BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Large & Lovely Obesity is a Fat Lie

"Eric Oliver starts the acknowledgments of his new book, Fat Politics: The Real Story Behind America's Obesity Epidemic, with a distinctive first sentence: "This was not the book I intended to write."

Like most Americans, Oliver says he, too, believed there was a real obesity epidemic worthy of the constant hand-wringing and dire warnings of everyone from health officials to the diet industry.

He says he was like the rest of us - until he started doing some research. The conclusion of the University of Chicago political scientist: The people with the most to gain from our constant obsession over our weight are the weight-loss industry and diet doctors."

I love this guy!

Read rest of article here.

A fascintating interview! The shift of the BMI has always bothered me. When the US women's Olympic rowing team is considered fat by the BMI there is a problem.

The local news did a story on the BMI, the reporter was considered Obese (there was no way their was an ounce of fat on the guy.)

If thats the case then we are all "to fat" for our own good and trying to live up to impossible standards!

I'm constantly told to loose weight or the results will be high blood pressure and diabetes (both of which I have), but I'm made to feel the weight is the reason and I'm a bad person because I'm fat. And since I'm not being very successful at loosing it, more guilt is shoved on me. However, I talk back! My doctor's cholesterol is twice what mine is and he is in his 30's, extremely tall and very thin and does everything "right". So I challenged him on it - his reply? His is "genetic". Well, mine could be too, doc!
They can't see beyond the obesity and it's driving me mad!

You are not a bad person. Don't give up the fight. Exercise, eat your veggies and enjoy what you have.
You are not alone!

Eat my veggies?! Yuck! Only kidding - I would like to think I'm fine the way I am, but I'm looking for a job. I just finished a course in medical transcription and have been on many job interviews, most of which I don't even make it to the typing test! All they see is a 58 year old woman who is obese and, therefore, likely to use up the health insurance and so I'm dismissed. That's the truly discouraging part of all this. Well, your advise is 100% correct and I will keep on keeping on. Thanks!

I don't like them either. LOL. But I eat em.

Good luck with the job search. Congrats on finishing the medical transcription course! I hired a retired obese woman a few years back. She was one of my most reliable employees. You will find something.

Unfortunately, obesity is a huge epidemic. I am sure the
figures on this report are higher now.

Facts according to the National Institutes of Health:

Seventy five percent (75%) of Americans are overweight.
Two million or more Americans become obese every year.
There are 18 million obese children in America. Obesity is linked to
over 60 illnesses, including Heart Disease, Hypertension and Cancer.
There were 1.5 million heart attacks in America in 2000, of which
200,000 victims never reached the hospital.
Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans with 1,000,000
deaths each year; cancer is number two.
It is estimated that within the next five years, one out of every two Americans will eventually succumb to heart disease, and one out of
three to cancer.
Today, one out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
More than eighty five percent (85%) of these cases are not genetically
linked, and they are a result of the environment we live in.

Cleansing the body and replenishing it with the proper nutrition can make all the difference.

A friend of mine lost 200 pounds in 300 days on a system
I introduced him to, while I have had other friends die
from gastric bypass. I think they figured it would be
easier.

It is so sad.

Julie

Julie - I am interested to hear more about your friend - losing all that weight so quickly has he actually managed to keep it off and if so - how long for?

Please read BIG FAT FACTS:
http://www.bigfatfacts.com