2 Million Americans weigh over 550 pounds.

[Mem]

I find it hard to believe too, but according to TLC they said it twice in two different obesity shows.

 

[MickeyLee]

deleted comment.

 

[Principessa]

2 Million Americans weigh over 550 pounds.That is what they said on an obesity program on TLC.

Do you know anyone that big? I don't.

No, I don't. However the vilification of overweight people doesn't help the situation.

Obesity has become the last acceptable prejudice. :irked: The attitudes expressed in this and other threads against the overweight are particularly distressing as they often hint at a basic disrespect for human life. :frown1:

Oprah is obese herself.

Definition of Obese
Obese: Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obese if they are more than 20 percent over their ideal weight. That ideal weight must take into account the person's height, age, sex, and build.
​

So if you are 5'8" your ideal weight is 160 and you are 20% over that, then you weigh 192. I wouldn't normally look at a person that weighs that as being obese unless they were 5'5" or shorter.

Obesity has been more precisely defined by the National Institutes of Health (the NIH) as a BMI of 30 and above. (A BMI of 30 is about 30 pounds overweight.) The BMI (body mass index), a key index for relating body weight to height, is a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by their height in meters (m)squared. Since the BMI describes the body weight relative to height, it correlates strongly (in adults) with the total body fat content. Some very muscular people may have a high BMI without undue health risks.
​

BMI is not an accurate indicator of obesity

Obesity is often multifactorial, based on both genetic and behavioral factors. Accordingly, treatment of obesity usually requires more than just dietary changes. Exercise, counseling and support, and sometimes medication can supplement diet to help patients conquer weight problems. Extreme diets, on the other hand, can actually contribute to increased obesity.
​

I am a personal trainer and I had no idea it was that many! The good news is we hit a ceiling mark for obese children, but now we are working to reverse it.

Fat kids no longer are being made fun of in school as much as it used to, because its getting to be the norm in our society.

Now that is disturbing.:frown1:

That can't be correct.

I too have my doubts. Where did they get that data? An anonymous questionnaire? Come on . . . who doesn't lie about their weight from time to time.

 

[devron]

Where did they get that data? An anonymous questionnaire? Come on . . . who doesn't lie about their weight from time to time.

I have to wonder that myself. That's, what, 1 out of every 150 people or so? Seems shady to me. :33:

 

[D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse]

I can't speak to the validity of this study, but I do know that McDonald's (and Carl's and Taco Bell and Jack-in-the-Box and El Pollo Loco, etc etc etc) has "value meals" in excess of 1200 calories per meal.

It used to be that you'd order each item seperately ("Ok, I'll have the quarter pounder, no cheese! and... uh, a small drink") -- and now the meals are all bunched up with fries and other items. And do I want a hot apple pie or churros or flan with that order? And would I like to supersize the drink & fries?

Fast food places routinely push over half the calories you need for the entire day at you in one fell swoop (and sometimes three times the sodium -- the cheese is included in the burgers - as in Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger - & sour cream & guacamole included in most burritos & bowls), and there is very little nutritional value in what is actually served, so your body feasts on saturated fats and empty carbs. This is how many people LIVE now. Fast food is a lifestyle, not an occasional happening.

 

[killerb]

Have you ever sat in a mall and watched people walk by? There are tons (no pun intended) of ppl who are extremely overweight...

I only personally know 3 people who are in the 400-500 lb range...

 

[D_Hyacinth Harrytwat]

I only personally know 3 people who are in the 400-500 lb range...

2 million people is 0.4% of the population sooo I'm just curious, what kind of percentage do those 3 people represent in terms of the people you know?

550lbs does sound ridiculously high, but if that's just 0.4% of the population, I can believe it.

 

[deleted157868]

Have you ever sat in a mall and watched people walk by? There are tons (no pun intended) of ppl who are extremely overweight...

I only personally know 3 people who are in the 400-500 lb range...

Obese? yes. Over 550 pounds? no

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

2 million people is 0.4% of the population.

Isn't it 0.66 percent?
2 million of 301 million?

 

[vince]

From The American Obesesity Association-

Morbid Obesity [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Morbid obesity, also referred to as clinically severe obesity or extreme obesity, is a chronic disease that afflicts approximately 9 million adult Americans. For comparison purposes, that is over twice the size of the total population with Alzheimer’s disease. If the entire morbidly obese population lived in one state, it would be the 12th state in population. The health effects associated with morbid obesity are numerous and can be disabling. Often, individuals with morbid obesity suffer with more than one health effect, creating a situation that can shorten life span and negatively impact quality of life. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Morbid obesity is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more. This equates to approximately 100 pounds more than ideal weight. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] The prevalence of morbid obesity is 4.7 percent, according to the last published figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); up from 2.9 percent observed in a national data set obtained from 1988 to 1994. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Gender and racial / ethnic differences in prevalence are shown in Tables 1 and 2. Black (non-Hispanic) females have a dramatically higher rate of morbid obesity compared to all other categories.

That's about 14 million citizens who are morbidly obese. (100 pounds or more overweight)

(I think they are all at Wal-mart on any given Tuesday afternoon)

2 million over 550lbs sounds too high. That would be 40,000 per state.
[/FONT]

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
2 million over 550lbs sounds too high. That would be 40,000 per state.
[/FONT]

That's my hunch, but I haven't been able to track anything down on the net.
But ... stranger things have happened.

 

[D_Portelay Porquesword]

I know someone close to 300 lbs. She has spinal injury from a botched procedure.
She rides on one of those carts everywhere since the nerve damage has affected the use of her legs.

While I don't judge people and don't involve myself in the vilification of obese people, I have to say it is pitiful to watch this person try to walk. She goes to the gym and takes a water aerobics class but does nothing to change her diet.

People who judge others, make rude comments and have otherwise repulsive reactions to these folks need to examine themselves first. Not everything about a fellow human being is related to the exterior appearance. Then again, those who react negatively are human beings also.

 

[Principessa]

That's about 14 million citizens who are morbidly obese. (100 pounds or more overweight)

(I think they are all at Wal-mart on any given Tuesday afternoon)

2 million over 550lbs sounds too high. That would be 40,000 per state.

You've never been to Georgia. :biggrin1: I swear to God, I have never seen so many morbidly obese people as I have here; and I used to travel the US extensively on business. So I have a pretty good frame of reference.

What I find most interesting/amazing is that most are women who are married to men who make Jeff Goldblum look like Dom De Luise. They always remind me of that nursery rhyme about Jack Sprat and his wife.

Jack Sprat is an English nursery rhyme with lyrics as follows:
Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
And so betwixt the two of them,
They licked the platter clean! ​

 

[D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse]

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
And so betwixt the two of them,
They licked the platter clean!

--------------------------------------

I have never heard of this affliction before of being able to eat "no lean".

Milk allergies I get. Peanut allergies. Wanting to lower your sodium intake. Glucose levels and diabetes. But being physically unable to "eat lean"?


This woman sounds like a lawyer for the trans-fat lobby.

 

[D_Brecock Evileye]

I had a friend die from being like this. He was a super guy and we couldnt find a way to get him to chance his life style. I know and see many people who are morbidly obese. I live in the south we fry everything.

 

[Jovial]

550 pounds is very very heavy. I don't see how these people could really go out in public very often. Not from shame or prejudice, but it would be an effort to get up and go out. I probably see 300-400 pound people often, but 550 is heavy.

Also, I don't think people can live very long at this weight. You'd have a heart attack in your 40's for sure.

 

[Principessa]

I had a friend die from being like this. He was a super guy and we couldnt find a way to get him to chance his life style. I know and see many people who are morbidly obese. I live in the south we fry everything.

I'm sorry about your friend. :frown1:

The southern diet is not great if you want to lose weight. Y'all even deep fat fry vegetables! And what is up with that disgusting white sausage gravy? Gravy is supposed to be brown. That said, I do have to monitor myself for fear of getting biscuit thighs. :redface:

 

[D_Brecock Evileye]

I'm sorry about your friend. :frown1:

The southern diet is not great if you want to lose weight. Y'all even deep fat fry vegetables! And what is up with that disgusting white sausage gravy? Gravy is supposed to be brown. That said, I do have to monitor myself for fear of getting biscuit thighs. :redface:

HAha. I dont know about the gravy, I grew up here and have never seemed to fit in. It is true "we" fry everything, smoking is a common thing as well as dip (BARF) and most of the people here are over wieght and not at all worried about health. The education system is crap here as well.

 

[Mem]

I know someone close to 300 lbs. She has spinal injury from a botched procedure.
She rides on one of those carts everywhere since the nerve damage has affected the use of her legs.

While I don't judge people and don't involve myself in the vilification of obese people, I have to say it is pitiful to watch this person try to walk. She goes to the gym and takes a water aerobics class but does nothing to change her diet.

People who judge others, make rude comments and have otherwise repulsive reactions to these folks need to examine themselves first. Not everything about a fellow human being is related to the exterior appearance. Then again, those who react negatively are human beings also.

Sadly 300 pound people are not that uncommon now-a-days.

 

[Northland]

That is what they said on an obesity program on TLC.

Do you know anyone that big? I don't.

U.S. POPClock Projection

As someone stated earlier, it is a fairly low percentage within the United States total population (more than three hundred million), so actually encountering the person may be quite rare. We do however. probably see many people in the 300 pound range and since it has become more prevalent, we are less inclined to react to it as anything other than normal.

As to the figure of two million, keep in mind, the United States population increased by more than that in 2008: US population up 2.7 million this year

According to the CDC. more than 30% of adults are overweight and the number is on a steady rise. Obesity and Overweight: Introduction | DNPAO | CDC


I have encountered a few people over the years who are somewhat on the heavy side. I have also encountered quite a few who were gaunt and emaciated to a point of concern (when you sell tickets for Greyhound you see it all-well, almost all).

I have a friend who is about 340 pounds and yet he moves around swiftly and without pain. I also know another man in that weight category, who although he moves around fairly well, suffers from knee joint pain-then again, he is in his 50s, and a former college football player, which may be the cause of his problems. I also know persons who are thin and in poor physical shape and health.


The American diet is filled with fats and well, high calorie fillers-sugars and breads. Go into a store and these items tend to be cheaper. Check the McDonalds and Burger King breakfast menus and notice how affordable these are when compared to going to the local diner or coffee shop. In fact, the fast food joints-throughout the day, not just at breakfast-offer two for one deals. It's hard to beat that, and the coffee shop only offers one or two coffee refills-in a rather small cup. One cup of McDonald's coffee is about the same as 2 of those handed over by the coffee shop. People will go where they get the most for the money, the thought of health risks is often secondary.