I just don't care about the 'obesity epidemic'

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  • Qski
    Qski Posts: 246 Member
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    I kind of have an issue with hearing about the 'obesity epidepmic' is that BMI is used to determined who is obese and who isn't. Have a look at mybodygallery.com

    I am 5ft2.5 for someone my height 75kg(165lbs) is obese.

    You can enter those stats for comparison. There are clearly people in that size who look to have a lot of fat around their middles and look like they probably don't do exercise. But there are (quite a few) who are obviously fit and active and probably quite healthy.

    So there should be a better measure that classifies people who are overweight to a point of compromising their health.

    There has also been a study recently showing that people who are overweight have a lower mortality rate than those with a healthy BMI and those who are underweight. (Mostly due to the preponderence of people who are overweight but fit). There are also studies showing that overweight people deal with stress better (and most of those who pay tax dollars would be put under a reasonable amount of stress in their workplaces.

    I am not sure about the algorithms used, but are underweight individuals penalised as much by insurance companies as those who are obese?
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
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    I think that an individual person's body is none of my business, but the fact that there has been an increase in obesity in recent times, especially in the US, is a public health issue.
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
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    I am a highly overweight person. I have been so since a very young age. My parents were both reasonably fit people when I was growing up. I was born with funky feet and bad balance so I avoided alot of "exercise" related activity with fear of falling and getting hurt. I can't run well, roller skate, or ride a bike. These are the primary reasons I was an obese child.
    Secondly, my family, both sides, has several overweight and obese individuals, but because of how we are raised, to take care of ourselves, to look out for eachother, to only go to drs when the need is severe, I promise you we cost far less in medical expenses than a typical "thin" individual. We, though, are primarily healthy people. There is no diabetes, major heart problems , high blood pressure,or other normal issues that obese people typically report.
    So, though obesity definitely contributes to these issues, your genes play just as much a role.
    People who report more claims should pay more for insurance, not just the more obese of us.
    Kimmie
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    Firstly OP - I love your style, and your honesty. I like the way you think it's refreshing to see. You're not just an echo.

    I think health professionals are concerned about the 'obesity epidemic' simply because obesity is really, really bad for your health and contributes to other illnesses and problems. Isn't it a good thing - that society 'cares'?

    I blame capitalism. Too many sales pitches going on: the food industry; the exercise industry; the diet industry; cosmetic surgery industry... too little regulation... uneven distribution of wealth. Worldwide - malnourished people and morbidly obese people on the same planet - both sets suffering - both in poor health.

    It's like 'Pay us you need to eat this stuff - it's cool,' then 'Pay us you need to get this stuff sucked back out of you so you're cool'.

    And I do not understand the 'You're costing us money with healthcare!' point of view.
    1. How can you be so selfish - your money is more important than someone's health? If you're ansering 'yes' then your moral compass needs a new magnet.
    2. Any morbidly obese person is one of the best 'consumers' you'll ever meet - aren't you going to thank them for keeping all those people employed in food factories, food retailers, transport companies, farms etc etc? You're not willing to care for them when they're ill? They have made a big contribution to the economy, after all.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    Agreed, but you can't walk around with cancer or heart disease for long without the ill effects on your health becoming apparent. I'm not saying morbid obesity is harmless, but even people who are 50 pounds overweight can be perfectly healthy according to objective health measures, and giving someone the stinkeye when you can't tell whether they're on the way up or on the way down in weight is pretty lame.

    As much as people claim it's about concern for health and tax dollars, I firmly believe that a lot of it derives from wanting somebody to feel superior to because of aesthetics and class snobbery. Perhaps not for those on a fitness website for the most part, but for a lot of people in the general population.

    thing is that obesity within a person tends to be on an upwards trend i.e today they are 50lbs over weight, next year they are 55lbs, they year after maybe 60lbs. In 10 years that is another 50lbs, and so on. Add to this the effects of aging and your spry 50lbs overweight person can turn into a sickly 100lbs overweight person within 10 years.

    On that note, every time obesity is mentioned, someone cries out 'ohh those poor children ...' The children who are overweight are less off a problem then the 80% of over 50 years olds that are overweight or worse, because that group did not grow up on McDonalds, they walked to school, they played sports and yet they still got large and they are getting to the prime age for diabetes and heart disease and cancer and various other issues. Sure, the kids represent a problem for tomorrow, but the other problem is already here and it need to be acknowledged and somehow dealt with.
  • hannahlclrk
    hannahlclrk Posts: 66 Member
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    they dont hurt me personally, but they hurt the economy in the long run - by having more health issues which are funded by the UK tax payer. i feel the same about smokers.
  • Cherrychankawaii
    Cherrychankawaii Posts: 13
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    My older brother is overweight. everyone love him because he is nice but i know some ppl use him as example for their kids or themself not to gain weight, i really hate it when i heard it from them. I care about him so i am trying to help him lose weight. And of course, i care. Fat kids are targets to be bullied in school. Obese ppl die younger than ppl at healthy weight and also they have so much problem with their health. It is not about appearance. It is a health problem. OBESITY SHOULD BE CARED.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    In fact, I'm sick of reading/hearing about it everywhere. I don't care if you weigh 100 pounds or 500 pounds. I don't care what you eat. I don't care how much you eat. I don't care how often you eat.

    Seriously people, why the hell does it even matter? It's like everyone's forgotten that underneath all that subcutaneous fat is an ACTUAL person -- someone who has goals and ambitions, feelings and emotions, and families and friends JUST LIKE YOU. We aren't just sacks of ooey gooey yellow fat to pitied for or disgusted by.

    How does your curvy/chubby/fat/obese neighbor affect you?


    I hear a emotionally defeated person who has given up on being healthy ! And if you are unhealthy it cost me money in Ins premiums due to your heart surgery and your dibeties and vascualr issues and you will see fat people be penolized for unhealthy life styles under Obama Care I hate Obama care my goal is to be healthy at 54 and use WEB MD ( By the way most of your Dr. prescribe your meds and tell you what is wrong right from this program on the same Internet you have access to :) Take a few deep breaths and no like it or not fat ppl are not treated the same and they are discrminated against . . . .SOOOOO Have it your way and pay :)

    Wut?
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
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    Well, paradoxically, I think the obesity epidemic exists because people don't care about it. Perhaps if everyone in the world who was overweight was as motivated as the MFP community we wouldn't have a problem.
  • hotmomma0612
    hotmomma0612 Posts: 651 Member
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    Tax dollars?

    Frankly, I'm more concerned about the the drug addicts who go to the emergency room with "back pain" and get prescription medication, which they abuse or sell on the street.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
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    I gotta be honest guys, I have no idea where I'm going with this. I just read one too many articles on the 'horror' of obesity rates and snapped. My posts probably don't even make any sense because I have so many conflicting thoughts running through my head at the moment. But that's what internet forums are for sometimes. :glasses:

    2Gq75vo.jpg

    :wink:
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    While I see your point, posting it here is kinda like getting on cnn.com and ranting about how politics don't really matter.
  • featherbrained
    featherbrained Posts: 155 Member
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    Obese people cost 40% more a year in health care related expenses than a "normal" weight person. As a rule they do not pay more for health insurance than a "normal" size person, i.e., there is a cost that is spread to people who can push away from the table. Statistically obese people call in "sick" to work more often and file more workers comp claims (not to mention health care workers who are injured taking care of obese patients-happens all the time), so again, money.

    It isn't about aesthetics, it's about money.

    I'm morbidly obese, have been for 15 years, and I've been to the doctor twice, once for strep and once for a UTI. I'm not costing you a penny. And come to think of it, I was living in Canada at the time.

    My skinny husband has been to the doctor far more than I have, and we've always paid out of pocket. So neither one of us are costing anyone anything.

    (I know the argument to follow will be future based, but none of us are guaranteed a "future" so it is moot in this case.)
  • blably
    blably Posts: 490 Member
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    SO HOW MUCH do you need to weight in Japan to pay extra tax?
  • justheretocountcals
    justheretocountcals Posts: 34
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    You've been a member since 2011, so I presume you are not targeting your rant, if you will, to those who frequent MFP. Here I certainly have not seen any judgment toward people who have extra weight. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

    What is your point?

    I have to slightly disagree here. I have seen MANY people on these message boards with snarky, nasty attitudes towards obese people. I have been on this site on and off for a year or so and have tried to just skim thru boards instead of actually commenting because some of the extremely fit and healthy hold themselves on a pedestal and are hurtful. as much as there are helpful, caring, motivational people here, (just like everywhere else in the world) there are also...well...*kitten*.

    And as it may be taken a little too personal, or maybe someones a bit too sensitive that's pretty common with weight issues big or small. Theres pretty much always a reason for weight problems and of course someone might be sensitive about it. We should be supporting each other, not attacking or belittling someones feelings. Everyone has a right to a rant.

    and mines done. lol
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
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    In fact, I'm sick of reading/hearing about it everywhere. I don't care if you weigh 100 pounds or 500 pounds. I don't care what you eat. I don't care how much you eat. I don't care how often you eat.
    I'm constantly amazed at how upset people get about things they read/hear. I don't care about the obesity epidemic and I don't care if other people do. [shrugs]
  • toddis
    toddis Posts: 941 Member
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    I kind of have an issue with hearing about the 'obesity epidepmic' is that BMI is used to determined who is obese and who isn't. Have a look at mybodygallery.com

    I am 5ft2.5 for someone my height 75kg(165lbs) is obese.

    You can enter those stats for comparison. There are clearly people in that size who look to have a lot of fat around their middles and look like they probably don't do exercise. But there are (quite a few) who are obviously fit and active and probably quite healthy.

    So there should be a better measure that classifies people who are overweight to a point of compromising their health.
    BMI is a measure for populations, not individuals. As we are talking populations here, it applies.
    There has also been a study recently showing that people who are overweight have a lower mortality rate than those with a healthy BMI and those who are underweight. (Mostly due to the preponderance of people who are overweight but fit). There are also studies showing that overweight people deal with stress better (and most of those who pay tax dollars would be put under a reasonable amount of stress in their workplaces.

    The study you reference is no basis for argument. It is the basis for further study as to what is going on. Unfortunately the media likes to publish studies that generally have no meaning. You can find a multitude more studies that show being overweight/obese is worse.

    ---
    To the OP:
    Everyone's life is affected by society as a whole. If those around you are unable to function, or function in a reduced capacity it affects you.
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
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    I kind of have an issue with hearing about the 'obesity epidepmic' is that BMI is used to determined who is obese and who isn't. Have a look at mybodygallery.com

    I am 5ft2.5 for someone my height 75kg(165lbs) is obese.

    You can enter those stats for comparison. There are clearly people in that size who look to have a lot of fat around their middles and look like they probably don't do exercise. But there are (quite a few) who are obviously fit and active and probably quite healthy.

    So there should be a better measure that classifies people who are overweight to a point of compromising their health.

    There has also been a study recently showing that people who are overweight have a lower mortality rate than those with a healthy BMI and those who are underweight. (Mostly due to the preponderence of people who are overweight but fit). There are also studies showing that overweight people deal with stress better (and most of those who pay tax dollars would be put under a reasonable amount of stress in their workplaces.

    I am not sure about the algorithms used, but are underweight individuals penalised as much by insurance companies as those who are obese?

    Yes, you are obese and no you are not big boned. You are in denial and the reason studies show that larger people live longer is due to modern day medication, not because they are in any way, shape, or form healthy. It's only a matter of time before you have a some combination of diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Will you die from diabetes and high blood pressure? No, not as long as you visit the doctor enough times to manage your condition with medications and have 911 on speed dial.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    You're taking this way too personally. I don't care about specific people being obese (except about their health) but there are plenty of reasons to care about the bigger picture of such a big proportion of the population being obese.

    I'm sorry, but what are those reasons exactly?

    caring about the obesity epidemic, and caring about the feelings of people who are obese are not mutually exclusive. If you really care about other people, you care about their quality of life. That includes good physical and mental health. Obesity can be detrimental to both of them, it can also affect people's mobility and prevent them from doing things that they may enjoy and be beneficial to them. You can respect someone's humanity and feelings and treat them with respect, and care about their health and quality of life at the same time.

    Just because someone wants to prevent and treat obesity, doesn't mean they want to kill off or ostracise obese people.... it usually means they want obese people to have the opportunity, knowledge and support to overcome obesity and have better health and a better quality of life. I don't want to be obese because I have better health and a better quality of life for not being obese (and yes I was obese in the past, so I'm comparing myself now with myself then). So surely wanting everyone to be able to make that choice is the compassionate thing to do, rather than not caring and not trying to do anything to help people avoid or treat obesity....?

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