Kate’s Controversies

I'd like to expand (sorry, I just can't help it !) on your first point. The 'usefulness' of BMI has received increasing attention in the UK. For the reason you give, BMI is not accepted by all as a good measure of obesity. Going back to the simple expedient of waist measurement is being promoting by many. Although calculating BMI is something that most people in CR4 could do in their heads, it seems (to me) unreasonable to expect this of pre-teens (and probably quite a few more). Apart from the scientific basis for changing the usual obesity measurement, simplifying how it's done can only be for the good IMHO. ie height vs waist.

I don't know how social etiquette works in the USA, but describing somebody as fat or talking of waist measurement has become something of a taboo in the UK. This does zero to help those with weight issues. I don't advocate a name-calling culture, but hiding the self-evident truth (with new phrase and formula) does nobody any service. Western culture seems to have shifted because there are so many obese people that we no longer dare confront the matter with what may seem blunt words. The reasons why people become overweight are deeply complex (leaving aside the 'energy in- energy out' explanation), but they are all symptomatic of our society in general. There are exceptions, such as individuals who have medical conditions which leave the bodies 'I'm full' switch inoperative, and non-Western cultures where being fat is regarded as 'good' (let's not forget all those Rubinesc neolithic fertility sculptures), but these are the minority. Obesity has always been an issue for Western cultures, but never before on the scale we have now. To compound the problem, people shovel in more chemical additives than ever before and the long term effect are not known. Those with weight problems need a straight-forward measure of 'am I fat'. Next they need the information and support to change that. Effort should be directed to those in School because, more likely than not, their condition is a result of parenting and they are amenable to learn. With caring support they can change their lifestyle choices. It's a sad fact that adults often don't. Each year, UK Schools seem to reduce the number of hours devoted to PE lessons - my sons School know my opinion of that, and luckily I can arrange plenty of extra curricular stuff. A lot of parents aren't in that position.

It would be great to read of anybody who has experience of so called 'fat camps' for children. Any intervention that helps youngsters ( with something so fundamental as health) sound like money well spent to me. There's no point leaving School for a glorious career if you're destined for an early fat-related death.

My 2-cents here is just because it was a place to slot it in with a margin of relevance moose. I'll say 'Sorry' now in case I've upset anybody with my slightly harsh sounding opinions.

Dang! You have been away too long! What did those Scots do, teach you civility? How very unbecoming!

Well, here's another useful index. Nice and simple to remember.

Take the individual's height and divide it by the waist measurement. If the answer is less than 2, do something about it.

So there.

I was thinking more of inseam versus waist!

Moose,

Americans are fat everywhere: Americans are self indulgent. That's a nice way of saying we're gluttons - for everything. Our homes are big, our cars are big, our hobbies are big. Our meals are big and hence our waist lines are big.

America needs a shrink, Moose. We are a very sick people.

bobguz

We're the land of the gallon bucket of Ben & Jerry's. We're the land of the 11 piece bucket of fried chicken. We're the land where fast food companies print their bags and boxes with pictures of healthy, athletic people. We are the land where the bad stuff is twenty times cheaper than the good stuff. And we're the land of when both parents have worked all day and are too tired to prepare the good stuff, they settle for the bad stuff "just this once."

I saw a talk show where three morbidly obese women had undergone radical forms of surgery to lose weight, and all were as obese as ever. A fourth woman came on the show. While she was a bit over weight, she was definitely in control of her eating and activity level.

So what was the difference between these women? For one thing, the slightly over weight lady had accepted herself and felt comfortable in her own skin. On the other hand, from the beginning of the show, there was an odd look in the eyes of the obese women that hinted there was something not alright! It was vivid and obvious.

If one is having emotional problems, the cheapest, most readily available, and most legal drug one can get to feel better is FOOD!!!

Nice one vermin !

Also, food has the virtue that it's not 'dirty' like drugs or alcohol. Curling up with a nice bar of chocolate, treating the kids to a nice family meal at the Golden arches. It's all good wholesome, normal behaviour.Not. Not if you do it 7 days a week. Selling fat is big money, taking it off you is also big money. Brokers make a cut when it all moves up and down. Even the doctor makes a cut when he slices a fat person knowing it probably won't work in the long term. If you can't afford the latest must have possession, somebody will offer to console you with a slab of disguised lard. Marx was wrong when he said religion is the opium of the people. Cable TV and lard is.

Having had my little rant, obese people should not be castigated. They are victims of 21st Century culture, and a carrot (no joke intended) may work better than a stick.

I tend to agree with you. I will admit that I just don't like exercising!!! However, while a little on the heavy side, I have not crossed that border into obesity, because I never managed to connect food with comfort/love/whatever. While I'm not a big eater, I'm also not a big physical fitness nut. So, the more I think about this issue, it seems as though those people that uses food as a drug are totally screwed! I do know that the mental model of food is taught to your offspring. It's obvious when the fat man and women walk by with the fat kids in tow.

To fix this is almost as hard as winning in Iraq! People with the food addition have to say "I don't want this anymore!!!" And that's the last thing you'll ever hear an addict say... Their entire way of life is based around this one unmovable pillar. It's their physic anchor in the world. How many do you think are going to let go of that pillar and jump into free fall?

As ever vermin, I find myself in agreement. There is something about our culture that nurtures and encourages obesity. The UK government has recently introduced many measure to dissuade people from smoking. Attempts to tackle obesity have been half-hearted in comparison. I view this as politically motivated. Telling a large percent of the electorate that they are 'fat' will not win votes, and the very use of such words is almost a social taboo now. Whatever strategy they are using (if any at all) is clearly not working. The words of description are irrelevant - any word can be corrupted as an insult, the main issue is that people are not understanding or being able to get out of the trap that is ' Obesity'. This should trouble us all, since we're all affected one way or another, whether it's being squashed on public transport, paying higher medical premiums or just plain caring about fellow citizens health. Many ( if not most) hospital admissions arise from life style 'choice' so the matter of obesity should be addressed with the same consideration as any other medical related issue. I don't have a weight problem, but have an inclination to think 'don't eat so much and exercise more' when I see somebody overweight, but this clearly does not work. My observation is that obesity is more prevalent in the economically deprived - perhaps a greater degree of social equality/mobility might help (?).

This just in... It has been discovered that part of the Patriot Act requires all citizens living in the United States to be accelerated toward the speed of light. So far, we are currently cruising at about .75 c.

Of course, as a result of the laws of Relativity, we all have become much heavier. So, if we look fat to you it's just because we're going a lot faster, and it's not our fault!!!

Sugar is having similar effects in your brain as drugs.

You can really be addicted to it.

Definitely "Food for Thought". What about the possible use of no-cal sweetners; but perhaps the human body doesnt tolerate them in the massive quantities likely required for American food products. While there is no doubt that the sugars, etc used in the food industry add to the problem, the main question is why we eat so much.

The body does not require anywhere near the number of calories the average American typically consumes in order to function. I think one problem is that we use food as a 'pacifier' when we are stressed and make no mistake about it, the average American is stressed. Perhaps we need to reduce our stress levels. The striving for a better lifestyle (more toys, etc) results in longer working hour (to make more nancies) and attendent stresses.