Take a look at AZNewspaper Article

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While looking at the latest news and sports information at the AZCentral.com website I came across the following:

Notaro: Eighty Percent,

Laurie Notaro

March 13, 2002


I just heard yesterday that according to the Harris Poll, 80 percent of people over the age of 25 are overweight based on the body
mass index.

EIGHTY PERCENT.

Now I have no idea who these Harris Poll people are, but I want to send a message to them: Meet me in the parking lot after work because I am going to beat every single one of you Poll people up.

And I MEAN it, too!

Who do you think you are, calling all of us FAT? Huh?Don’t you probably skinny people with unnatural metabolisms have any manners? And please don’t give me any of this, “We’re only telling you you’re FAT because we love you and want you to be healthy” CRAP.

You know what happens when you tell a fat person he or she is FAT? Well, they get sad and then they eat a cookie. They get sad and then they eat a donut. They get sad and then they eat a pizza. And then, the next day after you've called them fat because you "love them and want them to get healthy," THEY'RE FATTER.

If you want a chunky to gain some skinny ground, tell them they look nice. Tell them that they look slimmer despite the horizontal stripe Capri pants. Give them something to work with, something to build on.

I know this because I am FAT. One day my gynecologist poked me right in the bare naked belly as she was getting ready to Pap me and told me to “lay off the Twinkies.” After I choked back the desire to pummel her
bloody and pulpy with my fat rolls and my jiggly wiggly thighs, I said, “It’s amazing how much inspiration you just packed into that incredibly rude insult” and then I wrote
her a bad check on purpose.

You know, if 80 percent of us are overweight, that’s eight in every ten of us. Maybe we’re not the problem after all. Maybe those 20-percenters are just defective.Maybe there’s something wrong with them.

I’ll tell you this much–if I’m shipwrecked on a desert island with a Guess model, I can live off the fat in my right butt cheek alone for three to four months, but that model will be dead by sun up. So maybe it’s not US.Maybe it’s THEM. If there are so many of us fatty patties
running around, then maybe it’s time to change the standard, because obviously, the chunky monkeys have become the norm.

Let’s reassess our values, hey, they do it in math class when every single person fails the mid-term, why not do it here? We can even call it “The Belly Curve.”

This might go under the “midwest fatties” thread but regardless this is the attitude that is causing people to live healthy lives ie Nat’ Asso of Fat people. Comment.

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The body mass index(BMI) is a terrible and outdated method of determining obesity. I remember reading that when the Green Bay packers won the SuperBowl only 2 players were within the green ares of the BMI scale: the punter and kicker. So what the BMI was saying is that all the defensive backs, linebackers, running backs, and wide eceivers were all overweight. BULLSHIT. The offensive and defensive lineman may have been overweight(even some of those guys are great athletes: Reggie White), but there is no way the 4 positions I named first have any players that can be considered overweight. All boils down to the fact that the BMI is bullshit. Rant over.

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If everybody else jumped off a cliff, would you follow? Just because the majority choose to do something or act a certain way does not make it right. The increase in national rates obesity and overfatness is a direct result of inactivity, poor eating habits and pathetic government and medical leadership. Choose to follow the group if you want, but I choose to take responsibility and follow the other option.

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Although I do agree that the BMI does not work well for athletic populations and especially bodybuilders, it is a necessary tool for population studies. Most people that have BMI over 30 are obese. You find 1 person with a muscular BMI over 30, I will walk down to the local grocery store and pull out 10 that have BMI’s over 30 because of body fat. On an individual basis, BMI has no utility. But on a population basis, BMI has incredible utility.

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Don’t even get me started.

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The gov. sets the BMI at levels so that most people will be fat, which they want so that they can start adding taxes on junk food.

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Your post was humerous and insightful, but guess what. Your still fat. I will never believe that anybody truly enjoys or wants to be fat. I don’t care if ninety nine percent of the population becomes obese, I will fight it till my last breath. Fat, self conscious, uncomfortable and unhealthy is no way to go through life. And oh ya, lay off the twinkies.

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Fatass. Maybe you should spend less time whining about being a tub of lard on the forum and more time looking for good diet and workout plans in the previous issues section. Or you could just waddle to the pantry and get a cookie.

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For those of you smart guys cussing at the poster, why don’t read it a little closer? It’s a cut and paste from a newspaper, not the poster’s opinion. Come on, guys, you’re not helping with the meathead stereotype.

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So what’s your message? To suggest that the doctors or maybe even the government by popular demand should revise findings that obesidy is unhealthy? That they should lie to overweight people and pitty them because they don’t like to hear the truth and can’t cope with it? I don’t see where the survey makes fun of obese people or where it insults them. The only reason this subject is around at all is the fact that obesity costs money, in particular healthcare costs. And it does so more than smoking or drinking (i.e. alcohol) as a recent study shows. Well - isn’t it ironic however that in this study we are united. Most guys on the board here (including myself) are at least overweight :slight_smile:

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for pointing that out. I sure as hell didn’t want to say anything…Patricia

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More stupid shit from the Fat/ugly/walking health time bomb victims group. Anybody who isn’t a lard ass is considered “skinny” to fat people. That twinkie comment was quite funny… If doctors would only be so honest and just say: “Listen, I’m sick of seeing your fucking fat ass in my office on a daily basis! How many god damn prescriptions do I have to give you to make up for your laziness and obsession with eating shit all the time?”

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Thanks TEK, I read the post a couple of times but never notice that part. Even after you pointed it out it’s still hard to miss, but it makes more sense now (Though I may just be a retard :)). BTW that seems like a fun paper. Today they have the ‘fat but health-concious’ article. Something about how everyone there is in some kind of sports club even though they are listed under the top 20 fattest places to live or so.
And more btw - ‘The belly curve’ is not new, that’s been around for a while.

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TEK, I realize that it seems like my post is directing the comments at TNickT, but it was only aimed the BMI itself. And after rereading my post it still seems pretty clear to me that I never attacked TNickT.

Jason, you are probably right, but these examples keep coming up that I can't stand. I'm 5'7" 230 @ 13%BF. I am certainly not ripped to the bone but I would hardly call myself obese and not overweight either, and my doctor is always saying that my BMI is too high. It just really gets on my nerves and when I read that article it was just the last straw and I had to vent. But I believe you have a valid point about it in reference to a society.

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I was referring to magnus and Cold Truth, not you.

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Ryan - I feel sorry for you. BMI is a very poor indicator of an individual’s body composition. BMI correlates very poorly with cadaver data and is poorly correlated to most other body composition techniques. BMI gets a little better when one adds in waist circumference. Note, I say waist circumference because the old waist/hip ratio does not work well. You can have a normal waist/hip ratio, but still have a 50" waist and we know that that is not bad. In case, people do not know the current BMI and Waist Circumference Guidelines, here you go: BMI<18.5=underweight, BMI 18.5-25=normal weight,BMI 25-30=overweight, BMI 30-35=class I obesity, BMI 35-40=class II obesity, BMI 40+=class III (morbid) obesity. High levels of central body fat are determined by waist circumferences of 35"+ for women and 40"+ for men. BMI = (701 x weight in lbs)/(height in inches)^2 (^2=squared).

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Personally it doesn’t bother me there’s so many fat people. It just makes us who maintain fit physiques stand out more. It also makes it easier for those of us who make our living in the fitness, health, wellness, nutrition industry etc.

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you have a wicked phsycological/depression problem that you need to get over !!!.. everyone’s got their problems lady !! so, you fat… you’re big and fat !..and you know what ? my BF was 22%, (down to about 18% now) i consider myself “fat”…BUT i do not have to be fat, i don’t want to be fat, i certainly don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me for having a belly. (you must be pretty large if you can live off the fat from your right butt cheek alone for 3 months) Do you want to be fat ???.. do you like being fat ???.. are you happy being fat???.. obviously the answers are NO by reading through your hostilities in your e-mail…first off, be happy for who you are if you want to remain fat. that’s the only thing that matters is being happy with yourself and to love yourself. self-image is a very important role in that. if you truly want to loose weight, only because you and only you, want you to, then dammit more power to you !!!.. get yourself a gym, good trainer, a dietitian, and some goals and get going !!.. if you don’t have the money for all that, at least educate yourself about nutrition… from what i remember, books are still free in the library… for god sakes lady, just because you see a gorgeous well-built man or woman walking down the street, doesn’t necessarily mean they were born with those great genetics… more often than you think, some of those people were “overweight” and unhappy at one time too, but they made that life changing decision to do something about it…and kudos to them !!.. now i know some people have a medical condition and can’t loose weight, and i have compassion for them… it’s the fat, lazy, “feel sorry for me because i’m so fat i can’t wipe my ass” people that i can’t tolerate !!.. it’s like them “bums” who are on welfare…“oh please take care of me government, because i’m too lazy to work…”… you’ve got to learn to be happy with yourself…once you decide to get on that path to better yourself, i’ll go ahead and say “i’m proud of you”… in advance…and there’s plenty of people on this web site who would be more than happy to help and encourage you !

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Agreed that amount of fat a person has is NOT an indicator of “fitness”, I know several “fat” people that are cardio-fit, and muscular (obviously shows) people that are not. Stairs give them problems. The “big picture” must always be looked at, not just muscle mass and “the look”. Attitudewise, I have met more fatter men that are t-men, and real jerks that look intimidating.

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Ya after rereading the post I feel like a dumbass. It’s a little confusing, but I should have read it a little closer the first time. Thanks for pointing that out. Sorry TNickT, my only excuse is the fat pitty party makes me a little crazy and I feel the need to jump in without thinking sometimes.