Fat! Fatter! Fattest!
It seems we are in a contest with ourselves as a county to continue our #1 ranking in the world as the most obese country. In at least one study, the USA was tops with 30.6% of the population being obese. We were way ahead of Mexico [24.2%] and the UK [23%]
This is not a category where being #1 [or even 2 or 3] is good! It means that we have more obese people who are more prone to diabetes and heart ailments and other weight related illnesses. It also means we have more people who cannot manage other illnesses due to the weight they carry.
And what does it means for the lower limbs? Are legs, feet and ankles able to keep providing a base for the obese body? I don't know.
Additionally, obese people tend to create obese children who in turn tend to become obese adults and... and. So we cycle through more and more obesity - and it is a cycle that has to stop!
Yet many obese people think their weight is fine and that they are not obese or not even overweight. We have seemingly immunized ourselves to what is actually meant by overweight and obese. We see so many such people that it seems to be the new norm - almost like the overly skinny look when Twiggy was popular in the 1960's.
Folks - there is a moderate position between too skinny and being overweight or obese and that's what is called normal weight for your height.
There is a calculation called BMI [body mass index] that gives you a number and the range into which you fall. Your BMI will give you some indication of your weight category - but it is not the only statistic that matters. [BMI calculators can be found online by searching for the term.]
Your girth measurement [aka belly fat] is also important - especially as you age. Fat tends to accumulate in the midsection and that fat is known to be a health risk factor.
One study suggested that people with belly fat, even if they are at a healthy weight, had a higher risk of dying than their same-weight peers without that fat. Too much belly fat increased one's mortality risk, regardless of the BMI number.
So it isn't just your weight - or your BMI - it's your whole picture [including your mid-section.]
So get out that tape measure and camera - they may save your life!
From Lynn Dorman, Ph.D. - who is 70+ - and has, over many decades, advocated on behalf of children and adults - for good nutrition, supplements, exercise and watching one's weight!
The difference is that now I am no longer considered "weird" for saying these things!
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