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I disagree that all athletes are in great shape, especially in regard to football players. Alot of those guys are tremendously overweight. Even if it is muscular bodyweight ( and it is NOT muscle on most of the interior linemen), that extra weight puts tremendous strain on the organs and the skeleton. Not many of those big guys make it into their eighties. Most of them are old men by the time they hit 50. They are not only NOT in great shape, but they are very unhealthy to boot.
I disagree that all athletes are in great shape, especially in regard to football players. Alot of those guys are tremendously overweight. Even if it is muscular bodyweight ( and it is NOT muscle on most of the interior linemen), that extra weight puts tremendous strain on the organs and the skeleton. Not many of those big guys make it into their eighties. Most of them are old men by the time they hit 50. They are not only NOT in great shape, but they are very unhealthy to boot.
Athletes struggle post football because they have to eat alot to replenish their bodies for all the working out they do durimg theiir athletic career. When they retire many continue to eat that way, but work out much less or usually not at all. Best example of what I would explained would be Michael Phelps eating 10,000 calories a day. He will have to make some major adjustments to his lifestyle when he finishes with the sport. If he does the basic workout (many athletes don't want be anywhere near a gym when they retire) and cuts his calories in half (5000 is still a lot) he will likely be overweight. Anyway even if we remove interior lineman from the equation (extreme example). I would love to be the doctor that tells Ray Lewis or Shawn Merriman they are out of shape (both over 250 pounds) or Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders they are overweight (both under 5'10 and weight over 200 pounds). BMI does not account for those people. Are you saying that a 150 pound man that rides his bike daily is in better shape than those guys?
I would love to be the doctor that tells Ray Lewis or Shawn Merriman they are out of shape (both over 250 pounds) or Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders they are overweight (both under 5'10 and weight over 200 pounds). BMI does not account for those people. Are you saying that a 150 pound man that rides his bike daily is in better shape than those guys?
I would say that the 150 lb bike rider is probably in better shape becasue he is getting better quality exercise for one thing, and is likely to be eating a MUCH BETTER DIET. I would say that the bike rider is MUCH HEALTHIER than the football players who usually consume high calorie, meat centered diets. In the same way that Michael Phelps can eat pure crap and get away with it during his youthful years and even perform at a very high level, so can the football players. Unless Phelps and the football players switch to a healthier lifestyle, they are early deaths waiting to happen.
I would love to be the doctor that tells Ray Lewis or Shawn Merriman they are out of shape (both over 250 pounds) or Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders they are overweight (both under 5'10 and weight over 200 pounds). BMI does not account for those people. Are you saying that a 150 pound man that rides his bike daily is in better shape than those guys?
I would say that the 150 lb bike rider is probably in better shape becasue he is getting better quality exercise for one thing, and is likely to be eating a MUCH BETTER DIET. I would say that the bike rider is MUCH HEALTHIER than the football players who usually consume high calorie, meat centered diets. In the same way that Michael Phelps can eat pure crap and get away with it during his youthful years and even perform at a very high level, so can the football players. Unless Phelps and the football players switch to a healthier lifestyle, they are early deaths waiting to happen.
Its obvious you believe that the only healthy people on this earth are thin. I give up.
Its obvious you believe that the only healthy people on this earth are thin. I give up.
It might seem like that to you, but that is not the case. Since you used the example of football players, I stuck with that in my response. Michael Phelps for example is quite thin, but I don't consider him healthy. I don't see how he could be truly healthy eating such a crappy diet. Basketball players and soccer players, are generally not skinny people either but they are generally not bulked up, oversized ( although extremely tall ) behemoths like most football players and bodybuilders ( bodybuilders are notorious for their unhealthy hi-protein diets! ). In fitness tests, I would expect basketball players and/or soccer players to run circles around most ( not all ) footbal players. Both of those sports have a flow to them, whereas football is a few seconds of action then a long huddle until the next action occurs. It seems that continuous action sports would reguire a better diet, so I imagine that basketball players generally eat better diets than football players. I theorize that football players can get away with crappy diets since the sport occurs in spurts rather than continuous action. There's alot more in-between time to catch your breath and recuperate. I could be totally wrong about this ( wouldn't be the first time! ), but it's what I believe. I'm not claiming it as THE truth. So hang in there and don't give up. Each of us is entitled to believe whatever we want to believe, as long as we don't claim it as THE truth ( does such a beast even exist? ).
Last edited by CosmicWizard; 08-28-2008 at 12:25 PM..
How can you make such a blanket statement like that? You do realize that some disabled are unable to move or exercise due to their disability right? Essentially anything they take in caloric wise will most likely turn to fat. If they can't get up and walk or exercise how are they to burn calories?
How can they get out if they have nobody to lift their wheelchair in and out of a vehicle? They just "might" be the ones you see at Wally world in the power scooters and you don't know the struggles it took just to get there!How are they supposed to enter gyms or Y's if there are no handicap door openers, no wall curbing and here is the real shame when people that are not handicapped park in those spots? You are aware insurance cuts off physical therapy after so much time following a disability aren't you? Until YOU roll a mile in their wheelchair I don't see how you can make the above statement.
Now to whomever said eating healthier is not more expensive have you tried raising a family and filling bellies? It is far cheaper to cook and eat starch (more full feeling) than it is to buy and cook organic, all fruit & veggie meals which is a shame in our country land of the free! I have helped families that have these struggles on very limited incomes I KNOW what I am sayng to be true. As a parent they struggle knowing they can't meet all the wants for their children because they can't meet the daily needs to keep them from going to bed hungry. Just to clarify also these families were not welfare types popping out babies every year. These families lost jobs from industries closing down, not having a college education to obtain a better job because they went straight from high school into those factories, not having the funds or transportation to get to college classes now or their ages (40-55) hinder them from being hired now. Because of job closings that put stress on some families that divorced or some might have lost their spouse. These families were living the American dream until the companies their bread winners were working at pulled up and moved to other countries for cheaper labor! Now they are forced to try to pay their bills on wages that are less than half of what they made for 20-30 years???? These families were forced to break into their 401K to keep a roof over their heads to not lose everything they worked so many years for. Now they will not have those accounts to fall back on when they retire because they had to raise their family!
All that is left to say is if you are a poster where you are blessed both spouses are working and you can still afford your lifestyle~~~~great! But how can any of us sit and judge what others are dealing with in how life threw them a curve ball that no amount of "planning" would prepare them for? Welfare fraud, insurance companies finding the most minute thing to disallow a claim, America's industry workforce dwindling due to going overseas, illegal immigrants sucking up our resources but never contributing to them are more to blame than smoking obese people whose lifestyles the majority here are not understanding or wanting to accept. These groups of people are easy targets for government and big corps to attack because they already know these folks don't have the money, will or strength to fight back anymore.
How can you make such a blanket statement like that? You do realize that some disabled are unable to move or exercise due to their disability right? Essentially anything they take in caloric wise will most likely turn to fat. If they can't get up and walk or exercise how are they to burn calories?
How can they get out if they have nobody to lift their wheelchair in and out of a vehicle? They just "might" be the ones you see at Wally world in the power scooters and you don't know the struggles it took just to get there!How are they supposed to enter gyms or Y's if there are no handicap door openers, no wall curbing and here is the real shame when people that are not handicapped park in those spots? You are aware insurance cuts off physical therapy after so much time following a disability aren't you? Until YOU roll a mile in their wheelchair I don't see how you can make the above statement.
Now to whomever said eating healthier is not more expensive have you tried raising a family and filling bellies? It is far cheaper to cook and eat starch (more full feeling) than it is to buy and cook organic, all fruit & veggie meals which is a shame in our country land of the free! I have helped families that have these struggles on very limited incomes I KNOW what I am sayng to be true. As a parent they struggle knowing they can't meet all the wants for their children because they can't meet the daily needs to keep them from going to bed hungry. Just to clarify also these families were not welfare types popping out babies every year. These families lost jobs from industries closing down, not having a college education to obtain a better job because they went straight from high school into those factories, not having the funds or transportation to get to college classes now or their ages (40-55) hinder them from being hired now. Because of job closings that put stress on some families that divorced or some might have lost their spouse. These families were living the American dream until the companies their bread winners were working at pulled up and moved to other countries for cheaper labor! Now they are forced to try to pay their bills on wages that are less than half of what they made for 20-30 years???? These families were forced to break into their 401K to keep a roof over their heads to not lose everything they worked so many years for. Now they will not have those accounts to fall back on when they retire because they had to raise their family!
All that is left to say is if you are a poster where you are blessed both spouses are working and you can still afford your lifestyle~~~~great! But how can any of us sit and judge what others are dealing with in how life threw them a curve ball that no amount of "planning" would prepare them for? Welfare fraud, insurance companies finding the most minute thing to disallow a claim, America's industry workforce dwindling due to going overseas, illegal immigrants sucking up our resources but never contributing to them are more to blame than smoking obese people whose lifestyles the majority here are not understanding or wanting to accept. These groups of people are easy targets for government and big corps to attack because they already know these folks don't have the money, will or strength to fight back anymore.
I know that eating the right amount of calories is a struggle but it does boil down to calories taken in needs to match calories burned.. Basic math.
If someone is very muscular and in heavy training they burn alot of calories so they can take alot in and not gain weight.
If some one is disabled they will not burn many calories so they need
to take in limited calories.
How do you know if you are taking in too many calories for what you are burning?? The scales go up!!! Keep reducing calories until they
come down or maintain.
You can find online tools to estimate your calorie needs based on your
height,body type and activity level.
Also you burn calories even if you do not move around.. If you eat the right amount of calories it will not turn to fat...just the extra calories.
To some extent, I believe we should have freedom to choose to live fast and die young. But I do get pissed when the truly disabled have to fight the obese for an electric cart at the grocery store. I do get pissed when my tax dollars are fixing people's self-negligence and self-abuse (i.e. medicare will pay for bariatric surgery).
I know that eating the right amount of calories is a struggle but it does boil down to calories taken in needs to match calories burned.. Basic math.
If someone is very muscular and in heavy training they burn alot of calories so they can take alot in and not gain weight.
If some one is disabled they will not burn many calories so they need
to take in limited calories.
How do you know if you are taking in too many calories for what you are burning?? The scales go up!!! Keep reducing calories until they
come down or maintain.
You can find online tools to estimate your calorie needs based on your
height,body type and activity level.
Also you burn calories even if you do not move around.. If you eat the right amount of calories it will not turn to fat...just the extra calories.
Thank you kelly for your post. I didn't really state that clear in my post did I.
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Now they are forced to try to pay their bills on wages that are less than half of what they made for 20-30 years???? These families were forced to break into their 401K to keep a roof over their heads to not lose everything they worked so many years for. Now they will not have those accounts to fall back on when they retire because they had to raise their family!
