Quote:
Originally Posted by DrPhil
Did you type this disclaimer out of habit without reading ree-Xi's post to see that she already included that disclaimer in her post? 
If so, that's another reason why obesity will never stop being a problem in America and disproportionately in the Black community. People are so stuck in disclaimers and making sure no one feels bad about themselves. Yeah, let's make the AVERAGE PERSON (athletes are a small % of the population) believe that they can be 50+ lbs (technically) overweight and be perfectly healthy; and that we can't discuss obesity without also discussing how people can be thin or average size and unhealthy.
Those people represent a very small % and they need to consult doctor(s) to ensure that they are REALLY heavy and healthy. Eating well (that includes the right kind of food and the right proportions--overeating health food and junk food is unhealthy) and exercising usually means that you will not be "heavy" in the sense that most people are overweight. The scale may be higher, especially when you build muscle mass, but your bodyfat composition and how your body looks and clothes fit will show that the person isn't overweight in the sense that we are talking about in this thread.
People get real unrealistic and dishonest when we talk about body image and weight. People pretend that their muffin top is a result of healthy and moderate eating and exercise. You don't have to want to lose weight for your body to reflect your healthy lifestyle. |
In fact, she said that people can become thin through unhealthy practices, not that they are in fact thin and unhealthy to begin with. It is easy for a thin person to judge a fat person, but thin does not automatically mean healthy.
I never said being 50 pounds overweight would be ok. I have family members that are around 20 pounds overweight with perfect blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels, etc. It is unlikely that the extra weight is from muscle mass, and they do not appear to be thin. They are probably healthier than I am, considering the holy hell I put my body through when I first got to college. Obviously, if someone is 50 or more pounds overweight they are probably unhealthy or are on a path to become unhealthy. That is a different argument that no one is disputing.
My size 10 and 12 family members were far healthier than I (yes, they have been and are monitored by a doctor and are factually very healthy) when I was a 2, and are probably healthier than I am now at a 4, considering the damage I have done to myself (including at one point a diet of almost totally fast food, an addiction to milkshakes, and drinking about 3 times a week...not light beer, either...didn't gain a pound at the time, but there is no telling how many empty calories I was taking in a day...very, very, very unhealthy). The whole point is that BMI numbers are NOT a complete indicator of health, nor is weight. Someone who is on the top of the normal range or the bottom of the overweight range can be healthy. Someone at the bottom to middle of the normal range can be unhealthy. Obviously someone at the top of the overweight range and above is very likely not in good health and I haven't seen anyone argue that yet. No one has or is saying obesity is healthy or that it is ok and safe to be obese. The argument is that "fat" is a general term and doesn't always mean someone is one step from a heart attack. The "muffin top" doesn't by default mean someone is lazy or does not eat right, and the lack of one doesn't necessarily indicate an active person who has healthy eating habits.