Logic or fallacy?

WillowTheWhisp · 06-09-2006, 09:27

This morning on the radio there was an item which intrigued me. They said that obese people are more in danger of going blind.

Now being a person who is constantly struggling to lose weight you can probably imagine that this alarmed me a little. I'm used to all the things about it being harmful to the joints and dangerous for the heart to carry a lot of extra weight but this was a new one on me.

However, the explanation which followed seemed to be a bit flawed. They went on to say that vitamins which are essential for the retina of the eyes cannot reach there when there is too much fat in the diet.

Ah, so that's 'fat in the diet' as oppsed to 'fat in the body'? Now in my experience, and observing others, the thing which adds weight more than anything else tends to be sugar. How many times do we hear about all those 'empty calories'? Personally I can't stand fatty foods and Busman will tell you how I cut all the fat off meat and give it to him because he loves it and I can't eat more than about half a dozen chips at a time. Given a choice with a meal I go for boiled spuds.

So, shouldn't the announcement have been that people who eat too much fatty food are in danger of going blind rather than that obese people are the ones in danger? I mean you get fat eaters who are not obese don't you and obese people who don't eat fats?

Am I waffling again?

BTW I just bought a new pair of jeans and not only were the size I first selected too large, the next size down was too large too so I must be making progress. Still a long way to go though but it's encouraging.

Tealeaf · 06-09-2006, 09:39

I suspect that this is neither logic nor fallacy, but is based upon epidemiological data and the fat theory is currently the one that best fits the evidence.

WillowTheWhisp · 06-09-2006, 09:44

I think you've missed my point. I'm not disputing the findings that the consumption of fatty food prevents the required vitamins from reaching the retina. I'm just pointing out that fat people are not necessarily consumers of fats so to equate the consumption of fat with the being of fat is the fallacy. I mean you could have ginourmous bodies which never eat a fatty morsel but wolf down sugar like it's going out of fashion. Would they be in danger of going blind or is it just those who eat fatty foods?

SPUGGIE J · 06-09-2006, 10:17

Well if that was the theory then were are all the fat blind sumo wrestlers being cared for? Why arnt all Eskimos and Laps blind or going blind?

Tealeaf · 06-09-2006, 10:18

No, Willow - you've missed the point. I only caught bits of the item on Radio 4 this morning, but from I did hear, it was that Age-related Macular Degeneration is directly related to obesity. The major cause of obesity is poor diet and lack of exercise. The issue of an individuals suseptability to obesity is another matter altogeather - some people eat nowt and weigh 30stone, others dine at Macs 20 times a day and weigh nowt.

jambutty · 06-09-2006, 10:24

I am overweight for my height or as I view it to short for my weight. I don’t like the fat off meat so I don’t eat it but I do like fried foods fried in lard or beef dripping, rather than olive oil. I use real butter on my bread and when making mashed potatoes. On the rare occasion that I eat boiled potatoes I garnish them with butter. I have spent a lifetime eating chips (in preference to other ways of cooking potatoes) fried in either lard or beef dripping. So it would appear that according to the latest ‘discovery’ I should be nigh on blind by now.

At pushing hard at 70 I can read a car number plate at some 50 yards, although I wear glasses for reading and close work.

If you listen carefully to all these announcements about what is bad for us or a break through in medicine, they are all accompanied by the word MAY or CAN. Never WILL and that says it all for me.

WillowTheWhisp · 06-09-2006, 10:28

Good point about the eskimos and sumo wrestlers.

I wasn't listening to Radio4 and what I heard was that it was the fat which was consumed which was preventing vitamins from reaching the retina. I am saying that not all fat people consume fat.

mrskitty · 06-09-2006, 10:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

MAY CAN. Never WILL and that says it all for me.

Says it all for me too-
MAY diet
CAN diet
But (never) WILL!

Im sick of being fat,after i had Jack i started eating sensibly and i lost 2 stone,but put it all back on when i got post-natal depression (that radically dissapeared when i ended it with my boyfriend) so am back to square one

grrr!rant over-sorry to go off topic WTW x

WillowTheWhisp · 06-09-2006, 10:35

I gave up to the idea of dieting when all that was happening was that I seemed to end up gaining more weight! Then I watched that Paul McKenna series which had a totally different approach and I've been making progress. It may be slow but it's slow in the right direction. Now I have much more hope that I'll actually succeed.

mrskitty · 06-09-2006, 10:42

Good,im glad to hear a positive approach for a change-makes me feel like i could lose the weight again.Id love to-i felt so good before,i could buy the most gorgeous clothes too

SPUGGIE J · 06-09-2006, 10:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

I am overweight for my height or as I view it to short for my weight. I don’t like the fat off meat so I don’t eat it but I do like fried foods fried in lard or beef dripping, rather than olive oil. I use real butter on my bread and when making mashed potatoes. On the rare occasion that I eat boiled potatoes I garnish them with butter. I have spent a lifetime eating chips (in preference to other ways of cooking potatoes) fried in either lard or beef dripping. So it would appear that according to the latest ‘discovery’ I should be nigh on blind by now.

At pushing hard at 70 I can read a car number plate at some 50 yards, although I wear glasses for reading and close work.

If you listen carefully to all these announcements about what is bad for us or a break through in medicine, they are all accompanied by the word MAY or CAN. Never WILL and that says it all for me.

I like it.

Chips done in dripping oh those lovely tasting chips. Real butter does make great mash failing that some double cream. If you eat sensibley then even those things listed as bad wont do any harm. I work shifts and eat a lot of so called tv dinners (laziness on my part) after a backshift and if they are as bad as people make out I should be in a bad way. Made a joke the other week at my works medical that I should have enough additives and preservatives in my body to nigate the need for embalming if I cash my chips in.

Shoot the nanny state and its turd stirring academics.

Kisser · 06-09-2006, 11:54

Maybe I need to ditch the fella

I have put on half a stone since meeting him, and my friend who has just split up with hers has lost almost two stone

Although when I did mention this to my man he said he's lost a lot more than seven pounds since meeting me

SPUGGIE J · 06-09-2006, 12:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kisser

Maybe I need to ditch the fella

I have put on half a stone since meeting him, and my friend who has just split up with hers has lost almost two stone

Although when I did mention this to my man he said he's lost a lot more than seven pounds since meeting me

Is that weight or cash from his pocket and bank account?

garinda · 06-09-2006, 13:11

I think that it is ironic that one of the world's most succesful models, and thus a paragon of supposed beauty, subsists on a diet of cocaine, coffee and cigarettes.

Thank you Miss Moss for showing us we aren't always what we eat or snort.

AccyJay · 06-09-2006, 13:16

I'm sick of hearing about whats good for me & whats. My great grandfather (died aged 98), granfather (now 75) & my father (now 57) never got told what to eat, & they didn't/aren't doing to bad. You could get run over by a bus tomorrow.

I eat fatty foods & really don't care. If i go blind, at least i won't be able to read all the government health cr*p. I won't be able to find the salt for my chips, but thats a different matter. lol