9 ms·

Nearly half of America’s overweight people don’t realize they’re overweight

33 points by fortran77 4y ago

FireSparrowWeld 4y ago
I didn't realize when you include "overweight", you get 70% of Americans. Wow. That is so sad.
- bombcar 4y ago
  Most people think overweight means “obese or morbidly obese”. Overweight is a very easy target to hit.
  - pharmakom 4y ago
    Yes I get overweight after just a few weeks of pausing my exercise regime. Back again after a few back on though.
    - notRobot 4y ago
      If a few weeks of pausing your exercise regimen gets you overweight, that might be a sign that you're eating too much because my understanding is that that because that shouldn't be happening generally.
      - pharmakom 4y ago
        Oh I definitely do but I love to eat! Note when training I probably eat the right amount.
KellogsMrRectus 4y ago
ccc
hollywood_court 4y ago
My mother's side of the family often attempts to shame me for not being overweight like them. On the rare occasions I see them, I always hear "just try to live a little" and "you gotta enjoy life." But I do live and I enjoy life. I just do it in a healthier manner than they do. They are all "Christians" yet they will quickly become offended if you remind them that gluttony is a deadly sin according to their bible. A little bit of self respect goes a long way.
- sfvegandude 4y ago
  Many think the deadly seven are recorded in the Bible. Even though each of the seven is a sin, this list is not contained in Scripture. The history of this sin categorization began in the year 400. Evagrius Ponticus, a fourth-century monk, described eight evils to resist. Two centuries later, Pope Gregory 1 refined the inventory to seven. [0] [0]https://www.christianity.com/wiki/sin/what-are-the-seven-deadly-sins.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/sin/what-are-the-seven-dea...
  - hollywood_court 4y ago
    I stand corrected. However, in the US, gluttony is certainly the most deadly sin.
    - throwaway5959 4y ago
      One of the last things people are allowed to be shamed for it would seem. That and baldness.
      - hollywood_court 4y ago
        I’m never met anyone who was shamed for being bald. Being bald isn’t much of a choice.
        dominotw 4y ago
        there are ads where bald guy is sad and lonely then gets a hairtransplant and lands a beautiful lady. I started balding in my teens. I remember visiting my extended family and that ad came on TV, they all at me with 'see there is hope' look.
nine_zeros 4y ago
I was in denial about how much I bloated during the pandemic. It took a physical report and a few deaths in my family to finally start shedding the excess sugar and carbs. Now I am at BMI range and very happy.
c7b 4y ago
Somewhat related, I am puzzled that we still use BMI with a quadratic exponent for height. We are not flat creatures, but we also don't grow linearly either. The actual exponent is closer to 2.5 - this was even known to the creator of the BMI in the 19th century, but I guess that calculation was considered too tedious back then. What it means is that people taller than the average are in fact less overweight than the BMI suggests, and shorter people more so. This mathematician suggests using 1.3*weight[kg]/height[m]^2.5 to align the corrected score with the established BMI scale: https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi.html https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi.html
- notart666 4y ago
  Actually there have been arguments that the standards are actually too low. And to prevent heart disease the score should be adjusted down by 3-5. In the categories.
  - c7b 4y ago
    Interesting, do you have references? I am only aware of these discussions: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/ethnic-differences-in-bmi-and-disease-risk/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/ethni...
- jbms 4y ago
  Weight: 3D measurement Height: 1D measurement Better to use Waist circumference, since it's a 2D measurement, combined with one of the others if you want a linear scale. The Japanese fat tax uses waist measurement alone.
  - c7b 4y ago
    Technically, circumference is a 1D measurement. Waist circumference is a good metric for a different reason, because belly fat is the most dangerous type of fat (specifically visceral fat, which is stored between the inner organs and next to impossible to measure without lab-grade equipment, but the idea is that it correlates with circumference). Never heard of a fat tax, but it sounds dystopian.
thedailymail 4y ago
Is there any similar data for the opposite end of the spectrum - looking into changes over time in the difference between actual and ideal weights for underweight men and women would be interesting. My guess is that skinny men increasingly wish they were much heavier, while skinny women are either satisfied with current weight or wish they were even skinnier.
renewiltord 4y ago
BMI risk factors for some races are much earlier too. As an East Asian, triggers at 24. As South Asian, at 23.
- mise_en_place 4y ago
  My doctor is south Asian and is much more strict in interpreting my labs, particularly with blood sugar and cholesterol. The diagnostic standard for normal blood sugar and A1C can be pre-diabetic for a South Indian male
mindvirus 4y ago
I believe it but I wonder how accurate these stats are. I'm overweight (barely) by BMI, at 6'2" and 200lbs. But I wear size 32 pants and have 110/70 blood pressure. So I think I'm reasonably healthy. Curious if I'm counted in the 70%.
- teaearlgraycold 4y ago
  Plenty of very muscular people would have your BMI as well. I don't think you should ever use BMI as an individual. But I'm told that for a population is provides a reasonably useful signal. Still - I wish we could use body fat percentage more often for individuals and populations. I don't see it being a perfect metric, but I'd rather see it used than BMI.
- SamPatt 4y ago
  You're fine. I'm almost identical in measurements and I'm fit. A bit of muscle makes BMI a joke.
throwaway675309 4y ago
Welcome to the physiological equivalent of the ebbinghaus illusion. Take an average overweight American and transplant them to Japan and they'll notice real quick.
fingerlocks 4y ago
I was surprised to learn that I’m technically “overweight” according to BMI charts. I’m 5’8” and 165 lbs, but I have a slightly muscular build and fairly lean at 12% body fat. I have visible abdominal muscles, yet I don’t lift weights or do any body building either. If I’m overweight by those standards, it makes me skeptical of articles like this, and sometimes I even question the validity of the entire obesity epidemic.
- angrais 4y ago
  >> If I’m overweight by those standards, it makes me skeptical of articles like this, and sometimes I even question the validity of the entire obesity epidemic Based on your description, you are not overweight. The most concerning part of your comment however is that you would jump to question the entire obesity epidemic? I mean seriously, just look around, particularly outside your own circles and where social deprestion exists in your town.
  - fingerlocks 4y ago
    No I’m not overweight, that’s the point. But I could be statistically counted as being overweight when my weight is recorded at a doctor visit. I don’t have a particularly abnormal body, which leads me to believe there is a large margin of error when measuring the number of overweight people. “Looking around” and personally observing is wrought with bias. I’d prefer we use a more useful metric than BMI to get an accurate data on obesity.
    - bscphil 4y ago
      > I don’t have a particularly abnormal body, which leads me to believe there is a large margin of error when measuring the number of overweight people The NYT looked at this and found that BMI is more likely to underestimate body fat than overestimate it. So while your experience is valid, when you look at the population as a whole, BMI tends to be a problem because it convinces unhealthy people that they're healthy rather than the other way around. (That said, it's split by gender. Men are slightly more likely to be healthy with "overweight" BMIs than vice versa, but women are significantly more likely to have excess body fat at a "healthy" BMI than vice versa.) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/summer-of-science-2015/latest/how-often-is-bmi-misleading https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/summer-of-sc...

33 points by fortran77 4y ago

FireSparrowWeld 4y ago

I didn't realize when you include "overweight", you get 70% of Americans. Wow. That is so sad.

bombcar 4y ago
Most people think overweight means “obese or morbidly obese”. Overweight is a very easy target to hit.
- pharmakom 4y ago
  Yes I get overweight after just a few weeks of pausing my exercise regime. Back again after a few back on though.
  - notRobot 4y ago
    If a few weeks of pausing your exercise regimen gets you overweight, that might be a sign that you're eating too much because my understanding is that that because that shouldn't be happening generally.
    - pharmakom 4y ago
      Oh I definitely do but I love to eat! Note when training I probably eat the right amount.

KellogsMrRectus 4y ago

ccc

hollywood_court 4y ago

My mother's side of the family often attempts to shame me for not being overweight like them. On the rare occasions I see them, I always hear "just try to live a little" and "you gotta enjoy life." But I do live and I enjoy life. I just do it in a healthier manner than they do. They are all "Christians" yet they will quickly become offended if you remind them that gluttony is a deadly sin according to their bible. A little bit of self respect goes a long way.

sfvegandude 4y ago
Many think the deadly seven are recorded in the Bible. Even though each of the seven is a sin, this list is not contained in Scripture. The history of this sin categorization began in the year 400. Evagrius Ponticus, a fourth-century monk, described eight evils to resist. Two centuries later, Pope Gregory 1 refined the inventory to seven. [0] [0]https://www.christianity.com/wiki/sin/what-are-the-seven-deadly-sins.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/sin/what-are-the-seven-dea...
- hollywood_court 4y ago
  I stand corrected. However, in the US, gluttony is certainly the most deadly sin.
  - throwaway5959 4y ago
    One of the last things people are allowed to be shamed for it would seem. That and baldness.
    - hollywood_court 4y ago
      I’m never met anyone who was shamed for being bald. Being bald isn’t much of a choice.
      - dominotw 4y ago
        there are ads where bald guy is sad and lonely then gets a hairtransplant and lands a beautiful lady. I started balding in my teens. I remember visiting my extended family and that ad came on TV, they all at me with 'see there is hope' look.

nine_zeros 4y ago

I was in denial about how much I bloated during the pandemic. It took a physical report and a few deaths in my family to finally start shedding the excess sugar and carbs. Now I am at BMI range and very happy.

c7b 4y ago

Somewhat related, I am puzzled that we still use BMI with a quadratic exponent for height. We are not flat creatures, but we also don't grow linearly either. The actual exponent is closer to 2.5 - this was even known to the creator of the BMI in the 19th century, but I guess that calculation was considered too tedious back then. What it means is that people taller than the average are in fact less overweight than the BMI suggests, and shorter people more so. This mathematician suggests using 1.3*weight[kg]/height[m]^2.5 to align the corrected score with the established BMI scale: https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi.html https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/trefethen/bmi.html

notart666 4y ago
Actually there have been arguments that the standards are actually too low. And to prevent heart disease the score should be adjusted down by 3-5. In the categories.
- c7b 4y ago
  Interesting, do you have references? I am only aware of these discussions: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/ethnic-differences-in-bmi-and-disease-risk/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/ethni...
jbms 4y ago
Weight: 3D measurement Height: 1D measurement Better to use Waist circumference, since it's a 2D measurement, combined with one of the others if you want a linear scale. The Japanese fat tax uses waist measurement alone.
- c7b 4y ago
  Technically, circumference is a 1D measurement. Waist circumference is a good metric for a different reason, because belly fat is the most dangerous type of fat (specifically visceral fat, which is stored between the inner organs and next to impossible to measure without lab-grade equipment, but the idea is that it correlates with circumference). Never heard of a fat tax, but it sounds dystopian.

thedailymail 4y ago

Is there any similar data for the opposite end of the spectrum - looking into changes over time in the difference between actual and ideal weights for underweight men and women would be interesting. My guess is that skinny men increasingly wish they were much heavier, while skinny women are either satisfied with current weight or wish they were even skinnier.

renewiltord 4y ago

BMI risk factors for some races are much earlier too. As an East Asian, triggers at 24. As South Asian, at 23.

mise_en_place 4y ago
My doctor is south Asian and is much more strict in interpreting my labs, particularly with blood sugar and cholesterol. The diagnostic standard for normal blood sugar and A1C can be pre-diabetic for a South Indian male

mindvirus 4y ago

I believe it but I wonder how accurate these stats are. I'm overweight (barely) by BMI, at 6'2" and 200lbs. But I wear size 32 pants and have 110/70 blood pressure. So I think I'm reasonably healthy. Curious if I'm counted in the 70%.

teaearlgraycold 4y ago
Plenty of very muscular people would have your BMI as well. I don't think you should ever use BMI as an individual. But I'm told that for a population is provides a reasonably useful signal. Still - I wish we could use body fat percentage more often for individuals and populations. I don't see it being a perfect metric, but I'd rather see it used than BMI.
SamPatt 4y ago
You're fine. I'm almost identical in measurements and I'm fit. A bit of muscle makes BMI a joke.

throwaway675309 4y ago

Welcome to the physiological equivalent of the ebbinghaus illusion. Take an average overweight American and transplant them to Japan and they'll notice real quick.

fingerlocks 4y ago

I was surprised to learn that I’m technically “overweight” according to BMI charts. I’m 5’8” and 165 lbs, but I have a slightly muscular build and fairly lean at 12% body fat. I have visible abdominal muscles, yet I don’t lift weights or do any body building either. If I’m overweight by those standards, it makes me skeptical of articles like this, and sometimes I even question the validity of the entire obesity epidemic.

angrais 4y ago
>> If I’m overweight by those standards, it makes me skeptical of articles like this, and sometimes I even question the validity of the entire obesity epidemic Based on your description, you are not overweight. The most concerning part of your comment however is that you would jump to question the entire obesity epidemic? I mean seriously, just look around, particularly outside your own circles and where social deprestion exists in your town.
- fingerlocks 4y ago
  No I’m not overweight, that’s the point. But I could be statistically counted as being overweight when my weight is recorded at a doctor visit. I don’t have a particularly abnormal body, which leads me to believe there is a large margin of error when measuring the number of overweight people. “Looking around” and personally observing is wrought with bias. I’d prefer we use a more useful metric than BMI to get an accurate data on obesity.
  - bscphil 4y ago
    > I don’t have a particularly abnormal body, which leads me to believe there is a large margin of error when measuring the number of overweight people The NYT looked at this and found that BMI is more likely to underestimate body fat than overestimate it. So while your experience is valid, when you look at the population as a whole, BMI tends to be a problem because it convinces unhealthy people that they're healthy rather than the other way around. (That said, it's split by gender. Men are slightly more likely to be healthy with "overweight" BMIs than vice versa, but women are significantly more likely to have excess body fat at a "healthy" BMI than vice versa.) https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/summer-of-science-2015/latest/how-often-is-bmi-misleading https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/summer-of-sc...