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Does the EV lifestyle lead to obesity?

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So my hypothesis is that EV drivers are more likely to be overweight because they will often kill time by eating at a restaurant while their car is charging.

Thoughts? Comments?

I would disagree:

1. Most drivers charge at home. Only a small percentage of charging is done at superchargers/public stations.
2. Charging at home leads you to not stopping for slushies and gas station sushi at the 7-11.
3. Less gas station time means more time for exercise. 10 second a day to charge vs. 5-10 minutes at a gas station every week.
4. Good planning will lead you to only stop and charge when you are eating a meal anyway. Most people don't eat more than 3 full sized meals per day . . . Most.


The fundamental point is that most EV charing is done at home and so a rare coffee, meal, or stop shopping won't likely change the weight of EV drivers.
 
So my hypothesis is that EV drivers are more likely to be overweight because they will often kill time by eating at a restaurant while their car is charging.
That's your hypothesis, what is your data?

If anything the lifestyle that leads to obesity also leads to owning a good EV.
It has something to do with "producing enough"
 
If we assume that 'EV lifestyle' is equivalent to owning an ev, then the question becomes 'does owning an ev lead to obesity'.

It might not be too hard to find an answer to that question. We can measure a correlation between ev ownership and obesity.

The ev owners are easily measured for obesity levels and for weight changes that happened during the ev ownership.

Conducting a simple survey on this forum will provide enough datapoints to enable calculating the correlation coefficient. It is important to note that the correlation does not imply causation. The absence of positive correlation will imply a lack of causation.

My bet is that the correlation between obesity and ev ownership is unlikely to be found.

I would not be surprised if there were some negative correlation that could be attributed to ev owners belonging to a social group that has a high regard for the environment. Such regard and acting on it by buying ev car is more likely to exist after more basic needs are sufficiently resolved. Development of a healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyle is likely to follow the similar resolution of hierarchy of needs.
 
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There are a few chargers I frequent in Massachusetts that just so happen to be next to some amazing nature walks (the Lincoln North HPWC near Minute Man National Historical Park for one). I'd wager I go on more walks than I used to because of charging :)
 
There are a few chargers I frequent in Massachusetts that just so happen to be next to some amazing nature walks (the Lincoln North HPWC near Minute Man National Historical Park for one). I'd wager I go on more walks than I used to because of charging :)

How about the chargers in Lexington's public parking lot which are literally 10-feet away from the bikeway. I'll be a regular down there this summer, getting a nice 20-mile ride in while charging my P85.
 
Tesla Superchargers are normally located at far ends of parking lots, so at least you get a walk.

I do think there might be a combination of factors. For example, if you live in Texas, have a high income a d like fruitcake I could see a correlation for obesity.
 
So my hypothesis is that EV drivers are more likely to be overweight because they will often kill time by eating at a restaurant while their car is charging.

Thoughts? Comments?

The only shred of truth in this is the fact that the food near Superchargers tends to be fast food. A couple of notable exceptions in Northeast:

• The Albany NY Supercharger is located next to a big new Whole Foods!

• The recently opened Superchargers at Hooksett NH (on I-93 Northbound & Southbound) feature several themed restaurants created by The Common Man restaurant chain. They all feature farm-to-table ingredients from the region.

Obesity is not so much about how often you eat, as it is about what you eat. Start by avoiding all forms of sugar (except that which occurs naturally in fruit), and avoid bread too. Actually, most commercially produced bread contains high-fructose corn syrup—the most dangerous kind of sugar. HFCS is used in 70% of the packaged food products in the supermarket, even in low fat milk and orange juice! Nearly everything served in a fast-food restaurant contains HFCS. Sugar is the primary cause of obesity in the developed world, and it has a much larger effect than lack of exercise.

So what to snack on while on the road? Apples, bananas and unsalted almonds are good basics to begin with. And drink plenty of water.
 
So my hypothesis is that EV drivers are more likely to be overweight because they will often kill time by eating at a restaurant while their car is charging. Thoughts? Comments?

If anything, I'd think it would have the opposite effect - EV charging generally being either at home or part of a road trip, I'd think that it will lead to less crappy fast food jammed down the throat while driving and more healthy food (or at least fancier food, which could be healthier) eaten at a comfortable pace, either at home or at real restaurants while traveling.

Walter
 
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How about the chargers in Lexington's public parking lot which are literally 10-feet away from the bikeway. I'll be a regular down there this summer, getting a nice 20-mile ride in while charging my P85.

Yes, I park there often :) I don't own a bike, but it is a lovely path for a walk. I usually eat at LEXX or hang out at the Panera/Peet's/Starbucks though, truth be told.
 
Obesity is not so much about how often you eat, as it is about what you eat. Start by avoiding all forms of sugar (except that which occurs naturally in fruit), and avoid bread too. Actually, most commercially produced bread contains high-fructose corn syrup—the most dangerous kind of sugar. HFCS is used in 70% of the packaged food products in the supermarket, even in low fat milk and orange juice! Nearly everything served in a fast-food restaurant contains HFCS. Sugar is the primary cause of obesity in the developed world, and it has a much larger effect than lack of exercise.

So what to snack on while on the road? Apples, bananas and unsalted almonds are good basics to begin with. And drink plenty of water.

We own an S85. I bake all our bread from scratch. The 100% whole wheat contains (per loaf) 1/4 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of non-fat dried milk, one tablespoon of sodium chloride, 2 1/2 teaspoons of instant yeast, water, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/8 cup of flax seed and 1/4 cup of pinhead oats in addition to the 100% whole wheat flour.

When I bake dinner rolls or baguettes, one teaspoon of granulated sugar is part of each recipe. I really do not believe that these quantities of sugar(s) in the bread that I bake are deleterious to my health. I realize the controversy about high-fructose corn syrup, and we avoid it at all costs. But, as Grandmother used to say, "moderation in all things!"

I think the biggest contribution to our obesity problems is the general sloth that pervades modern society. We are too lazy to go get a good meal because we are in a hurry to do something else. We don't want to take the time to prepare something good to eat with quality ingredients. Instead, we grab a soft drink and a bag of Doritos or a pizza. We don't walk 1/3 mile to the grocery store to get one or two items. We drive. Tesla owners are generally better educated and likely more affluent that most of the population, so we probably have a more circumspect outlook as to what we put into our mouths and the amount of exercise that we get.
 
I thought it might be from sitting at the computer reading stories about each others adventures on TMC until way past midnight every day that caused the weight gain.

My other half would agree with you. I'm being told to look into getting a used Mode S rather than waiting for a Model 3 just because of all the time I spend reading thread after thread here. I spend more time on TMC than a typically teenager does on Facebook!
 
My other half would agree with you. I'm being told to look into getting a used Mode S rather than waiting for a Model 3 just because of all the time I spend reading thread after thread here. I spend more time on TMC than a typically teenager does on Facebook!

So she thinks that by encouraging you to get a car sooner, it'll make you read the forums *less*?!?

I'm not seeing her logic here. (Though I suppose you'll want to spend some time out driving the car...)
 
Obesity is not so much about how often you eat, as it is about what you eat. Start by avoiding all forms of sugar (except that which occurs naturally in fruit), and avoid bread too. Actually, most commercially produced bread contains high-fructose corn syrup—the most dangerous kind of sugar. HFCS is used in 70% of the packaged food products in the supermarket, even in low fat milk and orange juice! Nearly everything served in a fast-food restaurant contains HFCS. Sugar is the primary cause of obesity in the developed world, and it has a much larger effect than lack of exercise.

getting off topic, but I'd be surprised if sugar consumption is better correlated with obesity than lack of exercise, nevermind "has a much larger effect".
and I also doubt that HFCS is noticeably worse for you than cane sugar. Sucrose is basically a glucose molecule glued to a fructose molecule, while HFCS is basically a glucose molecule next to a fructose molecule. Glucose next to fructose is pretty much exactly the type of sugar found in most fruit, so saying that HFCS is most dangerous while fruit sugars are okay seems a bit ridiculous.

I think it's more accurate to say that obesity is more about calories consumed vs. calories burned than it is what you eat or how often you eat.
Personally, I eat often, I eat a lot of sugar, I eat fast food, but I rarely eat until I'm full and I get a fair amount of good exercise in 6 days per week. That works for me. I'm sure others have other ways to ward off obesity.