Fat stars make obesity normal

[amblincork]

I'm afraid the problem is much bigger. Fat stars and other prominent examples of excess avoirdupois like Mary Horney are only some of a myriad of streams contributing to the tsunami of flab that is engulfing much of the world.

The solution, if there is one at all, can only lie in education and devoting as many resources as possible to encouraging healthy dietary habits and regular exercise.

George Carlin paints a good picture of the horror that obesity has become.

George Carlin FAT PEOPLE - Video

Any adult who can read has a wealth of material available to them on how to eat healthily. Fat for most adults is a lifestyle choice.
This is definfitely not an issue which individuals can scapegoat either politicians or the education system for.
I have a friend who had a heart attack at 49 and who will freely admit to being too lazy to follow the modest fitness regime prescribed for him.

[The OD]

From the article:

Professor Michael McMahon of Nuffield Health says fat stars are seen as role models, helping to make being overweight acceptable.

Any good points he might make evaporate when it becomes clear that this might have something to do with promoting a business than actual concern for peoples health.

Nope, people can eat as much as they like, as a society, we need to take personal responsibility for ourselves where possible. I dont like McDonalds, think they are scum and fully support their right to keep feeding people defacto poison. Last time I checked, McDonalds werent forcing people into their 'restaurants' at gun point. I do take issue with their advertising to children, but again, I feel the parents are the first line of defence against this sort of thing, as a general rule, good parents make good people, bad parents make bad people.

[amblincork]

we need to take personal responsibility for ourselves where possible
I am afraid that this is a notion that doesnt sit too easily with a political system based on 'clientielism'.
One of the reasons Michael Mcdowell is missed from politics is that whether one agrees with some or all of his politics, he did sometimes tend to speak it as he saw it and this is something that is missing from Irish politics.

[reknaw]

Any adult who can read has a wealth of material available to them on how to eat healthily. Fat for most adults is a lifestyle choice.
This is definfitely not an issue which individuals can scapegoat either politicians or the education system for.
I have a friend who had a heart attack at 49 and who will freely admit to being too lazy to follow the modest fitness regime prescribed for him.

That is definitely true, but let's not forget that adult illiteracy and semi-literacy are other real problems nowadays. A lot of people just don't even grasp that the lifestyle and eating habits are unsustainable and are unlikely to read much more than a rag like the Sun, anyway.

I feel the problem requires addressing on many fronts - which includes the food-processing industry (portion sizes, additives, sugar, salt, fat content), public health authorities (fitness-promotion, dietary counselling) and schools as well as NGOs in the field. It really calls for proactive outreach efforts to help people who are just too set in their ways to change without someone prompting them.

Some people, sadly, will probably never be helpable; all that society can do is reduce the problem as much as possible as it will never go away completely.

I wouldn't want to scapegoat either politicians or the education system, just calling on them to be more proactive about this problem and for the media and individuals to play their part as well.

Here's a link to an article about one fairly-large scale WHO programme to tackle a severe health problem. It was very well resourced and has achieved quite impressive results:

"The 25-year results and experiences of the North Karelia Project show that a determined and well-conceived intervention can have a major impact on health-related lifestyles and on population risk factor levels and that such a development, indeed, leads to reduced disease rates and improved health of the population. By 1995 the annual mortality rate of coronary heart disease in North Karelia in the working age population had fallen approximately 75%, compared with the rate before the Project."

Not obesity as such, but definitely a lifestyle and diet-related problem.

North Karelia Project

[sparkey321]

Bloody doctors.

I am 6'2" reasonable build and weight just north of 16 and a half stone.
I was recently told I classified as clinically obese.

I wear a 34 long jacket which can be tight on the shoulders depending on the cut. If I go 36 its perfect on the shoulders but sleeves are long and it just hangs like a sack around my stomach area.

I wear a 36" to 38" waist trousers.

I have a few love handles and a bit of a beer belly (just wish it was beer), my legs and arms carry no fat but I am classed as clinically obese.

In reality I could lose a few pounds and start doing sit ups, even my GP laughed at the concept..

Its stupid measurements like that which make it hard to take seriously not fat guys and girls on the telly.

[amblincork]

I have a few love handles and a bit of a beer belly (just wish it was beer), my legs and arms carry no fat but I am classed as clinically obese.
Mens legs and arms do not tend to accumulate a lot of fat in the same way as womens do.
Stand sideways to a mirror with out clothes on and look at your body outline.
If that beer belly looks out of proportion to the rest of your body, you probably are overweight.
Dont blame the definition !
However it is your choice about deciding if you are overweight or not from your point of view - make your own decision.

[sparkey321]

I have a few love handles and a bit of a beer belly (just wish it was beer), my legs and arms carry no fat but I am classed as clinically obese.
Mens legs and arms do not tend to accumulate a lot of fat in the same way as womens do.
Stand sideways to a mirror with out clothes on and look at your body outline.
If that beer belly looks out of proportion to the rest of your body, you probably are overweight.
Dont blame the definition !
However it is your choice about deciding if you are overweight or not from your point of view - make your own decision.

I never said I was not overweight. In fact I said I should to loose a few pounds but to define me as clinically obese is a joke.

That's the definition I have a problem with.