Why do obese people call themselves "overweight"?

Question

There's a category for overweight, which is BMI =25 - 29.9
and one for obese, which is BMI above 30.
Overweight isn't an umbrella term, so why do they still call themselves overweight?

Answer 1

Coz they need TWO umbrellas ...lolz

Answer 2

You need to look up the warnings about using the BMI as the sole indicator. It should be used in conjunction with the waist measurement. People with a high muscle mass will have a higher BMI than a fatter person, because muscle weighs more than fat. BMI alone is not an accurate measure.

Having said that, there are, I agree, some very clearly obese people who call themselves overweight. No BMI needed the naked eye can see they are obese.

Answer 3

The term "obese" brings to mind images of bellies hanging to the knees, fat rolls obscuring the elbows, and double or triple chins, of a person who does little more than lie around and stuff their face while watching Jerry on the boob toob. The term "overweight" makes you think of extra padding on an otherwise normal person. SOooo, anyone who does not visually fit the image of obese isn't going to cop to being obese, whether they are or not.

Answer 4

Because Obese makes it sound as if there's something wrong with them while overweight just makes it sound like your packing less chubb.

Answer 5

The word "overweight" and "obese" are used interchangeably by most people, so pardon them.

Answer 6

Please don't judge us fatties- someday it could happen to you! I was really depressed for about 9 months, and couldn't afford to go to a Dr. so I medicated myself with food while I layed on the couch and cried. I gained about 40 pounds. Now I feel better emotionally, but I've found it's much harder to get the weight back off (I've lost about 10 pounds so far.) People who are fat already feel bad enough about themselves, so what does it matter what term they use to describe themselves? Peace to you.

Answer 7

Have you ever asked yourself this question, why is it today
we have more obese people? Up 67% of the population are
overweight today. There were a great lot less many years ago.
A few, but in no way were they around as they are today, and
believe me it will get worse. It will not get any better
unless people educate themselves. Unless they know why this
is happening, the problem will continue to grow.

Think of this; in the 1950’ and 60’s we never had so many
obese people as we have today. In fact, I believe people did
not get fat, they just did not like to draw attention to
themselves. I guess there were one or two around, however
not too many. Don’t tell me it was because some of us did
not have enough to eat, because even then we had those who
were financially comfortable but did look after themselves.
Their health and well being was as it should be.

We did not see overweight people as we see today. I recall
I went to Las Vegas and observed numerous ladies sitting
next to slot machines pumping in their quarters These ladies
definitely fitted what I refer to as obese.

Weight loss for good, is the goal of anyone unhappy with
their current size or shape. The information on this web site
is aimed at anyone who wants to lose weight and keep it off.

We don’t have to tell you, being obese can have serious
consequences to your health. These include an increased risk
of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes,
gallstones, and some forms of cancer. Losing weight can help
reduce each of these risks.

According to research by the Discovery Health Channel, 50
percent of children do not get enough exercise to develop
healthy heart and lung systems. Furthermore, 78 percent have
at least one heart disease risk and 20 to 30 percent are
already obese.

Adults are in even worse shape with 64 percent not getting
enough exercise to maintain healthy heart and lung systems,
24 percent never exercise, and more than 45 percent are
overweight.

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Answer 8

Because its so much nicer than calling themselves lard a*s. But seriously, why would they want to admit to being something that sounds so ugly, like it could be a species of whale or something? No one want to be fat, no one wants to be obese. These people have their own problems without other people labeling them...

Answer 9

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