Being overweight isn't unhealthy?

[OldieMum]

I wondered whether anyone who's dieting saw this interesting article in today's Guardian: here .

Interesting article Oldiemum. I have recently lost just over 1 1/2 stone (although I am stil technically 4lbs overweight) and have been exercising for four years (with a short break to have DS2, took about 12 weeks off). I have to say I have noticed a big difference in my fitness levels since I lost the weight, my knees no longer ache after aerobics and I can turn over in bed at night more easily and sleep better. I am not a great believer in having to be a certain weight but I would dispute the article on some grounds, basically I simply feel better with the weight off than I do with it on. Interesting about the actors that are technically overweight/obese.

yep we started a thread on it called big fat con! THought it was really good.

The article I mean and it made a lot of sense. I also agree that it is about how you feel in yourself and what makes you happy.

i dont think they should put people in catorgories of ideal weight my attitude is the weight you feel healthy at is your ideal weight you own body knows you better than any profesional who's never met you

DEMENDTED: But they AREN'T technically overweight or obese, the celebs that the article cites as such; at least, not if I can half-trust the figures floating around on Internet cites for people's heights and weights (see the Fat Con thread, for what I mean!). I worked out BMIs because I was so suspicious. Michael Jordan just nudges into the overweight zone, but he's very tall and the BMI isn't suitable for very tall people. Clooney is in the overweight zone -- but he's also A) a bit tall, and B) not a scrawny thing, is he? Still not in the 'obese' zone where the author tries to put him, unless the author arbitrarily added on kg to each actor's weight "just because" when calculating those BMIs for each.

And that makes me think a lot of the rest of the article's so-called "facts" are probably distorted, as well.

hello oldiemum . i saw it, thought the most interesting aspect was his assertion that the 'war on fat' is a displacement of anxiety/hatred regarding huge consumerism/the 'other' (does that make any sense, it's what i took from the article)...i agree with him on this. and also in a conspiracy theorist way agree that a lot of companies make a lot of money and stand to make a lot more out of a never ending (as weight never stays off generally) stream of people desperate to lose weight. however, i'm still going to give ww a go, as i am a victim of the conspiracy and my self esteem is tied up with my weight/appearance

I read that article yesterday and I was horrified to read that in the US they reckon that an average height woman should be between 7.5 - 9 stone, if more they are overweight. Just about everyone I know weighs more than 9 stone and they are absolutely NOT overweight. I know the article was transcribing and criticising the US statistics but where did these statistics come from?!

Agree Evita that those weights did seem particularly low. Although "average height" not very meaningful.

I'm telling you, the article is rubbish.
Average female height = 5'4" (1.6256 m).
9 stone=57.3kg. BMI on 9 stone at 5'4"=21.6.
And nobody in the USA (well, nobody credible) is saying that BMI over 21.5 is overweight; the threshold is BMI=25 (or 66 kg/10.5 stone for our 'average' 5'4" woman. To reach 'obese' at 5'4" you'd need to be 80kg/12.5 stone).
Well, that accords with how well the author was able to figure out which Hollywood celebs are overweight/obese (ie, this author is even more crap at maths than me...)

I found two things interesting in this piece. One was the stress on the value of exercise - it even made me go back to the gym for the first time in quite a while - and the other was the discussion of the class dimension of obesity. I have been looking recently at literature on health inequalities and it is well established that there are enormous class differences in levels of exercising, BMI and health status. I was glad to see someone pointing this out in a newspaper article.

Didn't see the other thread Grumpyzebra, thought they looked pretty good for obese!