Are you overweight? Check the facts and you could win €100

Tirabaralla

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

while many of that number may be valid IMO eating disorders are as over prescribed as the likes of ADD. It's easy to just label somebody with it and be done rather than look into what's actually going on.



why are you using google.it instead of google.ie :pac:

I agree on your first point but then again, numbers will always be "circa" it is a huge number anyways, both if you subtract or add a few thousands.

Sorry, mis-typing about google, Italians woudn't search for "anorexia tips", we speak Italian I meant google. ie.
So...there.

Tirabaralla

Zamboni wrote: »

Fear of fitting in?
Please bear in mind that it is the population that are not overweight under 65 that is the minority.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0401/1224293540851.html

Yes but being overweight is still a stigma,
Reality and perception are two very different things although ideally they would be the same thing, and media or whoever through them play with PERCEPTION a lot.

Vic001

My dad always said you could eat yourself thin. He was right. 2 years and 4 stone later I can say that for truth. I never went hungry and never said never. There was nothing I wouldn't allow myself to eat, I just cut down on the crap and filled up on the good stuff. Thanks dad

Tirabaralla

PaulieC wrote: »

Perhaps I'm reading this wrong (apologies if so) but where did cc87 state that anorexia was the answer.

No right minded individual would want anorexia tips to be the first hit on a google search.

He didnt say eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia are the answer, he dismissed them as hardly important in the matter.
Which I strongly disagree with.

Unfortunately it is full of "not right minded individuals", not on boards (we are all very sane here ) or in this thread, I mean in general.

Tirabaralla

cc87 wrote: »

The campaign has equated excess fat carried around the midline of your body to unhealthy. Which it is. This a fact. Many studies have proven this.

Un healthy is many things, a cancer makes you unhealthy more than 10 kilos excess weight, so maybe we should talk how to EAT WELL in general, not only stigmatize people with a few kilos more as disease carriers.

cc87

Tirabaralla wrote: »

Un healthy is many things, a cancer makes you unhealthy more than 10 kilos excess weight, so maybe we should talk how to EAT WELL in general, not only stigmatize people with a few kilos more as disease carriers.

Excess belly fat is a risk factor for a number of cancers. You point highlighted one of the problems, people arent aware just how damaging 10kg of excess fat is to the human body.

Tirabaralla

cc87 wrote: »

Well the problem is i have looked at eating disorders in ireland and those 200,000 include people whose disorder is binge eating and they overeat, many of them are obese. It also includes people who are addicted to exercise and people who constantly think their muscles are tiny and have to make them bigger. There are far more eating disorders than just anorexia and bulimia, they are just the 2 that receive the most publicity.

Its too easy to be overweight and not have people say this to you. While saying obesity should be unacceptable in society is going to far, at the moment it is far too accepted in society.

Why people should tell you you are overweight?
Are they ok telling you you have an ugly nose? Are they ok telling you you better do something for your hairloss? Do something for your theet before it costs you and the society a fortune? Buy a better office chair before you cost the national health system lots in term of radiographies? How far should this go?
Who are you to tell people they should do something about their appearence? Their partner? Their doctor? A close friend? Society cannot tell you how to look and shouldn't be able to.
If it comes to a PREVENTION of a medical condition is good to be informed and empowered but not having someone telling you you are too fat to be accepted.

This said, anorexia and bulimia together with binging are the most common eating disorders, they all usually start with a fixation about food and/or personal image. I honestly don't think this ad is anything less than criminal if we consider psycological damage it may do.

Davei141

This thread is being ruined, whats the point in talking about how to tackle an overweight unhealthy population when people can just scream anorexia/bulimia/eating disorder till blue in the face. Well played Tirabaralla your work here is done.

cc87

Tirabaralla wrote: »

Why people should tell you you are overweight?
Are they ok telling you you have an ugly nose? Are they ok telling you you better do something for your hairloss? Do something for your theet before it costs you and the society a fortune? Buy a better office chair before you cost the national health system lots in term of radiographies? How far should this go?
Who are you to tell people they should do something about their appearence? Their partner? Their doctor? A close friend? Society cannot tell you how to look and shouldn't be able to.
If it comes to a PREVENTION of a medical condition is good to be informed and empowered but not having someone telling you you are too fat to be accepted.

This said, anorexia and bulimia together with binging are the most common eating disorders, they all usually start with a fixation about food and/or personal image. I honestly don't think this ad is anything less than criminal if we consider psycological damage it may do.

This is where i bow out. Being overweight is a medical condition.

Tirabaralla

cc87 wrote: »

Excess belly fat is a risk factor for a number of cancers. You point highlighted one of the problems, people arent aware just how damaging 10kg of excess fat is to the human body.

Please, all the harsh chemicals we INGEST and USE everyday are way more dangerous for you than 10 kilos eccess weight.
I am sure excess fat is dangerous, even only as a symtom your metabolism is fecked up, but still...let's stay real and look into a way to eat good and healthy not into a way to scare people of being parias if overweight.

Tirabaralla

.

Tirabaralla

Davei141 wrote: »

This thread is being ruined, whats the point in talking about how to tackle an overweight unhealthy population when people can just scream anorexia/bulimia/eating disorder till blue in the face. Well played Tirabaralla your work here is done.

Ruined because you think talking about the carb against proteins matter is more important of the psycological damage this ad can produce?
Ruined according to who?

Anyway, I will sail away if that be it.

Tirabaralla

cc87 wrote: »

This is where i bow out. Being overweight is a medical condition.

Depends how much overweight. and measuring your waist on an average of 32/37 aint gonna tell ya.

Sorry if I have being too forward somehow.

I better leave the scene, TY for dialogue

sambuka41

Davei141 wrote: »

This thread is being ruined, whats the point in talking about how to tackle an overweight unhealthy population when people can just scream anorexia/bulimia/eating disorder till blue in the face.

Its hardly been ruined, people were asked for their response to the ad. Some people find the nutritional aspects important to highlight and other find the psychological impact just as important to discuss.

I've studied psychology so Im not going to run around saying that this is causing eating disorders, they are very complex disorders, and from EA suffers point the role of the image does play a part. My argument is for every person who is struggling with their weight, and in my opinion this ad sends out completely the wrong message. Its judgmental and attacking, that's not a way to approach anyone let alone someone that you propose to be helping. Just my opinion on the ad.

Education on the many reasons why people become over weight and something positive they can do to change it might be more beneficial rather than asking people to check and see if they are one of those people spreading it around. Its horrific.

Darragh

Back on topic please folks. Leave the debate to other threads and let's have a discussion here.

Darragh

Roger Marbles

I think explaining why it's 32 and 37 inches is one failure of the ad.

It gets across it's unhealthy but not really why. From what I gather it's based on the NICE guidelines and increased risk associated with these measurements.

I like the shock tactic of the ad, although maybe it's not for everyone's liking. It's become too much of social norm to have a few extra pounds it would seem.

reprazant

I think it is a good. Sure, it uses generalisations, which will not be true for everyone, but they are for most.

BMI may not be the most correct method to use, but it is a 30 second add. BMI is probably the easiest method to understand and to get you point across. Sure, it is not going to be true for everyone but, for the most part, it is the likes athletes, weightlifters and sports people it is not true for. Most people do not fall into these categories.

Most of the complaints here seem to be saying that the message is too harsh and that it will cause more problems. Since being sweet talked into being more healthy does not work and, seemingly, being shocked does not work either, what exactly does work? It is easy to find fault with the campaign but if you want something changed, what would you change it to?

I keep reading about the effect that it would have on young teenagers who are at the limit specified. But surely, the vast majority of 13/14 year olds who are of belt size 32/37 are overweight?

Handsome Bob

reprazant wrote: »

what would you change it to?

I find connecting with the audience always helps. Much like the road safety ads have done lately, I think they should use people who have experienced the damage that being overweight/obese can cause and let them talk about their experiences.

There are many of us who have suffered both physically and mentally due to our weight, putting those first hand experiences out there will do much more in the fight for change in how we live than a condescending and stigmatising ad will ever do.

Dudess

I prefer this to the last campaign, which was nasty as hell - the one featuring a guy who was a bit overweight (nowhere near a big fat fella) and he was depicted as a mammy's boy loser and treated with disdain by the sales assistant when clothes shopping.
I love how people defend bullying on the basis of it being "not PC". Wtf has "PC" got to do with it? :rolleyes:
Using the "tough love" (i.e. licence to be an arse - why would you be so eager to belittle someone?) approach is likely going to make someone who feels crap about themselves feel even more crap about themselves - it's counter-productive.
This ad just comes from the health angle, rather than image and social acceptance ones - not saying these aren't important considerations, but they should be handled with sensitivity. I don't agree this ad is insensitive to overweight people, and I think the eating disorders thing is a bridge too far - the ad is just stating facts. It is an urgent public health concern and needs to be addressed seriously before things get out of control. While I don't agree with the "tough love" approach, I don't believe in tiptoe-ing around the issue either. I think this ad strikes that balance. I like how waist fat is the focus because that really is of utmost importance to watch, when it affects blood sugar/insulin and the organs in that section of the body.

Someone mentioned their waist is 37 inches and they can fit into 32-inch jeans. A girl at work actually said something very similar recently - her waist is 38/39 inches, which is pretty dodgy, yet she doesn't look it at all and doesn't need jeans/trousers that size. Vanity sizing I wonder?

coffeyb6

I wasn't the most active when I was a kid, I played a sport twice a week but that was all, I was probably slightly overweight for a while but nothing serious, but now I look at my friends younger brother in disbelief. He will sit and play on his XBox for about three to four hours a day during school times and now that school's out I've heard him up until 2 or 3 in the morning playing. He gets zero exercise, going to the park would stun him. He's only 13 and its really sad to see how bad things have gotten.

pinkypinky

I've read through all 14 pages of the thread now, so I'll add my comments.

The campaign is working - it has encouraged debate and given people a wake-up call. For the record, it tells me I'm overweight. Irritating when I know I'm not - I do a mimimum of 5 hours a week of yoga/weights/cardio exercise, weigh within the imperfect BMI range for my height and eat healthily.

But this campaign is not aimed at those of us who regularly exercise and inform ourselves about the latest studies into food nutrition. It's for the majority of people who think regular take-aways and an occasional walk are ok. And many of those people will take notice of these ads.

For me the most irritating aspect of the campaign is the use of the outdated imperial measurement system. I actually thought that EU law meant we had to use the metric system, apart from having a cultural "pint" dispensation.

df1985

I personally think a more "tough love" approach needs to be taken. I say this because its the only thing that worked for me. As someone said earlier it takes something embarassing or the likes to kickstart people into action.

I was always a very big kid growing up, i was spolit rotten, if I wanted money for sweets I usually got it etc etc. Then I came to about 15/16 and lost a lot, went to college and from the usual student lifestyle I piled loads back on. at my heaviest i was about 17 stone and pushing 40" around the waist (even writing this now makes me cringe!)

Then it was christmas 2009, 24 years of age and I went shopping for some new clothes. I went into town and literally struggled to find clothes I liked that would fit, river island or the likes barely carried my size. This was the moment it hit for me. I was mortified, upset, you name it.It took a moment like that for me to realise i had to change. I genuinely thought before this i was "alright" in the sense I wasnt that big.

Joined a gym, changed my lifestyle and until august 2010 i lost approx 3 stone and was down to about a 35/36 inch waist. Then I hit a speed bump in that I had a massive bereavement in my family and my life changed over night.I was depressed, food was a comfort and junk was the easy, lazy option. (I couldnt cook for crap till not so long ago). The weight crept back on then till feb this year when i was back around 15 and a half stone and a 38" waist. Then i was looking at holiday pics from skiing in january and said to myself youre going back to the way you were, dont let that bloody happen. Today im just over 13 stone, 33" waist and never looked/felt better :)im 6ft and im aiming for 12 stone.......fingers crossed.

Anyway like I said I genuinely think plenty of people who are overweight dont even notice anymore in the sense so many people are carrying a bit extra. Either that or they are just indifferent to it. Its "never been easier" to be overweight in the sense of the availabilty and convenience of junk food but It comes down to lifestyle choices and personal responsibilty too-no one forced me into the car when I went to the 24hr mcdonalds but its getting harder and harder I think for people to make the right choices. Comes down to a lack of information too i think, people genuinely dont have a clue.If my generation are struggling god help the kids growing up, they need to be educated and their parents even more so.

some of the best tips and info i got were from boards!

sorry for the long post......thats just my story.

G86

I'm a 5'10 female.

I'm 72.1kg.

I'm a size 12.

My BMI is 22.

...but my waist size is 31/32 inches(I'll double check this later!), so that apparently makes me borderline obese, which I assure you I am not :rolleyes:

I have to agree with other posters such as Angelfire about the generalisations being made. I carry any extra weight on my waist, which makes this a very inaccurate measurement of my overall size and a dangerous assumption to make in light of young people who may come across it. It's all very well and true saying that something like this ad won't CAUSE eating disorders, but it will definitely be a trigger for any teenager who's already a bit insecure about their weight, and that's the last thing we need in a country over populated with young people starving themselves in a bid to be a size 6.

I understand that obesity is a disease just as much as anorexia/bulimia is, and I do agree that this issue needs to be tackled, but it needs to be done with an element of sensitivity and NOT with a misinformed ad such as this. Imagine an overweight teenager sitting at home watching this ad, they're simply going to feel even worse as a result, and even if they do feel motivated to do something about their weight because of it - it's unlikely that following the guidelines provided in the ad/on the website are going to help them very much.

I'd be the first person to sit down with a friend if I thought they had a genuine weight problem, but I'd do so in a sensitive manner. Many people have many different reasons for their weight gain, from emotional problems to restrictive lifestyle issues, and there is no need to outright attack someone because they're overweight - there are many ways to provide motivating educational information without being judgemental and cruel in the process.

To sum it up, I think that this advert is well intentioned but extremely misguided to the point where it's dangerous - which is unfortunately a pattern that is all too prevalent in the area of Nutrition and Fitness.

Davei141

G86 wrote: »

I'm a 5'10 female.

I'm 72.1kg.

I'm a size 12.

My BMI is 22.

...but my waist size is 31/32 inches(I'll double check this later!), so that apparently makes me borderline obese, which I assure you I am not :rolleyes:

You are a healthy weight, enter your waist size into the site and it also says you are a healthy weight. So thats 2 generic guidelines in BMI and the waist measurement that conclude you are fine. I really fail to see the problem in your case?

Dudess

The 32-inch waist thing - she says that would be her waist measurement yet according to this campaign, that's the road to obesity. And it doesn't take into account having a broad back.

I like the way it focuses on fat rather than weight though. There's WAY too much stock put into the scales. Fair enough if a person is very overweight or very underweight, but the emphasis should be more on losing fat than losing weight.

G86

Dudess wrote: »

The 32-inch waist thing - she says that would be her waist measurement yet according to this campaign, that's the road to obesity. And it doesn't take into account having a broad back.

This ^

Roger Marbles

I'd like to point out to the people here saying that having a waist over 32 inches is obese that this an inaccurate statement to make.

Obesity is defined by the WHO according to BMI measurements (BMI >30).

An increased waist above 32 does not necessarily correlate with a BMI>30 however it signifies increased risk of certain disease according to the NICE guidelines where it explains this:

http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/liv...8295/38295.pdf

You could have normal BMI but still be at increased risk due to your body composition e.g. significant part of your total weight is body fat and this is centrally distributed around your waist.

The distinction is important.

Davei141

Dudess wrote: »

The 32-inch waist thing - she says that would be her waist measurement yet according to this campaign, that's the road to obesity. And it doesn't take into account having a broad back.

I like the way it focuses on fat rather than weight though. There's WAY too much stock put into the scales. Fair enough if a person is very overweight or very underweight, but the emphasis should be more on losing fat than losing weight.

But it doesn't say that is the road to obesity it says if you are over 32 you may be overweight. I would imagine having a broad back would more effect a chest measurement than a waist one. Like Roger said for eg 2 women who are the same weight and height but have 2 different body compositions, one stores bodyfat primarily on the waist, the other around the hips/thighs/bum area. The latter one is at an advantage health wise.

Agree completely on the second part.

(not aimed at anyone) This really isn't a vanity campaign its a health campaign i think people really need to remember that.

Unregistered.

Can you enter if you're not overweight?

curlywurly26

Actually, I think this add is great as it's highlighting the 2 main reasons our society is overweight....no it's not processed food and computer games, it's ignorance and denial.

Take for example the 'comfort sizing' the video refers to (also known as vanity sizing). I have clothes in my wardrobe ranging in 3 different sizes - why? Because some shops are changing their sizing so we feel better as we're buying a smaller size...but we're still the same measurements no matter what the label says! We all know this even if we don't admitt it - DENIAL!!
And we've all heard the classic 'Well, Marilyn Monroe was a size 16...." well yes, she was but you only have to look at a picture of her to realise she's not what we call a size 16 today - DENIAL!

Thing is, it's hard to be in denial when you're being given specific measurements to compare yourself to......

As for the 'spreading' - I would assume this was supposed to liken it to a disease, and it's a fair point! Overweight parents generally have overweight children - they pass on their bad eating and lifestyle habits the way they would pass on a disease. They then grow up and pass it on down to their own children etc so it could almost be described as hereditary!

At the end of the day, this add will get people thinking. There are some people out there who are obviously overweight and won't need this add to tell them that, but I'd say this is directed at those who aren't obviously fat, but may have a waist measurement slightly higher than is healthy. 32 inches is smaller than I would have thought was unhealthy, I know I grabbed a tape measure after seeing it just to check my own measurement!