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It just a statistical fact that people with a BMI over 30 (obese) are at a HUGELY increased risk of developing high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or other lipid disorders, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
It's also a statistical fact that people with a BMI over 25 (overweight) who have two additional risk factors: smoker, physical inactivity, high blood glucose, hypertension, high LDL, low HDL, family history of heart disease, high triglycerides, also have the same HIGHLY increased risk of developing these same conditions.
Yes, BMI is not a 100% indicator, and yes BMI does have its limitations (it doesn't work well for athletes due to their having muscle mass as a larger percentage of their overall mass), but overall, it's a damn good indicator.
At 200 pounds, according to the BMI index, "unhealthy heights" would be anything 6'2'' (overweight) or under, especially 5'8'' (obese) or under.
People in general are fatter than they were 20 years ago. Much fatter in the south on average in my experience.
I will admit, I am prejudiced against fat people. I see their fatness as a sign of laziness and that translates further into a lack of intelligence and willpower. I am angered when I see the 500 pound whales on television complaining that their only hope is gastric bypass surgery. No ... you could always you know, EAT LESS AND EXERCISE MORE. Still I am sympathetic to the mental illness aspect that is associated with many of these cases.
I also see their fatness as money someone, likely all of us are going to have to spend somewhere along the line because of related health costs. I'm not talking about a few pounds here and there, I am referring to the people who waddle.
Historically Colorado had very few of these people, one reason being that people loose weight simply by being at altitude as the body has to work harder 24/7. In the past few years with larger migrations from people in the mid-west and south it is sadly not uncommon to see these waddling ducks in our city.
The wholefoods comment about 3X the price? Whole Paycheck does have quality produce and fantastic meats. If you watch the coupons like I do and avoid the temptation to look at everything else you can get good deals for great products.
On a side note, A Florida woman who was recently involved in a shooting. Doctors say she lived because the bullets were stopped by her immense amount of fat. She then commented that while she was planning to go on a diet she was now going to get as fat as she could as she would be more capable of stopping bullets. Only in America could that logic even begin to exist. Because you know, you are much more likely to be killed by a bullet than by your poor health.
Yes, BMI is not a 100% indicator, and yes BMI does have its limitations (it doesn't work well for athletes due to their having muscle mass as a larger percentage of their overall mass), but overall, it's a damn good indicator.
I wouldn't classify it as "damn good", heck, I wouldn't even classify it as "good"... it's a bad indicator.
I have a BMI of 30.4 (6'4", 250lbs). As you stated, obese by BMI standards. I'm not a (traditional) athlete... meaning, I'm a nationally competitive pistol shooter, on my way up into the international stage. Something that requires Stamina (you try holding perfectly still for 90 minutes while holding a 3lb weight at arms length away from you), a low resting heart rate, etc... As such, I exercise and visit sports physicians at the Olympic Training Center in CO Springs. Not a body builder, or some other muscle-bound type athlete.
I have a bodyfat percentage rating of ~17%, which is rated as "fit", with "healthy" being about 3~4% above that, and "athletic" being 3~5% below that (for my age).
When having a general physical for blood pressure, cholesterol, etc... I am Always at the 'good' end of the specs.
I'm not alone.... I know *LOTS* of people like myself that are 'classified' as obese by BMI, and yet FAR healthier than people who fit the mold of the BMI better. I always laugh at the 'flabby skinny' people who are Clearly in far worse shape/health than I am. People with genes that allow them to eat like crap (while younger)... they never learn how to balance a diet or take care of themselves and it shows.
I know *LOTS* of people like myself that are 'classified' as obese by BMI, and yet FAR healthier than people who fit the mold of the BMI better. I always laugh at the 'flabby skinny' people who are Clearly in far worse shape/health than I am. People with genes that allow them to eat like crap (while younger)... they never learn how to balance a diet or take care of themselves and it shows.
BMI has a TON of flaws.... it's a joke.
Okay, but your OP made it sound like people (meaning, actual individuals) were telling you you need to weigh 100 lbs. Now it sounds like your just feeling irked by BMI standards. I think we can all agree that setting up one bar to measure an entire population is really impossible and will only lead to frustration if not taken with a grain of salt. On the other hand, if you're not 100% satisfied with your current physical state (I'm not saying that you shouldn't be, just IF you aren't), then the BMI could be useful in determining additional goals for yourself.
Okay, but your OP made it sound like people (meaning, actual individuals) were telling you you need to weigh 100 lbs. Now it sounds like your just feeling irked by BMI standards. I think we can all agree that setting up one bar to measure an entire population is really impossible and will only lead to frustration if not taken with a grain of salt. On the other hand, if you're not 100% satisfied with your current physical state (I'm not saying that you shouldn't be, just IF you aren't), then the BMI could be useful in determining additional goals for yourself.
BMI is the lazy way out. It's funny that people that rail on fat people for being lazy also accept the laziest way to measure if someone is actually fat or not. It doesn't take that much to get a body fat measurement and there are various measures that give approximate(tape measurements) and accurate(water immersion) measurements and they are a hell of a lot more accurate than BMI(and body fat percentages take in account that different ethnic groups have different goal body fat numbers based on variations in things like bone density). It's the measurement the military uses if you are over the weight limit for your height, but apparently it's not good enough for the rest of the government that loves to talk up BMI when they talk about obesity issues despite the flawed nature of the measurement.
It just a statistical fact that people with a BMI over 30 (obese) are at a HUGELY increased risk of developing high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol or other lipid disorders, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
It's also a statistical fact that people with a BMI over 25 (overweight) who have two additional risk factors: smoker, physical inactivity, high blood glucose, hypertension, high LDL, low HDL, family history of heart disease, high triglycerides, also have the same HIGHLY increased risk of developing these same conditions.
Yes, BMI is not a 100% indicator, and yes BMI does have its limitations (it doesn't work well for athletes due to their having muscle mass as a larger percentage of their overall mass), but overall, it's a damn good indicator.
At 200 pounds, according to the BMI index, "unhealthy heights" would be anything 6'2'' (overweight) or under, especially 5'8'' (obese) or under.
It's also a statistical fact that people on bicycles get hit by trucks...oh, you're just missing the OP's point, I think! Why are people so cruel? I grew up in the south where I was ridiculed for being so skinny. Women down there are supposed to have a little meat on their bones and look more like Beyonce than Kate Moss. I hated my sisters for having curves, while I always had the body of a 13 year old boy (even into my 30s...). People always felt it was okay to make comments about my body. I feel for the OP because he is right...size does NOT dictate a person's health. Just ask me about my hypertension (which my 170 pound sister does not have).
Eh...there's all kinds of ways to be lazy. Including judging people by what they look like rather than who they are and what they've accomplished. The OP LOST 450 lbs.! No matter what he looks like I would not call that lazy, unintelligent or having a lack of willpower. But you wouldn't necessarily know that just to see him on the street now would you? It's just easier (lazier) to look down smugly isn't it?
Last edited by maciesmom; 03-09-2010 at 03:15 PM..
I feel for the OP because he is right...size does NOT dictate a person's health. Just ask me about my hypertension (which my 170 pound sister does not have).
Sure it does. Fat people are at increased risk for a number of health problems. You don't get fat by exercising and eating right, i.e. the opposite of being healthy.
For the guy above, 6'4" 250, I mean this in no way as a negative comment, but you are overweight. Not by any means grossly overweight. You have an inch and 35-40 pounds on me at my heaviest during a bulk cycle and 60 pounds on me during tri season and even then I am a solid 10 pounds more than I *should* be to be competitive. Being fit does not mean holding a 3 pound weight, however hard it is, and I do not doubt that it is. There is zero cardiovascular or very little anyway measure in that task. Simply put, 99 times out of a hundred if you have a pot belly? You are overweight and not healthy, , err or perhaps as healthy as you could be, but then there is room for improvement just about everywhere for everyone so what the heck.
I agree that BMI is often an inaccurate means of measuring but it does provide a rough guideline. I enjoyed my Wii Fit telling me I was fat.
This all written, there is in my opinion the issue of age which should be taken into consideration. We tend to get a bit heavier and remain somewhat healthy despite this as we age. A few pounds now and then on the heavier side of normal is not nearly so unhealthy as the thigh rubbing ducks waddling their way to the food troughs.
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Eh...there's all kinds of ways to be lazy. Including judging people by what they look like rather than who they are and what they've accomplished. The OP LOST 450 lbs.! No matter what he looks like I would not call that lazy, unintelligent or having a lack of willpower. But you wouldn't necessarily know that just to see him on the street now would you? It's just easier to look down smugly isn't it?
Yeah but he is not fat any longer because he is none of those things. This is binary thing.
Eh...there's all kinds of ways to be lazy. Including judging people by what they look like rather than who they are and what they've accomplished. The OP LOST 450 lbs.! No matter what he looks like I would not call that lazy, unintelligent or having a lack of willpower. But you wouldn't necessarily know that just to see him on the street now would you? It's just easier (lazier) to look down smugly isn't it?
It's also easier (lazier) to read a few lines of one post and then respond with a rant instead of really thinking about what is being said.
I agree with what Outside said about when someone appears to be morbidly obese it is often a sign that they just don't care about their physical condition enough to change it. But that was never applied to the OP, who WAS FAT but is now NOT FAT by any fair definition.
But that was never applied to the OP, who WAS FAT but is now NOT FAT by any fair definition.
How do we know the OP isn't fat? He gave us his weight (200 pounds), but not his height. I'd call anyone who is under 6 feet tall and who is 200 pounds fat (unless they're a gym rat with a large percentage of muscle mass).
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