Letters to the Editor
healthyskeptic
Published Letters: 671 Editor's Choice: 14
-
@Laurel962
[Read the article: Anorexia: It's not just for teens]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have never heard or read of any heavy person using this as an excuse.
It's common. Especially on sites like Bitch and Feministing. They call obesity "size diversity" and argue that healthy standards are discrimination.
it is nearly impossible to change body type or achieve significant long term weight loss (except for gastric bypass surgery), and that exercise (though good for one's overall health) does not result in long term weight loss either.
There is no "body type" of obese. Some ppl will be a bit heavier or lighter, more or less muscular, but aside from an extremely rare genetic disease, there is no genetic obese "body type." Every doctor will tell obese patients to exercise, eat a healthy diet, and lose weight.
Many obese people don't stick to healthy lifestyles, and are prone to fad dieting, and then over eating and stopping exercising. That is well known. That doesn't change the fact that if they would stick to a healthier lifestyle, they'd be healthier.
In fact a recent study showed that social norms and social network correlate highly with obesity. As one person becomes obese, it becomes more acceptable for peers, and it's far more likely friends will follow into obesity.
Obese people seek out and encourage obesity.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool for the scientific study of POPULATIONS, not individuals.
BS! (where do you get this garbage?) An individual's BMI is roughly the percentage of the body that is fat. Obesity is measured based on BMI on an individual basis. A BMI of 25+ is overweight and unhealthy. A 30+ BMI is obese and more unhealthy. People with BMI of 40+ are morbidly obese.
These women are obviously emaciated and starving. .. Many are probably taking diet pills or cocaine and smoking to starve down
Nonsense. Typical obese rationalizations. The vast majority of movie stars look like they have BMI around 20, which is healthy and possibly ideal for the person. A 20 BMI will be lean/muscular. A healthy BMI of around 20-23, will have about the fat of a swimsuit model. Round curves, but not hanging flab.
Exactly WHAT was a "methodological error"?
As I already said, the study didn't differentiate between healthy and unhealthy exercise, but did differentiate between people who are barely overweight and those more overweight. So, it's a methodological error producing fasle results.
Lumping in the small percentage of people thin by unhealthy means gave a slight statistical skew to that group which is otherwise far healthier than every group of overweight people.
That only barely advantaged the next closest statistical grouping, i.e. those who are only a few lbs overweight. Those are people whose BMI is around 26. Barely overweight.
However, if you control for that and look at the data more meaningfully in detail, people who engage in healthy exercise to maintain a healthy BMI, they are the most healthy group by far. Or, if you go the other way and look at people in groupings of ideal BMI, overweight, and obese, the ideal range of BMI is far healthier.
Slightly overweight people live longer because they are moderate in their lifestyles, and don't ruin their bodies with excessive fanatical behavior.
Wrong. That's not what the data says at all. Again, the study didn't differentiate between weight reducing lifestyles, which slightly skewed the data. The vast majority of people of a healthy BMI are not engaging in unhealthy practices and will greatly outlive the overweight, including the slightly overweight. And they have a higher quality of life being disabled less often and later.
You can keep up your pro-obesity nonsense, but you're not fooling anyone healthy. And you're not going to talk your way out of obesity related diseases.
-
btw
[Read the article: Anorexia: It's not just for teens]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's also been shown things like reading, education, and economic success correlate with exercise and health, and inversely with obesity.
Part of that is to blame on poor social policies which make it more difficult for the poor to maintain health.
However, part of that is also due to individual merits. All else being equal, a better educated, more intelligent, and more proactive person person will choose to become healthy, exercise, and have the intellectual resources to research nutrition and proper exercise.
-
Diversity?
[Read the article: Anorexia: It's not just for teens]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Diverse looks" are things like big noses or little noses.
"Diverse looks" don't cause Diabetes Type II which has increased 300% over the last couple decades. Or clogged arteries. Or cancer. All of which are linked to obesity.
Having an obese body isn't a "diverse look" it's a mental and physical disease that can be overcome. Obesity isn't natural variation any more than black-lungs.
-
ja.mazo
[Read the article: Boys just being ... sex offenders?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]And remove that vicious, pea-brained district attorney from office immediately.
No kidding. This DA sounds like somebody from the documentary Jesus Camp.
-
@ Anony 11:26 PM
[Read the article: Boys just being ... sex offenders?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Is that what I said? No.
What I said is that some amount of misbehavior, even butt slapping, is normal with kids. It's not "traumatizing" anyone except those already unbalanced.
With an adult>adult it would be a crime, but a relatively minor assault. With an adult>child a more serious crime. But from a kid>kid it's a disciplinary matter, not a crime.
It's not rape. It's not injury. It's not a huge humiliation.
It's being completely exaggerated by the Andrea Dworkin types, who have personal issues.
-
@ Juliebird
[Read the article: Battered and fired]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks for the info on the childcare non-profit. I should have known it was large enough to be a target for a lawsuit.
But regardless, it doesn't sound rich, or like it can afford paid leave.
Also, kindergarten kids (not to mention parents) should preferably know, trust, and bond somewhat with teachers. It is their first out of home experience after all.
If she had already done that, it would make more sense to retain her. But considering it was her 1st week, it makes no sense to swap teachers midway, right after the replacemnt gets to know the kids and vs versa. Nor to have a teacher with a battered face introducing them to the concept of DV at 5yo.