less
I found this book informative but unduly harsh. Of course, my bias is as an obese person, one who has been aware of carrying extra weight since age 6, and one who is from the middle-class (and, ergo, not one of the empoverished to whom Critser seems to cut a bit of slack about being over weight).
The first chapters of the book are fascinating and revolve around changes in agriculture and trade in the USA in the late 1970s. These are centred on the introduction of high fructose corn syrup and show more palm oil in foods sold in the USA. Then comes the combos from the fast food restaurants and the general increase in eating out in the population.
Next, Crister describes what he perceives as too much fat acceptance, which includes, notably, the lack of social censure for the overweight, as religious leaders fail to discuss the sin of gluttony and big portions are offered and condoned more generally. (Crister identifies himself in the introduction as someone who has recently lost an extra 40 pounds he had put on as an adult -- his experience of fat acceptance is not entirely first hand.)
The author then explores the health consequences of overweight. Notably, he sides with the studies that have pointed out the failings of other studies indicating that some extra weight (i.e. 15 lbs or so) does not increase mortality rates and/or that being "fit and fat" is a healthy choice. On a more macro-social level, he decries public health messages that have led the population to think that they need less exercise than what has traditionally been promulgated as an adequate amount. And, as alluded to above, he generally decries messages of fat acceptance.
He then goes into rather graphic detail about the health effects of obesity, with a particular emphasis on the effects of diabetes on the human body. He is quite bleak.
Ultimately, Critser argues that obesity is disproportionately a problem of the poor. And because the poor are disproportionately racial minorities in the USA, that it is a problem of racial minorities. He says there are relatively few fat middle-class and rich people, and that such people are socially shunned and have the tools and means to lose the weight. So his focus is on the changes that can be made in American society to reduce and prevent childhood obesity among the poor. Much of the effort would be school-centred, and focus both on the foods offered at school and education about healthy eating, and on physical activity and stepping away from the sedentary lifestyle of TV and video games.
As far as parents and teachers taking a greater role in preventing child hood obesity, I could not agree more. I concur that there is a social imperative to make these changes happen and that this represents a completely worthwhile investment in the future. Unlike Crister, I would not only advocate it for the physical health benefits but also for the mental health benefits and increases in individual happiness. He may think that we are too fat accepting as a society, but I beg to differ. It sucks to be a fat kid (and a fat adult, for that matter). Where I part ways with him is on the benefits of refusing to accept people who are fat as full members of society. This idea that social censure is desirable alarms me. show less
The first chapters of the book are fascinating and revolve around changes in agriculture and trade in the USA in the late 1970s. These are centred on the introduction of high fructose corn syrup and show more palm oil in foods sold in the USA. Then comes the combos from the fast food restaurants and the general increase in eating out in the population.
Next, Crister describes what he perceives as too much fat acceptance, which includes, notably, the lack of social censure for the overweight, as religious leaders fail to discuss the sin of gluttony and big portions are offered and condoned more generally. (Crister identifies himself in the introduction as someone who has recently lost an extra 40 pounds he had put on as an adult -- his experience of fat acceptance is not entirely first hand.)
The author then explores the health consequences of overweight. Notably, he sides with the studies that have pointed out the failings of other studies indicating that some extra weight (i.e. 15 lbs or so) does not increase mortality rates and/or that being "fit and fat" is a healthy choice. On a more macro-social level, he decries public health messages that have led the population to think that they need less exercise than what has traditionally been promulgated as an adequate amount. And, as alluded to above, he generally decries messages of fat acceptance.
He then goes into rather graphic detail about the health effects of obesity, with a particular emphasis on the effects of diabetes on the human body. He is quite bleak.
Ultimately, Critser argues that obesity is disproportionately a problem of the poor. And because the poor are disproportionately racial minorities in the USA, that it is a problem of racial minorities. He says there are relatively few fat middle-class and rich people, and that such people are socially shunned and have the tools and means to lose the weight. So his focus is on the changes that can be made in American society to reduce and prevent childhood obesity among the poor. Much of the effort would be school-centred, and focus both on the foods offered at school and education about healthy eating, and on physical activity and stepping away from the sedentary lifestyle of TV and video games.
As far as parents and teachers taking a greater role in preventing child hood obesity, I could not agree more. I concur that there is a social imperative to make these changes happen and that this represents a completely worthwhile investment in the future. Unlike Crister, I would not only advocate it for the physical health benefits but also for the mental health benefits and increases in individual happiness. He may think that we are too fat accepting as a society, but I beg to differ. It sucks to be a fat kid (and a fat adult, for that matter). Where I part ways with him is on the benefits of refusing to accept people who are fat as full members of society. This idea that social censure is desirable alarms me. show less
There were some good points made in this book about the childhood obesity epidemic in the United States. I enjoyed the first half of the book more so than the second half. The first half discussed the history of our food supply and key players in this history, plus a lot about how child rearing changed during the last generation. This book states the obvious many times but at the beginning of the book, I was still intrigued enough to keep reading.
The second half of the book is more show more technical, deals with diabetes and other health issues, plus the author has some suggestions on how to solve some of our problems. I was not as entertained toward the end.
Considering the book has been around for many years, I am interested in reading a more up to date book. I think there are some things that have changed, maybe for the good, maybe not.
I know at one point, probably during a chapter on excessive, needless snacking, I just had the urge to go open a bag of chips and dig in. And I did! But, a couple chapters later, probably during a chapter describing our lazy attitudes and inability to get off our butts, I got motivated and had to stop and get on the treadmill for half an hour. So in some ways, this book was an interactive book! show less
The second half of the book is more show more technical, deals with diabetes and other health issues, plus the author has some suggestions on how to solve some of our problems. I was not as entertained toward the end.
Considering the book has been around for many years, I am interested in reading a more up to date book. I think there are some things that have changed, maybe for the good, maybe not.
I know at one point, probably during a chapter on excessive, needless snacking, I just had the urge to go open a bag of chips and dig in. And I did! But, a couple chapters later, probably during a chapter describing our lazy attitudes and inability to get off our butts, I got motivated and had to stop and get on the treadmill for half an hour. So in some ways, this book was an interactive book! show less
As an overweight (a bit, not too much) person myself, I found much to fear in this book about the growing trend toward obesity within the population of the United States. Daily, I see more and more people around me (good friends and relatives as well) who are truly obese, and I do worry about them.
Critser's book talks about the forces which have driven Americans to be the most overweight people in the world, the way the products Americans eat (or maybe should not eat) change our bodies, and show more techniques for dealing with the now startling rate of growth of obesity among children. I found there to be some dry reading in the parts of Critser's book where he cites various studies. However, the best part of the book is the end where he discusses how we can and should help our children deal with weight issues now.
This book is a good introduction to the serious issue of obesity as a health problem. I think what was missing from this book was more of a focus on how this problem should be addressed currently with adults. show less
Critser's book talks about the forces which have driven Americans to be the most overweight people in the world, the way the products Americans eat (or maybe should not eat) change our bodies, and show more techniques for dealing with the now startling rate of growth of obesity among children. I found there to be some dry reading in the parts of Critser's book where he cites various studies. However, the best part of the book is the end where he discusses how we can and should help our children deal with weight issues now.
This book is a good introduction to the serious issue of obesity as a health problem. I think what was missing from this book was more of a focus on how this problem should be addressed currently with adults. show less
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