response 147 of 378:

Mar 7 23:17 UTC 2006

Re resp:21: I think what this article is saying, and what you're 
getting at, is that it's not being "fat" that's bad for you, it's being 
out of shape, and that the two aren't the same thing.  But this is a 
hard sell for Americans, who want visible results without effort -- 
they want to be thin but they don't want to have to do what it would 
take to be physically fit. 
 
 
Re resp:44: The information on being underweight is interesting.  I've 
been about 40 pounds underweight for nearly my entire adult life so far 
according to BMI charts.  Over the last few years I've gained a little 
weight, so the deficit is now down to 20 pounds.  I wonder if this is 
something I should be concerned about?  I'm always a little reluctant 
to talk about it because most people seem to want to lose weight, and 
it seems like twisting a knife in their back to talk about the fact 
that maybe I should gain some. 
 
 
Re resp:59: I stop eating when I'm full, but always feel slightly 
guilty about not finishing, having been ordered to "clean up my plate" 
all the time as a kid.  (To be fair, we were kind of poor at the time 
and couldn't really afford to waste food.) 
 
 
Re resp:103: "So could smoking tobacco.  Drinking alcohol has religious 
connotations for some as well. That's why its legal to smoke in Indian 
casinos where otherwise a state has made smoking in public illegal." 
 
Actually, no, that's because they're a sovereign nation and are exempt 
from most state laws. 
 
A better example is that recent case where a church was allowed to use 
a hallucinogenic tea that is banned by the DEA, because it's part of 
their religious ceremony.