article from Foxnews.com

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2004
article from Foxnews.com
10
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 9:46am
Thursday, February 12, 2004



What do baseball slugger Mark McGwire and actors Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise have in common?





They're all fat.

They may be hunky in the eyes of fans but according to the federal government's body mass index (BMI), that hunk is chunk. In other words, they have too much body fat for their height and weight.

The Department of Health and Human Services came up with the standard 10 years ago. The BMI classifies people as obese, overweight or government-approved fit, depending on a person's height and weight.

A BMI of 30 or more means you are obese. At five feet seven inches and 201 pounds, Tom Cruise scores a BMI of 31.

President Bush and basketball legend Michael Jordan are only slightly better off. According to the BMI scale they are just overweight.

Susan Bowerman, a registered dietitian at the University of California, Los Angeles, said she thinks the government has good intentions with the BMI index, and is trying to heighten awareness about proper weight for different heights.

But Angelica Jordan, a fitness trainer, said BMI is misleading.

"I don't think it shows a really accurate picture of what's going on," she said. "There are other things to consider: Your lifestyle, how much you work out, how you eat, your cardiovascular health. So, simply comparing you to other people based on your height and weight is just not accurate."

Makes you think how off the thinking is about being thin and in shape

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-13-2004
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 1:40pm
Dr. Atkins was obese too, morbidly obese in fact. The autopsy results, which I've been hearing about on the news all week, shows that he had hardening of the arteries brought on by that crazy diet of his. And what's even stranger, the news said it's up to 17% of Americans who have now tried Atkins diet (though few people stay on it for "lifestyle" the way Atkins did). The fat thing, the meat thing, is what gets people to go off a limb and onto it, so said the news. But anyway, we all know he died because of head injury when he slipped and fell. But the obesity surely could have contributed to his loss of balance, and the autopsy results show that fat was clogging his heart, all vital organs, and his vascular system...and that was brought on by his eating habits. Honestly, people do crazy things and I think most Americans know you can't eat like that and be healthy. But some people are willing to do most anything to lose the weight, even if it's unhealthy to do, and that's especially so when some quack comes along and tells you that you can eat steak and lose weight.

It's not surprising that those people in your fox article may be overweight, to one degree or another. After all, America is getting fatter all the time and they say that, at this rate, by 2012, just a few years from now, 75% will be overweight if we don't eat better. It's just a fact of life.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2004
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 3:49pm
True but when you look at how appearance oriented the world is, I can't even begin to think that Tom Curise will be overweight or even is at this time in his. To say Michael Jordon was just by his weight without looking at his muscle mass is amazing. During the Superbowl we got to see some of the pro football palyers up close and personl. some of these guys were 6 feet and way over 200 pounds, there was no way any fat on these guys in any shape or form.

I think the whole fitness healthy thing just follows one trend after another. They have no clue what the best way to become healthier is and I truly doubt they ever will.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2004
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 4:06pm

Dr Atkins was obese at the time of his death because of all the fluids in his body due to being a coma and having intravenous fluids pumped into him (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110962,00.html). I personally wouldn't go on the Atkins diet because it's not something that I could succeed at, but

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 4:52pm
I believe the first low carb high protein diets were given to epileptic patients. They found that a diet low in carbohydrates tended to reduce the frequency and severity of the epileptic fits. At first they were concerned that such a diet would lead to dramatic obesity in the patients, but found that, quite to the contrary, their patients lost weight and reported better cholesterol and lipid levels than their control diet counterparts.

Since then, a lot of research has been done regarding low-carb nutrition, and the Atkins diet has been around for more than twenty years. In that time, the only warning that has been issued regarding the diet is that people who have already experienced kidney failure or are in danger of suffering kidney failure should avoid it. The large amounts of protein are more difficult for the kidneys to filter, and though it can't cause any damage on its own, people whose kidneys are already damaged or weak might experience complications.

I'm not on the Atkins diet. I tried it and it worked wonderfully, but when I began to have violent thoughts about who I would kill if I got to eat a peach in return, I decided it wasn't for me. ;-D

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 5:12pm
Good article.

  Shawna-- Proud Cl for 100 Pounds or More to Go 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-31-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 5:37pm

You are obviously misinformed.

Avatar for angelinoh
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 6:05pm
what a retarded article..lol..it's because they are muscular.....'Established by the federal government as a standard to determine obesity, Body Mass Index is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. A Body Mass Index between 18.5 and 25 is ideal. People with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 are overweight and a BMI greater than 30 indicates obesity. Being overweight increases the chances of serious health risks like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. But Body Mass Index is not a foolproof measurement. Though muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue, BMI calculation doesn't recognize the difference between muscle and fat ­an aggravating footnote for people who spend a lot of time at the gym. For those who lead more sedentary lives however, BMI can be a useful first indicator of general fitness.'

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-13-2003
Fri, 02-13-2004 - 9:10pm
well yeah, I don't expect Foxnews to do any *genuine* reporting!
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2004
Sun, 02-15-2004 - 6:27pm
i rather think that foxnews is much better than cnn or the rest
Avatar for angelinoh
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2003
Sun, 02-15-2004 - 6:34pm
LOL..you sure can't tell by THAT article but to each their own


Edited 2/15/2004 6:36:30 PM ET by angelinoh