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The Big Fat Con!

14 replies

glitterfairy · 24/04/2004 15:53

HAs anyone read this in the Guardian Weekend today? After all the threads on weight and lsoing it thought I might start a thread on this article and why not to lose weight. The stuff on why Bill went for Monika was hilarious! It is a well argued article though and certainly echoed much of what I really feel about this issue.

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CountessDracula · 24/04/2004 16:18

Yes I read it, very interesting about what a load of crap the BMI thing is!

It's here

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mummytojames · 24/04/2004 16:28

musr remember to tell people to follow the bmi thing if they wat a eating disorder or they want there kids to have eating disorder oh and the thing about the ideal weight if i ever told my doctor i was going down to my ideal weight he would lock me up beause the kast time i was my ideal weight i ended up in hospital on drips because i fainted and they had to put me on some hight calorie thing to get my weight back up

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wickedstepmum · 24/04/2004 18:00

Thanks very much glitterfairy & CountessDracula (fab names) - that was fascinating. My bmi is 28 - desparate to get it down! However, according to my local gym I am much fitter than my dh whose bmi is 19.

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glitterfairy · 24/04/2004 18:23

Countess am ashamed I didnt know how to do that! Glad you could though!I was really impressed by the BMI thing and also the stuff about the effects of dieting. Of course currently detoxing with sgt major beety and so any amunition to throw her way is good!

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CountessDracula · 25/04/2004 00:02

Glitterfairy it took me months to even attempt it I assure you!

Well if that Beety's on your case you will be Kate Moss in a matter of weeks

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robinw · 25/04/2004 05:29

message withdrawn

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grumpyzebra · 25/04/2004 06:16

The BMI is flawed in that it tends to try to make very tall people too skinny and lets short people get too plump... and I fully believe that fitness itself is more important than raw BMI, but...

The Guardian article is poor on credibility. It starts out quoting who is "overweight" by BMI(=25-29.9, Brad Pitt, Michael Jordan) or "obese" (BMI=30+, George Clooney and others). But I work out the BMI for these people respectively as Pitt=21, Jordan=25 (ok, probably not fair to tip him into 'overweight', but he's also 6'6" tall, and we know BMI doesn't work well above 6'2" or so!), Clooney's BMI=29. All just barely at or BELOW the thresholds the author cites in the Guardian article for putting each celeb. into the categories he assigns them into. Supposedly Jennifer Anniston needs to put on 55 lbs to get a BMI = Pitt's (21)... in which case (she's 5'5" ) she must only weigh 74 lbs right now (the best guess I found is that she currently weights 120 lb, putting her BMI at 19.6, which seems about right... she's pretty scrawny).

Can't be bothered to check the rest of the "facts" the author cites in support of his thesis.

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grumpyzebra · 25/04/2004 06:38

Mel Gibson -- the article labels as 'overweight'; at 5'9" and 150 lbs his BMI would be 21.5, certainly nobody's BMI definition of overweight... although admittedly one website puts his weight at 214 lbs! Which would put BMI over 30... I don't think he usually weighs 214 lbs, though, do you?

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Weight gain in pregnancy

Weight gain during pregnancy is one of life's certainties, but studies show that many women don't know how much weight they should be putting on – and could be putting themselves and their baby at risk

Lesley76 · 25/04/2004 06:50

HHHMMMMmmmm???interesting. Don?t know a lot about this BMI stuff ? although when I was waiting to be seen at antenatal appointment last week I noticed a BMI chart on the wall and was surprised to see that currently I have a BMI of 25. Seems a bit odd at 41 weeks pregnant????

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Beetroot · 25/04/2004 08:26

This reply has been deleted

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bossykate · 25/04/2004 11:34

i saw it, hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!

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glitterfairy · 25/04/2004 11:38

Beety you meany was just slipping myself a fusilli! Know what you mean countess she is horror and robinw who doesnt want to lose weight I want to meet them?!

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Crunchie · 25/04/2004 11:49

The BMI thing is a 'bit' difficult as I know for myself a good weight - putting me in size 10 - 12 clothes and being fit - means 10stone. This is a BMI of 25. Right on the top of the level before I am techically 'overweight'

The article is facinating as I think that we are concentrating on dieting, not fitness and that is realy bad. DH is Obese by BMI standards - 17st and 5'10", but he is really fit. He is built to be barrel chested and can run a marathon. All Rugby players are Obese!! What struck me was that it is the yoyo dieting that can cause more problems, and for me this struck home. I want to be 10st, and am aiming to get there, but I am also aiming to work out my relationship with food. In the long term this iwll be more healthy.

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glitterfairy · 25/04/2004 12:56

Absoluetly crunchie! I have been a yoyo dieter all my life adn recently stopped bothering and lost three dress sizes! I have started at a gym and feel like a new person. I think I have always exercised a lot but gave up with office jobs and then kids. Was a little put off my detox by this article and then by reflecting on how not dieting has been fantastic and I have lost weight! Will do it today as its thrid day and may keep some of the elements of it but am thinking of being a bit more normal tomorrow. Beety if you are lurking sorry sorry sorry!