“I think I am hot,” the 36-year-old said before dancing to a Beyoncé hit during a recent Bold Beautiful Woman class at Pole Vixens Xtreme in downtown Dayton. “Seriously, I am healthy. I don’t have high cholesterol and I don’t have high blood pressure. I don’t have diabetes. I have no health concerns.”
Health officials have sounded the alarm about what they consider the nation’s obesity epidemic.
Those with a BMI (a weight to height ratio) of 30 or greater are considered obese.
The Centers for Disease Control says one-third of adults in the United States are obese.
With an obesity rate of 29.6, Ohio is the 13th most obese state in the country, according to the recently released “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011” from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Still, many American think it is impossible or impractical to obtain a weight that would place them in the normal range on the BMI chart.
Maria Padilla of Huber Heights wants to lose weight, but less than what her doctor tells her she should to fall in to a normal weight, which is a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. Padilla said she would like to be 30 pounds heavier than her doctor’s recommendation.
“The doctor says I should be about 105. I think I would look malnourished,” the 38-year-old student at Pole Vixens Xtreme said. “I don’t think the average person can be on that scale especially in today’s world.”
The long-standing belief is that BMI evaluates the health of the bulk of people, but there is conflicting information.
Two new studies based on the new five-point Edmonton Obesity Staging System — one published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal and the other in the Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism — challenge how much BMI and weight determine health and mortality and suggest there is “healthy obese.”
The study found obese people who are otherwise healthy live just as long as their slim counterparts.
“Our findings challenge the idea that all obese individuals need to lose weight,” Kuk said in a press release. “Moreover, it’s possible that trying – and failing – to lose weight may be more detrimental than simply staying at an elevated body weight and engaging in a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity and a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.”
The second study that 15 to 20 percent of the morbidly obese — people with BMIs of 40 or more — had no or few health problems.
The study found that factors other than the BMI should be used when determining health.
Good Samaritan Hospital registered dietician Susan Knapke acknowledged many Americans think the BMI is an unrealistic guide.
But she said it is an important piece of the puzzle in determining a person’s health level for most people.
High body to height ratios should be taken seriously.
“You have a health risk,” she said. “The statistics say you are at an increased risk of heart disease and cancer. That’s what the statistics say. We can’t fight the statistics.”
Knapke said BMI isn’t the only factor that determines if a person has a healthy weight.
Lifestyle and body fat distribution are among a host of factors when determining overall health, said Richard Cohen, director of Greene Memorial Hospital’s HMR Weight Management Program in Beavercreek.
He noted sumo wrestlers, body builders and other extreme athletes often have BMIs that wrongly indicate they are obese.
“(BMI) does matter for most people, but there are limitations for it,” he said.
That said, Cohen said people shouldn’t drive themselves nuts when it comes to BMI.
“I tell people ‘don’t target a particular weight, target healthy habits,’” he said. “The truth is that you don’t have to be a 23 (BMI) to be healthy. There are individuals, there are variations. There is always a range that is normal.”
Tom Griesel, who penned the new book “TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust,” with his sister Dian Griesel, said appearances and numbers can be misleading.
People who are smaller sometimes have a high percentage of body fat.
“There are a lot of skinny diabetics out there. You don’t have to look obese to have a lot of the metabolic health issues (several conditions including excess body fat around the waist that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes).
“If you are fit and fat, you are much better off than someone who is thin and sedentary.”
Tara Sammons of Dayton said she’s happy with her weight even thought she’s obese according to the BMI chart.
A regular at Pole Vixens, said she works out four times a week and was an athlete in college.
She said she’s never been skinny.
“I kind of gave up trying to lose weight a long time ago,” she said. (It’s fine) as long as the clothes fit and I am the same weight.”
Beating yourself up about you weight is a waste of time, the 40-year-old said.
“BMI is just a number,” Sammons said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2384 or arobinson@ DaytonDailyNews.com.
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