The FastDay Forum

http://www.vox.com/2015/3/25/8290261/obesity-paradox

This was an interesting article in Vox that doesn't agree with the obesity paradox or 'healthy at all sizes' ideas.

I'm of two minds about healthy at all sizes. I think in terms of health, it's probably untrue. Not that there aren't overweight or even obese people who have good numbers on health indicators (I was one of them), but that if they remain that way, they will continue to have good numbers on health indicators.

But I hate hate hate sizism and fat shaming. That plot in the article that showed the cost of overweight/obesity was really shocking. Notice, the cost in wages only affected women and was HUGE. Scary stuff.

Yes, I too hate the "fat shaming"; Americans in particular are fat phobic, to a ridiculous extent, especially considering how many are FAT! Before 5:2, I'd decided to just accept my size/weight and try to be as healthy as possible. I actually felt a little disloyal to "fatness" when I started losing on 5:2...weird, eh? But I doubt I'm going to get "skinny" by American standards, so it's still a viable position (that one can be "fat" and not a criminal!--revolutionary, eh?). I am now under BMI 28; current research shows older adults (since I'm 59, rapidly getting there) do better at a BMI ~27...feels weird to be that close to it. However, I still have a significant gut, which I don't like and know is not a positive health indicator. In any case, I'll be "5:2"ing for the rest of my life; if I continue to lose, cool...as I've said before, if I'm ever concerned about getting too skinny, someone pinch me!

Thanks @MaryAnn, the article made sense to me.

The article says that we don't know why obesity has become so prevalent - surely the documentaries on "the men who made us fat" and similar have answered that? It is, as we in this forum know, the readily available high sugar high fat processed/takeaway foods that seem to be tasty, it's the increase in portion sizes (when I was young, the family size block of chocolate had 24 squares, now it has 32 and the squares are bigger), it's the driving everywhere not walking, it's the increased time in front of a screen and associate snacking, it's the complexity and busy-ness of modern life that means we don't have time to cook wholesome meals, it's the perceived cost of fresh food, it's the diet industry, it's advertising, and so on and so on. And I assume genetic disposition to weight gain, including such things as insulin resistance??, can propel some people into obesity very quickly with not necessarily huge amounts of extra calories.

When we are up against big business and profits, it's hard to see how the trend will change...