Let us focus on women.

[Workingman]

A new report by the lard police headed by England's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, tells us that 64% of women aged 34-44 and 71% of women aged 45-54 were classified as overweight or obese, cue the need for "urgent" action.

Women will be monitored, prodded and probed, scanned, tested and sent to specialist clinics to make sure they are fine and also to "cure" them of their eating disorders, especially binge-eating: get that, binge-eating.

Meanwhile, back on Mars, the figures are similar for men. In our case, though, it is not a medical problem, it is our fault. We eat too much, drink too much and flop down in front of the TV too often. We need to get off our backsides, go for a walk and eat less; apart from those men who are chronically obese this is the advice we constantly get.

This is not a dig at the NHS, it is not their report, but it is the place having to fund all these new treatments rather than giving women the same cheap advice men get....

[Kaz]

Yes, but what measure are they using for overweight? BMI no doubt, which isn't the most accurate IMO. I am only 8lbs over my target, and at 5ft 7 (ok, just a smidge under) I am fitting a size 12, occasionally still a small 14. According to my BMI however, at 26 I am still overweight! Having said that I do accept there are a lot of people around who need to lose weight, and obesity is a huge problem, but their figures )if you'll pardon the pun) are almost certainly exaggerated! It does not take age or body shape into account.

Having got that off my chest, it does seem unfair they are aiming this at women, men suffer just as much if not more from obesity-related disease

[Workingman]

Kaz, it is not how it is measured, every method has its critics, it is the focus on only one section of society.

We are told that it is a "national" problem so the focus should be on the nation. The figures for men are so very similar to those of women that the health outcomes will follow similar lines.

What initially made my ears prick up was the reference to women binge-eating. Is that a medical problem or a personal responsibility problem, and is it only confined to women? Do men and children do it or are their eating habits described otherwise?

I do not mind the focus being on obesity or overweight, I could do with losing a few kg, but please let us care for everybody equally.

[Kaz]

I did agree that it was unfair!

[Suff]

BMI is a tragedy in my case. Even though I'm carrying a small person in extra weight, my BMI would have me bulimic and seriously ill if they had their way.

When I'm 12st 7lb you can see all my ribs and there is no fat on me at all. I just did the BMI check with my lowest possible fittest weight.

It told me my BMI is 25.6 and that I am overweight. It then tells me that my best BMI is 9st to 12st 3lb.

Yeah, really, pull the other one it's got bells on. Which is why I absolutely ignore anyone who talks BMI to me and if they insist I tell them they are an idiot who has no clue whatsoever what they are talking about when it comes to my healthy body weight.

Yep I'm overweight. Seriously so. But I won't listen if someone comes and talks BMI to me.

Picking on Women now is insidious. They are much more likely to be impacted by this kind of dig than men are. Probably why the government is doing it....

Maybe instead of banging on and on at this drum, they should have a look at this little problem instead....

[Kaz]

I agree with you Suff, according to BMI my lowest so-called healthy weight is 8st something. When I weighed 9st and a few pounds - my lowest adult weight - I looked ill and size 10 jeans (actually a US size 6) were falling off my jutting hip bones. You could count my ribs. I was not healthy! In fact my GP at the time asked me if I'd ever been anorexic as I think he thought I was heading that way - I thought I looked fantastic and would happily have been thinner....

[Workingman]

The issue of BMI is a bit misleading.

I see that websites are offering BMI calculators as part of their articles, but the report never mentions it. We do not know what method was used. BMI is nothing more than a rough ready reckoner, but for the vast majority of us it does give a ball park estimate.

The report mentions things that are clearly a problem for females, such as ovarian and breast cancer - no problem there. Men can get breast cancer but it is statistically insignificant for what the report wants to achieve.

Where it goes wrong is with problems such as binge-eating, diabetes T2, heart disease and arthritis. These are problems for the whole population regardless of gender; and setting up female only solutions is wrong. Another area where the report is lacking is in personal responsibility. Nowhere does it mention that the individual might be to blame for their weight.

If England's chief medical officer was male and suggested male only solutions he would be pilloried in the media, and rightly so.

[Aggers]

I, too, don't see why the focus is on women.

What really concerns me is the fact that so many children are now classed as obese.
The emphasis should be on educating adults on the way to feed their offspring correctly.

Also, I consider the food industry is largely to blame, as they apparently don't care a fig
about getting people to eat more than is good for them, as their only interest is the root
of all evil - money. The only real answer to this problem is to force food manufacturers
and catering businesses to reduce the size of eating portions. But, of course, that will
never happen.

[Workingman]

But therein lies another aspect....What is a healthy portion?

I suspect that nobody knows and that ready meal portions are a guesstimate, at best.

Portion size is very personal. I have seen meals for two that would only feed 1 1/2 of me. Then there are others for one person which are way too large, but they are too small for two. There are also some portions where the manufacturer can only recommend a portion, breakfast cereals, for example.

My take is that there is too much "food" available, and it is everywhere. Go into many shops, even petrol stations, and there are crisps, sandwiches, snacks, chocolates, sweets, samosas, pies ans pasties. These are specifically designed to be bought and eaten there and then. They are not bought as part of the weekly shop to be put away and eaten occasionally.

My local garage has just been refurbished. It is on a main road and has 24hr opening. It now has Starbucks, Greggs and Subway concessions, and according to the staff is doing a roaring trade.

These things are not uniquely available to women to cause them problems, they are available to all.

[Aggers]

Yes, I guess you are right, WM.

It does seem to me that there can't be any satisfactory answer to any of the serious problems facing mankind today, be it obesity, global warming, warfare, crime, or what-have-you.