Investors Health

[duncan_m]

Guys, it seems we're getting fatter according to this article (http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=28462), 67% of us now overweight or obese... so I'm wondering what the health profile of the Somersoft Men is.. Do we look after physical health as well as we look after our financial health?

Go here (http://www.mydr.com.au/tools/bodymass.asp) to calculate your Body Mass Index, and then complete the poll results! :) Lets see if the 67% figure is true of us as a group or not :-)

I'm hazarding a guess we'll be slightly under the 67% figure.

For the record, mine is 27 (171cm/79kg), still overweight at least for a few more months :-)

[Sultan of Swing]

Yippieeeeee

Mine is acceptable, i got a 21 :D Not that i expected any different, at 190cm/75kg, i need to put some weight on to get rid of my stickman complex. :p

Cheers :cool:

[Sultan of Swing]

Oops, i just noticed the poll at the top of the page :rolleyes:

[agent 86]

I refuse to participate in this poll. :)

Maybe next year.

A86

[The Y-man]

I used to be in the borderline obese category, but being diagnosed with liver disorders and diabetes put a quick stop to that! Down to where I should be now.....

Cheers,

The Y-man

[Patosan]

Body Mass Index ... come again ?

Am I the only one not to know about this measure ?
I've heard of body fat %.
Sorry guys

[Aceyducey]

Crept just into the overweight category in the last six months.

Not due to a change in eating patterns or a reduction in exercise but due to changing body needs.

Will be put right by March.

Cheers,

Aceyducey

[duncan_m]

Body Mass Index ... come again ?

Am I the only one not to know about this measure ?

Body Fat Percentage is a very good measure, but almost impossible for anyone to measure on their own without buying expensive scales or calipers..

Body Mass Index is a rough and ready guide that gives you a good indication of the 'healthfulness' of your size relative to your height. Provided you're not a body builder with huge lean mass its quite a good measure.

[wealthyjay]

At 189cm/88Kg I think I am in the normal range :) Though I could do without the little extra around the waist and a bit of muscle in place :p

[JamesGG]

Hi all

The last 12-18 months has seen me eat much more junk food, stop playing sports, and get my license (meaning I no longer walk everywhere).

Hence, I've let myself creep up to around the 27 mark. Hopefully that'll be righted soon...

(For the record; that's at roughly 172cm, 80kg...)

Cheers

James.

[Sultan of Swing]

Hmmmm, just noticing, is this a MALE ONLY thread, or are the ladies a little shy?? :o

Cheers :cool:

[quoll]

Thanks Duncan.

Almost the first one to post a 19, that was almost but not quite! Came in at 20. Need to build more muscle.

About 180/185 (5'10") always forget the cm but remember the imperial. Weight is around 68, ligthest has been 67 and heaviest has been 69.

Cheers
quoll

[JamesGG]

Another observation, is that so far we're at 61.9% overweight or obese... not too far below the 67% average...

Perhaps there's an oppurtunity for one of our other 28.1% to write a book on how to lose weight whilst making money...? :rolleyes:

Cheers

James.

[duncan_m]

Hmmmm, just noticing, is this a MALE ONLY thread, or are the ladies a little shy?? :o

Cheers :cool:


Yep, the article referenced was about Men only.. and I worded the thread as Men only.. not because I dont care about the health of the Somersoft females.. just wanting to do a comparison of our Males Health to that article.. its proving quite accurate so far! nearly 2/3rds of us overweight.

[kissfan]

Hi all.

The only thing with these type of graphs/charts is that they don't take into consideration body types. Take someone like Arnold Schwarzennegger or even our own Mal Meninga. Both big men weighing a fair weight, and would probably be considered overweight or even obese by this chart, yet both are obviously in good nick. Perhaps bodyfat is a better option to go by.

Regards
Marty.

P.S In reference to Arnold and Mal, I was talking about them in their heyday.

[XBenX]

Im overweight according to BMI - my body fat is normally just over 10%

BMI is not always a good measure

[muppie]

I've always thought I am too skinny... my bmi is 22 which means I am not really too skinny.... yayy

[Simon]

When I was in the Army they started using BMI's for a while. It was funny to have to send these fit muscular soldiers to the Dr for an assessment and/or a dietician just because the numbers didn't match up.

I was always on the edge of overweight yet I could run 5km in 20 minutes and march for hours with a pack and weapon. Many of the skinny greyhounds looked good in shorts and runners but just couldn't weight load walk compared to the bigger guys.

As a rough guide it is a useful measure but certainly needs to be tempered with some common sense.

I am now pushing 27 but I am a shinyarse finance johnny now.

My med student wife tells me that diabetes is a growth industry at the moment. If you don't keep fit you risk your eyesight, feet being amputated and worse - it is a whole lot more than just the inconvenience of a daily injection.

So look after yourselves fellas.

Cheers,

[MarkR]

Agree with the body type problem on this one, I'm 185 cm (6'1"), lightest EVER was 88kgs, I was doing 150km/week on the bike & training in martial arts (no weight training so zero extra bulk) 4-5 hrs/week, I was boxing level fit, & according to this index I was still over ! I would've had to grow 10 cm or lose 6+ kg of muscle

Now it's a completely different story :( I'm just overweight, but my target weight of 92 kgs (carrying a bit more muscle now so 88's not an option) is only 6 months away. :eek:

[Sultan of Swing]

lightest EVER was 88kgs

Ouchy, your mother woulda known the meaning of birth pains :p

Cheers :cool:

[quoll]

The BMI web pages makes note of the fact that it will be wrong if you are:
* Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
* Asian
* Anyone who is lean and physically fit (implied)

"These BMI measures are not suitable for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, whose healthy BMI range may be lower than that for Australians of European descent. This is due to their ancestry as traditional hunter-gatherers who were lean and physically fit.

Similarly, for Asian people cut-off points for health risks appear to be lower than for other Australians. Always check with your doctor if you are concerned about your weight."

I remember a US Military plane that crashed about 5 years ago, it was rated to carry 200 people with luggage. They piled 200 Marines with the kits in and the plane crashed because it was overloaded. It was rated for 200 average Joes / Jills with 25kg of luggage not 200 Big blokes with all the gear they have to lug around. Averages are great but they don't apply to everyone.

Cheers
quoll

[duncan_m]

This is due to their ancestry as traditional hunter-gatherers who were lean and physically fit.


Ahh a favourite theme of mine, simple but powerful lessons about diet and health can be learnt from Hunter/Gatherer populations.

[MarkR]

SoS, I'm walking into them at the mo aren't I ...............cheers

mark :D

[MarkR]

P.S. mine is 31, but according to my lightest ever ADULT weight I should be 10cm taller. So if I take that into consideration I'm only 28...ONLY 28...ohh man I need to get back on my bike.............

[Peter 14.7]

Body Fat is the only true guide. But on both I way to high.

New Year Resolution Time.

Peter 147

[geoffw]

My height/weight charts indicate that I'm supposed to be about three metres tall.

[alwayscurious]

23 - 172 and 70kg

[Phil_H]

Perhaps there's an oppurtunity for one of our other 28.1% to write a book on how to lose weight whilst making money...? :rolleyes:

Cheers

James.

Well James ... I'm part of that 28.1% ... Couldn't write a book to save my life ... but did work out a way to make ( I hope ) money out of the weight loss / sickness industry, sounds like I'm trying to rip off overweight people doesn't it :(


We bought a womens weight loss centre a few days before xmas last year ...huge learning curve for a bloke that has a can of coke and a dim sim for morning tea :(

When we took over, I was told by our nutritionist that 40% of the women that join are on anti-depression drugs ... and many other drugs ...pills..potions and lotions don't work !!!!

Anyway .. if you want to show up in in a skirt Dunc...I'll see what I can do to help :)

Cheers

Phil

[Patosan]

Got it Duncan ... I hadn't read your original post where there was in fact a link about BMI ... oops !
Anyway 23 - 182/75

[duncan_m]

When we took over, I was told by our nutritionist that 40% of the women that join are on anti-depression drugs ... and many other drugs ...pills..potions and lotions don't work !!!!

Anyway .. if you want to show up in in a skirt Dunc...I'll see what I can do to help :)


Appreciate the offer Phil :-) My weight is coming under control now, down to 79kg from 108kg a year ago. Another 14kg to go, but I'm confident my Paleo Diet (http://www.paleodiet.com/) will continue to deliver the goods.

Its frightening how many women are on anti-depressants, especially given the emerging picture of how the SSRI's (Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors) like Prozac can actually result in suicidal tendencies and a host of other problems. The big pharmaceutical companies are ruthless in their marketing and very selective in what studies they publish and what studies they suppress. Its a scandal that's being awfully well contained at this point.

[kissfan]

Appreciate the offer Phil :-) My weight is coming under control now, down to 79kg from 108kg a year ago. Another 14kg to go, Hi Duncan.

You want to get to 65kgs?!?!?. Wow. Without seeing you, don't you think that may be too light? I recall a few years ago when my cholesterol was too high and the doctor was talking about medication but I decided to change my diet instead and I lost approx 10-15 kilos, which was not my goal but I thought it would happen anyway. I felt good for a while (more energy) but a few months down the track started to feel tired/weak and lethargic. I suppose I'm trying to say, just be careful and monitor your iron levels etc.

Regards
Marty

[duncan_m]

Hi Duncan.

You want to get to 65kgs?!?!?. Wow. Without seeing you, don't you think that may be too light? I recall a few years ago when my cholesterol was too high and the doctor was talking about medication but I decided to change my diet instead and I lost approx 10-15 kilos, which was not my goal but I thought it would happen anyway. I felt good for a while (more energy) but a few months down the track started to feel tired/weak and lethargic. I suppose I'm trying to say, just be careful and monitor your iron levels etc.

Regards
Marty

65kg would put me smack in the middle of the Healthy Weight Range, I dont have a big lean mass and based on childhood photos I'm by no means big-boned. So middle of the weight range should be correct. And on 79kg I still have a lot of adbdominal fat left to lose, so I think 65kg at the moment sounds about right.

Thanks for the caution re iron levels etc.. was considering getting some blood tests completed for a baseline will ensure thats in there as well.

[geoffw]

We bought a womens weight loss centre a few days before xmas last year ...huge learning curve for a bloke that has a can of coke and a dim sim for morning tea :(Congratulations Phil- I didn't know that it had all gone through.

Time to compare notes over a beer or three? Or even have a few details on the forum?

All the best with it all.

[duncan_m]

Well it seems after 50 votes that only 48% of Somersoft Men are overweight or obese.. better than the national average of 67%, a good or bad result depending on how you look at it :)

[littlejen]

As noted by others BMI is only a rough guide as it doesnt take into account your build- a really lean muscley guy may have a BMI which puts him in the overweight range yet his skinfolds (% body fat) may be low. It is a good measure that can be used to track weight over time however. Lowering your BMI will lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia; all of which increase the risk of heart disease.

Congratulations on your weightloss Duncan. Your diet sounds interesting and has obviously achieved results. I am curious to know whether you have done this with diet alone or exercise as well.

Your comments on antidepressants however, I found potentially dangerous- as this forum is read by many people. The debate regarding the drug fluoxetine and some of the other newer SSRIs has by no means concluded.

" Current studies are inadequate to prove or disprove an association between the newer antidepressants and suicidal ideation or behavior. At present, we find no compelling evidence indicating that SSRIs and other newer antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal ideation in adults.

Given that SSRIs and other newer antidepressants have proven efficacy in the treatment of depression in adults , and that untreated depression is highly correlated with suicide risk we strongly recommend the continued use of these medications in the treatment of depressed adults.

Patients with depression are at risk for suicide. The risk may be particularly high during the first one to two weeks after starting an antidepressant, possibly because of the lag before the treatment starts to show an effect. This increased risk suggests that patients starting antidepressants should be closely monitored, and we and others recommend such monitoring."

The above is based on the meta-analysis of large RCTS and not just a couple of small drug Co trials.

reference: Up to Date Online 12.2 (2005).

Heres a couple of articles you could hunt out if you wish to get some more info.
Wessely, S, Kerwin, R. Suicide risk and the SSRIs. JAMA 2004; 292:379.
Khan, A, Khan, S, Kolts, R, Brown, WA. Suicide rates in clinical trials of SSRIs, other antidepressants, and placebo: analysis of FDA reports. Am J Psychiatry 2003; 160:790.

Cheers,

Jenni Macks
:)

[duncan_m]

Your comments on antidepressants however, I found potentially dangerous- as this forum is read by many people. The debate regarding the drug fluoxetine and some of the other newer SSRIs has by no means concluded.

As I said.. its an emerging picture.

If anyone takes SSRI's I'd strongly recommend you undertake your own research and not soley rely on your Dr's advice. The emerging picture I'm seeing rings huge alarm bells.

Frankly given that "the debate regarding the drug fluoxetine and some of the other newer SSRIs has by no means concluded" is good enough evidence that the drug had no place being approved and the general public should be more informed about potential side effects.

If a debate is going on (and its RAGING on this topic) then the General Public should be hearing both sides early on, and they arent at the moment. Very few people would know that SSRI's are suspected of a range of disastrous side effects, especially in Children. (why on earth so many kids are on anti-depressants is whole other topic, and lets not get talking about ritalin).

To describe my actions as dangerous seeks to keep the General Public wrapped in cotton wool, shielded from the debate and dependent on agencies like the FDA and the TGA to make the right choices which they've clearly failed to do time and time again. A recent example being the Coxibs, it seems they need a gun to their head before they'll examine the scientific evidence and act in a decisive manner. It was known at least 12-18 months ago that this class of drugs was potentially indicated in adverse cardiac events, yet only in the last couple of months has the General Public been let in on this filthy, dirty little "secret" of the big drug companies.

[duncan_m]

Congratulations on your weightloss Duncan. Your diet sounds interesting and has obviously achieved results. I am curious to know whether you have done this with diet alone or exercise as well.


Thanks Jenni,

From 108kg down to 81kg it was predominantly diet.. plus more walking than most people.. around 10,000 steps per day. But I plateued at 81kg and I've recently taken up Indoor Rowing on a Concept2 machine which I'm really enjoying, its helped me bust thru the plateau and my level of fitness is now increasing. I'm now feeling equally as enthusiastic about my fitness level as I have been about my weight.. so another chapter begins :)