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I just watched the video linked below. It struck me as sensationalist and unbelievable, so I started looking up statistics on my own.
So far I've found (from wikipedia and the CDC website) that in the U.S., 1 in 3 adults are obese and almost 3 in 4 adults are either obese or overweight.
Looking at the people around me, I have a really hard time reconciling these statistics with what I see every day. It's true that it's less in Canada (just over 60% are overweight or obese), but that's still way higher than I would guess.
What do you think? Do you look around and see this? Or do you think that the BMI is a bad way to measure heath and with a better measure the statistic would be lower?
Hey I don't doubt it. I think that in the last few years society has gotten to a place where it's okay to be overweight and people even rationalize being overweight by saying they have curves and things like real women have curves. Well real women have heart disease and being overweight or obese don't help that, they hurt. Out of all of the people I know, I would agree that the majority of them are at the very least a little bit overweight.
According to my BMI I'm obese, but I wear a size 6 which I seriously don't think is obese.... so I don't think BMI is the best way to determine.
Hmm good question! I think obesity rates are climbing at an unbelievably scary rate but I don't think that BMI is an accurate way to make a picture of someone's health. I don't know who came up with BMI but honestly I don't even pay attention to it because it doesn't work for me. I am actually overweight right now but even when I was very lean, healthy and running triathlons my BMI still told me I was overweight. So honestly I don't even use BMI to measure someone's health. I would use their health to measure their health lol.
To the 3 in 4 people thing, I would say for me, it's more like 1 in 4. I would say 1 in 4 of people around me are overweight or obese. I think it has a lot to do with where you live as well. It's going to be different in Denver, CO compared to Daphne, AL ya know?
@kate169: Many healthy real women do have curves. I think the important thing to focus on there is the healthy part.
@MissBoPeep: That's crazy! Obese and a size 6? Something is messed up with BMI I guess.
@natbug21: Your example about when you were running triathlons is a perfect example of why BMI seems to be a bad way to measure. I have a friend who weighs 170 pounds, but if you had to guess, you'd probably say she weighs 140 pounds. She's just muscle through and through!
No, I don't see it around where I live - I was actually just discussing this with DH this morning. We see overweight people but usually just 30 pounds overweight maybe? We live near the water and there are a lot of biking/running trails around so that might be the reason why. A lot of socializing goes on in our area around activities, like hiking. So sometimes we just assume that obesity rates are going down lately.
I think that I have become so used to overweight people, that they no longer look overweight to me. Like I will look at someone and think they are chunky, then learn their weight (I am a medical student so I have weights in the charts) and sometimes I can't believe how low my guesses are. So yes, I do think most people around me are overweight or obese, but I am so desensitized to it that I don't notice as often.
@Lemma: Oh I agree with you that real healthy women do have curves as well as come in all shapes and sizes. What I was saying is that more and more people justify being overweight or obese by saying things like they have curves or there's more of them to love. I don't think society should be accepting of that. Its not healthy to be obese no matter what.
@MissBoPeep: Huh? I think it's very hard to be obese at size 6. I think maybe your BMI would say that you are 'overweight' but not obese. Anyhow, I live in NYC and I don't see a lot of obese people but a part of me feels that maybe those who are obese (or morbidly obese, which I don't understand. When does that line get crossed from obese to morbid??) are not usually walking around or on the subways etc. My family lives in TX and I have noticed more obese people there. But not enough for a 1 in 3 though. I've been hearing these stats for a while but real life doesn't bear it out for me. Honestly? I don't know what obese really is because some folks are just bigger than normal but I wouldn't call them obese. Overweight maybe??
ETA: Please, I've seen threads like these devolve into drama. Can we just answer the questions asked? If we believe the stats and also, if those stats bear out in real life.
@Lemma: Yeah I just think people's bodies are so different that we cant just label them all the same way. I think the best way to get a picture of one's health is to go to the doctor and have a health screening. Is your blood pressure/heart rate under control? Is your body fat % at a healthy rate? Those kind of things.
@Lemma: I'm 5'2" and 165 lbs (please don't tell! 
lol) so I'm heavy but I'm not big. I've always been heavy, I used to wear a size 2 and I was still overweight according to my BMI.
Someone could be "obese" and still be considered very healthy.. NO health problems other than weight.. AND some people have diseases that prevent them from losing weight. OR they're put on medicine that has caused them to gain weight and they're unable to get it off. Yes, people can get sick by being obese but there's a lot more to being "Obese" then just being "lazy" and "eating a lot" Is that the case in some instances? Yes. But Not always.. and its a sterotype.. And really its nobody's concern if someone is over weight other than that person.
@bRooklynRocks: According to a BMI calculator my BMI is 30.2 which is considered obese, barely, but it crossed the line from overweight to obese.
Who cares!?! I think we should worry more about how much time/effort goes into our jobs vs our families! I think we should worry more about how to end poverty in our lifetime! Or educating children better!
@elk: That's an interesting point. Maybe I am just bad at estimating people's weights!
@Heatherloveskenny: I wonder whether a big part of this statistic is people who are just barely in the overweight category. I used to have a BMI of 25 which is just on the line of overweight. I didn't feel too unhealthy when I was like that, although I have to admit that I feel healthier now that I'm a bit lighter.
@MissBoPeep: Don't be embarrassed! It sounds like you just have a dense body type! I got my body type from the Scottish side of my family, so I like to say that I have a "sturdy Scottish build".
@cubicalmouse: If obesity is negatively affecting the health of a population, I can see an argument for caring about it. That doesn't mean that we can't care about the other things you mention also!
@Lemma: Haha I wish I could use that, unfortunately "sturdy French-Canadian build" doesn't quite have the same ring to it!
I don't think BMI is a good indicator.
I do think though, that the statistic is correct. With everything we know about nutrition and healthy lifestyle, I don't understand why this stat keeps creeping up.
And I really don't understand when I see people that are overweight/obese choosing a lifestyle that is detrimental, and then deny that they have weight to lose by using the "curvy" or "real woman" excuse; or blame their unhealthy shape on some exterior factor that they have no control over while not even trying to make some healthy changes...
I don't say that in a judgemental way, it's just that some of the people I love and care the most about are guilty of that and I really worry for them and it drives me crazy that they won't make healthy choices and that I may lose them too early because of that.
@Cheeks923: I disagree that it's no one else's concern if someone is obese. First of all, any one who loves them, especially children if they have them, will be affected by their obesity. Not only because of how it limits their lifestyle, but also because it limits their life span. And to go to a greater scale, it cost a LOT of money to provide health care to the many many overweight and obese people in this country.
I think BMI is a really inconsistent way of measuring weather someone is actually overweight. Right now I'm right on the border line between healthy and overweight... according to my BMI. But this past weekend I just ran a 10K and I go to the gym pretty much 5 days a week. So I'm strong and healthy, but my muscle mass adds additional pounds to the scale.
I don't disagree with the statistics though. I live in TN and there are A LOT of overweight people around here. Especially the farther out that you get from major cities. Obesity is a real problem in this country, and the prior poster who said it has become commonplace to explain it away with excuses is absolutely right.
@MissBoPeep: I don't know, I feel like lots of French-Canadians in the very early days were explorers and trappers and such. They were probably pretty sturdy, so I think you could make it work for you!
@Moose1209: "First of all, any one who loves them, especially children if they have them, will be affected by their obesity. Not only because of how it limits their lifestyle, but also because it limits their life span."
That.
I don't really see it where I live, but when I travel to poorer parts of the country every single person seems to be obese. And by obese I mean 100lbs overweight.
It's highly dependent on where you live. I live in a big city and walk about 3 miles a day to and from work, I doubt an obese person could do that (or if they did they wouldn't be obese).
@mommytobee: it's just that some of the people I love and care the most about are guilty of that and I really worry for them and it drives me crazy that they won't make healthy choices and that I may lose them too early because of that
I know exactly how you feel. I have an aunt who keeps quitting smoking and then starting up again. It makes me crazy because I love her a lot and I hate the fact that she might die early because of the smoking.
@cubicalmouse: But it IS worth caring about! Obesity and its associated health care cost could easily be taking away from other things such as eduation and social welffare. It's not just about how someone looks, its about their health. There are exceptions to the BMI rule, but for the most part, the BMI could be a good guideline.
@kate169: I think that in the last few years society has gotten to a place where it's okay to be overweight and people even rationalize being overweight by saying they have curves and things like real women have curves. agree 100%!
I live in CT in an area that is considered the suburbs of NYC. I don't see many obese people around here.
I think health is very important, but I don't think BMI is a good indicator of health. Genetics play a big role in how our bodies are made up, and someone can be perfectly healthy and active, yet have a higher BMI.
@Lemma: True! It probably brings to mind different things for different people, it just made me think of my Pepere, and he's such a little guy!
BMI is dumb, but I do have to admit that our country is chubby for sure. This was made painfully obvious during a trip to Paris last summer - everyone was slim, yet they were always eating. I just didn't get it. Until I realized they were eating really high quality food and not dyed/preserved/science-labbed fake foods like we eat here. Nothing is fast in Paris either. Sure they have McDonalds but they take their time and enjoy every meal. We dined for hours in Paris but shove a #2 in our faces in 5 minutes here in the states. Interesting.
Yes.
I have done research on the subect, and the evolution of obesity over the years is quite startling!
We have also to take in account the way we have grown used to see overweight and obese people. Also note that overweight is different from obese which is different from morbidly obese.
It also depends on your area. If you live in New York, you won't see it as much as in Mississippi for instance.
So, I'd say it's petty accurate, and yes, it IS aproblem.
I do have to say that in certain instances, BMI does not accuratly portray on'e situation (think Body builders and extremely muscular athletes).
Sometimes, if I sit down at the mall and look around me, I get very sad. A lot of people look unhealthy to me. I don't have the answer when it comes to the BMI issue. The weight charts we used when I was a teenager made sense, too. I don't remember what was wrong with them that prompted the move to using BMI.
BTW, I think clothing sizes should be removed from the conversation. There is a ridiculous amount of variation between brands and years. Sometimes, I wish women's brands used waist measurements the way men's clothes do. You can play games with a size 6, but you can play games with a garmet labeled as having a 28" waist.
From the New York Times:
From Vintage Vixen:
@Jeannine @ Small Chic: I agree with the clothing size comment...
In the past few years, I dropped a pant size without actually losing weight or having my figure change - same for tops... I think the industry just changes the labels so that bigger clothes have a smaller tag and people can feel good about themselves. Clothing size doesn't mean much.
Another way of putting our heads in the sand instead of facing the situation.
ugh yes. I'm a size 0 and could def still lose 10lbs. I don't know what I'll wear if I ever get that weight off though...
This is my first post, but this topic definitely hits a nerve for me.
If you look into BMI historically, the definitions of "obese" have changed over the years. In other words, people who are labeled "obese" today may not have been labeled obese in previous decades. So, of course more of our population is obese. If you change the definition, the statistics are going to change.
Second of all, I have an issue with the assumption that people who are obese are just too lazy or lack to will power to change. I'm sorry, but telling people to eat less and move more doesn't work. It's easy for a naturally skinny person with a genetically good metabolism to say how sad it is that so many people are overweight and feel bad for them. Look around you. We're told constantly to "cut calories" and "exercise more". Don't you think if it were that simple, people who are ostricized for their weight would do it?? The issue is that this doesn't work. If you starve yourself on a cellular level, your body is going to fight back. It will demand more food, or it will use less energy (thus lowering your metabolism). It's WHAT our nation eats, not HOW MUCH we eat that is the inherent problem. And the USDA food pyramid certainly isn't doing us any favors.
Sorry, slightly OT, I this topic just sort of riles me up lol
Yeah sizes have changed. Who cares. It doesn't matter what size clothes you wear anyway, as long as you feel good about yourself.
@Jeannine @ Small Chic: I seriously wish our clothes were labeled like mens clothes! it's so hard to ever know what size you are. I always end up taking 3 pairs of the smae pants in with me cause I don't know if it's going to run small, big, or just right!
@Juliepants: My FI is from Oshawa! I guess I don't pay enough attention to the people when we go there to visit...
@Lemma: FI and I just moved here a few months ago (he from Ajax, me from TO) and we've both been blown away by the size of MANY people in this town. I've never seen more motorized carts IN MY LIFE, and few of them appear to be injury-related if you know what I mean. It's pretty sad, actually.
@Juliepants: The only people I know there are my FI's family and they're all very fit people. My FI's mum even won a bodybuilder competition a few years ago!
I'm not going to get too involved other than to point out than many people who are technically obese don't have the body that most people would normally consider obese.
ETA - for example, someone mentioned earlier people who were "just 30 lbs" overweight. Depending on the height, that person could easily be in the obese category.
@les105: +1 totally agree here.
I said "down with BMI" because I'm an athlete and a weight lifter (and pretty large framed!) and can totally relate firsthand to it being a lousy measurement. I have worked hard for those pounds, dammit! Don't try to tell me to lose my guns!
But... having lived mostly in Manhattan and the Bay Area, I can say there is NO WAY those numbers are anywhere near relevant to these areas. It's not a matter of perspectives adjusting... it's just that affluent people in affluent areas are a lot thinner than lower income people. Healthy food is expensive, and exercise generally requires a certain amount of free time and safety.
I have a lot of Deep Thoughts on the "obesity epidemic" as a class issue, and on how the focus on body types and the outputs that are somewhat correllated with healthy habits is a cheap, lazy and ultimately ineffective way of encouraging people to be truly healthy. There's a lot of people - fat and thin - who don't treat their body very well, and a lot of people who feel very proud of themselves for looking like they do. We'll all be a lot better off when we place an emphasis on eating things and doing things that make us healthy mentally and physically no matter what size we are, rather than simply telling people to look thinner.
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