My student yesterday told me that when she stayed with her host family, they said she looked very skinny and that she needed to eat more. However, those particular individuals were actually obese in their own right.
When I worked at the College of Southern Nevada, the vast majority of my colleagues, even in the Dental Hygiene Department, were obese; yet everyday they told me that I had “chicken legs” and I was frailty.
Ummm….really?
I need to put into context what being overweight actually means..
| Height | Weight Range | BMI | Considered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source: CDC | |||
| 5′ 9″ | 124 lbs or less | Below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 125 lbs to 168 lbs | 18.5 to 24.9 | Healthy weight | |
| 169 lbs to 202 lbs | 25.0 to 29.9 | Overweight | |
| 203 lbs or more | 30 or higher | Obese | |
If you look at the healthy weight range, you have a 43 pound zone to be considered healthy, and Americans fall right out of that scale and into the 203 pounds or more zone.
What’s even more shocking is that according to the National institute of diabetes, more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese. More than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity. Almost 3 in 4 men (74 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese.
Wait, did you just tell me that I’m too skinny?
Look at the health risks of being overweight.
| Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity |
|---|
|
People, it’s kind of like the smokers; they know exactly what the ramifications are of inhaling toxins, but they still do it anyways.
Americans know that eating anything frozen, which most supermarkets consist of (at least 12 aisles in Wal-Mart), is detrimental. What I don’t understand is when I go to America, people will tell me, “omg you’re so skinny! You have chicken legs! You’re not health!” On the other hand, they’re eating a plate full of lard.
The intent is not to bring awareness of obesity in America, but to bring degrading comments to the surface and notice that what you’re saying to others, pertaining to health, is not your area of expertise. Before you judge someone about their weight, look yourself in the mirror. If you want to hand out useful information or offer services of any kind, do so in a kindly manner. Conversely, if you approach someone and say something that can’t actually help that person, why say it at all? Are you perhaps a nutritionist and a fitness addict? You look at the majority of bodybuilders in America…that’s actually considered to be overweight, too. From the people watching American Football games in the stands, to the players on the field…I could go so far to say 70-80% of the people in the stadiums, including the players, are overweight or obese.
Be the change. If you want to help someone, do it. If you’re going to tell someone that they’re skinny or fat, you’ve got your own insecurities to clean up.
I love what happened with Lisa Nichols on the Steve Harvey show. One time and audience member asked Lisa, “what can I do to lose weight?” At the time, Lisa was considered overweight and said, “listen, I can give you any information on that because look at me.” Steve Harvey looked at her and said, “omg, what are you doing?” However, Lisa said, “how about this….let’s walk every morning and talk to each other on this particular day.” And they did so.
That’s what you can do.
Arsenio's ESL Podcast 
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