Obesity Episode - 2007/03/23 14:00 As always, a very entertaining episode. I just wish they'd put in a little more substance into this one.

They could have mentioned of the fact that the estimated 400,000 deaths per year was an admitted gross misrepresentation due to mistakes and flawed methodology.

They could have shown the actual figures that show that if obesity is an "epidemic", it's really low on the list.

They could have mentioned that average calorie intake hasn't increased in decades, whereas average activity level has dropped - indicating that the problem has nothing to do with the kinds of food available.

And I'd have really liked to see them tear the CSPI a new one.

Ah well, I guess the show IS only half an hour. I guess their ideas of what's most important in the issue are different from mine.

But you've gotta love their attitude!
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Re:Obesity Episode - 2007/03/23 22:19 I agree. It was kind of unfocused and lacked substance. On the radio show they really took on BMI. I thought they'd do more with that.
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Re:Obesity Episode - 2007/03/23 23:55 I couldn't help but notice the gratuitous topless women at the end of the episode.

I also noticed that neither of the topless women were fat.
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Re:Obesity Episode - 2007/03/24 01:07 Are you complaining or just remarking?
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Re:Obesity Episode - 2007/03/24 17:48 I agree, as much as I love the series, this was just a weak episode that lacked any substance or real argument. Yes it's a half hour show, but they have done some amazing things in a half hour format before. While the Olympics section had a interesting outcome, the payoff was just not worth the time (to me)

And to be honest, it was so unfocused that they did nothing with the Fat acceptance group except say howdy and watch them play ball. There wasnt even a payoff, hell, there wasnt even a real argument unless you coulnt the fact that people judge fat people because they are fat.
Not worth the time, and kinda shallow.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh, perhaps I'm expecting too much, but i guess I've been spoiled by the level of clarity, logical debate and humor they have brought to previous episodes.

And frankly, I kind of expected the first of the new shows to be a strong kickoff.

Alas, it was not to be.
But i have faith in everyone at BS, and look forward to the rest of the season.

(Also, I'm not sold on the new opening music and style, it's a minor thing, but that retro thing they used to use really was so awesome... a minor quibble though)
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Re:Obesity Episode - 2007/03/25 17:58 I *love* the new opening sequence.

The episode was amusing, and I think it made some good points. The "fat epidemic" hysteria was created and funded by the diet industry. The BMI chart is outdated and was never intended to be used to measure health. Yo-yo dieting is far more dangerous than maintaining a consistent weight. Fat people aren't as unfit and sickly as we are generally led to believe.

I wish they'd spent more time delving into these points and really explaining them in more detail, instead of spending so much time on the 'Olympics'. I would have loved to have seen Dr. Dean Edell and/or other skeptically-minded, medically-trained experts talk about it more in depth. But that's just my preference.

All in all, by the end of the show I felt they'd made their basic point.

~JoMadge
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