Nearly Half of America’s Overweight People Don’t Realize They’re Overweight

Washington Post ^ | 12/1

[nickcarraway]

As you prepare to pack on your holiday pounds this winter, consider this: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more Americans than ever are overweight. But according to some new Gallup data, far fewer of us actually think we're overweight.

In recent years, the gap between how fat we think we are and how fat we are is wider than it's ever been.

The chart above tells the story. In 1990 (not that long ago, all things considered), about 56 percent of Americans qualified as obese or overweight, according to the CDC. Back then, we were pretty honest with ourselves about the state of our waistlines, although we fudged it just a bit — 48 percent considered themselves "very" or "somewhat" overweight, according to Gallup.

But over the years, that eight-point gap between perception and reality has ballooned along with our waistlines. Today, 7 in 10 Americans are obese or overweight, but only 36 percent think they have a weight problem. In other words, close to half the people who are overweight or obese don't think they're overweight or obese.

[Look at how much weight you're going to gain]

"What seems to be happening is a resetting of norms" about weight, said Yale University's Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist who has written extensively on how our social context influences our biological behavior (like eating).

"As a person's social contacts gain weight, it seems to change the person’s idea about what an acceptable body size is," Christakis says. "This may result in the person him/herself gaining weight, or, even if it does not, it makes the person more accepting of other people’s weight gain."

You can see this latter effect in action in the chart below, plotting the differences between men and women's average self-reported actual and

[Grimmy]

Seeing as how the BMI is baseless bull and actually requires unhealthy low weight levels, most of this crap about obesity is right up there in accuracy and honesty with Hillary Wins!

[smokingfrog]

As long as I can still see my feet ... I’ll continue to eat, eat, eat...

[musicman]

"Nearly Half of America’s Overweight People
Don’t Realize They’re Overweight...."

[Ransomed]

The poorest people now tend to be the most obese. 100 years ago that would be the stuff of science fiction.

Freegards

[donna]

Maybe they just don't want to talk about it.

[Trillian]

Tonight on Smartline: I'm Okay, You're Too Fat.

[blam]

57% of Black females in the USA are obese.

[nickcarraway]

So, less than the population in general?

[napscoordinator]

Yep. When liberals went on the BMI kick, we all suddenly were fat and obese. I don’t pay any attention to numbers. I don’t care. Heck they said President Bush was obese.....get real liberals.

[GreenLanternCorps]

I’m in shape. Round is a shape...

[umgud]

I’m having too many intimate dinners for two.... with just me showing up.

[dfwgator]

"Hi there. Are you a large person? Pleasantly plump? A little on the hefty side, perhaps? Well, let's face it: Are you FAT? When you go jogging, do you leave pot-holes? When you make love, do you have to give directions? At the zoo, do the elephants throw YOU peanuts? Do you look at a menu and say 'OK'? Well, now, you can eat all you want, because at Thornton Melon's "Tall & Fat" stores, we've got you covered. That's right. Fine woolen, and woolen-blend suits and sport coats, in all the larger sizes - husky, stout, extra-stout, and the new Hindenburg line. And for you ladies we have caftans, muumuus, and our own exclusive A-frame in all colors and patterns. Yes, we have miles and miles of fabric. So take it from me, Thornton Melon, if you want to look thin, you hang out with fat people."

[Grimmy]

And just prior to the “All Americans Are Fat” crap there was the “All Americans Are Health Obsessed” crap. And before that there was...

Just like before the “OH MY GAWD! We’re all gonna die from planet hotting!” there was the “OH MY GAWD! We’re all gonna die in a sudden Ice Age!”.

Idiots gotta idiot.

[Mr Rogers]

According to a BMI calculator, I’d have to weight 140 lbs to be in the middle of “normal”. I slink into “overweight at 162 lbs.

I’ve weighed 140 lbs before - thin as a rail. Toothpick arms and no chest muscle. In fairness, I’d be in excellent shape at 155 lbs...but it would take liposuction to get me there. It would take illness to get me to 140 lbs.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

In reality, the male BMI mortality curve has a sweet spot of about 27.5 (which is classified as "overweight"), with "normal weight" of 25 having about the same mortality rate as "obese" 30.

With women, there's almost no correlation between BMI and mortality, except at the very extremes (extremely overweight or extremely underweight).

It's possible that your optimal weight actually is 155, that 162 is only slightly worse, and that 140 isn't any more healthy than 170.

[windcliff]

Lord Paddington: Fatty, lift up your chin. No no no, both of them!

[Jack Hammer]

A bit of input from the girls-should-look-like-boys crowd.

[Secret Agent Man]

The BMI system is complete garbage junk science based on a fatally flawed assumption.

It was put in place to create an overnight industry so that medical folks could get 11-12 million new patients instantly by reclassifying what “overweight” was.

[greatvikingone]

Seeing as how the BMI is baseless bull...
___________________________________________

But we don’t need numbers to tell us what we see - Americans are disturbingly overweight, they huff and puff just walking from point A to point B, and they are creating their own misery of health problems and lost enjoyment because they want to eat more calories than they expend.

So adults want to make the case it is their life they can die the way they want. Fine. But I think it is child abuse to let children become obese - a burden they will likely never be able to overcome because the adults in their lives wanted to do things the easy way.