My boyfriend went to the docs yesterday and they told him he was obese, when he has a 34" waist and I would barely say he passes 'fat', so are we a fat country or are we just being told we are for some sort of taxes reason?
2006-11-30 01:35:03 · 19 answers · asked by floppity 7 in Health ➔ Diet & Fitness
It was according to his BMI, he's mostly muscle, but I was wondering how many other men have been diagnosed as fat when they are just perfectly healthy.
2006-11-30 01:39:47 · update #1
Terribly sorry, it's England actually.
2006-11-30 01:52:41 · update #2
according to me, yes
2006-11-30 01:36:24 · answer #1 · answered by bassist_of_light 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
If you have ever visited / lived in the Midwest you would KNOW that WE are The Fat Country. Same goes for parts of the South where every dish starts with "Fried..."
In California there seems to be a social push to keep ones self trim and fit (generally speaking, of course.) And I applaud that. In the Midwest, these people worry more about getting to church on Sunday and judging their neighbors than what (and how much) they shove into their mouth.
Houston: THE #1 fattest city in America. Seven of the top ten cities are from the Midwest and the South. Long Beach, Ca doesn't hit the list until #20! And Cali' has 3 cities in the top ten fittest cities list!
Just visit Denmark and you will see some of the most fit people I have ever witnessed. I never saw so many people riding bikes: it was like 5 bikes to every one car! No kidding.
Yes, Americans are fat. But a 34" waist must mean he is about 3' 5" tall to be obese.
2006-11-30 09:48:00 · answer #2 · answered by Trixie D 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Though the BMI might work for a large percentage of the population, it is a notoriously inaccurate measure of obesity for muscular or athletic individuals. By BMI standards, more than half of the players in the NFL are obese.
Not knowing anything other than your boyfriend's waist size, it's impossible to tell if he's overweight or not. If the doctor is using the BMI as the sole criteria to say that he's overweight, you should probably get a second opinion. A registered dietician would probably be able to make a better assessment.
2006-11-30 09:49:55 · answer #3 · answered by c2cl3f3 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Does he look obese (if he has more chins than the hong kong directory then yes) I doubt whether he is fat, best to look at his arterial fat etc. Can he run far before he gets out of breath if his physical condition is o.k. then he can tell the Doc to go play on the Motorway. Unfortunately the cheapness of lardy food and the likes means yes we are an opulent FAT country following the example of the USA.
2006-11-30 10:43:07 · answer #4 · answered by jimmyfish 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes I wonder about this. I think the BMI is not accurate. It is all based on averages; it doesn't take into account frame size or muscle mass. If he has a 34 inch waist and no more than 23% body fat, he is probably fine. HTH : )
2006-11-30 09:41:17 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If the doctor was using a BMI test to determine if your boyfriend was fat then shame on him; he should know better. BMI is suppose to tell you where your weight stands relative to your height--NOT a very accurate test for people of an atheltic nature.
A more accurate way to determine if you are obese is to find out your body fat percentage. I use a body impedence device; Tanita and Omron make these devices--their great! They tell you exactly how much of your body weight is actually fat and how much is actually muscle mass. You can find these products at:
2006-11-30 09:57:29 · answer #6 · answered by ENGINEERING FITNESS 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes we are a larger country than most from what I have seen. I have lived in 6 different countries in the last 6 years and not to say there aren't overweight people here but when you compare to the US we're bigger.
The quantities, taste and easy access to food plays a big role I think.
2006-11-30 09:45:19 · answer #7 · answered by tsostler 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
well to be honest we really aint a fat country some people just say we are fat but they just might be jealous or they dont wanna except that they are problably the really fat ones.or some people eat more then others.a 34" waist size is not bad really it aint bad at all.does that answer your question.
2006-11-30 09:49:47 · answer #8 · answered by NECRO L 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes, we are a fat country (look around). but ur boyfriend, i would not consider him obese. does he have alot of muscle? if so, they dont take that into account when judging his bmi (they are testing it in the most inaccurate way)
2006-11-30 09:38:07 · answer #9 · answered by jenivive 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
34 waist is not fat. it's an average waist size for a man.
40 and higher is fat to me.
We are not a fat country. there are lots of skinny and thin people I know in the US. My Father included.
2006-11-30 09:37:37 · answer #10 · answered by Cuddly Lez 6 · 3⤊ 2⤋
I don't know if you live in a fat country - but you definitely live in an arrogant one. You haven't told us which country you are talking about, and you have assumed that everyone reading this lives in it. Of course from everything you've said we know it's the USA - both fat and arrogant (and ignorant)
2006-11-30 09:45:18 · answer #11 · answered by misbehave4me 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋