I mean seriously, does anyone really want to see this? Now I expect to be accused of "fat-shaming" to which I respond, if that's what one chooses to call obesity as a health problem, so be it. I won't make a long list here, but just Google obese celebrities and obese musicians to get a glimpse of what I am talking about. Lizzo, her ilk and those who enable, accept and "celebrate" obesity are doing a serious disservice to the public. Obesity is a harmful health pandemic, and diminishes almost every aspect of health.
Here is the 2018 map of obesity in the US:
Note the progression of obesity in the map below:
Even more telling is this map, beginning in 1985. Colorado's obesity rate of today, around 23%, would have made Colorado the most obese state in 1985!!
Although causes of the obesity epidemic are complex and multifactoral, the bottom line is that fat folks consume more calories than they expend - I know this from personal experience! And sadly, the older one gets, the more difficult it seems to expend calories!!
There has been a fair amount of buzz lately about "Blue Zones", those areas in the world with long lived healthy people. Blue Zones has even been commercialized. My encouragement to anyone who gets around to reading this post is to assess one's weight in relationship to being obese or overweight, set a target weight if you would like to lose some pounds, and then plot a strategy to get to that target. I am not suggesting that one needs to be skinny, but am suggesting that there are target weights that maximize health. For those who might say "Well Uncle X was obese, and he lived to be 80", I say, "Well Uncle X might have lived to be 100 if he wasn't obese." 😋
11 comments:
A certain cousin of yours would go for Lizzo's look. An interesting observation is that many people below the poverty line are obese, not because they live on potato chips and soft drinks, but because of the abundance of food welfare such as food stamps, food banks, and other handout programs available to them. To take full advantage of those is to consume too many calories.
Toi - you left me scratching my head about 'a certain cousin' - I have run through the fam, and will have to ask that you send me an email to enlighten me.
And regarding your speculation about the paradox of obesity and poverty, do some research - start here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25292135 and here: https://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201601/low-income-communities-more-likely-face-childhood-obesity
I don't buy all of the arguments in those papers, but the cause and effect is not as simple as you claim. Now that said, I know an awful lot of obese people that are not poor, and the data would show that the majority of obese folks don't live below the poverty line, and that the obesity rates have risen dramatically despite the decrease in poverty rates.
Oh yes, Lizzo may be too much for that certain cousin to handle!!
Today's research news - by the year 2030, just 10 years hence, it is projected that 50% of the US population will be obese, and 25% will be severely obese.
Lizzo is not only beautiful, she sets my hormones on fire!
Chubs, assuming that you are a guy, thos is proof of the biological basis for attraction!! If Lizzo and I were the last 2 folks on earth, that would be the end on humankind.
Get fat enough and get on TV!!! https://tv.youtube.com/browse/my-600-lb.-life-UCp33hZsAzoAzKReaAG8oQWg
Hope certain cousin sees your link.
Kwee - I have been debating with myself re sharing this post on Facebook. My concern is that folks will take offense at my perspective on weight. I am not talking about those of us who are 10 or 20 or even 30 pounds overweight [I vow to lose the Holiday Fat!!], but rather am talking about folks who are 50, 100 and even more pounds overweight. And I am not particularly talking about longevity, but rather early death and quality of life. I had a great graduate school friend who fought obesity throughout his adult years and died way too soon. Perhaps a "third party" hint hint could share the link on FB :-)
Agree the YouTube series would be helpful and inspirational for the seriously overweight, however, one has to subscribe to YouTubeTV for access, which costs $49.99 a month. A Planet Fitness membership is $10 a month. BTW, I don't think your perspective on weight is offensive, but then again, I'm not a cultural Marxist.
You could post part of your Lizzo blog on FB, but maybe it isn't practical to put it all on. Maybe put the photo along with some information, then include your blog address for more details and commentary.
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