To feel depressed by this DM article re size 16

[Rachtoteach]

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2342207/Is-size-16-normal--danger-These-women-Britains-common-dress-size-youd-expect-healthy-battery-medical-tests-came-surprising-worrying-results.html

After 37 years on this planet I have finally developed something I wish more women could have - an acceptance of who I am and the ability of being happy in my own body..... even though - shock, horror - I am 5ft2, size 16, 11 something stone. Anyway, I don't cry in the changing rooms anymore . I exercise 3 x week, eat a balanced-ish diet, don't smoke, blah blah blah.

It just makes me sad and mad that the DM have taken 4 size 16 women who each turn out to have some health issues, and declare (effectively) all us size 16 women a picture of ill-health! On the results of four women?!! And implying, or least leaving the reader with the impression, that any other (smaller sized) women would conversely be in tip-top health - all of them, simply based on their size!

AIBU to think that there must be some healthy size 16 women out there and probably some not so healthy smaller women? If I am BU then I may as well give up now as I know I am unlikely to ever be much smaller than I am now.

Even were it not for the NHS, obesity remains a public health issue and it is perfectly reasonable for the general public to discuss it. Were it not for that, there would be no scrutiny of the rubbish that big business puts in our food. It is no good saying that issues of weight are too personal. That is not what living in a society is about. It is true that a lot of the discussion is postively unhelpful, but that is a different issue to whether it should be discussed at all.

YANBU to be depressed but it's true that abdominal fat where you are storing it around your organs rather than it going to your hips/bum is really dangerous and massively increases the risk for a whole host of health problems like diabetes, heart attack etc.

All four of those women in that article looked really good to me though. I am a size 12 but I don't think I look half as good as they do in photos - mainly because most of my weight is on my tummy and my face is not as pretty as theirs. I think if you have a really pretty face, you can get away with a bit of extra weight.

I think it is really important to separate out women being judged for their appearance (in a way men aren't) and an increasing number of people being overweight to the point its damaging their health and life expectancy.

they are very different issues.

looking at dress sizes is obviously a simplification but for the average height women (5 foot 4 or there abouts) , a dress size of 16 is a sign someone is overweight.

so not only is an average woman overweight, but overweight is now normal - meaning we can all loose sight of what healthy looks like.

I have 3 close friends who are highly educated (one soon to be a science professor in a RG uni, one a national newspaper journalist and the other successful in business) who are very overweight.

across income and education levels we are loosing sight of what healthy looks like & it is a very bad thing......................................................................

Techno I thought men were at more risk of some things cos of being more likely to store fat on the belly?

TBH I'm no expert but just know that women naturally carry more fat than men. FWIW there are a fair amount of articles relating to men too:

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/dec/20/overweight-obesity-england-men

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4541844/obese-man-penis-see-too-fat.html

www.guardian.co.uk/society/blog/2013/mar/28/men-women-weight-underestimate

Also, I totally agree with FasterStronger. Many wise words spoken IMHO.

What fasterstronger said.

There is definately too much emphasis on appearance and dieting. There is not nearly enough recognition of what a healthy diet looks like, which is why I find myself surrounded by people whose occasional treats (e.g. sweets for the children, a bag of crisps, something pastry-based) aren't as occasional as they ought to be.

And - a point that I made earlier - I wouldn't be surprised if people take more medication (for perfectly good reasons) than they used to, and weight gain is a side effect.

I think weight is just relative to shape height etc of the individual. Some people may be healthy at a size 16 some not. On the other end of the scale some people may be healthy at a size 8 and others not so. I'm 5"10 and after my ds was a size 16. This was unhealthy for me. I was tired all the time and generally not as all round well as I should have been. I am now a size 10 and feel much better. I don't excersise too much, just walk a lot with an active toddler and eat good stuff and bad stuff. Its different for everyone. I know some truly stunning healthy women who are a size 16, and the same who are 6/8.

Fair point Chunderella. I stand corrected

None of these women had outstandingly bad health problems, slightly higher cholesterol, bp, or a 1/100 chance of developing diabetes is nothing to write home about IMO. Anyone of any size could get those problems.