Powerlifter and IFBB pro Stan Efferding earned the title of the World’s Strongest Bodybuilder. The powerlifter is also the only bodybuilder with a raw powerlifting total (squat, benchpress, deadlift) record of 2,303 lbs. Besides?bodybuilding?and powerlifting, Efferding is also an exercise scientist who knows a thing or two about nutrition. Earlier, the 55-year-old gave his two cents on a pressing health issue.

Stan Efferding was the latest guest at the Modern Wisdom podcast studio. Host Chris Williamson asked the founder of the Vertical Diet about the alarmingly increasing rate of obesity among Americans. According to the CDC, obesity affects 114.8 million people (100.1 million, or 41.9%, adults and 14.7 million, or 19.7%, children) in the U.S.A. in 2023. Efferding offered an eye-opening perspective on the issues by pointing out a particular kind of food.

The bodybuilding icon slams processed food?

After the initial greetings, Chris Williamson asked,?“What do you think are the main causes of the obesity epidemic?”?The podcaster added,?“Why is it that the average American’s got so much fatter over the last few decades?”?The exercise scientist said the secret was in the calories and how much the average person is consuming these days.

In his eye-opening advice, Efferding said the average American is?“consuming more calories than we used to 50 years ago,” according to research. However, the problem also lies in where most of those calories are coming from. Stan ‘Rhino’ Efferding said most people are getting high calories from?“hyper-palatable, ultra-processed foods.”?These foods are causing multiple problems.

Ultra-processed food?“seemed to have interfered with our ability to become satiated… So we’re eating too much,”?said Efferding. Hence, processed foods are not only skyrocketing the calories an average person consumes, but despite eating such foods, they don’t feel satiated.?“This food environment… it’s hard to shut it off,”?added the 55-year-old IFBB pro. However, individuals like Williamson and Efferding aren’t the only ones raising alarm bells.

Arnold Schwarzenegger also expressed concern

Bodybuilding legend and seven-time Mr. Olympia also wrote about obesity in his fitness newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club. Besides nutrition, another cause of the rise in obesity is a sedentary lifestyle. Worried by the statistics, Schwarzenegger started his crusade to bring fitness into the lives of sedentary people.

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The bodybuilding icon shares short and effective workouts, diet tips, and mental health advice. Arnie aims to help people take a step toward wellness in their busy lives. In March, the bodybuilding icon shared a lesser-known stat about obesity.?“According to the World Obesity Federation, the cost of obesity could run as high as $4.32 trillion per year by 2035,”?Schwarzenegger wrote.

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While the rising rate of obesity has worried many people, individuals like Stan Efferding, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others are making an effort to educate people. They aim to help people with eye-opening advice and by pointing out the root cause.