BMI is calculated by taking a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of the person's height in meters.

I'm not fat. I'm short. If I were 8'6" I'd be the picture of health.

I'm a 20.3, meaning I am bordering on emaciated. A 19 is emaciated. A 30 is obese. So I am pretty slim. Of course, being too slim does actually have some different health risks.

Carrying excess weight has been shown to boost the risk of 13 types of tumors ...

"Boost the risk" of tumors is not the same as "getting" tumors.

Two ways to look at these statistics -- one, what percentage of obese people get these tumors (versus non-obese) and, two, starting with those with tumors, what percentage are obese (versus non-obese).

I think this article is looking at #2, which inflates the percentage.

There are 250 million adults in the U.S. and 71% are overweight/obese -- that's 178 million.

Well, you can find out by visiting BMIcalc.org.

I did. Too many stones.

People who are somewhat overweight do still outlive on average the slim people who fit the ideal weights recommended by their doctors. Some extra weight isn't as fatal as is sometimes indicated and may have no real effect on general health and longevity.

If you are too heavy to be healthy, you do most often already know it without your doctor telling you or doing some BMI calculation. Personally, I don't like scolding people or trying to scare them over these things; it doesn't seem helpful or effective.

I don't think you should let these measures affect you too much.

I'm going to print that and show it to my cardiologist. Maybe together we can convince him to change his mind.

"Personally, I don't like scolding people or trying to scare them over these things

Same here. Not my style, even when I was fit and trim. But I nevertheless always thought that weight was something for which the individual was 100% responsible. Still do.

The only time I'm tempted to say something is at the airport when I have to pay a $200 surcharge because my suitcase is 2 pounds over the limit while standing in line with a 400 pound passenger who pays the same seat price as I do.

But I nevertheless always thought that weight was something for which the individual was 100% responsible. Still do.

Ancestry and medical conditions can affect weight a lot through no fault of the person.

Of course, bad eating habits and engaging in wacky diets are problematic too. You can teach your metabolism bad tricks with fad diets IMO. Look at the women who drop 100-150 lbs. in less than a year and a few years later they've gained it all back and more.

OTOH, I'm lifelong slim so I don't know that I have any valuable opinions or advice that anyone should heed much.

The only time I'm tempted to say something is at the airport when I have to pay a $200 surcharge because my suitcase is 2 pounds over the limit while standing in line with a 400 pound passenger who pays the same seat price as I do.

Just charge passengers by the pound. Can you even imagine the uproar? LOL

Ancestry and medical conditions can affect weight a lot through no fault of the person.

Well, of course there's that .00000000001%.

But even then I'd bet the farm that if you followed one of those people through the grocery store you'd find them loading their cart with garbage food. And I've never seen a fat person in the store reading those federally required nutrition labels either.

Don't get me wrong. I don't care what they eat (unless it's purchased with food stamps). I'm simply expressing an opinion.

Look at the women who drop 100-150 lbs. in less than a year and a few years later they've gained it all back and more.

And men. Everyone I know who lost weight gained it all back and then some. To go through all that diet and exercise just to get it all back? Very discouraging.

And this is from someone who quit drinking 40 years ago and quit smoking 20 years ago. But lose 20 pounds? Impossible.

Just charge passengers by the pound.

I've been promoting that on forums for the last 10 years.

Flights would be priced on a per pound basis -- Chicago to New York, $1.43. Chicago to London, $2.06. Etc. Specify the weight and reserve your seat with a credit card.

Any weight adjustments are made during check-in. You step on a scale with all of your luggage and the agent debits or credits your card. The same for the return trip.

They do this with cargo. People are human cargo. Seems fair.

Ancestry and medical conditions can affect weight a lot through no fault of the person.

Well, of course there's that .00000000001%.

I'm not so sure sure about that.

My daughter went from 7 lbs to 19 lbs at 5 months. I thought she would end up being obese. That all happened on mommy's milk. Now, at age 11, she is as thin as a rail.

I have a sister is extremely fat, and she always has been no matter what she does.

I was very thin when young, then gained weight, lost again and so on (I never really dieted).

Genetics obviuosly has a play in this.

Genetics obviuosly has a play in this.

Genetics. Thyroid. Metabolism. Whatever. But you can't gain weight by breathing and drinking water. You get fat by eating excessive calories. That you can control.

And fuck genetics. That simply means you're pre- disposed to some compulsive behavior. That doesn't mean you have to act on those compulsions.

I've been promoting that on forums for the last 10 years.

Why am I not surprised? LOL

At least you are fairly consistent.

Genetics. Thyroid. Metabolism. Whatever. But you can't gain weight by breathing and drinking water. You get fat by eating excessive calories. That you can control.

You might start crying if you saw what I eat.

I can gobble 3,500-5,000 calories per day and never really gain weight. I've done this before, trying to gain weight because I was tired of looking too thin. It didn't work, BTW.

I can also consume in the range of 1,000-1,200 calories per day and never really lose weight. My body/metabolism just adjusts, rather perversely.

I can eat exactly the same stuff other people do, whether they're dieting or obese, and not gain or lose the same weight they do even given comparable exercise patterns.

A calorie is not just a calorie to all persons at all times. It just is not true.

Let's not fall for this simplisitc a-calorie-is-a-calorie business. It's what your body does with that calorie that counts.

And fuck genetics. That simply means you're pre- disposed to some compulsive behavior.

To a large part, I agree with you.

It's not that simple, white. So when a kid gets brain cancer, is it a result of compulsive behavior?

All I am saying is that,yes people can control what they do, but genetics does play a large role.

I can gobble 3,500-5,000 calories per day and never really gain weight.

I used to do that. Drank a lot of beer, scarfed down junk food, loved chocolate -- didn't gain a single pound. Then I quit smoking. Blam!

"A calorie is not just a calorie to all persons at all times. It just is not true. Let's not fall for this simplisitc a-calorie-is-a-calorie business. It's what your body does with that calorie that counts."

Oh, I agree. Which is why I referred to excessive calories.

I remember a supervisor a number of years ago who descrbied an employee who was underweight who could eat an enormous amount of food. He was always hungry. He soon died of a heart attack.

Skinny doesn't mean healthy. And overweight doesn't automatically mean unhealthy.

We fall for a lot of bad stats and overgeneralizations in popular media and fad diet books.

It's not that simple, white. So when a kid gets brain cancer, is it a result of compulsive behavior?

Well, I thought we were discussing controllable behaviors, not uncontrollable diseases.

But if you want to discuss genetic diseases, we can. In my opinion, people who have a genetic history of brain cancer should consider adoption rather than having their own children. It's the responsible and humane thing to do.

Skinny doesn't mean healthy. And overweight doesn't automatically mean unhealthy.

We fall for a lot of bad stats and overgeneralizations in popular media and fad diet books.

Copy, paste, show to cardiologist.

Copy, paste, show to cardiologist.

Just tell him you met an Anonymous Internet Expert.

He'll stop scolding you. And ask you if you have a Living Will and personal directives.

As I said before. to a large part i agree with you.