I'm a hypocrite.

Yesterday I posted a bunch of astounding statistics about obesity in America. Well, that's great and all, but when you think about it, statistics don't mean $&*t...pardon my language.

85% of this and 45% of that. Oh, 45% of the 3% that did this felt this and then 5% of 6% of the population between the ages of 2.4 and 3.6 are this because of that. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!

I've always hated it when speeches started off with a good ole' statistic, the speaker thinking "Oh, yeah, this will rope em' in." Ugh. I'm just not into it - and what did I do yesterday? Exactly that.

Why don't we take a statistic I found very compelling and actually see what they are really saying. You might get a better understanding of things, and I won't feel like such a hypocrite.

Let's go with....

According to a 2008 Centers for Disease Control statistic, 32.2% of men and 35.5% of women are obese.

Ok, obesity is defined as a BMI of  30 or greater. Here is a BMI chart that shows you what that means, height and weight wise.

So, if you are 5'6'', that means that you weigh 190 lbs or more. If you are 6', that means you weigh 230 lbs or more. BMI is not the best measurement of health, but it is the easiest way to get a mass number quickly. BMI doesn't take some cases into consideration - like those that have a LOT of muscle mass. But, think about how many overweight people you know vs. how many body builders you know.....see the big picture?

I don't know the exact study that this came from, but the CDC is a usually a very reliable source, so I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that the study passed all the stats tests we were taught in high school. Also, the stat is talking about adults only, even though it doesn't state that. So, simplified, it is actually saying that "Approximately, 1 out of 3 U.S. adults have a BMI of 30 or greater." Wow.

Let's look further.

When it comes to obesity, there are many health and economical consequences. We know the health consequences (heart disease, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, gallbladder issues, sleep apnea, joint pain, infertility, and much more), but what about the economical consequences both on the individual and the country as a whole?

Direct costs are the funds spent on preventative, diagnostic, and medical treatment services. Then there are the indirect costs from decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism, and lost future revenue due to premature death. This number for the U.S. was almost 147 Billion back in 2008 - who knows what it is now?!!

To put 147 Billion in perspective, that's enough money to.....I don't know.....buy everyone in Africa a laptop or feed everyone is Asia for 100 years. Something ridiculous like that.

So, now the stat is saying, "1/3 of the adult U.S. population is costing themselves, employers, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies over 147 Billion dollars a year for something that is (for the most part) a preventable issue." Wow. Even more powerful.

Really, I just wanted to redeem myself and let you know that it's important to look into statistics and look at the issues behind what they are stating.

Plus, I promise to not talk about statistics anymore:)