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Obesity in pregnant women, on the news








































tbh I didn't really want a discussion about what "big" is and I find a few of the comments a bit offensive. My point was more about the impact of focussing on BMI and the repercussions of people crash dieting or waiting until they are older and have lost weight before having children, both of which were in my original post but not everyone appeared to read.

Feel free to carry on the discussion I'm just not joining in.

[Modified by: morello on 29 July 2010 22:39:34 ]
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Replies

  • Surely they could do more focus on 'women who still shoot up while pregnant lol!!!

    Seriously though perhpas they are just trying to educate those women who may be are very overweight to such an extent that it would affect their pregnancy rather than larger in size like you have described, to me overweight is when you are unable to walk etc without getting wrecked etc etc etc xx
  • .

    [Modified by: morello on July 29, 2010 10:47 PM]

  • Okay I am all for healthy eating and excercise and do believe as a country we have a huge obesity problem but Morello I agree that BMI is a total crock of shit!! Excuse my language!!

    I am 5ft 3/4 of an inch, I wear size 10 clothes and weigh approx 9st 4lb. everyone has always said how tiny I am........my bmi is at 24.5 which on the scale is at the end of the healthy weight and bordering on the obese!!!! If I 1/2 stone I would be too skinny. I don't have a stomach and when I stretch up you can see my ribs and my hubby is always moaning that my hips bones stick out in bed!!!

    WTF???? How can I be nearly obese but a size 10!!!


    BMI is a load of crap

    sorry rant over
  • All I've heard about pregnancy & obesity today is about educating women about the whole 'eating for two' myth when pg or bf'ing. Totally agree with that, but think I've missed something as I've not heard about BMI - is it that you shouldn't get pg till you are at a safe BMI? BMI is nonsense, mine is 19 but I'm an ample size 10!! x
  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10781031

    "The health watchdog NICE has issued new guidelines encouraging women in England to attain a healthy weight before they get pregnant."

    "NICE says women with a body mass index of more than 30 should be encouraged to lose weight before they become pregnant."
  • I haven't watched TV today so haven't seen any of the news reports and can't really comment on what exactly was said but from what you have posted I personally don't see the problem. Why should women not be encouraged to be healthy before falling pregnant to minimise the chances of something going wrong? And I think that should be the case for whatever the problem - obesity, being underweight, alcohol/drug problems etc.

    What is wrong with being responsible and giving your baby the best start in life by the mother being healthy before she falls pregnant?

    I do think however that they should look at an individual and not just say 'oh your BMI is over 25 you must loose weight' because I do agree that BMI isn't accurate for everyone.

    NN
  • I agree with NN. If its proven that obesity increases risks why shouldn't awareness be raised the same as it is with alcohol or drugs. I'm a little chubby round the edges and ate loads during my pregnancy, all the good healthy stuff, but plenty of the not so good stuff either and after lo arrived the extra weight I didn't need to have put on was just an added stress and got me so upset when I had plenty other things to deal with. I kind of wish the midwives would have weighed me so they could have given me a kick up the arse for putting so much on. Anyway I digress
    I also wholly agree bmi is rubbish and not always representative!
  • I'm sorry but I'm going to disagree slightly. BMI when done correctly is not a load of crap. But - it is rarely done correctly so technically you have a point.

    To calculate your bmi you take your height and weight and you also measure your 'fat' at certain places on your body. These include your hips, 'wings' and shoulder blade area. This is all taken into consideration as it identifies muscle mass from fat tissue. If a doctor just takes your height and times it by itself and divides it by your weight (i think that's how they do it) you could be a boxing champion and according to the 'bmi' you'd be obese.

    Also, to say that you are overweight and have no health issues is like saying you smoke but don't have any smoke related illnesses. Heart disease and mature onset diabetes doesn't effect us ladies in our 20s 30s and 40s it usually starts around 55/60

    I think that in certain cases you should consider trying to lose weight during or before pregnancy as if you are obese problems CAN occur, not that they 100% will. I think the news worded it quite harshly but in essence I do think it's got a good point
  • I agree with chubs113, I was a healthy weight when I got pregnant , I am a runner and ran a lot and also ate quite a lot but because of all the exercise I maintained a healthy weight. However when I was pg I had to scale this down to a more gentle jog, unfortunately I didn't scale back my eating quite as well and so put on too much weight when pg. When they weighed me at my booking in appt I was a healthy weight and so was never monitored. I think that they should monitor your weight throughout pregnancy so that you can reel it in a bit if you start to put on too much weight.
  • I think the most important thing during pregnancy is to remain as calm and relaxed as you can. Don't let these NICE guidelines scare you. They have been put out to help people maintain a healthy weight pre and during pregnancy not as something intended to worry you.
    BMI is a difficult one, working as a Nutritional Therapist, I try not to use it too often and it is often referred to as there is no better substitute unfortuantly to address a population.
    Just try to retain your regular healthy eating patterns. If you're finding sickness a problem then eating small meals little and often may be easier for you.
    If you're concerned though about any complications a high BMI may have on your pregnancy and baby then you should certainly talk to your midwife and if you're concerned about your diet then look out a nutritional therapist to speak to.
  • Have not seen the news on this issue, just couldn't keep my mouth shut.... this is one of my biggest bug bears and winds the absolute hell out of me.

    Claire a belle - a BMI of 25 or over is not classed as obese, it's classed as "over your ideal weight for you height". You are obviously not fat, obviously petite and probably in very good proportion.. all BMI states is that for the height you are, you may have more than the ideal ammount of fat surrounding your vital organs, REGARDLESS of what you look like on the outside, and therefore an increased risk of things such as type 2 diabetes etc. In your case, you are within "healthy range" and I really don't think you need to take it to heart if it's at the top end of the healthy range. you are FINE.

    You have to have a BMI of over 30 to be classed as obese, and in my oppinion - thats perfectly reasonable. I think if I heard that somebody had a BMI of 30+ and then saw a photo of them, I'd probably completely agree!

    It is NOT a crock of shit. In some cases, ie, extreme athletes, BMI may not be fitting, simply because they have a very very high muscle mass, and we all know muscle weighs more than fat. However, for the majority of the population, BMI is a very sensible, very OBVIOUS method of working out what is healthy and what is not. I don't understand how so many people can claim it doesn't work - how the hell does it not work?

    People take it SO personally if they hear their BMI is high. You may "only be a size 16" but i'm sorry, that doesn't mean being a size 16 is healthy.

    It gets completely on my wick when people bring clothes size into it. It means nothing in terms of BMI. say for example "jane smith" and "jane brown" are both a size 12..... ok.... so this day and age size 12 is generally thought of as being a small clothing size. However, when you throw into the mix that Jane smith is only 5" and Jane brown is 5"7.... wham bang - one of them is overweight. clearly. and to look at jane smith - i bet you can flaming well just tell by looking that she could do with losing a couple of stone. it doesnt take a genious and some numbers to work this out surely?

    my BMI is the high end of the healthy scale, I believe the last time i checked, was weighed etc it was 24. Now, whilst I'm perfectly happy with my body shape, my size, my appearance in clothing etc, I am SO not offended by this, I accept that my body could work better, and be more efficient and fitter, if i lost a few pounds. this makes sense to me, I could easily lose a couple of inches, and feel the benefit, if i got off my backside and did some exercise!

    People need to stop poo-pooing this method. Yes, you have to take an educated look at it in some extreme cases and take other factors into account, but for most it works perfectly well.. and I also think, you just look at a person and take an educated guess as to whether their BMI is high or not.

    The problem these days is we're getting larger in general, as a society. Whats classed as a a thin, slim, healthy size these days is based on whats normal. People are getting fatter, and for that reason it's more acceptable to be a size 16, still see yourself as slim etc because there are so many stores now which stock plus plus and XX sizes.

    Just because people are getting bigger and we're accepting it as "curvy" and "beautiful" (which often does look.. don't get me wrong) but it doesn't mean it's flaming healthy. Doesn't mean you're not at increased risk of health problems. people need to take their head out of the sand and take responsibilty. Doctors don't tell people "you have a BMI of 31, you're obese" to bully you, they don't say "you look fat" they are telling you that your body is AT RISK.

    Wise up and stop being in denial people!!!!
  • i use the BMI calculater at work and it works just fine, i dont see the problem myself.
  • I'm not judging people who have a weight problem I'm judging people who say "bmi is a load of rubbish"
  • Honestly, If i was double the weight I am now, and was one of the people classed as high BMI, or obese or what have you, I would have the exact same oppinion on the method of BMI as i do now.

    It doesnt matter if you are a beautiful, sexy, curvascious size "whatever" you might look and feel brilliant, doctors just like to give people a warning abut their body on the inside. the bits you cant see. They do this based on years and years of research and medical history. They do this for our benefit. I'm sorry my first post was blunt and harsh but people are focussing too much on the appearance aspect of it. It has nothing to do with what you physically look like. Though, usually, there is a correlation with how you look and your BMI.
  • well thought id add my 5 bobs worth.
    I am 5ft 2 and a size 12 and i am classed as overweight according to the bmi chart. I also use the bmi method at work and i agree it works. I have struggled with my weight for years but its not the BMI charts fault,its mine!lol. I have been upto a size 18 and down as low as a size 6 all within the last 5 years-which is more than likely worse than staying at a constant weight abit it be a stone or 2 over weight.
    I am now only a stone off being my ideal weight according to the nhs bmi chart but people keep telling me i dont need to lose anymore. i think these people are trying to be kind to be which is very sweet but if i listened it wouldnt be the healthest thing to do. these people tell me im slim enough ect but i do agree that the reason for this is beacuse as a nation we are getting bigger and compared to other people they see i may look slim.
    I do know the ebenifits of losing 1 stone in weight and how doing so may not only bring me where i should do with the bmi chart but also the benefits which you notice straight away like walking up hill without panting at the top!
    I was squezzing out of a size 16 when i feel pregnant with Lizzie last year and i suffered with pregnancy and my breathing so much so i was hospitalised 3 times and ended up with lung scans ect!
    i thought i would add some pics so you can see how although a size 12 i caqn still do with losing some weight and i believe the bmi charts are good.
    I dont however think its right to dictate to ANYONE what size or weight they shoulod be or for anyone to tell another person they should not have a baby because of this, i think as adults in our own rights it is a individauls choice when they have a child.
    ok so this is how i looked a few years ago on left (was looking same last year tho) and on the right how i look now.

    http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs225.snc4/38570_10150239819650302_876265301_13844868_5051061_n.jpg



    i think you will agree another stone will benefit me! x
  • I agree with linzi completely about how the bmi works and how people are just taking being overweight as more and more normal as they dont suposedly have any visible health problems.

    I also full well know that dropping wieght is not as easy as telling someone 'just get a grip, eat less and get your ass into some exercising'. It is not as straight forward as that, and many factors need to be assessed and taken into consideration to lose wieght, which is HARD. But people who are overweight or obese should really think of how to help themselves with either lifestyle changes, doctor' s consults or even more drastic measures if needed as it is not healthy to be overweight or obese even though at a certain moment of time no serious health issues present themselves.

    I once saw a photo of a person who is overweight (quite a bit, but not massive). The photo I believe was a combination of MRI scans, xrays and other scanning methods - this person had fat laced throughout all the muscles, including heart, increased heart size, squshed lungs, icreased size of all the internal organs, damaged joints and slightly bent bones from the excess weight being carried around - this person might as well not had any visible health issues, but does that description strike you as healthy?

    My BMI is 23, so somewhere in the middle of healthy, but I am not very fit and could do with some exercising.

    My partner a while back reached a BMI of 27 (after a good foodie winter and a couple of beers in the evenings and a sitting job, p.s. I do think it was closer to maybe 25/26 as he s got dreads up to his ass and they weigh A LOT, but there is a difference between a bmi of 21 and 25/26) and even though he looked nowhere even near being overwight, he had gotten himself into the unhealthy range for his height - he is only 30, the increased weight instantly spiked up his blood pressure for a bit even though he had never had any problems with it before. The fact that he had always had a very healthy BMI (around 21), he instantly started to feel the effects of the added weight, little bit slower, more tired, more headaches. So yeah he wasnt ill or anything, but was not his normal healthy self ... now he is moving more, and keeping the beers in check, he is feeling much better and his blood pressure is back where it should be.

    Now here comes my guess work - maybe people who have been overweight for a long time, just dont feel the slight changes in their health as someone suddenly gaining weight ... they might not notice slight breathlessness because they have had it for so long they deem it normal and so on ...

    I do not want to judge anyone, thin or fat, but I do wish people would start to think more about their health and especially the health of their little ones.

    Hope you are all well.
    xx

    [Modified by: fooxoo on July 29, 2010 09:25 PM]

  • when we were ttc i wanted to be in the best physical shape i could to carry a baby, for my sake, and obviously the baby's sake. i don't see anything wrong with the govnt advising women of the risks of carrying a child when overweight, being overweight carries more risks to your health in pregnancy and in life generally, so i don't really see it as scare mongering, just facts. being healthy helped me in the pregnancy,

    as for BMI, im also a 24 and quite muscular and have been the same weight, give or take half a stone of over a decade, im not kidding myself that im super slim, but im fit strong and healthy and to go within the low normal range i would have to lose a lot of muscle mass, which i need, so there's no chance of that!
    I agree with linzi to some degree, as a society we are getting bigger and as individuals we need to face up to this and take responsibility for our own health. whilst bmi is sometimes misleading for certain individuals, you can't disregard it generally in my opinion as a method to help people identify if their health could be at risk due to their weight.
  • Whilst being pregnant I kept up my fitness for as long as I possibly could, I ran until I felt uncomfortable (6 months preg). But I never once restricted what I ate, I just ate a little of what i fancied.
    Before I concieved I was physically fit, but purely because I love to run.

    Your BMi is just a guide line, I am roughly 20.1 apparently (just worked this out) so I am normal. But I also know I run 15 miles a week, I walk my dog 20 miles aweek, and I know in some peoples minds this would be classed as too much. It all boils down to life style choices.

    But i was only ever weighed once during my pregnancy, at my booking in appointment, which makes me think where did they get the info from in the first place??

  • well dome wannababy what a transformation image
  • wannababy you've done so well losing all that weight - you look great!

    And it's really nice to hear that you can actually feel the difference, and you feel you're benefiting healthwise from it! thanks for your post - it makes me look less mean lol!!
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