Zealots on both sides of the political divide are prone to making shit up.
Do you remember, probably 15 to 20 years ago, when a women's organization declared that spousal abuse goes up on Super Bowl Sunday?
It got all the attention you'd think it would. The only problem was, IIRC, it was just a number somebody made up.
The idea that people will live shorter lives because of obesity is just someone's guess, but it's been quoted all over the media. I think I've noted it at least once in magazine articles.
It's certainly not a guess that's likely to hurt anyone, but it's also no more than that.
I just blogged something today about how more kids than ever are getting vaccinations, including something like 76 percent of all kids living below the poverty level.
Since those kids are at the greatest risk for a shorter life from any cause -- murder, disease, accidents -- it's remarkable that three-quarters of them are at least vaccinated. That alone might offset whatever lifespan shortening occurs because of obesity.
Too many studies are based on BMI, but BMI doesn't mean crap. Studies should be based on body-fat percentage average, not a BMI average. I'm not gonna rely on obesity studies that use BMI.
Until then, exercise, and eat clean.. BOOM, better world already. (Yeah, like that'll happen).
Darkmind, I actually used to have that opinion, but when dealing with reality, the logistics are staggering. BMI is also not a reliable method of determining anything on an individual basis, but on a large scale (populations), it is actually pretty close to accurate. The margin of error is so minimal it is inconsequential. I'm 28 or 29, which makes me obese. Clearly that's not the case, but we gym guys represent a very tiny percentage of the public. Smaller than you think.
You can't win this war. The entire premise stems from personal responsiblity and the ability of producers to make money in a free market. You can't take away either.
I'm a HUGE fan of interactive cardio\lifting videogame stuff. Be it something like DDR (dance dance revolution) or excersise bike games where you chase around a ball and shoot it through hoops (think rollerball or something). IMO this is virtually an untapped market that WILL be a gold mine for the first sum-bitch that creates and entire methodology of "fun-fitness" technologies.
It's a damn shame that it takes something like that to be active but you have to appeal to people BEYOND being healthy. Why do people eat crap...because it's easy and taste good. Why don't they excersise...because it's harder than sitting on the couch.
I appreciate all the maturity that this forum has, I've long heard it is the best fitness forum on the web and this adult (rare in the forum world) discourse is good proof. I also regretfully have to say that I might have gone a bit far, I should have specified that consumer choices should be educated and cannot be overtly manipulated. here is an interesting article related to consumer choices (or lack therefor) and another on BMI that Darkmind and others might like, although I don't agree with it. they both happen to be from FoxNews but I promise that's just a coincidence!
BB> Your first link might not be going where you put it.
1 thing bothers me. Some folks seem to miss the forest because all the damn trees are in the way.
Do #'s REALLY matter...or at least are they the primary concern? Does a crappy study really negate the fact that being obese is a horrible health choice?
It's frightfully simular to the tobacco industry...one of these days we're going to reach a point when it's going to be "OMG being a lazy lard ass really does put me at increased health risk and *as such* increased chance of an early death. WHO KNEW?!"
Thank god for medical ability to keep up with our self destructive nature.
I agree I think that is all pretty obvious stuff, but the guy in the article is saying that people aren't really fat, it's just because "fat" and "obese" are being redefined to unrealistic standards, and that's wrong in my opinion.
Yeah, that first link is right, it has to go with when I said that if people didn't watch crappy movies they wouldn't make them (personal choice effecting everyone), but I guess they'll continue to make crappy music no matter what people do! It's sort of off-topic I guess.
Linear Mode
