http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070807/NATION/108070050/1002
U.S. women losing girth control
Obesity has become more socially acceptable these days, according to their analysis of recent health and socioeconomic statistics. Coupled with feminine tastes for super-sized meals and other factors, the trend toward more gal girth has become more pronounced — and is here to stay, the researchers predict.
Currently, more than a third of women over 20 are obese. But self-image is changing, too. In 1994, the average women weighed 147 but wished she weighed 132. By 2002, the researchers found, she tipped the scales at 153 but longed to be 135.
MEDICALLY SPEAKING, MOST AGREE THAT THIS TREND IS A DANGEROUS ONE BECAUSE OF IT’S CONNECTION WITH DIABETES, CANCER AND OTHER DISEASES.
Do all women just really want to waste taxpayer money to pay for all their illnesses or are they really delusional enough to think that being a fattie is good because it means you have a healthy body image?
Floyd
Teresa
How can you use all when the study says just over a third of women over 20 are obese?
Douglas
funny, there are more men that are overwieght than women, and have health issues from it as well. this isn’t a gender issue.
About two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese.[6]
All adults: 133.6 million (66 percent)
Women: 65 million (61.6 percent)
Men: 68.3 million (70.5 percent)
Being typically apple-shaped, men have a higher risk for abdominal obesity which is an independent risk factor for heart disease and type 2 diabetes….Abdominal obesity is one of a cluster of interlinked symptoms (including, raised cholesterol levels, hypertension, insulin insensitivity, raised levels of inflammatory and clotting components in the blood) that make up ‘metabolic syndrome’. This metabolic disorder has been identified as a serious risk factor for heart disease.
so, both men AND women have weight issues that cause illness that drain taxpayer money.
as for body image, fat men have never felt that bad about themselves, so why should women? they’re BOTH at extreme risk for health problems. the only real issue is that they aren’t CHANGING their habits in order to get to a healthy weight. it’s not BAD that they aren’t totally depressed & suicidal because they’re overweight, just that they aren’t doing anything about it.
Alfred
Shamefully, the media has twisted the idea of a healthy body image into being proud of one’s excessive weight. A little meat on the bones never hurt anyone, and maybe some people find it attractive (and they do), but few people ever question the health risks. The goal for women should be finding a healthy weight that matches their build.
Jane
Boy – you’ve got ‘em lining up don’t cha?
This isn’t a gender issue – this is a national health crisis with men, women and children.
And your ending comment is offensive. Since you’re in such great shape, with I’m sure a low BMI, why don’t you get out from behind your computer and talk a walk and quit yer women-bashin’?
Perhaps you’ll encourage others to follow your lead with the walking.
Ida
manbeast,
Check mate, as a nurse I am with ya.
I see it daily, your health is related to your weight and to your diet. 80% of how healthy you are and how much you weigh is related to diet. 10% exercise. 10% genetics.
Plain and simple.
I also see a lot of people over 100, and guess what? Thin and healthy.
I don’t sit around stuffing my face and wish to be thinner or healthier, I take action.
There is no way there is a food out there that will replace my having freedom to enjoy my retirement due to being bed ridden in a nursing home.
Tara
i usually agree with you manbeast but this time i think your wrong
it is a natural thing for a woman to be plump that is what their Sexual “design” was bigger hips for child birth and more fat for protecting the child from starving while in the womb so they are supose to be bigger than men but these skinny women and what the media says are healthy is not
but of course ill get 30 thumbs down and called crazy
Allan
I have a healthy body image, and a healthy Body Mass Index of 21%. What does that tell you?
Joseph
I don’t understand the comment that being obese has become more socially acceptable–being obese is more common, but less socially acceptable, particularly for women. Women do have more layers of fat than do men, and it is for reproductive purposes. However, it doesn’t have to mean that women are more overweight–it’s simply easier to become overweight because of that biological element. Children are more obese than ever, and it is disgusting simply because parents have to be more vigilant with their children’s eating habits. I can’t imagine anyone saying that being fat=better body image, because it’s simply not true. In this culture, being fat=fighting stereotypes, dealing with negative attitudes, and so on, so a better body image is impossible in a social sense. Being fat is not healthy for anyone, but I worry more about obese children than adults who are doing it to themselves. These children have no choice, and they are being fed crap that will kill them. One woman in the states was charged with child abuse a few years ago because her 13 year old daughter was close to 400 pounds. How in the hell does a kid get that way? Because people allow it to happen, and that is abuse. I say go ahead and do what you want to your own body, but when you’re doing this to kids, I honestly think it’s child abuse.
Walter
You have hit the nail on the head with this one!
There are two issues at play. Firstly, there are people who are overweight and hate themselves as a result. They have low self esteem, self loathing issues, and generally engage in behaviours that are very unsafe for them in their desperation to lose weight. For those people to have found a way to have a healthy mindset about their weight is a great thing…as they don’t need to add mental duress to themselves.
HOWEVER, there is still the issue of their being obese. And having a good self image – while making them happier and better adjusted – does not address the physical health issues regarding obesity.
I fear that this new ‘healthy self image’ movement is simply an exuse to ignore the physical health issue.
And while I agree that there is a rampant obesity issue with men as well, the emotional ramifications of obesity rest almost exclusively with women…which DOES make this a gender issue…
Brent
mmm hmmm and u men with ur beer guts and man boobs are like sooo hot..
its a 2 way street babes.
Colleen
I have no idea….. Hey wait, I don’t have a super craving for a big mac! I don’t eat at Micky D’s or BK all together, you know how gross that stuff is? No woman looks good fat, but they don’t look good weighing 110 pounds either, thats gross too. Every woman is different……..
oh yeah and you guys sure look dead sexy with those gross beer guts, don’t you? Oh yeah, you gotta love moobs, right?
Judy
This has not been my experience.
Bernice
I agree, but I think this is more of a social issue, and should never be directed at a particular individual. It’s an issue, as far as, fast food restaurants adding enormous amounts of fats to their food, that you wouldn’t have consumed if you cooked a hamburger or cooked fries at your home(just like the cigarette companies adding chemicals to their product, that made them deadly and way more addictive than plain tobacco). More physical education at our schools. Exercise programs to the public(or through the workplace). Education towards the enormous polarization between eating bad food all the time, and exercising 20-30 minutes a day. Health insurance discounts to those who exercise(maybe through a confirmed employer, or find a way that this can’t be compromised). It’s funny how everyone talks about ‘going on a diet’, but what they’re eating, is what we’re supposed to be eating anyways(fruits, veggies, …).
Again, yes it needs to be addressed, but not in a derogatory, finger pointing way.
Short Answer: 1) I don’t believe in downplaying the issue. 2) I don’t believe in singling out a particular individual and humiliating them.
Everyone can get healthier, and exercise-even if you’re a larger person, because studies have shown that the internal fat surrounding your organs that you can’t see is the most important to lose when it comes to health. So, exercise even if you’re skinny. And don’t get distraught if you’re a larger person, just make exercise and healthier eating a part of your lifestyle, and don’t worry about the weight(it will take care of itself, once you start exercising).
Dan
ALL women you say? How come you left me out? I’m a boney person, I don’t think fat men have a healthy body image either.
Geraldine
Oh yeah, blame it on the women! As far as I can tell, most guys have no clue how they look…whether their belly is hanging over their belts or not, they still think they are God’s gift to women!
Cheryl
Please do not say ALL women. That is rather simpleminded. I have a healthy body image. I don’t put myself down. I am secure in my beauty, and I am confident. Admittedly rare in most women, but then, I am not “most women”.
EDIT***Nurse Betty, please get educated. And I don’t mean a BSN or community college or vo tech. Obesity is caused mostly by genetics, just like height. It can be influenced by environment, of course. You need to pick up a scientific journal every now and then. And to you morons saying big cannot be healthy or beautiful……EDUCATE yourselves. Don’t just regurgitate what you saw on CNN last night. Also, if you think that it is OK to be fat, or encouraged…..get a reality check. Prejudice against fat people is the last acceptable prejudice. Can you make jokes about black people? Handicapped people? No. Can you make jokes about fat? Absolutely. It is encouraged. Every person who carried extra weight should be congratulated for living in this health obsessed, judgmental society.
Jacqueline
how can you limit this problem to women. Do you not see the number of happily obese and carefree males in society? Women have a lower threshold for being labelled obese by society than men. So how can you sit comfortably in front of your computer and blame the obesity problem on women?
Think about these stereotypes:
Drinking beer, barbeque outside and watching the game? Men
Dieting? women
Calorie counting, diet coke consumption, fat free meals, salads? Women
Red meat steak eaters, pizza party? Men
See my point? not trying to say women are exclusively thin and men are exclusively obese but i am trying to show you that you ignore the other gender who are actually more associated with obesity and the habits that lead to it
Julio
“Feminine tastes for supersized meals”??? Hello!!! Men are increasing their “girth” as well. I suppose you are blaming women for that, too? Wouldn’t it make more sense to blame the fast-food industry as well as the changing times for obesity? Less people have time to eat meals at home, and less time to plan “nutritious” meals and cook them…with the economy being what it is, almost everyone has to work. Being away from home and working all the time results in less time being at home to worry about home-cooked meals. Even the food you buy in grocery stores is really not that nutritious. You can’t blame women for that. Most people would agree that obesity is not healthy, that it can and does often result in a variety of different illnesses, some of which are fatal. Obesity, however, is not an exclusively “female” issue. I also think that having a healthy image is referring to what’s going on inside the person- that being heavy doesn’t have to mean you have to feel bad about WHO you are.
Sandra
Having trouble stringing a coherent sentence together? There is so many things wrong with that first sentence I don’t know where to begin. Anyway….
MEN’S obesity rate is increasing, women’s have remained steady.
And actually, men suffer more from obesity related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
And obese women are MUCH more likely to have a negative body image than obese men, and are more likely to do something about it.
As for the obesity rate in general, of course it’s a problem, for AMERICANS, of both genders, but is not something to use to make one sex feel like they are solely responsible for the rising obesity epidemic.
And your source contradicts your main statement. It states that the average woman wants to be 10 to 20 lbs lighter than they actually are. I don’t see that “self-image” is changing if the average woman’s desired weight is only two pounds more than it was a decade ago. You need to learn to read more critically.
EDIT-Sebastian–Actually, the BMI scale IS adjusted for men and women. So, you are mistaken in thinking that the BMI scale is the same for men and women of the same height. It’s not. And the fact is that there are more overweight men than women.
EDIT-Ah, now I see what you’re saying, Sebastian. I agree that sex is important when determining a healthy height to weight ratio, and any BMI calculator should consider the sex of the individual. On the same note, it’s interesting that medical doctors use the 18.5-25 range for women as well. This could be because women can carry more extra weight than men, and still be “healthy”(i.e. not at risk for weight related diseases), perhaps because of the differences in the ways men and women carry extra weight. As someone else said, men carry extra weight around their middle, which has a higher correlation with heart disease and diabetes. The BMI range is supposed to gage health, or measure risk. You said that a woman who is 5’4 and 145 lbs is considered a “normal” weight by BMI, but would be considered overweight, “even by the most generous eye”. But BMI is not a measure of appearance, it measures health. The 5’4, 145 lbs girl may look plump (by our standards) but is she at a greater risk for heart disease and diabetes? I don’t think so, and apparently, neither does the medical community.
Doris
I don’t see why anyone, man or women, would be happy with being obese. Obesity is a huge health epidemic. It is not healthy, and it’s stupid to be ok with being obese. Diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, increase of getting cancer, lympodema, etc. are all health risks that go up when you are obese. Why would anyone want to do that to themselves. I am a healthy 128 pound 20 yr old. That is because I am athletic and want to be healthy. I want to live longer. I want to be able to live without having and health problems. I have a heart issue as it is, why would I want to increase my risk of getting a heart attack. It’s great to have a positive self-image of yourself. But it should not blind you. What I mean by this is, you should know that you are unhealthy. That being like this is not good at all for you health wise. For all those women that want to be like that, you are really delusional. Why do you want to cut your life short? Have a positive self-image. But don’t risk your health and life because you don’t care that you’re fat, because you think it’s beautiful. Health risks and death is not beautiful.
Kelly
I shouldn’t care really, but…
draecoirum,
“All adults: 133.6 million (66 percent)
Women: 65 million (61.6 percent)
Men: 68.3 million (70.5 percent)”
This claims to show the numbers of overweight people by sex. It does so by considering those people who have a BMI over 25. For reasons that SHOULD be obvious, this a very crappy way to compare. Men are naturally much bigger and heavier, so using the exact same scale to determine overweight/obesity levels is ridiculous. BMI is flawed anyway, but they should at least use a different scale for women, e.g. 22.5+
To illustrate the point:
A woman of average height, say 5ft 4″ (1.6256m) who weighs 145lbs (65.77kg) is not considered overweight by this scale (BMI 24.89). Even to the most generous eyes, she would be clearly overweight.
It’s just common sense. A 5ft 9″ man should weigh between 145-165lbs, whereas a woman should weigh between 130-150lbs (assuming they’re not rugby players or whatever). Someone else might set these weights at a different level, but I’m sure we can agree that assuming a 5ft 9″ 190lb female is no more overweight than a 190lb male would be stupid.
The fact is, women ARE much more likely to be overweight or obese. It’s very telling that even using an extremely unfair measurement, men only come out as slightly more overweight. Had draecoirum bothered to scroll down in her link she’d have noticed another interesting statistic (I’m sure she did, she just chose to ignore it):
“All adults: 63.6 million (31.4 percent)
Women: 35 million (33.2 percent)
Men: 28.6 million (29.5 percent)”
This statistic refers to people who are not just overweight, they are obese. Instead of 25+, the BMI level was set at 30+. So even using a massively unfair (to men) measurement, we can see that women are more likely to be obese than men.
I find it fascinating that draecoirum earned nine thumbs up and ZERO thumbs down for her amazingly shoddy answer. It just confirms what every intelligent observer of this section already knows: statistics that are favorable/convenient are accepted with open arms. But, show an unfavorable statistic and everyone immediately becomes an expert in pointing out flaws or bias.
Laugh my f*cking a*s off.
wendy, as the link draecoirum provided explains: “BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. The mathematical formula is “weight (kg)/height (m²).” ” After which, parameters must be set for what is (subjectively) considered “underweight” or “overweight.” I have a health book that considers 18.5-22.5 to be the healthy weight for women, and 20 to 25 the healthy weight for men. That is an example of the parameters being adjusted to take account of sexual dimorphism. Unfortunately, the “male” parameters (20 to 25 or 18.5 to 25) are usually used as the default range by other books/studies/newspapers that is supposed to apply to all adults. draecoirum’s article uses NHANES data. Its use of BMI: “[f]or adults 20 years old and older, BMI is interpreted using standard weight status categories that are the same for all ages and for both men and women. For children and teens, on the other hand, the interpretation of BMI is both age- and sex-specific.
And again: “BMI is a measure that adjusts bodyweight for height. It is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Overweight for children and adolescents is defined as BMI at or above the sex-and age-specific 95th percentile BMI cut points from the 2000 CDC Growth Charts. Healthy weight for adults is defined as a BMI of 18.5 to less than 25; overweight, as greater than or equal to a BMI of 25; and obesity, as greater than or equal to a BMI of 30.”
So it is only in the case of children that a percentile (0.95) is used. This shown in the NHANES report:
I hope that works, if not, it was supposed to take you to p179 of 427. It shows the footnotes to “Table 70: Overweight children and adolescents…” You’ll notice that the “NOTES” footnote clearly shows that the data for children IS age-specific and sex-specific. This doesn’t apply to adult BMI data on the previous pages. I would have preferred to simply link solely to the actual report but it doesn’t neatly explain it all, so including the above definitions, though cumbersome, was necessary.
The shorter version is this (I know you’d be less likely to accept this in itself): see the BMI calculator tools provided and note the difference between the one for “Child and Teen”
(it asks for sex) and the one for adults (it doesn’t ask for sex)
This is why the data regarding overweight/obesity levels by sex is so fundamentally flawed. If I was “mistaken” about anything it was to say, as a fact, that more women are overweight (especially obese) when I know I can’t prove it. Looking at the data, I’m convinced that this is true but saying “this is true because it just seems to be” is hardly admissable. Of course, it could be provable but one would need access to the raw data and it would also require agreed upon parameters for what constitutes a healthy weight for each sex. But this is moot.
Ramon
The men are having weight issues too. duh. Plus, foreigners who come to America start to have weight issues. I knew a girl from Brazil who came here with a hot thin body and gained so much weight she developed Anorexia. It’s the lifestyle and food here. If you’re foreign, that’s something to be aware of so you don’t look like a pregnant male. Maybe you already do.