The United States may be the land of the free, but it is also the land of the fat.

Obesity is a modern epidemic with far-reaching health consequences

In the spiritual home of the super-sized meal, more than 119 million adults - or 64.5% of the adult population - are either overweight or obese.

Obesity in the US is linked to 300,000 deaths a year and said to add billions to the country's medical bills.

And the problem is growing.

By the time of the next Olympics, doctors predict that three out of four people in the country will have a body mass index of more than 25, the benchmark of corpulence.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4501646.stm

Oh, and there is a BMI calculator there: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/yourweight/bmi.shtml

p.s.

http://piparmetra.net/pagrabs/sf20010922.gif

It's not only the USA that has the problem of obesity ...it is, in fact, a worldwide problem. And it exists in countries where you wouldn't expect it, too!

Baron Max

I know, but the thing that other countries have the same problem doesn't make your problem less problematic.

No, but it puts it all in a different perspective. I.e., that it's not just an American problem ...as you've so implied.

Baron Max

I'm 6',1" at about 190 lbs at about 12% body fat. I'm overweight, but it's because of muscle, not fat.

I wish I could be more compassionate about fat people, but they're just so disgusting to me. Especially watching them eat.

No, but it puts it all in a different perspective. I.e., that it's not just an American problem ...as you've so implied.

Baron Max

And where exactly have I said that it's a US citizen problem only?
Anyone who has at least bothered to read the article I linked to knows that it's not.

But at least in Europe there have begun to appear local government and national laws to limit this problem (healthier food and no soft drinks in schools and/or milk for free instead, ban on potato chips in education facilities, promotion of healthy life style, etc.), and we're nowhere as deep in fat as the US is.

At least here many people have recognized the problem and are doing something about it, not whining about losing money from coke sales.

But at least in Europe there have begun to appear local government and national laws to limit this problem ...

Yeah, how? Ahh, by yes, by passing more laws to limit the freedoms of the citizens!! Yeah, that's good, ain't it? That's just what American needs, too. More fuckin' laws to limit what we can do, when we can do it and ...of course, how much we can eat!! ....LOL!!

Fat people suck giant donkey dick, but passing more damned national laws ain't the way to solve the problem. Shooting the fat bastards would solve the problem very quickly! But all the fuckin' whinny-assed liberals would cry and wring their hands in despair.

We could also send them on a "fat vacation" to Somalia or Ethiopia. But passing more damned laws to limit our freedoms is the very last damned thing we need.

Baron Max

Ahh, by yes, by passing more laws to limit the freedoms of the citizens!!
I doubt it's 1/10000 as damaging to your freedoms as the Patriot Act :p

Anyways, for all I care - live in your fat freedom till explode.

Fat people suck giant donkey dick, but passing more damned national laws ain't the way to solve the problem. Shooting the fat bastards would solve the problem very quickly! But all the fuckin' whinny-assed liberals would cry and wring their hands in despair.

We could also send them on a "fat vacation" to Somalia or Ethiopia. But passing more damned laws to limit our freedoms is the very last damned thing we need.


indeed, I didn't know that the patriot act was created and passed by whinny-asses liberals.

It seems liberals are more concerned about your freedom and rights than your republican pals.

Yeah, baron, I didn't know that the patriot act was passed by whiny-ass liberals. Or ANY of the other prohibitive, restrictive, paranoid laws passed by this REPUBLICAN dominated congress.

Avatar, I loved that cartoon. LOFL. Fat-assed targets.

Blacks and hispanics are by far the most obese people in the US.

There's no difference, they still live there.

Hey, good old whiter than white Scotland is as good as the USA!:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4520618.stm

I think one thing to do would be increased PE at school. ANd better education of parents.

I say we all just shoot ourselves and be done with the whole thing.

http://piparmetra.net/pagrabs/nny_suic.jpg
From "Johnny The Homicidal Maniac" comic

mine is 22.3

Long live Johen Vasquez. I recently had my BMI done at the local army recruitment centre to see if I met regulations. The pass mark was 19. I hit 19.1. I gotta build my shit up but I have one of those crap metabolisms that just makes me burn through all the crap I eat. That and the shitload of exercise I do each day. Well, try to do...some days I just imagine myself doing it and that's enough.

Fed up of all the bullshit reasons people have when they say they can't lose weight. And then I'm supposed to be the bad guy when they go on the defensive. Drop the fucking cheeseburger and go for a fucking 10 minute jog instead!! Jesus christ the human race is going downhill fast. Thought we were supposed to get better as time went on.

Thor, wait about 10-12 years and you will see just how much harder you have to work to keep the same body weight. Metabolisms slow down. Skinny kids easily become fat 30 and 40 year olds. I was never more than 170 all through my teens and twenties, no matter what I ate, and I ate a lot. Bad shit too. Predominantly, I would say. Now, I am about 6'0" and 210. Times change. I'm not saying you can't keep the weight off, but you will probably have to work a LOT harder to do so. I do.

19.9 Apparently I'm in the healthy range. But I work outside all day with machines..

well im supposedly just under the line for being overweight(24.5BMI), but im unable to find any flab on me. that test is seriously flawed.

16.95
Apparently I'm underweight, and yet the other BMI test I did said I was normal.
These tests could be a little more consistent if you ask me.

Thor, wait about 10-12 years and you will see just how much harder you have to work to keep the same body weight.

Damned right. When I was in my early/mid twenties, my BMI was about 21.5. It's now 24.5. OK, I have filled out, but the 28" waist I used to have crept up to 32".

I now run three times per week to help stay trim, which means I also have to do weights so I don't get a jogger's physique.

I'm 6',1" at about 190 lbs at about 12% body fat. I'm overweight, but it's because of muscle, not fat.

I wish I could be more compassionate about fat people, but they're just so disgusting to me. Especially watching them eat.

You are not clinically overweight, not with those stats. In any case, carrying extra muscle is nowhere near as damaging to the heart as excess fat.

Jaybee.