Stop the spread!!!

merlie · 12-05-2011 1:49am #1

Hello,

Firstly if this is posted in the wrong place, please move it to the right one. Thank you.

I was watching tv earlier today and was annoyed very much by an advertisement I saw. This is the ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YarpWrLn9Zo

Secondly here is the website: http://www.safefood.eu/

I really think they are sending out the wrong message here. When it comes to this ad and even the website, there is no mention of height, medical conditions, or other factors that might attribute weight gains. I also feel that this 'promotion' is really bad, in that it is set to one size only for women and men, and going over that say by one inch extra is considered over weight. My friend couldn't believe what he saw and read, he thought it was mad that someone could do this.

I was also thinking about people who are struggling with weight issues and those that are impressionable, may feel not so good after watching this ad.
We all want to be healthy but everybody isn't the same height, weight, build etc. It is all individual and by going to a doctor or someone who can professionally advise you on your weight is by far a better option.

I don't think a tape measure is the answer. It's just plain bad advertising! Full Stop!

What do you think?

Amtmann · 12-05-2011 2:38am

I think that the vast majority of men with a 38" waist are obese or nearly obese.

marathonic · 12-05-2011 8:21am

Saw the ad a few times yesterday. Personally, I think it can do a lot more good than harm.

The end result of the ad should be that most overweight people will feel a little down and will either get over it pretty quickly or else start living a healthier lifestyle.

It'll never be possible to create a promotion that will make obese people kick themselves into gear without hurting a lot of other obese peoples' feelings.

smiles302 · 12-05-2011 11:55am

I really like this campaign. Too many people think "obese" means absolutely huge when you don't need to be anywhere as big as the people on weight loss TV shows all seem to be to be classed as obese.

Obesity is a health risk. Something that needs to be talked about rationally.

Bottle_of_Smoke · 12-05-2011 11:57am

Right can't see the vid but that webpage is an utter joke. If I had a 36inch waist I'd be obese(I'm 5'7) but that site tells me I'm a healthy weight? Good grief.

Feckin cross border bodies. Blame Sinn Fein

I was also thinking about people who are struggling with weight issues and those that are impressionable, may feel not so good after watching this ad.
We all want to be healthy but everybody isn't the same height, weight, build etc. It is all individual and by going to a doctor or someone who can professionally advise you on your weight is by far a better option.

True, some may not feel good about it. However it is better than them feeling good and getting fatter and fatter. And I'd wager most overweight people don't feel good about their bodies to begin with.

Losing weight needs to be taken down from its pedestal and normalised. There's a huge fear factor around it even though it is very easy to get to a healthy weight.

The reality is people don't go to their doctor about being overweight and many doctors won't bring it up when patients come in for other things. They're businesses so don't wanna lose their customers.

EileenG · 12-05-2011 3:29pm

Personally, I'm a lot happier with something that focuses on waist size or body shape rather than just weight. I know a guy who is 5% bodyfat and a competitive mountain biker and bodybuilder who has been refused health insurance because he is classified as obese.

El_Dangeroso · 12-05-2011 5:35pm

EileenG wrote: »

Personally, I'm a lot happier with something that focuses on waist size or body shape rather than just weight. I know a guy who is 5% bodyfat and a competitive mountain biker and bodybuilder who has been refused health insurance because he is classified as obese.

Is that even possible? I thought you'd start to die sub 6%.

boomtown84 · 12-05-2011 5:41pm

you serious?
it's uncommon for bodybuilders to go on stage any higher than 5%.

Oryx · 12-05-2011 5:43pm

The general idea is a good one, make it simple, as in if youre over this waist size, youre probably overweight. Its easy to explain and understand. So far so good.

But I agree the website should do more than that. Telling me, or anyone, that Im a healthy weight based on nothing but my waist size is misleading. It doesnt take into account any other measurements or considerations, which a website could and should. If someone has taken the time to log on, you can do a hell of a lot more with them than offer that simplistic statement, which they already know from the damn advert.

El_Dangeroso · 12-05-2011 7:17pm

boomtown84 wrote: »

you serious?
it's uncommon for bodybuilders to go on stage any higher than 5%.

Yeah, I am.:eek:

That's shocking and is most definitely not healthy.

12-05-2011 7:37pm

My mum's 59 and has had 2 kids who are now 20 and 21.

She now thinks she's overweight. Sure, she's not about to go running any marathons, but she's not obese. I definitely think the ad was a good idea, but they went about it the wrong way.

El_Dangeroso · 12-05-2011 7:49pm

I think you make a really good point. There is inevitable 'middle aged spread' to contend with. This doesn't happen to everyone, most asian populations don't get this for example, they get leaner as they age, so maybe it's some sort of metabolic issue. But nevertheless I think the damage is done.

I know several middle aged women trying to lose their 'middle-aged middles', they have lost enough weight to expose clear definition of their top ribs, which makes them look under-nourised and gaunt and yet they still have the large middle, there's always that saying that after 40 you choose between your face and your ass.:pac:

EileenG · 12-05-2011 11:17pm

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Is that even possible? I thought you'd start to die sub 6%.

Not for guys. Mind you, 5% is very tough to maintain for long. The guys you see in Muscular Development are usually around 3%, which is the limit. A lot of fitness models are around 5-7%

foobi · 12-05-2011 11:42pm

I could cause a huge stir and give ye bits of research to do with obesity and people who use the internet/forums, etc but i won't!

I think the campaign is good, i listened to it and then continued on to search the cupboards for something yummy to eat. It just doesn't scare me enough yet! Lol... as for the 37/38" waste for men, theres a different in measuring their waste where the jeans or trousers sit and measuring the real waste around the belly button. i know many men who have many inches difference between the two!

Bottle_of_Smoke · 13-05-2011 9:38am

EileenG wrote: »

Personally, I'm a lot happier with something that focuses on waist size or body shape rather than just weight. I know a guy who is 5% bodyfat and a competitive mountain biker and bodybuilder who has been refused health insurance because he is classified as obese.

In the case of your friend I'd say the insurance company know fine well the guy is insurable but going by a measurement other than BMI would set a precedent and be unsustainable for them as most people don't measure by bodyfat.

Being obese but healthy is fairly uncommon. Its restricted mostly to people like bodybuilders/rugby players and they will usually be aware of BMI limitations(I'd say universally so in the case of bodybuilders) I'm a 27 myself from going to gym but I think it would take a lot of hard work and serious dedication to diet to get up to 30 without increasing my bodyfat percentage by an undesirable amount.

So whilst I agree it is better than just weight I just still think waist size alone is pretty meaningless. Surely height could have been factored in. And furthermore this one is poorly designed at the lower end too. I put in that I have and 18-inch waist and it tells me I'm a healthy weight

jaytuom · 13-05-2011 1:21pm

Every time something like this comes up there are complaints that it doesn't take into account genetic conditions/muscle mass and so on.

The reality is that most people who fall above the "safe" cut-off points for BMI/waist measurement etc are not bodybuilders or suffering from a genetic condition, they're just overweight.

A thing I noticed about the ad was that it was talking about "overweight" and not "obese". Being overweight is now the norm, which might be why people are so angry about the ad. What we perceive as normal is actually unhealthy, and we don't like hearing it, but I agree with marathonic that it'll do more good than harm.

jam_mac_jam · 13-05-2011 2:04pm

I think its a good ad, ok so it isnt saying in detail what makes each person overweight however it makes the point that we all need to worry about it. It cant go into loads of detail in a 30 second or one minute ad.

Bottle_of_Smoke · 13-05-2011 2:35pm

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Yeah, I am.:eek:

That's shocking and is most definitely not healthy.

Just thing to remember is they only stay at their stage level for a very short period of time

smiles302 · 13-05-2011 3:09pm

Not everybody gets bigger around the middle as they get older. Is it natural/healthy to be over 32in after having a baby?

I know my mum is the same size as I am and my granny would only be a 10/12.

32in is about a size 14 for a woman.. That's not small.

Transform · 13-05-2011 3:21pm

totally disagree - there is too much hand holding and an almost sorry no not almost a definite overweight/obesity contagion effect of so many shows displaying overweight/obese people (biggest looser, operation transformation etc) making out of shape an unhealthy people feel like they are 'not tooooo bad', cause look at mary there now she's only massive!!!

Here is a piece from an article i wrote relating to the ad (the ad is borrowing from waist/hip ratio averages)

===========================

Rule 1 – Do the belly fat check up

Are you one of those women that feel good about all other areas of your body but are not too happy about the wedge of fat that keeps peeping over your waistline? The amount of fat you carry on your belly has proven to be an even better measure of health and fitness than the old body mass index (a weight/height ratio). Experts are now using a waist to hip ratio as an indicator of health and the midsection is one of the most dangerous places for carrying extra pounds. In 2007 Cambridge University in the UK concluded that

“Indices of abdominal obesity were more consistently and strongly predictive of coronary heart disease than body mass index. These simple and inexpensive measurements could be used to assess obesity-related coronary heart disease risk in relatively healthy men and women.”

This is just one of a number of studies that have shown a strong link between where you store your fat and overall health. Visceral fat is the fat that is contained deep inside the abdomen and surrounding the organs and the higher this level the higher your risk of heart disease, diabetes and many other health problems.

To take this simple measurement you do it first thing in the morning and without pulling too tightly wrap a measuring tape around your waist so that it is right above your belly button. Remember don’t suck in your stomach and breathe naturally. Perform the same measurement method on the hips (go around the buttocks). You then divide the waist by the hip measurement. There are a number of calculators for this online if you wish to use them.

http://www.usnireland.ie/advice/advice_calculators_hip.asp

A WHR of 0.7 for women and 0.9 for men have been shown to correlate strongly with general health. The higher you go above these figures the increased risk of all degnerative diseases.

So just because you are skinny in other areas does in no way make you healthy and it’s important to do this little check-up to see where you stand. Plus you then have a measurement to repeat so you can check your progress when you apply the next few rules.

Bottle_of_Smoke · 13-05-2011 3:26pm

Transform wrote: »

totally disagree - there is too much hand holding and an almost sorry no not almost a definite overweight/obesity contagion effect of so many shows displaying overweight/obese people (biggest looser, operation transformation etc) making out of shape an unhealthy people feel like they are 'not tooooo bad', cause look at mary there now she's only massive!!!

I would agree with this alright - another problem is the people who are really overweight/obese are becoming pretty legion too. 26% of Irish men obese like. Moderately fat people see them every day and reassure themselves they're not the worst and can assure themselves they're ok.

the_syco · 13-05-2011 4:42pm

Tremelo wrote: »

I think that the vast majority of men with a 38" waist are obese or nearly obese.

This reminds me of the BMI sh|te, whereby EVERYONE over 6 foot 5" was obese, no matter what their weight/waist size was (they've since revised this).

So what would the healthy waist size be for someone of my height? You cannot use a "one size fits all" 37 inch waist size IMO.

Roger Marbles · 13-05-2011 5:34pm

smiles302 wrote: »

Not everybody gets bigger around the middle as they get older. Is it natural/healthy to be over 32in after having a baby?

I know my mum is the same size as I am and my granny would only be a 10/12.

32in is about a size 14 for a woman.. That's not small.

Actually mostly they do. Check out Gary Taubes new book and what he has to say about changes in lipoprotein lipase activity and distribution of bodyfat with age. It's remarkably consistent in older age.

Having a baby is a completely different issue.

Personally I think the ad should be lauded. It focuses on a way more tangible measure of body composition than a simple weighing scales. And people have come to accept those shown in the tv as of normal size when clearly they are not.

EileenG · 13-05-2011 5:55pm

the_syco wrote: »

This reminds me of the BMI sh|te, whereby EVERYONE over 6 foot 5" was obese, no matter what their weight/waist size was (they've since revised this).

So what would the healthy waist size be for someone of my height? You cannot use a "one size fits all" 37 inch waist size IMO.

As a general rule, your waist should be half your height if you are at either end of the scale. That's the rule they use for children.

Transform · 13-05-2011 5:55pm

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

I would agree with this alright - another problem is the people who are really overweight/obese are becoming pretty legion too. 26% of Irish men obese like. Moderately fat people see them every day and reassure themselves they're not the worst and can assure themselves they're ok.

kind of relates to an article i did called your friends are making you fat.

Here is a section from it -

"In the study when one became obese his/her friends were 57% more likely to become obese too. You are 20% more likely if even a friend of your friend becomes obese and remarkably if a friend of your friends’ friend becomes obese you are still 10% more likely to follow suit. What they also showed was that the closer the relationship you had with the friend then the bigger the risk you too would become obese or the reverse. However, spouses did not appear to have as big an influence on each other as friends as people compare themselves to others of the same sex.

You can see this all the time with sisters in the same family and how they can be quite similar in their attitude to being healthy or overweight. The sisters learn to accept being out of shape or in shape due to the strong influence on one another. So if you have one pocket of friends and if their friends decide to get in shape and drop weight you are more likely to follow suit but if you are part of a group that constantly ‘battles’ with their weight and no real progress is being made then you are more likely to stay that way or become more overweight.

++++

For the record BMI is NOTHING like waist hip ratio and these measurements are again averages but for the vast majority if you are not falling under them you got stuff to take care of!!

Again i think there is too much sugar coating around this issue and people need to take wayy better care of themselves and have some personal responsibility

http://c2.api.ning.com/files/fqRdbQCGwPulUl8h3L2ptaePQIs8U5gaLCd-ncCELI9nzb-zuPpyCa2t*Dja7gzD4Hsr-dcely*Htb6Pi4asI-Zg8cmLDLPM/Your_Fat.jpg

Red Cortina · 13-05-2011 10:17pm

the_syco wrote: »

So what would the healthy waist size be for someone of my height? You cannot use a "one size fits all" 37 inch waist size IMO.

I think that the Waist to Hip Ratio that Transform mentioned earlier is a good measure TBH

Transform · 14-05-2011 7:33am

Red Cortina wrote: »

I think that the Waist to Hip Ratio that Transform mentioned earlier is a good measure TBH

its been proven to be a better predictor of health versus a whole range of other methods

Duckee · 14-05-2011 8:52am

There's one thing I don't get about the waist/hip ratio measure. I can't comment for men but it's fairly well known that women put on weight differently e.g. for me my waist has always been comparatively tiny and when I put on weight it goes straight to hips and legs. But for other women the fat goes on around the middle so their general shape is different. Being a fairly hippy lady, my waist/hip ratio gets lower when I lose weight, not when I put it on as my waist size doesn't change too much but I lose weight around the hips.

Also, right now my waist/hip ratio is in or around the so called ideal 0.7 but my body fat % is hovering around 30% (skinny fat!!!:rolleyes:). Now I'm trying to (slowly) reduce this percentage but according to the hip/waist ratio it's ideal and I shouldn't change anything.

My gut feeling is that these BMI/waist measurements etc are a good indicator for people to gauge whether or not their weight might be a problem, but I think being within a 'healthy' range on these measures and actually being fit and healthy are two different things and for who want to be 'fit and healthy' these measures then become less useful.

Davei141 · 14-05-2011 10:51am

Duckee wrote: »

There's one thing I don't get about the waist/hip ratio measure. I can't comment for men but it's fairly well known that women put on weight differently e.g. for me my waist has always been comparatively tiny and when I put on weight it goes straight to hips and legs. But for other women the fat goes on around the middle so their general shape is different. Being a fairly hippy lady, my waist/hip ratio gets lower when I lose weight, not when I put it on as my waist size doesn't change too much but I lose weight around the hips.

Also, right now my waist/hip ratio is in or around the so called ideal 0.7 but my body fat % is hovering around 30% (skinny fat!!!:rolleyes:). Now I'm trying to (slowly) reduce this percentage but according to the hip/waist ratio it's ideal and I shouldn't change anything.

My gut feeling is that these BMI/waist measurements etc are a good indicator for people to gauge whether or not their weight might be a problem, but I think being within a 'healthy' range on these measures and actually being fit and healthy are two different things and for who want to be 'fit and healthy' these measures then become less useful.

The women who get the fat around the middle just need to keep an eye on things more than those who are prone to putting it on around the hips/thigh from a health point of view. While their BMI would be the same their waist measurement be different, which is a better indicator than the BMI.

Your gut feeling is correct but i don't think either is trying to be anything other than a gauge. There would need to be some serious government backing for a period of a few years to really push the majority to be fit and healthy, but this is a welcome start.

boomtown84 · 14-05-2011 12:18pm

just took a look at the ad there and i have to say i like it.
most people today who are overweight don't really care....sad but true.
it has to be drilled into people's heads that obesity and being overweight is not ok.
i think it's absolutely ridiculous that in this day&age ads like this are actually needed but i'm afraid they are......when people look in the mirror they don't see 'obese' no matter how big they are.

the problem i see with scare tactics like this is that they are not backed up with similar ads promoting healthy fresh food. They need to be one in the same imo. i don't think the link to the safefoods website is enough.

bottom line is fresh food should be subsidised and the sh*te should be taxed to the hilt.................in a perfect world.:(

metamorphosis · 14-05-2011 3:44pm

Just back to the 'where fat goes on' point hit above - fat on the hips and thighs is healthier than it sitting on the gut. Not saying that having excess fat is good, but if you do put it on on the hips/thighs, then that's a better sign than it going straight to the gut.

Inb my family it goes to the gut, although I could do with it going onto the thighs if im honest, they need more!

Stop the spread!!!

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