loubot
O' HAL naw!
+470|6548|Columbus, OH
(CNN) -- The little number on the tag on a pair of pants that indicates size can mean a lot to a person, and retailers know it.

The probability of people describing themselves as overweight is decreasing, researchers find.
That's why, in recent years, as the American population has become generally more overweight, brands from the luxury names to the mass retail chains have scaled down the size labels on their clothing.

"You may actually be a size 14 and, according to whatever particular store you're in, you come out a size 10," said Natalie Nixon, associate professor of fashion industry management at Philadelphia University. "It's definitely to make the consumer feel good."

Research shows that, when it comes to self-perception, the concept of "overweight" may be relative.

A working paper from a group led by Mary Burke, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Massachusetts, suggested that people's perceptions of overweight have shifted, and "normal" is now heavier than it used to be.

Researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, nationally representative surveys run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first group was surveyed in 1988-1994, and the second was surveyed in 1999-2004. Because there were different people in each survey, it is not possible to tell if the perceptions of individuals shifted over time, the authors said.

Participants were asked whether they consider themselves "underweight," "about right," or "overweight," and reported their body mass index, a measure of the health risks associated with weight.

What's your BMI

Are people more complacent, or better educated?

Although the BMI of the general population increased from the earlier survey period to the later one, the probability of people describing themselves as overweight decreased in the later survey, researchers found.

They found that weight misperception tended to decrease among women -- meaning women with normal BMI who were surveyed in 1999-2004 were less likely to say that they're "overweight" than women with normal BMI in 1988-1994, especially among 17 to 19-year-olds. For men, it was about the same.

"For women, this was good news," Burke said. "Women seem to get a more realistic perception of themselves."

Although the study authors said this trend may reflect healthy body image campaigns, physician nutrition specialist Dr. Melina Jampolis, who was not involved in this research, said she doubts that positive messages had this much influence.

Rather, it is the relative increase in weight of the general population that makes people with normal BMI feel more normal, she said.

On the flip side, feeling normal but being overweight may decrease a person's motivation to lose weight, Burke said.

Still, while the BMI scale reflects disease risks associated with being overweight, it does not reflect the whole story of a person's health, experts said.

There have been reports that being somewhat overweight, but not obese, is associated with decreased mortality, such as a 2005 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that looked at deaths from a variety of causes.

Innovations such as treatments for high cholesterol have lowered the death risks for overweight people, Burke said. Especially for older adults, being slightly overweight may increase bone density, cushioning bones against falls, she said.

But the JAMA paper shows associations, not causes. People should not take this information as an excuse to gain weight, Jampolis said.

There are, however, other reasons that BMI isn't the whole story -- for instance, it does not reflect the distribution of a person's weight, Jampolis said.

"You could have really skinny arms and legs and just carry your weight in the middle, and it could be only 10 pounds, but belly fat, the visceral adiposity, it could very significantly increase your risk of disease," she said.

A brief history of body size perceptions

Experts noted that plumpness has been in style during some historical periods, especially as an indicator of prosperity when food was scarce. But the ideal of controlling one's food isn't new either. The book "Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West" by historian Peter Stearns points out that fasting was a religious virtue seen throughout the Middle Ages, and continuing into the Puritan version of Protestantism. Christianity also espoused the idea of restricting food to fight sin.

The artistic and literary movement known as Romanticism, beginning in the late 18th century, stressed "slender, ethereal" ideals, Stearns wrote. The 1830s brought a prominent New York fashion style of a "willowy" look for young women, and there were many reports of anorexia nervosa during this time, the book said. But for older women, plumpness remained fashionable, and women on stage were expected to be voluptuous.

The meaning of the word "diet" came to include the goal of weight loss as early as 1910, Stearns wrote. "Middle-class America began its ongoing battle against body fat" between 1890 and 1910, Stearns wrote. The main factors that contributed to this shift were the advent of fat-control devices, the rise of public conversation about fat, and changes in fashion for both men and women, he wrote.

The culture of beauty that shaped up around the turn of the last century, promoting slimness as beautiful and fatness as ugly, has intensified since then, Stearns wrote.

Despite the widespread notion of dieting, obesity has risen dramatically over the last 20 years in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A recent survey by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health found that the percentage of adults classified as obese went up in 23 states in the last year.

As clothing size numbers scale down in an era when bodies are getting more overweight, portion sizes have been increasing, Jampolis said. Photographs of fast food hamburgers from 50 years ago reveal that the serving size back then would seem like a "joke portion," now, she said.

"The same thing has happened with our body sizes. We're perceiving them as totally normal," she said

As far as vanity sizing, Nixon called it a "temporary fix" that reflects a larger problem of people looking for quick solutions for losing weight, she said.

"It doesn't really deal with the root of the problem," she said. "It's really a lifestyle issue. It's not about a temporary diet, it's not about being pleasantly surprised because you're a size 12 instead of a size 16," she said

Welfare states the most obese
source

My BMI is 26 lbs overweight - I use to stay fit but slowly getting back to that routine.
My own perspective: People who truly stay fit are slowly becoming a dying breed.
I was at the community pool while on vacation...looking at the girls in bikinis (i am a perv)
I notice 40% of the girls had a bit of a tummy moreso than mine, the female lifeguards were hot so it wasn't a lost cause.

Last edited by loubot (2009-07-10 11:45:10)

The_Lance_117
CANADA STRONG
+110|5906|CANADA
MEN! MAN THE HARPOONS!!!

my bmi: 17.2
Mekstizzle
WALKER
+3,611|6591|London, England
22 for me. BMI is a decent way of seeing how shit is, as long as you're not too muscly because then it gives a distorted sense of health and weight
loubot
O' HAL naw!
+470|6548|Columbus, OH

Mekstizzle wrote:

22 for me. BMI is a decent way of seeing how shit is, as long as you're not too muscly because then it gives a distorted sense of health and weight
oooh so my massive python biceps is throwing off my BMI!?!? sweet wanna touch em
King_County_Downy
shitfaced
+2,791|6567|Seattle

21 yay!


I'll have to show this to the purchasing department here. They'll get a kick out of that
Sober enough to know what I'm doing, drunk enough to really enjoy doing it
david363
Crotch fires and you: the untold story
+314|6709|Comber, Northern Ireland
mine 0
GravyDan
Back from the Grave(y)
+768|5902|CA
24.6 here.  Gravy Jr. clocks in at a whopping 54.7!
Bertster7
Confused Pothead
+1,101|6551|SE London

19.3 - normal.

Woohoo!
Defiance
Member
+438|6641

I can't say I'm 'fit,' I ought to exercise more, but I'm not overweight. 20.3

As Mek said though, height and weight only to calculate BMI is a bit of a sham.
menzo
̏̏̏̏̏̏̏̏&#
+616|6416|Amsterdam‫
18,99
https://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee37/menzo2003/fredbf2.png
mtb0minime
minimember
+2,418|6624

I'm a BMI of 3 because god told me so. <3

What's gonna happen when these fake size 10 people jump even further up to being fat. Are we going to have to rename the sizes again and again?
KuSTaV
noice
+947|6481|Gold Coast
I am such a fatty.

27ish
noice                                                                                                        https://static.bf2s.com/files/user/26774/awsmsanta.png
Laika
Member
+75|5913
19.0
.:ronin:.|Patton
Respekct dad i love u always
+946|6779|Marathon, Florida Keys
26.4........ im 6'4 and weigh 215 lbs.....they say im overweight what a crock of shit.

BMI stands for bullshit measuring increments.
https://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/patton1337/stats.jpg
Noobpatty
ʎʇʇɐdqoou
+194|6323|West NY
24.4?
I'm more concerned that sizes aren't standard. Usually I'm a waist size 32 and I got a different pair of jeans today that are apparently 32 but I couldn't fit them on
I plan to lose a few anyway
Hakei
Banned
+295|5965
33 BMI, I can run 6k without stopping and eat healthy, BMI is a stupid scale anyway, people who are naturally larger and more muscular have a much higher BMI, being overweight means nothing if your frame is large.
Roger Lesboules
Ah ben tabarnak!
+316|6547|Abitibi-Temiscamingue. Québec!
21.8 Normal
KEN-JENNINGS
I am all that is MOD!
+2,973|6602|949

18.6

Fucking fatties ruining America!
Ty
Mass Media Casualty
+2,398|6744|Noizyland

Well it's probably for the best. I remember being incredibly dissapointed when I found out that "size 0" din't actually mean "has nothing on".

BMI is a load of shit by the way.
[Blinking eyes thing]
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/tzyon
Rod Foxx
Warblgarbl
+78|5953|Perth, Australia

.:ronin:.|Patton wrote:

26.4........ im 6'4 and weigh 215 lbs.....they say im overweight what a crock of shit.

BMI stands for bullshit measuring increments.
This.

I'm the same height and weight which is somewhat creepy
menzo
̏̏̏̏̏̏̏̏&#
+616|6416|Amsterdam‫

Hakei wrote:

33 BMI, I can run 6k without stopping and eat healthy, BMI is a stupid scale anyway, people who are naturally larger and more muscular have a much higher BMI, being overweight means nothing if your frame is large.
If your BMI is 30+ you are considered to be obese. Obesity is linked to increased risk of cancer, heart disease and other health problems.
https://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee37/menzo2003/fredbf2.png
Zefar
Member
+116|6619|Sweden
My BMI is on 24.4 but not entirely sure if that's the right number. But it's consider healthy at least according to the charts. Well it stops at 25.

I'm like 192 CM tall and weight about 90 Kilos. Overall I'm not fat at all. I could in fact need some more weight on me.

Also I like how they claim that if I go down another 10 kilos I'm still FINE and only lies on 22 then. If I go down 10 kilos I'll be underweight and my bones will be pretty visible.
The scales don't work so well on us tall people.

I would be 6'4 and wieght about 198 lb. With a BMI of 24.1 but seeing that I'm 192 and that the 6'4 only goes from either 190 or 193. It was bound to change.
ghettoperson
Member
+1,943|6619

menzo wrote:

Hakei wrote:

33 BMI, I can run 6k without stopping and eat healthy, BMI is a stupid scale anyway, people who are naturally larger and more muscular have a much higher BMI, being overweight means nothing if your frame is large.
If your BMI is 30+ you are considered to be obese. Obesity is linked to increased risk of cancer, heart disease and other health problems.
He might just be ripped like a motherfucker.
Flecco
iPod is broken.
+1,048|6635|NT, like Mick Dundee

I'd consider myself slightly overweight. Working it off atm though.


My biggest concern is the fucking shirts in the shop. To get one with shoulders broad enough to fit I have to by 3XL, and I look like a right nob, tight across the shoulders and way too big around the torso and waist.
Whoa... Can't believe these forums are still kicking.
justice
OctoPoster
+978|6711|OctoLand
23.1 , but im slightly over weight really.
I know fucking karate

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