Obesity

[isuno1fan]

Body Mass Index



My BMI says I'm obese (27.0) yet I'm physically in excellent shape and have a solid build (6'2" 210) and can still go out and run a 5 minute mile or bike 40 miles without thinking twice. When I was in high school I was on the upper limit of normal weight at 6'2" 190 and there was nothing to me (less than 8% body fat). My body fat right now is sitting at about 11.x% yet I'm obese?

I'm at about 7% body fat, and I am slightly obese on the BMI scale too. We just fall into that "fringe" 5% he mentions. For 95% it is an accurate indicator though.

 

[MoreCowbell]

BMI is a ******* joke.

While I wouldn't go so far as to call it a ******* joke, it is only one view of the whole health picture. It's only a height/weight ratio that doesn't include things like bone structure, muscle mass, etc...

 

[CyinCo]

I'm at about 7% body fat, and I am slightly obese on the BMI scale too. We just fall into that "fringe" 5% he mentions. For 95% it is an accurate indicator though.

Agreed. 5 people not fitting the scale out of 100. It wouldn't be far fetched to say it doesn't work for someone on this board. BUT, I know lots of people who tell me that BMI is bullcrap and I can tell by looking at them they are way out of shape and overweight.

If you are 11% bodyfat, that is all you need to know to know you aren't obese.

 

[CykoAGR]

Reading this thread really hits home for me. I have been overweight my entire life. I'm 6 foot tall and at my biggest I weighed 368 lbs in Oct 2002 while still in college. It was disgusting. I was lucky enough to have a great girl at the time who helped me realize that I was killing myself slowly. She was also an Exercise Science major so I had my own personal trainer.

I started slowly working out and cutting back portions. I cut alcohol intake to 3 drinks a week. I told myself that if I lost 20 lbs I could drink another drink per week or have a treat of some kind. I worked out 3-4 times a week at first for 30-40 minutes. Running was so hard I could barely run the curves on the Rec track and it is a 10 lab mile track. I would run, bike play racketball etc. By the time I graduated in May of 03 I was about 300 lbs.

I continued to work out after graduation while the girlfriend went to CO to work for her internship. I went to visit her on the 4th of July that summer and she drove by me when she came to pick me up at the airport because she didnt recognize me weighing 265 lbs, I was running about 4-5 miles a day by that point.

I got all the way down to about 215 when that girl and I got married in Aug of 04.

Since that time I have slowly put on about 40 lbs of that weight back and I am ****** at myself. I still workout about 5-6 days a week but I have fallen into the rut of eating poorly and drinking way to much booze. We dont have kids and our social life is usually eating and drinking with friends.

I'm still in decent cardio shape, I did the Hyvee tri and ran the Dam to Dam but am not losing weight. It is ALL due to poor diet. I eat healthy food, lots of veggies, fruit but just too big of portions and then throw in the alcohol about 2 nights a week and I destroy most of the progress I make by eating healthy.

The moral of the story is two-fold. Anyone CAN lose the weight if they commit themselves. Keeping it off is very hard work but it is more about what and how much you shove down your word hole than anything else.

 

[MNCyGuy]

Why do you have to get a pop? Get a bottle of water instead.

Honestly? Because, I don't get enough sleep and that Mt. Dew sounds really good. And I don't get enough sleep because my fiancee gets buried under tons of grad school reading at night, so we end up staying up too late to spend any time together. It's a bad cycle. I actually do drink a **** ton of water during the day, but that soda has become a nasty little habit, and the fact that it's kind of my socializing time in the morning doesn't help.

 

[jdoggivjc]

BMI is a ******* joke.

Body Mass Index



My BMI says I'm obese (27.0) yet I'm physically in excellent shape and have a solid build (6'2" 210) and can still go out and run a 5 minute mile or bike 40 miles without thinking twice. When I was in high school I was on the upper limit of normal weight at 6'2" 190 and there was nothing to me (less than 8% body fat). My body fat right now is sitting at about 11.x% yet I'm obese?

I'm at about 7% body fat, and I am slightly obese on the BMI scale too. We just fall into that "fringe" 5% he mentions. For 95% it is an accurate indicator though.

I'm with you guys in this one. When I was in HS wrestling, I had body mass test taken on my, and it indicated my 7% was ~215. Considering I was 3 inches shorter then, I figure I'd be in the ~230 range now. From other things I've read, 7% is for athletes in top shape, and 10% is for people living normal lives. So we're guessing ~250? Granted, I've got a LOT of work to even get to 250, but I've never put much stock into BMI, because when my 7% body fat weight would classify me as "morbidly obese" by BMI standards, it's not worth my time worrying about it.

 

[Bardman]

Has anybody else noticed that t-shirt sizes have gotten fat??? A normal large shirt is soooo fat. I'm a tall and skinny guy so it just bugs me when there is all that extra fabric hanging at my sides. As sizes get larger, they don't get equally longer, an XL is usually like an inch longer and 6-9 inches more chest.

I feel like they ruined what the normal sizes were!

 

[IcSyU]

but it is more about what and how much you shove down your word hole than anything else.

I think you just hit the biggest point, and the one most commonly ignored. You can work out as much as you want, but if you eat garbage, you aren't going to get anything out of it.

 

[Three4Cy]

Reading this thread really hits home for me. I have been overweight my entire life. I'm 6 foot tall and at my biggest I weighed 368 lbs in Oct 2002 while still in college. It was disgusting. I was lucky enough to have a great girl at the time who helped me realize that I was killing myself slowly. She was also an Exercise Science major so I had my own personal trainer.

I started slowly working out and cutting back portions. I cut alcohol intake to 3 drinks a week. I told myself that if I lost 20 lbs I could drink another drink per week or have a treat of some kind. I worked out 3-4 times a week at first for 30-40 minutes. Running was so hard I could barely run the curves on the Rec track and it is a 10 lab mile track. I would run, bike play racketball etc. By the time I graduated in May of 03 I was about 300 lbs.

I continued to work out after graduation while the girlfriend went to CO to work for her internship. I went to visit her on the 4th of July that summer and she drove by me when she came to pick me up at the airport because she didnt recognize me weighing 265 lbs, I was running about 4-5 miles a day by that point.

I got all the way down to about 215 when that girl and I got married in Aug of 04.

Since that time I have slowly put on about 40 lbs of that weight back and I am ****** at myself. I still workout about 5-6 days a week but I have fallen into the rut of eating poorly and drinking way to much booze. We dont have kids and our social life is usually eating and drinking with friends.

I'm still in decent cardio shape, I did the Hyvee tri and ran the Dam to Dam but am not losing weight. It is ALL due to poor diet. I eat healthy food, lots of veggies, fruit but just too big of portions and then throw in the alcohol about 2 nights a week and I destroy most of the progress I make by eating healthy.

The moral of the story is two-fold. Anyone CAN lose the weight if they commit themselves. Keeping it off is very hard work but it is more about what and how much you shove down your word hole than anything else.

Look at portion sizes, that is huge. When I was growing up, a the current medium soft drink at McDonald's was a large, a small was a medium, and the kids size was a small. Look at the portion sizes you get at restaurants, there is usually enough for two meals on the plate. A great example is The Cheesecake Factory, everything you order there will easily feed two people, yet it is a meal for one person.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Honestly? Because, I don't get enough sleep and that Mt. Dew sounds really good. And I don't get enough sleep because my fiancee gets buried under tons of grad school reading at night, so we end up staying up too late to spend any time together. It's a bad cycle. I actually do drink a **** ton of water during the day, but that soda has become a nasty little habit, and the fact that it's kind of my socializing time in the morning doesn't help.

Ever think about switching to tea, coffee (black is best, but even a little milk or creamer won't kill you), or even switching to diet (if you had to have that Mountain Dew)? Pop is one of the worst things you can put in your body, and is something I too am guilty. I remember back in college just by switching from regular pop to diet pop I dropped 25 pounds. I probably would have been even better off if I had replaced that diet pop with water or tea.

 

[isuno1fan]

I think you just hit the biggest point, and the one most commonly ignored. You can work out as much as you want, but if you eat garbage, you aren't going to get anything out of it.

Amen :yes:

 

[IcSyU]

Biggest issues that come to mind:
1. Too many people kill themselves when they start working out, decide they hate it, and stop (ease into it and work to get a base before you go trying to kill yourself).
2. Like #1, too many people try to stop eating anything unhealthy, decide they hate it, and quit (you don't have to completely eliminate the cheesecake, just eat less of it! Need to have a day you're a bit lax on it too or you'll stop. Weekends I pretty much eat whatever I want, but in reasonable portions).
3. People eating until they're full all the time (a little hunger for you before you eat is good for you, now don't eat until you puke or feel like you're going to).
4. Water instead of pop makes a HUGE difference (I've dropped 20 pounds in the last month and a half and no pop is a huge reason why).
5. Working out can be fun. Shoot hoops. Bike. Canoe. Roller blade. Play volleyball.

 

[MNCyGuy]

Ever think about switching to tea, coffee (black is best, but even a little milk or creamer won't kill you), or even switching to diet (if you had to have that Mountain Dew)? Pop is one of the worst things you can put in your body, and is something I too am guilty. I remember back in college just by switching from regular pop to diet pop I dropped 25 pounds. I probably would have been even better off if I had replaced that diet pop with water or tea.

Yea, probably could do that. Portions kill me too. My parents would always ask if the kids wanted second helpings, instead of waiting for us to say we were still hungry, and now I will just instictively eat seconds instead of boxing up leftovers for lunches, even when I'm not particularly hungry.

 

[Three4Cy]

Has anybody else noticed that t-shirt sizes have gotten fat??? A normal large shirt is soooo fat. I'm a tall and skinny guy so it just bugs me when there is all that extra fabric hanging at my sides. As sizes get larger, they don't get equally longer, an XL is usually like an inch longer and 6-9 inches more chest.

I feel like they ruined what the normal sizes were!

Depends on what brand you buy in t-shirts. I have t-shirts that are M-L-XL and they all fit the same, just cut differently. When I was a clothing buyer, buying t-shirts was a nightmare, because you picked sizes, but you never knew how they were going to run. I had a couple companies that always ran on the small side, thus forcing people to buy bigger sizes, where some companies ran big, thus people bought smaller. It has to do with how the manufacturer treats the shirt before you get it. Do they pre-shrink the shirt, what is the weight of the fabric, who is the manufacturer they buy the shirt from, etc. Also, how you care the shirt, how do you/wash dry, etc. As for normal sizes, there is no consistency from brand to brand. I can buy clothes from the Gap and Old Navy (same company) in the same size, and they fit differently.

 

[MoreCowbell]

IMO, there are a number of causes to the increase in obesity in America:

Sedentary lifestyles.
Increased reliance on processed foods (yes, including HFCS, but not *solely* HFCS).
Increased portion sizes.
Lack of accountability.

It's much easier to be fat than fit. It's a hassle to come home from working 8 hours and cook a relatively healthy meal. It's much easier to just drive through McDonald's or pick up a frozen meal at the store. It's easier to sit on the couch and watch TV than to go out on a walk. It's easier to blame X instead of looking at your (general you) habits that are causing obesity.

I've BTDT. It's a complete mental and lifestyle overhaul that takes time, effort and patience, and many people just do not want to put in the work - at least not right now. I've had two kids and I'm probably more fit now than I was when I graduated HS. It's taken a long time, and I've had some setbacks, but I'm getting to where I want to be, and teaching my kids better habits in the process.

 

[CyinCo]

Has anybody else noticed that t-shirt sizes have gotten fat??? A normal large shirt is soooo fat. I'm a tall and skinny guy so it just bugs me when there is all that extra fabric hanging at my sides. As sizes get larger, they don't get equally longer, an XL is usually like an inch longer and 6-9 inches more chest.

I feel like they ruined what the normal sizes were!

Yes. I struggle to find decent fitting clothing as well. Always to wide through the chest if the sleeves are right.

I've started buying a lot more stuff from outdoors based companies. They tend to provide more in my size. I buy REI and The North Face.

Go check out stuff at a place like Active Endevours or even Scheels.

 

[ddisu]

I'm about 6'2" and had weighed in at 235-240 since graduating college in spring of 02. Never really worked out, but being in agriculture, you get a work out from working. BMI puts me at obese. I wear a 48 long sport coat because of broad shoulders and being stocky.
A few months ago my back hurt for a couple months. Decided that I needed to lose some weight. I now weigh about 220-225, with 215 being a good goal (I am happy with 225). All I did and do is control my portion size. Whatever my wife puts on the plate, I eat and don't get seconds like I used to. Also no snacks after about 8 if I eat any. I can tell a difference with just losing 10-15 pounds.

 

[isuno1fan]

IMO, there are a number of causes to the increase in obesity in America:

Sedentary lifestyles.
Increased reliance on processed foods (yes, including HFCS, but not *solely* HFCS).
Increased portion sizes.
Lack of accountability.

It's much easier to be fat than fit. It's a hassle to come home from working 8 hours and cook a relatively healthy meal. It's much easier to just drive through McDonald's or pick up a frozen meal at the store. It's easier to sit on the couch and watch TV than to go out on a walk. It's easier to blame X instead of looking at your (general you) habits that are causing obesity.

I've BTDT. It's a complete mental and lifestyle overhaul that takes time, effort and patience, and many people just do not want to put in the work - at least not right now. I've had two kids and I'm probably more fit now than I was when I graduated HS. It's taken a long time, and I've had some setbacks, but I'm getting to where I want to be, and teaching my kids better habits in the process.

Pictures?? :biggrin:

 

[MoreCowbell]

Pictures?? :biggrin:

Shame, shame. This is a family site! :wink:

 

[CarolinaCy]

IMO, there are a number of causes to the increase in obesity in America:

Sedentary lifestyles.
Increased reliance on processed foods (yes, including HFCS, but not *solely* HFCS).
Increased portion sizes.
Lack of accountability.

It's much easier to be fat than fit. It's a hassle to come home from working 8 hours and cook a relatively healthy meal. It's much easier to just drive through McDonald's or pick up a frozen meal at the store. It's easier to sit on the couch and watch TV than to go out on a walk. It's easier to blame X instead of looking at your (general you) habits that are causing obesity.

I've BTDT. It's a complete mental and lifestyle overhaul that takes time, effort and patience, and many people just do not want to put in the work - at least not right now. I've had two kids and I'm probably more fit now than I was when I graduated HS. It's taken a long time, and I've had some setbacks, but I'm getting to where I want to be, and teaching my kids better habits in the process.

Not all processed foods/frozen meals are inherently bad. There are many options that are low in calories/fat, people just need to learn how to read a nutrition facts panel.

I recently lost about 15 pounds in 6 weeks by eating a healthy frozen meal for lunch every day, controlling my portion sizes at dinner, and exercising a little bit.