The obesity 'pandemic'

[smileyeagle1021]

That's interesting because I've never thought of Kevin Smith as obese or even that fat. Sure, he's a bigger bear, but he doesn't appear so large that he can't fit in a plane seat.

I didn't want to derail the thread about Kevin Smith getting kicked off the airplane, but I did want to bring something up.
With all the people talking about how fat Kevin Smith is and the debate on whether or not it is healthy. Which I think is a fair debate. I have seen overweight people who are very strong and in good shape. I've seen skinny people who couldn't lift a paperweight and have health problems out the wazzoo.
I keep hearing everywhere about an obesity pandemic... which aside from the question of whether or not that really is a health problem... I question if it really exists. In the computer lab I'm in, looking around I'd estimate about 50 people in the room... out of them, I would say I am the "fattest" person here (and those who have seen the pictures of me know that isn't that fat). There is apparently 300 people who work where I work, and granted I haven't met or even seen them all... but I can think of maybe a dozen at most people who are more overweight than me. I don't see it on the buses or trains. Where is this pandemic that people talk about?
Penn and Teller did an episode on obesity standards and they brought in a skinny guy... not a visible ounce of fat on his body (nice body by the way too oh, what were we talking about again ), the doctor they brought in took the measurements etc. and determined that Mr. I would love to be that skinny was overweight
So, is it really that big of a health risk?
Is it really the pandemic people claim it is?
And are we setting the standard artificially high which makes it look like a pandemic when it's not?

[Nyoibo]

And let me guess, they determined he was overweight using the BMI?

There is a pandemic of overweight people and people can carry on that you can be fat and fit, but being overweight is still unhealthy, the BMI is used too much and skews results, but just ooking around on the street I can see there's a weight problem in the population.

[Greenday]

I see it plenty. Even living on a college campus, I still see plenty of people who are active but can easily be considered overweight. There's definitely a too high of a percentage of overweight people in this country and regardless of being able to lift weights or whatever, it's still unhealthy.

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

Well you can't argue the abundance/overmarketing of food problem. There's so much stuff out there to eat. Restauarant portions are in general way too big (in fact a lot of stuff you eat when you go out isn't that healthy for you) and junk food is heavily marketed all over the place (i.e. coke machines).

We, as a society, are continually being told to eat, eat, eat when we don't really need to. I bet most people would be STUNNED at how little food is actually needed to sustain an average, healthy human being for a day. It's a heck of a lot less than most of us eat, I can guarantee you that.

[Kimmik]

I am of the opion that we have forgotten that people come in all shapes and sizes. Myself I range from an American 22 to 24 in womens. But my BP is beyond perfect, cholestrol is super, what I have a problem with is Iron due to almost bleeding to death and vitamin D.

other wise I am very healthy but according to the BMI I am morbidly obese... lets forget that all the numbers say that I am healthy well except the weight one.. that means I should die of a corornary or something. Being "fat" is only unhealthy when it is a detriament to you. If your health is poor you cant move around etc then your weight is a factor...

I can fence.. walk... run.. (ok jog).. without my weight bothering me... My weight only bothers me when some twatwaffle goes... gee your fat.

I am sorry but our society is to hung on perceptions.. and it doesnt matter if I am my "ideal" weight I am never going to be considered thin.

[Nyoibo]

I bet most people would be STUNNED at how little food is actually needed to sustain an average, healthy human being for a day. It's a heck of a lot less than most of us eat, I can guarantee you that.

On average 4 slices of bread, no filling or anything else, just the bread is over 500 calories.

[ladyneeva]

regardless of being able to lift weights or whatever, it's still unhealthy.

And that is your business why? Even if it is true, which there have been studies done to indicate that not only is weight not a good metric for health, it isn't even a good predictor of future health.

But even if we accept that all fat people are going to die immediately, what the hell business is it of anyone elses?

[Nyoibo]

My business because my taxes pay for their health care, being overweight puts you in a higher risk of diabetes, it puts extra strain on the heart leading to heart diseas and other complications, all of which require expensive medication which is subsidised by my taxes..

[elsporko]

Well you can't argue the abundance/overmarketing of food problem. There's so much stuff out there to eat. Restauarant portions are in general way too big (in fact a lot of stuff you eat when you go out isn't that healthy for you) and junk food is heavily marketed all over the place (i.e. coke machines).

We, as a society, are continually being told to eat, eat, eat when we don't really need to. I bet most people would be STUNNED at how little food is actually needed to sustain an average, healthy human being for a day. It's a heck of a lot less than most of us eat, I can guarantee you that.

Its almost like people should have self control and not eat everything that is availiable to them. A crazy concept I know.

[Nyoibo]

It's partly that, it's also that better education is needed, most people are unaware of how much they need to eat and the amount of energy and calories is in what they're eating.

[AdminAssistant]

My business because my taxes pay for their health care, being overweight puts you in a higher risk of diabetes, it puts extra strain on the heart leading to heart diseas and other complications, all of which require expensive medication which is subsidised by my taxes..

'Kay.

Then you'd also support requiring smokers to quit, since that also puts pressure on the health system. Limit pregnancy to...two kids per woman? Because that's expensive. Of course, we'd have to ban drinking alcohol. And any kind of dangerous activity, since all of those things put people at risk.

I'm overweight. I know this. I would like to lose some weight, but it's not a real priority in my life. For example, I could not get through the day without soda, and I can only handle so much diet stuff. So, I will never give up sodas. Not happening. However, my 'ideal' weight is 130, and that will NEVER happen, and I wouldn't want it to. Last time I was 130 (in high school) I was all knees, elbow, and collarbones, no boobs, flat butt....yeesh. Too skinny for me.

I do think that we've overblown the obesity 'pandemic'. Yes, there is a problem, but overstating the problem doesn't solve it.

[Greenday]

It's partly that, it's also that better education is needed, most people are unaware of how much they need to eat and the amount of energy and calories is in what they're eating.

I'm gonna have to say BS. Everyone in this day and age knows that eating too much is bad for you. Most people just don't give a crap.

[ladyneeva]

My business because my taxes pay for their health care, being overweight puts you in a higher risk of diabetes, it puts extra strain on the heart leading to heart diseas and other complications, all of which require expensive medication which is subsidised by my taxes..

First a couple of links... on the diabetes front, and on the whole it's just calories in/calories out, of course fat people are just thin people who are too stupid to eat right or don't give a crap about their health or (insert insulting/demeaning language that assumes thin people are morally superior to fat people here) link

Not that I expect anyone to read them and not come back with "thats just a bunch of disgusting fatties trying to say they have some kind of right to exist, but we know they're just using it as an excuse to be fat at me!!!".

As far as the "fat people cost me money!!!!" claim, nobody ever begrudges paying taxes (or in the US increased premiums) for people who bang themselves up doing "virtuous" things. I have a friend who tore the hell out of her Achilles tendon year before last doing agility with her dog. Lots of surgeries etc. But she was doing Healthy Physical Stuff, so of course nobody would complain about their tax dollars going to HER health care (or, rather, since we're in the US... their premiums going up to support her "lifestyle"). Does your opinion of if she is allowed to require medical care change when I point out that the woman in question is in her 60's and has a BMI of 33?

Or, conversely, take me. I required medical care for an injury to my foot last year... my BMI is 37. Was I wasting your precious health care dollars? Or do I get a pass because even though I'm a disgusting fatty I was doing Healthy Physical Stuffs at the time of the injury? Which was not caused by my weight... even thin people sprain their ankles when they're hiking and don't see that the rock they're about to step on is covered with ice.

Being thin isn't some magical virtue that will protect someone from ever needing medical care... and being fat does not automatically guarantee that every medical issue that person ever has in their life is caused by being fat. It is not as cut and dried as you would like it to be. Being thin isn't a virtue, and being fat is not a sin.

Compare the actions of the 'fat police' to the actions of your typical fundamentalist homophobe nutjob. If you are honest with yourself, there are a lot of similarities... just four right off the top:

1: Both groups sincerely believe that there are serious health risks inherent in the "lifestyle choices" that the targets of their malice have made.
2: Both groups sincerely feel that of course if the targets of their malice weren't just being weak, sinful, disgusting, perverse, and/or lazy they would naturally just become normal.
3: Both groups honestly think that if we won't choose to conform, we should be derided, belittled, harassed and insulted until we stop being different and start acting like normal people.
4: Both groups honestly feel that they aren't REALLY being hateful/abusive towards us because after all they aren't hating US... they hate our sin, they're just insulting the SIN not the person

[Gravekeeper]

Compare the actions of the 'fat police' to the actions of your typical fundamentalist homophobe nutjob. If you are honest with yourself, there are a lot of similarities... just four right off the top:

That was almost weirdly offensive. You aren't born morbidly obese ( barring crazy rare medical disorders ). You're born gay on the other hand. Like it or not, being overweight is typically the result of lifestyle decisions. Being gay isn't, despite what the homophobe nutjobs you speak of say.

"Pandemic" is just a media buzz word to grab ratings. Yes, there is a problem in the western world, America specifically, but its not exactly Black Plague level regardless of the hype. You do notice it though. I notice it just in Vancouver, which is very multicultural and those other cultures tend to be much healthier and thinner on average then native born Caucasians here. Because they have different lifestyles and values. I also notice it traveling south, where to be bluntly brutally honest, the further south you go, the bigger people get. It *is* noticeable when you enter the States.

I'm not talking body image perception "I'm not fat, society just says I am because of advertising" either. I mean "We may have to remove the wall of your home live on Maury Povich".

Like it or not, the % of people that are grossly overweight for legitimate medical reasons is extremely low. Most of the time it is due simply to lifestyle choices. But having said that, its not justification to mock and belittle people either. As a society we do have a vested interest in being healthier as a whole, so we are reacting as a counterbalance, even if that counterbalance is horrifically misguided in some ways.

Being too skinny is no better then being too fat though. The objective is to be healthy. You can easily be that with some meat on your bones. Its when your body is labouring to support that meat that things become an issue.

[Nyoibo]

I'm gonna have to say BS. Everyone in this day and age knows that eating too much is bad for you. Most people just don't give a crap.

It's not the eating too much, it's what they're eating, like people who think they're being healthy drinking sports drinks, when they're no healthier than soft drinks and no better for you unless you're really exercising hard.

"Pandemic" is just a media buzz word to grab ratings. .

True, it doesn't actually apply as it's not an infectious disease.