BMI is rubbish as an indicator of health. The only reason the government is so convinced obesity is the key factor is because the research into weight and health is funded by the obesity industry. I would suggest aquiring a copy of Paul Campos very well researched "The Obesity Myth" to anyone who is interested in this subject.
It has also been proven that weight cycling (yoyo dieting) is much more of a risk to health than staying fat. And that someone who has recently lost weight on a diet is at more risk of health problems by someone who has remained larger. Plus, being underweight is more risky than being overweight (except for extremely obese people), but you don't hear constantly about that do you. It's all about where the money is in our culture, and the money is in self-hatred. Weightwatchers, cosmetics, clothes, cosmetic surgery, even home improvements and so on, it's all about trying to make ourselves acceptable. Woe betide if we should ever decide as a culture that we're fine as we are, then you will really see the economy collapse
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Focusing on weight in my opinion actually encourages people to eat poorly and exercise less. We go on a diet, which as anyone with any intelligence now knows results in a weight *gain* in 80-95% of cases (studies have supported this time and time again). How many other "treatments" do doctors recommend that have a 5% success rate! We give up and say "sod it" and eat crap. We start an exercise program, to lose weight and tone up. When we haven't lost enough lbs and don't look like a supermodel after 3 weeks we give up and turn on the TV.
Instead of constantly going on about obesity, they should be talking about health, instead of diets and deprivation, nutrition and instead of exercise, activity. Yes like cycling or walking places.... oh such a radical idea, I mean why do that when you can go by car and then go to the gym later (or not).
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