Should we stop calling people 'overweight'?

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Replies

  • GiaFox
    GiaFox Posts: 48
    The BMI doesn't even fit within the white population, as we ALL are different. I don't think it has anything to do with race.
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
    This is my husband and I on our wedding day... according to the BMI we were both obese that day :)
    wedding.jpg
  • Nataliaho
    Nataliaho Posts: 878 Member
    This article is an interesting history of the BMI for anyone who is interested.

    http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2009/07/beyond_bmi.html
  • TexanThom
    TexanThom Posts: 778
    Beats being called lardass
  • nangel4u
    nangel4u Posts: 119
    ummm yea!
  • wbgolden
    wbgolden Posts: 2,066 Member
    why have the terms if it doesn't motivate someone toward change?

    let's just pussify people even further. let's call them "differently weighted"

    "oh i'm differently weighted. that's cool. it's not like i'm fat or overweight"
  • fels123
    fels123 Posts: 44
    Oh come on, remove the stigma from obesity by banning terms that have negative connotations such as 'fat' and you will only exacerbate the obesity epidemic. It's far better overall for fat people to be told they're fat so they do something about it than for people to *****-foot around terms that could be labelled derogatory because peoples feelings may be hurt.
  • fels123
    fels123 Posts: 44
    MFP stars out pu*sy now. Amazing. What if I want to talk about cats?!
  • muppetsbear
    muppetsbear Posts: 80 Member
    I have been "overweight " for a long time But seeing the words morbidly obese written down by a Dr. I knew I was no longer overweight or fat I was beyond that. Until then It was only other people that were obese I was just chubbyish. Thus I am here it was a wakeup call to change
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
    Being politically correct is kind of tiring.

    Obese is/was a clinical term, if it makes people feel bad about themselves then perhaps they should start doing something about it. What else are you going to call it, scale-challenged? Size-8 impaired?

    The words that describe my "overabundance of energy reserves" never hurt my self esteem. The fact that -those terms applied hurt my self esteem. Being told I was overweight or obese hurt my feelings, but it was still a fact. If people are using those phrases in a derogatory manner, then sure ppl can be angry- otherwise, as Shakespeare (R & J) once said: "If a rose were called by any other name it would smell as sweet."

    If you call someone other than obese they will still be Size Impaired. People need to get tougher skins and start acting like they have power to change the perception of people around them by changing how they perceive themselves. Hey, Fatty's we are NOT powerless. We (well, most of us) are grown ups and have this thing called Choice. I'm a fatty, and probably even after I hit my goal weight I will still think of myself as a fatty fat butt, but I won't be clinically considered obese anymore.
  • NU2U
    NU2U Posts: 659 Member
    I prefer "Plump-n-Chunky" :drinker:
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
    When I was 5'4 and 270# there is no nice term for that. I was fat, morbidly obese, type 2 diabetic. Being told by a doctor that I was morbidly obese helped me decide to change. i needed to hear a term that wasn't all happy fluffy like voluptuous - and such a pretty face. I was a fat cow. I was not healthy even thought I told people for years that I was. I didn't know any better.

    WE need to use these honest terms ---- we are a fat society and its embarassing.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    I like to consider myself horizontally challenged. Or maybe it is vertically because if I was 7 feet tall I...would likely still be overweight.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
    Overweight and obese are appropriate terms. I think it's quite ridiculous to even consider not using those terms anymore. Obesity is running rampant these days. Pretending it doesn't exist by not using those terms is not going to help the matter at all.
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    overweight is not a derogatory term. It's a compound word, over and weight, that describes very well a physical condition. I don't see how it could be said nicer. It is what it is and trying to eliminate that would just put everyone further into denial.
  • gtchs
    gtchs Posts: 116 Member
    Obese...overweight...I don't care if people call me that. I certainly know I'm obese. It's not like it's a big (no pun intended :laugh: ) secret. I can't really hide that fact. Having said that, very few people have ever called me obese, fat, or overweight. I find that most people don't want to be confrontational so they won't bring up weight usually.

    Honestly I have much more important things to worry about (LIKE BEING OVERWEIGHT :grumble: ) then someone calling me overweight.
  • Krissy366
    Krissy366 Posts: 458 Member
    Oh come on, remove the stigma from obesity by banning terms that have negative connotations such as 'fat' and you will only exacerbate the obesity epidemic. It's far better overall for fat people to be told they're fat so they do something about it than for people to *****-foot around terms that could be labelled derogatory because peoples feelings may be hurt.

    Yes, because the vast majority of fat people have never been called fat and THAT'S the problem. Uh huh.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    wahhhh wahhh wahhhhh.

    Yes, chuck that in with all the suggestions to stop calling someone a valedictorian, give all kids who participate in a sporting event a trophy (oooh -- don't say someone was BETTER than someone else, no WINNERS, because that hurts others' feelings).

    REALLY?

    Get over it people; I can't stand this stupid politically correct garbage!

    Guess what, people? Whatever you're great at, someone else is better! Someone else is better-looking, thinner, smarter, faster, richer . . . . .

    SO WHAT?

    Use that for motivation, not to be complacent in your status quo.

    The sooner you realize it, the sooner you will get your *kitten* in gear and do something positive with your life.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
    /snip/
    Guess what, people? Whatever you're great at, someone else is better! Someone else is better-looking, thinner, smarter, faster, richer . . . . .

    SO WHAT?

    Use that for motivation, not to be complacent in your status quo.

    The sooner you realize it, the sooner you will get your *kitten* in gear and do something positive with your life.

    This way of thinking won't necessarily motivate everyone just cause it's a dual edged thing. You can use that exact same mindset to establish complacency. Someone will be meaner than you, someone will be poorer than you, someone will be dumber than you, and someone will most definitely be fatter than you. The people that think that way are, undoubtedly, in denial about their own situation but that is precisely what the thread is about underneath it all. (At least to me.)

    Being forced into admitting the shoe fits means they have to acknowledge there IS something they can do about it. Resizing the shoe, by giving it a new and shiny fluffy label, just hurts the situation overall. There are people who may be more like I was and admit they are overweight and just focus on whining about it instead of doing something about it. I am glad I decided to do something about it this year to prove to myself I was correct in my reasons for whining. (Turns out not only was I not right, I was way way under educated about pretty much everything food related.) I am glad I woke up.
  • Mina133842
    Mina133842 Posts: 1,573 Member
    I thought "overweight" WAS the nice way to put that you're fat?!?

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