Why do the poor become fat?

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also FYI, here in Canada on some days it took me 2.5 hours to get home from work on the bus the winter before last. that extreme situation only lasted a couple of weeks, but in the winter it can take over an hour to travel 3 miles.

many parents actually find it impossible to take public transit to work. since most of the people who have posted how easy it is to manage homemade meals don't actually have kids, i'll break it down. a person working a standard office job, with their kids in the non-neighbourhood school (most kids do not go to neighbourhood schools here as we have open boundaries), and working downtown, they would need a schedule something like this.

wake up at 6:00 a.m., get ready for work/kids ready for school
take the bus at 7:00 a.m. (or earlier) to get to before-school care or daycare for 7:30
take bus to work at 7:30 to arrive at 8:30 (hopefully an hour is enough time, but if you work downtown it might not be)
leave work at 4:30 to pick up kids
get kids at 5:30 p.m.
take the bus to arrive home at 6:00 p.m.

^^^that's already 12 hours since waking up, with a lot of wasted time on public transportation. if parents don't have cars here, they are essentially screwed. i have had many friends that had to turn down really good jobs because the public transportation didn't allow them enough time to do all of the above. the logistics can be a nightmare.

i should add that, by the time the dishes are done, dinner will have eaten up another hour of that day - at the very least. then helping with homework, chores, making lunches for the next day (we don't have school lunches in the lower grades here). it's an insane schedule, and there is very little time left over at the end of the day. parents look for anything at all that can buy time here and there (including owning a vehicle or getting fast food to eat). i don't think that many people posting here really understand the pressures that parents face.

where are the veggies? that is not a balanced meal. and yes, i get veggies in my McD's - tomato and lettuce and onions.

you can't get a chicken leg for 69c in Canada. that is hella cheap. you have to presoak the beans (in a couple of changes of water), and there isn't time for that. rice isn't all that healthy either. you can make a better choice with brown rice but that takes 50 minutes to cook, that is not convenient.

i eat healthily, but it is obvious to me why many people don't. your meal is semi-healthy, but less filling and much less convenient than fast food. if it was a 15 minute meal, maybe. but not a 50 minute meal.

1000Knives, you're right - the veggies at McD's on burgers is scanty. but the meal the person makes at home has to be healthier than the meal at McD's (otherwise there is no point), so it needs to be balanced and contain all the recommended veggies and such. it supposed to be a healthy alternative. it should also be tasty, but that's pretty individual.

some people have to change the water in the beans because their digestive systems can't handle the fermentation in the colon. it's fussy to have to soak them, especially if water changes need to be done. that's part of the point behind fast food (or even quick boxed meals at home) - they are fast meals for chronically exhausted parents to prepare.

it's more work, and more expensive to prepare enough for a person to actually be full (our food costs about 30% more than yours does, as well). at McD's, a person can eat 1/4lb of meat for cheap, and it is very filling.

i have a crockpot and have never used it because it just moves the prep time to the morning, when i didn't want to rush around. the last thing i want to do at 6:30 am is start preparing dinner. if i feel that way and i only work part-time and my daughter is an adult, i can't imagine how a parent of younglings feels.

you can go ahead and say it's "right" to eat a certain way, but that's not really helping anyone, is it?

Why is everyone so judgmental here? I mean, obviously if somebody has a problem with obesity it is a more complex issue then "just being lazy". I know its a culture shock to those who live in or from countries where obesity is not so much a problem, and yeah, your right, it is a problem. But sometimes people focus on it for the wrong reasons, like other people being fat "bothers" them so those people should just stop being fat. This is a complex issue that you have to treat compassion. You have to also realize all the addictive substances the US allows corporations to put in their food that other countries do not, like "flavorings". I admire those who have lost weight despite their busy schedules. But until you've been on such a low end of poor and been overweight I don't think you can judge the poor, or maybe even have any right to judge their personal lifestyle choices because of the privilege you have as middle class. (I am guessing)

Its one thing to be overweight and American, that is a long process of avoiding addictive foods and choosing healthy foods.

Being poor and overweight leaves you at even more of a disadvantage in life. So you might want to be careful before you lecture people on how they ought to live.