Obesity

[brujaq]

I wrestled unlimited heavy weight class in high school at 6' 225 but also run a 4.4 forty at fullback got as heavy as 280 and now down to 195 .. 1 Samuel 4:18 .. I love heavy people and that's all there is to it .. Waffle House .. Cheese steak omlet, hashbrowns scattered, covered, and smothered triple the plate with a half bottle of ketchup , let me at'em

 

[Creative]

Very muscular fit people may fall into an obese category because muscle outweighs fat.

Muscle does not outweigh fat. A pound of muscle is a pound. A pound of fat is a pound. I do get your meaning though, I believe there are 350 calories (energy) in a pound of fat and 600 calories in a pound of muscle.

There is a big difference though. How did an overweight person put on those extra pounds and how did the body builder do it ? There is the question of fitness.

 

[WIP]

Funny thing is what we or the medical community or both define what is obese or overweight. We recently did health screenings at work where they tested our cholesterol, glucose, blood iron, etc. Part of the screening also gave us a BMI (body mass index) and judging by the chart they used the desired BMI was between about 19 and 24. At 6'-1" tall, to not be classified as overweight would require that I weigh less than 182 pounds. To put me in the median point of the desired range I would have to drop to about 165 pounds.

I remember when I weighed 165 pounds. That was when I graduated from high school and I can tell you that I never felt worse than I did back then. I was skinny as a rail, weak, and had no coordination to speak of. I could and did eat like a pig most of the time but could never put the weight on. It wasn't until I got into my mid 20's before things began to change and when I got up to about 190 pounds is when I felt my best but that puts me in the overweight category.

To look at me nobody would consider me to be overweight by much and to think I was obese would be laughable however, at 6'-1" and 215 pounds puts my BMI close to 28. A BMI of 30 is considered obese. I am trying to cut some of my weight but to get back down to 180 or less is a pipe dream at best and quite frankly I hope I never get that far. In my opinion our society has a strange idea about what is considered a healthy weight and it is this fixation that drives a lot of the problem.

 

[Christ_empowered]

I'm trying to reduce weight, be more physically active, etc., now. I was sick, at all levels (mentally, physically, etc.) for a long time there, so now...by God's grace, I'm healthy and have what I need to eat properly, get enough exercise, etc.

even though I do need to reduce, I do have doubts about the BMI scale. I understand that there needs to be some way to help guide people in their weight goals, etc., but...surely, there's got to be a more nuanced, better scale out there than the going bmi, right?

as for the 'obesity epidemic...' I think a lot of it is because people do not have time to exercise, eat right, etc. I mean, even a lot of cities aren't as pedestrian-friendly as they could/should be. move out to more rural areas, small towns, subdivisions, etc., you -need- a car to do anything, go anywhere. people work a lot, have bills to pay, kids to raise, on and on it goes...

...sadly, a lot of the cheaper foods aren't so great for you. those foods also tend to be more readily available, and the pre-made stuff is pretty much designed to taste great, while filling you up with less than fabulous nutrition.

I don't know. people are, undoubtedly, heavier than we/they were in, say, the 50s or 60s. ive read some places that even when eating out, portion sizes in the us have gotten crazy. since obesity is apparently now a worldwide problem, I'm guessing that's happening in other countries, too.

not to sound too, too "left wing" or what have you, but I don't think its really a "personal problem," not when it affects -so- many people. when we have kids and teenagers coming down with type ii diabetes and such on a regular basis, I think its a -social- problem that will require society-wide efforts to make a difference.

 

[Creative]

I agree that BMI does not work for all body types. Obviously if you are a tooth pick with an enormous pot belly you are in heart attack alley even if you are within the acceptable BMI weight. You have to look at your body in the mirror and be honest about what you are seeing.