Yeah, and a decade from now they'll have finally figured out that that drug was worse for you than the belly fat, hence the class action lawsuit that will occur.

Actually, being overweight does cause problems and losing weight helps. There is evidence of this. Proof usually takes 30 years. Do you want to wait that long? I don't. The evidence is pretty clear that being thin is healthier. How best to get there is not always obvious nor is it easy. Some people have medical conditions that make weight loss next to impossible. Others have a relatively easy time of it. In general, losing weight is difficult and those trying need all the moral support that we can give. That means no guilt trips and no blame. Just help people in their quest for a healthier life.

Hmmmm, is your name Hugh or Huge or do you practice a childhood tactic where the child covers his eyes and thinks that if he can't see you, you can't see him? That is similar to the story of an ostrich sticking it's head in the sand. Just because you don't want to see the danger, doesn't mean it is not there. I've heard about central fat being related to everything from the head (depression) to the feet (diabetic infections, overweight arthritis, etc.) and numerous conditions in between ever since I was young and that was over 50 years ago. At that time, there weren't even as many fat people per capita and it was being discussed. It caused me to take a long look at myself, change my diet and exercise and my life. So, get out of your own way and get a life.

It seems to be a little far fetched to imply that being fat is unhealthy for a person. I think we need more government studies done to verify these findings.

Perhaps it would be better if vanity was addressed also. If you need proof of that, just look at all the people that buy beauty magazines. Fashion and model magazines as well. Talk about something that only makes one feel uglier, try reading one of those! HA! Diet crazes are another issue. The diet industry is a billion dollar business. Jump onboard, but don't forget to bring your wallet and/or credit cards! If anyone was truly serious about cause and effect they should take an honest look into Genetically Modified Foods. As the saying goes - 'You are what you eat.' and now-a-days many people haven't a clue as to what they are ingesting. If you can spare the time away from the mirror, Google Monsanto and see the wonderful 'advances' being made in genetic modified food production. Pay closer attention to those topics and the rest of your worries should fall into a better order of priorities.

Once you're in a casket, it won't matter how svelte you looked in life. The only questions left then are - Did you enjoy life to it's fullest? Did you lead a good life? When you departed, did you leave it and your loved ones better off, having been here? What did you do to contribute to the betterment of all mankind?

How hot you looked in a bikini or whether you had a well defined six-pack stomach won't matter one little bit!

Yea, I am fat and don't care either. This is a conspiracy by thin people to make us look bad. When I make love to my fat wife, I love to watch the fat of her back roll from her buttocks to her shoulder. And so what if hospitals find that fat people are the least health, and repeat offenders. Me and my fat friends all get a good laugh at how we huff and puff to get up a flight of stairs. Fat is where it's at, and I just don't care about dying or the future either. Come on now, we don't have to be stingy with that beef gravy, I'm not trying to get skinny you know.

Thanks for your comment Bob! We should definitely be giving people all the encouragement we can because for many, losing weight isn't as simple as "putting down the Big Mac" or all of the other ridiculous posts that pop up every time there's an article about obesity. People are much more likely to lose weight and keep it off with encouragement, not ridicule.

The part that people don't talk about or omit from the discussion is how this impacts kids. Kids take after their parents and if the parents eat like wild hogs, then the kids are sure to follow. Then come the health diseases, and other ailments that come along with obesity. It's not about making people look like models, it's about people caring about the bodies they were blessed with and making an effort to live healthy lives.

some prefer just to die Happy..what ever rolls ya, it's your prerogative !!..LOL

A good workout regime should include the core. Just a suggestion, if you want a good HIIT / core workout, look up the "Sparticus Workout" on Google. This is the training system used for the actors in the Starz series "Sparticus". It is intense and awesome! Got ripped abs in 6 weeks and develops the core and supporting muscles, increases the metabolism.

Also, check out High Intensity Interval Training and military Pyramid workouts. Blasts the belly and core REAL GOOOOD! Have fun.

or maybe you should,MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.i'm fat so what,does it affect you?no!but you'll find excuses,this is not a communist world where your health is a reflection on the state.this is a world where your own decisions decide your fate.worry about your own life,and i won't remind you how your life is wrong.i'm just saying judge not lest yea be judged.

I think the article said that even if you are not fat, if you have a little belly, you are at risk... So I assume you can be at a healthy weight and still have a tummy.

Where did all this fat hate come from?

Interesting: am hearing the same logic and language that i have heard from those who did not want to face their smoking, alcohol, and gambling addictions either.

I understand slow suicide, but to ignore your quality of life for however long you have before you die? Who wants to live like that!? Years can go by as a body is greatly affected by being overweight. The stress on the joints, heart and lungs takes a great toll. How can being unable to get a good breath, having your joints ache, and your heart pound as it tries to pump fluid from your tissues and blood thru your veins and arteries be worth it!? Have ankle swelling yet?... the kind of swelling that makes it look like you are wearing slouch socks? Have lots of gas and constipation? It gets nastier....

Why should trying to take good care of yourself be a bad thing? It makes no good sense to not take good care of ourselves.

Right--talk about "blaming the messenger". You'd think from some of these posts, that scientific researchers are on some kind of crusade. Really folks. If you want to find flaws with the science, than do so, but to suggest the research is just about a group of gossips who don't like fat people is just ignorant.

The steroids given to livestock to fatten them up don't leave the meat when the animal is killed and butchered and cooked. I'm pretty sure if a steroid can make a cow bulkier, it can make a human bulkier, too.

There are something like 50,000 people in the United States over one hundred years old. In another twenty years that number may double. How many of the present fifty thou do you think are obese? How many are overweight? Sure, an obese person can be happy and ignore health. An obese woman or man can believe her/himself beautiful/handsome. It is, after all, in the eye of the beholder. But health isn't.

I have been overweight at times by ten of fifteen pounds, but by exercise have brought my weight back to about 185. That's still about eight pounds more than the charts say I should be by age and height. In the last year, not owning a car, I have walked a lot more than I used to and have brought my weight to 178. Everyone knows, it's a lot easier to put weight on than take it off.

The other side of the coin is that small supplies of fat allow older people to survive some diseases, such as flu, that cause weight loss. I am nine months short of 80 and plan to live another 20 years. See you around.

I thought the facetious comment by Pedro was hilarious! It's too bad a lot of the overweight individuals reading this won't get the joke until its on them...I wish them luck in sorting out the blame and taking accountability though--- We DO live in a fat inducing culture.

Considering that fewer and fewer of us will be able to afford a retirement - who the hell wants to live to be 100+? Not I.

I'm slightly overweight. I used to be obese - won't go down that road again. However, I chose to enjoy things in moderation. If I were to try to get back to my lowest weight, I'd be eating lettuce leaves and not much more. NO thank you.

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.

Good point. Correlation is not causation.

I think if you feel good, have plenty of energy and all else seems normal, it doesn't make sense to worry yourself sick over some belly flab.

Also, I don't get how sit-ups can be considered worthless when they strengthen and tone core muscles.

A large waistline (no matter your weight) can be a sign of what is known as visceral fat. It is fat that builds up not on top of muscle but underneath the muscle closer to the organs. This can cause for stress to the organs and an increased risk of inflammation. It also increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. Also because of it being under the muscle it takes more work to get rid of, and like most fat gets harder to get rid of over time.

so it is actually harmful, plenty of studies on it.

however if your waist slowly increases over the years, you have the same stamina as always and get regular exercise, try to balance your diet and see the doctor regularly.. you have nothing to worry about

Actually, if you're overweight it affects all of us in the form of higher health care premiums. Studies have also shown that the overweight tend to miss more days of work due to illness also.

It's not always easy to lose weight, but it's time to put down the "diet" sodas, atkins shakes, and preservative-laden frozen dinners. It's time to pick up some fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and meat that hasn't been pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. Just because food scientists have engineered a product to be low in fat, doesn't make it good for.

Feel free to think I'm a crunchy, health-nut liberal. However, one of us can run a mile or make it up a flight of stairs without spending the next ten minutes trying to catch our breath.

What's a little as we age?

Well if you are as wide as you are tall, that might be a problem.

Heredity is a big (no pun) factor in how you look. Some people can look at a candy bar and gain weight. Some people can eat 10 candy bars, and not gain an ounce.

I think the most important thing is if you eat healthy and exercise at least 1/2 hour a day, you'll do OK. There are no guarantees that even if you do all the above, that you won't die from a stroke, heart attack, cancer, etc. Life is a gamble, and all you can do is live for today, and plan for tomorrow.

You can't lose weight by talking about it. You have to keep your mouth shut.

There were no fat people at Aushwitz. People like to blame their "genes" "society" "upbringing" "fast food" and everything else but themselves. Eat less, move more, and you will lose weight. I am 43 and weigh within 3 pounds of my weight at 18 and ALWAYS HAVE. How? I work my a** off and eat only what I NEED TO LIVE. On active days I might eat 4,000 calories but on less active days I might eat under 2,000. It's about self-control.

Foo Foo - It's great that you've found something that works for you but I know a lot of very active people (myself included) who work out everyday and can still only eat around 1,200-1,500 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight. Most of us would be thrilled to be able to eat as many calories as you do! (I wouldn't even need self-control.) Given that it's such an uneven playing field, I think you could show a little more understanding for those of us who have to work a lot harder.

ka56, i hear ya. I can't eat anymore than 1300 without gaining and working out. My hubby can eat much, much more.

But that's only if you're wearing really tight pants and when you breath the button pops off and ricochets off the wall like a bullet right back at you.

I'm not worried about it. I understand Obama's old lady is on top of the obesity issue and I'm sure in just a matter of a few years we as a nation will be fit and trim.

But you need to get a handle on your fat because I predict within 18 months this administration will find a way to tax fat by one means or another .... can you say "'high risk' insurance pools" ... can you say "mandatory yearly physicals, and that data entered into a federal databank"? It's coming sooner than you know

Was waiting for the first fool to post about this being Obama's fault...Didn't take long

Didn't say obesity was Obama's fault, fool. I said he and his wife we're working on fixing the problem. Learn to read, please.

LMAO Team - that was funny!

Just because they make something in your size (or close to it) doesn't mean you oughta wear it! Eeesh - I just cringe when I see girls/women walking around with bellies flopping over their belt. It's ugly enough for men to do that, but women? Ugh.

I agree!!!

Spoken like a true muffin top.

I hear that the pear shape is comming back. Get yours before they all die off.

Yep comand, if you aren't enjoying life, you might as well be dead. How you live is much more important than how long you live!

If you were living life, you wouldn't be huge! You get big from not living life

Jimmy square pants YOU ARE AN ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about a moron tax while you're at it. I think you could go to the head of the line.

Sounds like Larry and Jewels would have to pay the fat tax. Why would they be so mad otherwise?

agdomedude- This is Larry just wanting to say that I am 6ft.3" and 178 LBS. and I go to work every day Saveing Lifes as a Fireman, I did not try to Hurt Anyones Feelings but how can so many people Be so mean anymore, this whole country is going to pot so Fast!!!!!!!!!!

@!$%# that come tell me i'm too fat to my face,no law against being fat.try and make me diet,and my fat dog will bite you in your skinny ass.

@Larry - real firemen know how to spell both "saving" and "lives"

@tom - remember your attitude today in 20 years.... if you can. may even be good to record it. You are right and do not forget it in 20 yrs: it was your choice.

Fat tax? Are you f*ing kidding me? How many really fat people do you know who work? None, right? They can't and most are on some kind of public assistance. Not only can you not fat tax them, some of your tax money goes to feed them.

This would actually be fair. It is well documented that the obese cost much more than those that are fit to keep healthy and alive. The fat people are going to get mad about this but it is perfectly fair. Nothing motivates people like hitting them in the wallet.

Dorrit, amen and amen!

I just recently lost my wife of 42 years (not including 4 years of dating and engagement before that). She was only 61. Cardiac arrest primarily due to Type II diabetes --- and being overweight for so long that it literally exhausted her heart (and was a large reason for the diabetes).

So, this fat slob (who also has T2 diabetes, sleep apnea and high blood pressure, all of which can be fixed, in my case, by weight control) has learned and is getting un-fat.

More power to you sir! Sorry for your loss....

a fat tax seems ridiculous because sometimes its for other reasons than just food.. like hormones. What does make sense in the junk food tax. I have gotten ridiculed for being all for this tax but the reality is, they tax alcohol, they tax cigarettes.. these things lead to health problems, we all know this.....well so does junk food... the government really cant send you a bill for backed taxes because of your BMI... that would make this country all but free.

junk food isn't the problem, it's people who eat too much and don't keep physically fit so the healthy ones that have jobs, get to pay more in taxes because of all their sorry, worthless fat asses making life tough for the rest of us who do care.. The fat tax is the only fair tax for footing the bill on healthcare imho. The morbidly obese no longer get a free ride in America. You will no longer spoil the view of others and can now pay for your own self-induced problems, not me. Take responsibility for your own health and get healthy or die trying. You make me sick!

Jimmy,

you could easily also say that cigarettes are not the problem people who smoke too much are, or same with alcohol. People who are dying of cancer or who need oxygen because they refused to quit smoking when their health declined are just as guilty as the people who kept eating junk food their whole lives dispite how much fatter they got. Overconsumption is the problem.. so the solution... make the problem more expensive. Nutrition education is not manditory in schools, therefore it is quite possible that these people havent the slightest clue what is good for them, or how to lose weight. Poverty also goes hand in hand with obesity, if you are poor you have a higher chance of becoming obese.. know why.... because junk food is CHEAP!!!!! So how can you tax a family of poor fatties because they where never educated in nutrition. Thats cold, especially since they cant even afford good food, and your going to tax them!? Have you ever looked at the price of produce? compare that with mc donalds dollar menu and it's obvious which is cheaper.. and easier.

oh and for the record Jimmy.. I smoked for 8 years then quit cold turkey, was obese growing up and am now at my ideal weight (not just healthy but ideal) oh yeah.. and i'm a Nutrition Major.

I agree Kevin. I gained 40 pounds after I quit smoking. I wonder if I should go back to smoking and lose the weight!

I gained 30 pounds. I asked my doctor about it. He told me the additional weight was a strain, but not nearly as much as the smoking. I've been smoke free 10 years now, haven't lost or gained a pound and feel loads healthier than I ever did when I was skinny and smoked.

Yeah, that's because you stuffed food into your mouth rather than tobacco.

Excellent reply. So how much did this study cost of observation? Just more wasted taxpayer money I'm sure. Yes, everything can kill you, maybe even reading this useless article. Live life to the fullest, enjoy yourself, don't tread on other people's dreams, and don't sweat the small stuff. I may died sooner than maybe I would otherwise but I always say I'll die happy, with no regrets. Why would you want to live longer and be unhappy, just so you could exist?

be childish. be very childish. about everything.

I think I've seen that hair style on America's Got Talent...

I thought "Muffin Top" was some new trendy haircut. Talk about a being disappointed with an article!

Or at LEAST a new franchise horror character! SHEEESH. Ho HUMMMMMMMM!

who says i wanna live past 70

come back at 69 and see how ya feel.

Eat right, exercise...die anyway.

:)

BJ-

Thank you!!

Doesn't matter what you do! We all die in the end :)

Tex, if you're overweight maybe you should be forced to pay more for your healthcare. Studies show that the overweight have a higher likelihood of having Type II diabetes, stroke, etc. Maybe I'm getting tired of your entitlement to more medical care than people who aren't overweight. Sounds like... socialism....

Sooo..."educated" liberal, if a person who is at 18% BMI that eats a bunch of junk food develops TII, there's no problem and it's not their fault.

But, if a person with a confirmed, diagnosed, case of polycystic ovarian syndrome and thyroid disorder who treats it, exercises, and carefully montitors their diet but can't lose excess weight develops TII then they are *bad* for their "entitlement" demands??

There's some GIGANTIC flaws in your logic, there, "educated"!!!!

educated, someone who is overweight and develops diabetes would be paying more for their health needs, no idea where you got the idea that this is anything like socialism. Forcing others, such as someone who is overweight that may never have diabetes or a stroke, to subisidize the cost of those that do is much more socialist in nature.

There isn't much logic in believing that overweight people smokers alcohol users obsessed exercisers junk food indulging people should pay more for health care. All the hype about this is simply ludicrous. We do the best we can with what we've got and the medical profession and the drug companies love to mask symptoms more than trying to treat them. If more "honest" research went on and not a bunch of professionals needing to publish with little proof of their claims I'm sure half the causes of disease would be much different than reported.

When I was say 17 my waist stayed at 30 most of my life, but now that I am 63, I have to contend with a size 34. How do you fat people do it, is there a secret? I heard one fat person say to a skinny person, if you want to gain wait eat lots of everything, and eat even if you are not hungry. Is that how you do it?

get a computer and start playing online games like wow, warhammer,aeon,ddo.trust me you'll gain weight.

What kind of a moron condemns research just because he doesn't like the outcome?? Want to be fat and die early? Go right ahead...for others...this is actually interesting research.

Amen, AP.

Yeah...incredible. Or, inedible...! :-}

Tex31 is gonna die from hating Obama.

No I won't die from hating Obama, just be broke and living in a Banana Republic.

Mmmmm...bananas

America...Love it or Leave it.

So the government shouldn't ban those things? They have to protect stupid people from doing stupid things.

I think they should ban fat people from everywhere.

Thing is, I am fat and I can lose weight. You agdorude are stupid and there is no fix.

grunter...you prove a point made during a dinner discussion we were having earlier: a mean fatty is like a mean drunk - they blame anything and everyone but themselves for their own choices.

I thought Santa Claus was Phat ,they say he has a belly full of jelly..he he :)

It has nothing to do with how long you live, but everything to do with the quality of the days of your life.

To each his own. If you want to be fat and don't care about your quality of life or how long you live then this article isn't directed at you. No need to give the finger to the healthy and/or thin people...that just makes you sound bitter.

For those who have some pudge and want to maximize their health and longevity, this article might prompt them to make some changes.

Amen, cschick!

jh, for some life is way too long before we die.

One of the key factors to longevity, though not exactly a 'secret', is to have lots and lots of birthdays! ;)

Jh...so get a divorce and leave NJ...

Buffalo is in New York.

LOL

Wow, fat gal, you sound like some kind of authority on the subject. Ok, try this then, put a loaded gun to your head and pull the trigger to see if it really is God calling you home. Let me know if God prevented the gun to go off. Otherwise I will understand why you never got back to me. You do understand guns don't kill people, only God kills people? So you should not be in any real danger by pulling the trigger, right? Isn't the wage of sin, death? If you are not doing anything wrong, it shouldn't affect you health; unless you are doing something against God's will after all.

First off "Pedro" i'm not fat, i'm 65 and I was only pointing out a fact i'm aware of as far as people I use to know. A small waist-line didn't keep them alive !!! Oooh, and also if it is meant for me to die of a self inflicted gunshot, then that is how it will be. Soooo "Pedro" you "moron" that chose to name call, go on eating your burritos, tacos or whatever you stuff in your mouth, because obviously you don't seen to have much between the ears !!!!!

We have the genetic age limit, and also inherited defects.

I have a pic of my great grandpa on my mother's mother's side who lived to 99. He was an Irishman. In the pic he was 95 and holding up a very large catfish by the gil with one hand, its tail touching the ground. The other hand was on the pipe in his mouth. He had smoked all his life.

I don't know much about the rest of my genetic background farther back than my grandparents because they all lived on the Oklahoma indian reservations that my grandparents left, and most of the men, half to a quarter choctaw and cherokee, drank themselves to death before they were 50. My great grandmothers are unknown to me as to how long they lived or if there were any inherited diseases, as no one ever talked about them, and rarely about the Oklahoma reservations, so I just have my recent family members to look at.

Paternal grandpa: Severe dementia at 87, died within one year. History of alcoholism/chewing tobacco.

Paternal grandma: Still alive. Broke a hip 85 yr old, leukemia at 86-88 remission, some memory loss by 89.

Maternal grandma: wheelchair bound by 86, died 88.

Maternal grandpa: still alive, stopped getting around well by 87, will be 90 this year.

---

So I figure I have till 87 at least.

.. also, my maternal grandma was fairly fat in her old age, and my maternal grandpa has had a pot belly for ten years..

And this study suggests they might have lived another ten years if they hadn't...so what's your point?

Both my maternal and paternal grand parents lived past 80+. (My maternal grandmother was 103 approaching 104 when she died, although the last 10 years of life weren't what you would call "quality.") Maternal grandfather smoked, dipped snuff, and chawed Mailpouch most of his life. Maternal grandmother dipped snuff. Maternal grandparents ate "Southern" greasy cooking and paternal grandparents ate lots of starches. 3 of the 4 were skinny. But they worked (and thus exercised) hard (plumbing, farming, mill worker, coal mining) all their lives. I'm talking physical labor here. So I don't care, fat or thin, smoke or not smoke, dip or not dip, if you sit on your butt in an office all day, play video games or sit in front of the tube all the time, you are killing yourself. And that is selfish because you aren't thinking about what you are imposing on your family and friends.

hey 60's:

how can we help sitting in an office all day? sure i would be healthier if instead of working all day i spent the day running 5 miles and doing yoga. Sure i'd be toned.. but i'd be pretty hungry since i wouldent have money to buy food.. or to pay rent to have a place to KEEP my food. if my sitting in an office all day is selfish , what would you call my not working (to keep in shape) and istead collecting goverment assistance be?

My dad did all he could to be healthy and yet still died of a heart attack. He said no to cinnamon rolls (which he loved) and yes to oatmeal and skim milk (which he didn't). He walked about 10 miles each day and did about 100 sit-ups and push-ups daily. In the end, we still lost him way too soon. Part of me wishes that he would have enjoyed that cinnamon roll! He was a firm believer that when it is your time, it is your time. Of course, you have to try to do what you can to prolong it. It's important to be aware of what you are eating and to exercise but...it is equally important to enjoy life once in a while!!

There is virtually nothing you can do about it? Try this. Eat less. Exercise more.

Yeah, stupid. I have.

I have been this way all my life. Nothing has ever changed. I could become neurotic as Hell if I chased every trend, fad and theory.

Or, I could just live and enjoy life with a few good friends and a comfortable home, with a minimum of stress.

no eat more exercise less.your missing the point this article is another bull@!$%# story,meant to show us how we are all wrong for being american,the point is we should be like europeans,always afraid of food and freedom.

Ok, now that's just too ridiculous to be in print. You have to be FAT to be an American??? Only Americans love food? No wonder you've got weight problems......

*countries

LA county has some mean ghettos.