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Obesity

commodore665

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in today's works obesity is a thorny subject , and unfortunately New Zealand is the third fattest country in the world , with 31% of people over 15 classes as obese , personally I put he blame on personal responsibility , no one holds a gun to their heads saying "eat that bigmac fatty " , people have be choice, the government should tax the snot out of junk food , like they do with tobacco , and make healthier food tax free .
 

Hertz Donut

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The problem is, obesity is often judged purely using BMI, which is a flawed calculation. I'm currently just below obese (92kg and 1.79m) but I carry a lot of muscle in my legs as I've been a cyclist for the past 6 and a half years, and I'm from coal mining stock so I'm fairly heavy set regardless. I'm physically active, eat healthy and I don't drink. If I lost the 12kg required to scrape into the top end of the "healthy" range (BMI under 25) there'd be nothing left of me. Sure I can drop 6kg or so, and I'm currently working on that, but beyond that it'll be a big struggle. I dropped to 80kg a few years ago when I got Swine Flu and I was a wreck.

NZ is also "blessed" with a huge number of Polynesians, who are thicker-set and heavier-muscled from the get-go, and no matter what they do they'll always technically be obese because of this. Check out the BMIs of the All Blacks too.

Having said that, I agree there's very, very few who can't lose weight if they put their mind and body into it. I'm tired of the growing culture of "there's just more of me to love/it's genetic" as an excuse for just giving up. The load on the health system in the years to come will be huge.
 

S.D.M.F

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commodore665

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The BMI index is flawed no doubt, and misleading , but putting that aside for a moment , have a look around and see the number of people who look like the above photo , they are sadly growing . It makes me chuckle and sad , when I see kids with a pie in one hand and a can of red bull in the other , on their way to school .
When they get home It's in front of the computer or telly with a bag of chips and more fizzy drink .
It's not my job to make sure people have the basics in their cupboards and fridge , but I've had to do that sometimes , cold KFC and Maccas is not the breakfast of champions , nor is Coca cola a sub for milk .
 
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Towcar

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I purchased a new set of scales last year with a BMI calculator on it, after I had lost 16kg it told me I was obese! I can maybe loose another 3kg to get me a little under 90kg but not much more.

I am 6' but I am a large build.

My doctor actually doesn't want me much under 100kg as that is a healthy weight for me.

I have been as low as 75kg but it was an unhealthy weight for me.

As for Redbull, V etc. they should actually be banned, or at the least banned from advertising as "energy" drinks.
 

Immortality

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Technically I'm obese never mind that I'm about 6'6" and ~116kg (bigger than a lot of our All Blacks). I could definitely loose some more weight, I've lost about 12-13kg in the last 1.5 years after suffering a major injury and been off work for about 5 months and another year for recovery. My target is to get to under 110kg.

BMI is a misleading guide.

Having said that, another big issue is the amount of salt and sugar added to our foods. "fast and convenient" seems to be the go these days. Processed foods have very little of what we need and a lot of what we don't.

I don't know if taxing is the answer but certainly we need to do something about all the crap we consume in all these ready to eat type meals. I still find I'm more filled by a good home cooked meal than anything you can buy on the go.

The other big issue I have is the cost of products these days. You can get 5-6 litres of fizzy for what a bottle of milk costs, bread Vs chippies is the same. The government has a lot to answer for. NZ is a primary producer of some of the best milk based products in the world and yet we also pay some of the highest prices for said products. There is something wrong with this model.

This is something I feel quiet strong about. I see the messages that my kids get and I know it's not right. I try to show them otherwise but it is difficult to combat what the official message from the government is who see no issue with all the fast foods we consume as a nation, we are still on the "fat is bad" bandwagon even though this has been proven to be incorrect and the government does not care about the sugar content of products even though obesity and type 2 diabetes is the fastest growing medical issues in the country.
 
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commodore665

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The concern the healthy ministry should have is about the consumption of excess salt and sugar ,and the amount of processed foods and that is what the health ministry needs to adress the sooner the better , people's BMI is side issue , obviously muscle weighs more than fat , however there are still a large number of people about who are just plain fat , when I was growing up fizzy drinks were a rarity , as were chips , and lollies .
 
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Immortality

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Yep, most people have probably never looked at a food label to see what it contains.

I love juice but I don't drink much of it any more because they add so much sugar to it these days that it has as much sugar as fizzy drink. Just look at who owns most of the juice brands now.... Coke!
 

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Forget BMI, just come to the Belconnen mall and observe for a while. BMI is flawed sure but that flaw makes up a poofteenth of an actual obesity issue.

I've always put it down to increasing sedentary lifestyles and an unhealthy obsession with 3 square, badly measured portions a day, good to see science is finally coming around to the way I've always lived my eating life. Then factor in all the extra junk available to us and wham. It's bloody hard work to stay trim in the face of a corporate feed bag. People carry on about ingredients, but seem to forget that with most, the simple solution is moderation. Most things food related are perfectly harmless when you apply that logic.
 

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i broke my leg last year and put on 20kg. i now weigh 100kg.
as my EP says, im fat but fit.
i eat lots of food, both healthy and not so healthy.
i have effectively a no sugar/salt/starch diet.
and a reason amount of exercise.
low cholesterol
normal blood pressure


im not sure where im going with this.
 
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