Joke

[plusnq]

Hi

The gold standard for effectiveness of treatment for disease such as cancer is its ability to be disease free after a period. I have seen lots of data showing the shorter term effectiveness of a modified lifestyle to combat obesity over the 2-5 years period. I have seen no effective data over ten years due to the small successful data samples. I'd be interested to see a large sample size academic study over a long period to show successful outcomes, preferably several studies. Please feel free to post links

I have no issue with people living a healthy lifestyle. It is a positive thing.I do take exception to people being intolerant and actively aggressive in their ill informed opinions.

I agree with the obesity trends being shown. And it is a good thing that people are informed in a positive manner about the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle. Governments over the world should be applauded for their health promotion.

But...and it is a big but. There is a difference between health promotion and regulation. Obesity is an easy target because as a group they are visible. Imagine if it was fair skin due to our risk of melanoma. We do similar health promotions for melanoma with slip, slop, slap etc. But people still go out in the sun. People work outdoors. People still develop skin cancer.

When we as a community show intolerance (and lack of respect) towards others ( be it refugees, the obese, the mentally ill, the disabled, the poorly educated, etc etc) who may be less fortunate, we degrade ourselves as a community IMHO. The intolerance breeds knee jerk restrictive populist legislation by governments (refugees as a recent example) that can be far more reaching than people imagine when they first cry out for "government to do something about the XXX problem".

Personally I am an advocate of free choice in most issues. I believe people will make choices that suit them and their circumstances whether it be exercise, smoking, alcohol, education, abortion, etc etc. Informing people is good. Trying to provoke change through ostracising them on a personal or governmental level, is I believe not good for society as a whole.

Yours in tolerance and understanding

Shane

 

[ianvestor]

...and it is a big but.

Thanks Shane, I love a good pun.

 

[plusnq]

Cheers

Shane

 

[evand]

The problem as i see it is society these days has very much a sedentary lifestyle compared to previous generations and our diet is much more processed and the sugar/fat content is much higher.

Here's a different take on tolerance. My wife, who is a vegan, is very normally proportioned. No excess fat, low fat % of body weight etc.

It seems being slightly overweight is the new normal. She has had so many people calling her 'skinny", unhealthily thin" etc because she is of normal weight but looks thin compared to so many other people.

You look at photos of people from previous generations and there were very few overweight people. An average to thin build with low fat % was considered the norm. Now being slightly overweight to overweight is considered the norm and an average is considered "skinny".

Has anyone else come across this?

Yours in tolerance and understanding

Shane

 

[Aaron Sice]

yes i have evand - just look at your parent's wedding photos....

one of the big troubles is, once you get obese, your body creates fat cells that can re-create fat cells as long as a reserve is there to do so.

so no matter how much weight you lose, these cells are never destroyed, so they keep reproducing fat. so once you are obese, that's it - it's not just hard work for a few focussed years losing weight - it's hard work FOREVER.

i was shocked an appalled at this - so much so i went and got myself back into the "healthy" range of BMI.

 

[RumpledElf]

That's why lipo is so effective. It removes the fat cells themselves.

 

[lizzie]

You guys are a bunch of fatness snobs

noooo - the point was that the majority queue lining up for "free" food could have easily done with smaller portions, or without althogether, and therefore the food could have gone to those who really need it.

and being the daughter in law of a morbidly obese woman - nice as she can be - who has blood pressure, type2 diabetes and dozens of other fat related illnesses, i can attest that it is purely because she hasn't gotten out of her recliner chair for years and actually "done" anything (other than cook and eat fat laden foods) i think i see what has caused her health problems. her daily medicine box is mind boggling.

all self inflicted

 

[fatboy4]

Thanks for the joke evand- a beauty!

I just got my coffee and upon visiting the Coffee Lounge noticed many threads about economics etc which is fine but I was after something a bit lighter (absolutely no pun on the ensuing discussion intended).

 

[BayView]

ER.

i was shocked an appalled at this - so much so i went and got myself back into the "healthy" range of BMI.

Good work BC.

This is the sort of stuff I want to hear. Someone taking responsibility for themselves.

Care to tell us how it was done?