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This has nothing to do with child obesity!
When are you obese, and when are you fat? That is the question here, about to receive exploration via the mental compounding of self judgement.
Obese, described as “excessively fat” and fat, described as “having an over-abundance of flesh”, now who can tell the difference? Does this mean that obese should read “excessively having an over-abundance of flesh”? Flesh, meaning muscle and fat, does that make a body-builder fat? I sure as hell am not going to call half of those brutes fat to their faces.
Lets look at the scenario of obesity in the human race. Sure, focused people would, or should, worry about their weight, but because somebody has determined that if you are of such a height, you should only weigh so much. This a guide for your norm, but as no two people are the same, how can this be a fact. The charts have determined that someone of my height and bone structure should weigh between 75 and 82 kilograms, I weigh 110 kilograms, does that make me fat or obese, or am I a big man? According to my wife I'm a big man, but then she would say that, she likes to keep the peace, so the answer needs to come from somewhere else.
Obesity, not in children, but in adults, I find, a difficult one to comprehend. If you are not comfortable in yourself and feel you are carrying too much weight, the chances are your right. Yet if you are healthy, semi fit, and can do everything you want without puffing and panting, then the chances are that you are not carrying too much for your frame to contend with. Fat, obese, called it as you like, is a self-determined state, one that only you know if honest with yourself.
How often will a wife ask the question “Do I look fat in this?”, the poor husband should know the immediate answer, “No Dear.” This not an honest answer, but then we do know who prepares our food, and who sleeps beside us every night. This is a trick question, from a woman looking for an answer she wants to hear, and not the one she knows is true. It would need the tact of a cat, facing down the bulldog, to tell a woman your honest feelings. “Is my bum bigger than hers?” the question put to you when walking down a street, are you honest? It would mean you walking down the one side of the street and her the other, and that only for your own safety.
Weight, fat and obesity are in the mind of the body self contemplating the question.
I like a bit of meat on my woman, I like to see a shape, a coke bottle shape, a well-defined rear end and a good top end. This is my opinion and I stand by it, I have seen some woman, sure, over weight slightly, but their shape, deportment, and general good looks has me taking more than one look. They have a proportioned body and seem happy and healthy, it could be they could cut all dimensions by a few inches, even more than a few, but they still have something about them. I still support the fact that as an adult you should strive for a weight that suits you, and not one a scale or chart say you need be.
Your general health should tell you if your over weight, and one should listen to the body, but me, I'm cuddly. I have good strong legs that can take me on foot anywhere I choose to walk. (good-looking legs according to my wife) I have broad shoulders and a good chest, I'm healthy and semi fit, and I have what in Afrikaans is known as a “Boep”, that is the cuddly middle part to my body, that my wife enjoys.
Now I look forward to the expounding of you "weight" experts, who support that fat and obesity is rife in your areas, when more than half of the world agrees with me, we're not fat, over weight, or obese, we are cuddly.
Happily no longer fat! From size 10 to 26W and back to size 12, I'm once again headed to the size 10 I was when I first came to Oregon. Happy to be back in Oregon now too;)
I agree still with my article your only fat when you think so, I'm still cuddly.
Again a testament, once you feel well the weight is right for you, do you agree? (look at Johns comment and my answer)
I have enjoyed the article and the comments. I find it hard to know which foods are good for you and which are bad because it is constantly changing. I grew up a farm boy so it was mostly meat and potatoes with a lot of vegetables. I'm 72 and just had my annual physical which included a stress test. Doc says I'm good to go. My body tells me when I'm overweight and I do my best to listen to it.
There you go John, a testament to my theory as well as most of the others. As a youngster you eat the good stuff, and grew up not obese. My theory and hypothesis, get it right when young and adulthood is controllable, the body and health will tell you. Thanks for the feed back.
This subject, down here in the NYC-Tri-State Metro area, is fodder for several Masters Degrees--although, strangely enough, the obesity epidemic in my country is much more of a rural phenomenum. The only real epidemic on our Eastern Seaboard is the fanaticism with which the subject is pursued--yoga, Pilates, cardio, Tae-Bo, Weight-Watchers, meditation, x-treme sports, hiking, marathoning, grapefruit diet, protein diet, bean sprouts, good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, non-gluten, fat-free, dairy substitute, spa baths, steams, saunas, cycling, skating, rock-climbing and the Food Channel... Here in these parts, the terms 'fat', 'overweight', and 'obese' are on longer synonymous. The word 'Fat' is politically incorrect--do not use this word if you are civilized. The words 'Overweight' and 'Obese' are dietary terms--'Overweight' means slightly over one's optimal weight to body-mass/height Ratio, whereas 'Obese' means FAR over one's optimal weight to body-mass/height. Ratio--there are specific percentages used to demarcate the two groups, but I'm not gonna Google it right now. The third, and worst, term is 'Morbidly Obese'--I'll let you look that one up too--it ain't a pretty definition. Personally, I eat junk food, sugary cereals, lots of meat, especially bacon, canned pasta, and every other 'bad' food I can find--my wife is a vegetarian and enjoys spicy food--I like comfort food with no spice--especially potatoes--baked, mashed, au gratin, french-fried--I never do things right--I just do things the way I did when I was a kid (1960s--genesis of Tang, jiffy-Pop, Lik-M-Aid, candy straws, and Fluff) and hope something else gets me before some doctor shuts down my 'all-you-can-eat' lifestyle...
Christopher I always look forward to your comments, obesity has become big business, rammed down ones throat in every advertisement. They say that campaigns against child obesity, for awareness to the problem are non existent, why not? There is no money in stopping child obesity. (I did say at the beginning of the article this had nothing to do with children yet here I go) If parents were encouraged to keep children slim and trim how the hell are the billions of dollars being made on slimming regimes going to survive? Slimmer children will likely remain so when grown up, so the slim aids and other crap offered the adult obese would loose sales. It is better for them to encourage obesity in children so that when they grow up they can tell them how FAT they are to gain sales. So many below have agreed that obesity is a mind set between general health and physical ability, and by this hypothesis I will stay. I will eat and pig out every now and then on the food stuffs generally known as not the healthiest, but damn I will one day go to my grave with a smile on my face having enjoyed the not so good things in life. Who knows ones own termination date, I can be healthy, wealthy and wise (and thin) walk out my door trip over a match and break my neck without enjoying the nice things in life. I maintain as long as I'm healthy, can do physically what I want (I can out work many half my age when it comes to physical work) and mentally am happy I am not over weight. Just CUDDLY.
I have relatives who suffer from diabetes--many of the awesomely big are in this group and they have no way to keep their bodies slim--glandular conditions force lipids to be overproduced and they could starve to death without losing a pound. I sympathize with them because I had, pre-transplant, a nasty case of Restless Leg Syndrome--and at about the same time I heard Bill Maher (political satirist and stand-up comic) joke about 'fake diseases' in which category he lumped Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and some others, an ending with RLS. There I was, lying in my erstwhile deathbed, listening to my symptoms being laughed about on HBO. So with 'fat people', I have long ago stopped bunching them together as unanimously over-eaters. And I feel, regardless of the cause, that the last thing fat people need is a reason to feel worse about themselves than they already do. But I've always been a delicate little flower, so there you have it. But the good part about an obesity epidemic is that they ain't starving.
This one is truly engaging.:) I believe everyone is genetically unique and you can only compare yourself with you. Most men are satisfied in maintaining 12-15% body fat, while, women between 16-20%. But I've seen a chubby football player beat the stamina of a muscled player. I've seen that many times among aspiring football players. A muscled man doesn't mean stronger than a chubby guy. Many times I've witnessed men with great physique walked to the finish line, when they are supposed to run, during a race. I think as long as you are comfortable with your body, it doesn't really matter if your body fat percentage is off the chart. What really matters is that you are healthy and capable. But one thing worth noting is that we should watch over illnesses relating to obesity.
Lemuel, size, strength, and outward appearance, a mistake so easily made when judging a fellow athlete. I have competed in athletics at national level in my younger days,(a long time ago) yet I remember standing at a start line weighing the opposition and who I saw as the biggest competition. Most times I was wrong and beaten by the one I felt the least competitive due to his outward appearance. You end with my very hypothesis; Health ability, and mentality the basis on which you judge your own obesity.
Hi Rob, you know I'm gonna take a clinical view. The good news....most of us aren't supposed to be what the charts and graphs say. What is the most important compenent?....As long as you EAT well, MOVE well and THINK well.....you got it licked. But you need to do those three things at the same time, for a period of time, to really get to the root of good health.
Dr Becky I so awaited this comment, your eat, move and think reminds me of an article you wrote and I forgot till now. The charts lead one to believe that you are over weight, obese fat call it what you will and some strive to achieve what they think is their optimum weight. Once there, and specially in some women, the fine line between there and anorexia is so thin the bulimia often a consequence. I see obesity in adults a mind set, a feeling that when unhealthy and unfit the chances are......... over weight.
You are so right, Rob. In almost all cases, obesity is a mindset. Once that is fixed, the rest will follow. So....how do we fix the mindset? I've been trying for years.....It is an exceptionally tough battle.
Great job Rob, I agree and disagree. Here in the US diabetes and heart disease are increasing and major problems. But I also agree with you that too many people are worried about superficial (and dangerous) body images. Being comfortable with yourself is extremely important. While I generally lean towards a healthy lifestyle, I lean more to people living life how they want without a bunch of busybodies making judgements about them. But way to many kids are becoming slugs and that can lead to a lifetime of serious problems.
Now that is what I like to hear, the agree and disagree. The fine line between obese and not, is, and should be based on the relationship to health. I strongly emphasised the fact this has nothing to do with child obesity, as how they actually feel cannot be determined by a parent, and this I feel is a major problem in the world today, because what we create when they are young will progress into adulthood. But once an adult, health and size have a close relationship, and so much can go wrong in this area. But if healthy and fit, can do what you want without compromise, then surely obesity is in the mind of the individual?
Ha ha. The challenge has been presented...now I must step up to the plate. I believe that your body know what its ideal weight is. If you eat a healthy diet of lean meats, whole grains, low fat dairy, plenty of fruits and vegetables and maintain the rest of the food in moderation, your body will function at the weight that is right for you. Many American women wish to be 100-110 pounds. Why? I have no clue. Those I speak with state they think this is "an ideal weight", yet never factor in their body structure / height. I have been losing weight through healthy eating and moderate exercise (whatever exercise I get playing with my children, gardening, and keeping the house clean). I have lost 35 pounds and have stabilized, being the same weight for the last 4 months. I continue to eat in the same manner, although I admit to eating more Easter candy as of late, and yet my weight is the same. A healthy weight, with a little extra to cover the bones. If we listen to our body, and eat healthy 90% of the time, our body will be what it is supposed to be. Skinny, fat, obese, these are just labels. As for you, Rob, I believe if you are comfortable with your size, it doesn't cause health issues, and your wife is happy you are the right size for you.
Thank you AJ now that is what I expected a balanced comment showing great knowledge and understanding, but I find nothing in your comment with which I can disagree, so I got something right without really trying, but rather looking for the confrontation. Yes Linda loves me cuddly and healthy, it keeps me in a position to be able to support her during her bad times. I still love cuddly women, the shapes of the old days.
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