The Obesity Myth - book

Although this is a medical thing - thought it would reach more people here for discussion.

I'm in the middle of the book named above. Written by Paul Campos.

Now, I am by nature a skeptical person, so I am taking some of what I'm reading with a grain of salt (on top of that, this guy is a lawyer ). However, much of what this guy is saying justs rings so true.

First and foremost - I've got to get this out of the way - This is NOT about people who are 100 lbs overweight, sedentary, smoke, etc.

It's about all of us out there who look at ourself and think we could stand to loose 20 - 30 lbs. That is of course until we look at all the weight charts, BMI charts, people on TV and in magazines and so forth and then think we need to loose 60

Like everyone else - I hear all these statistics quoted in the media about how (I'm just pulling these figures out of my butt-ouch) 60% of us are overweight, 50% of those are obese, and because of this heart disease is up 70%, stroke 40%, diabetes 80% and so on.
I think to myself, Christ, why aren't we all dead already? It just didn't seem to add up.

Actually, I love statistics, but like to come to my own conclusions based on the actual #'s I can see.
What is seems is going on is a major skewing of data to make the numbers say what a particular group wants them to say.

For instance - I'd heard of this large study going on for years where several thousand nurses have been tracked. My boss is part of this study I just found out. Anyway it was "discovered" that the subjects who were overweight had the highest mortality rate. Makes sense, until you find out that all the smokers were taken out of the equation, as well as subjects who died in accidents (another biggie) drugs, alcohol and other misc. causes of death.
Well S**T! What else is there to die of but of a disease that is linked to being overweight?! And that is where they take their mortality numbers from.

According to this book (again, I'm not taking this as gospel, but am in the process of investigating the sources, some of which I know are legit like the Cooper Clinic in Dallas)
It's not so much the weight itself that leads to diseases but like of physical activity.
In fact, a person who is in the BMI of obese but is physically active, has a lower mortality rate than someone 10 lbs underweight who is sedentary.

I take myself as a case in point (I'm sure it sounds like many of you my friends) - I was a pudgy child, slimmed down to 110 when I was 16, stayed anywhere between 110-120 until mid to late 20's, when it just became harder to maintain (read impossible).

From 30 until now (46) my weight has crept up to 170-175.
Through all these years however, I have been physically active - no, I don't play sports, don't do group aerobics, just enjoy playing, which is how I think of exercise.
The result is my cholesterol is 150
HDL is 60
LDL is 62
Triglycerides 141
Glucose 96
Blood pressure normal
According to these figures, I gonna live forever
Most important - I don't smoke or drink
(oh, and I don't each a lot of junk - but I won't say never)

My blood pressure went high a few months ago, started getting headaches, got put on meds for awhile
Reason - I had lost access to exercising for 2-3 months.
Went back down to normal within a few weeks of starting back up again.

Anyway - the reason I mention that history is because for so many years until I reached that wonderful stage of middle age when you've paid your dues - like so many others, especially women, the way your day was going to go depended on what that little scale said in the morning.

UGGH - I wouldn't go back to that for all the tea in China.

Bottom line....$$$$$$$$$'s for quite a few pockets.

One funny thing - apparantly acording to the Holy BMI Charts, Brad Pitt is overweight, and George Clooney is obese

Let's all throw the scales out the window, and shout out "I'm madder than hell, and I'm NOT going to take it any longer"!!!!

Then we'll go dancing.