The Drs: Plus-Sized Model Sending The Wrong Message?
The Doctors shared a picture of plus-sized model Tess Holliday wondering if she was sending an unhealthy message to her fans. She’s a size 22, and the 29-year-old self-proclaimed Fat Girl has 400,000 followers on Instagram, leading her to be signed by a modeling agency in London. She’s the “plumpest plus-sized model to date” and has been all over the news professing love for her curves. She said she works out four times a week and even her doctor has signed off on her clean bill of health.
Do you think you know the answer? The Doctors shared which country is the most obese in the world. (Pixfiction / Shutterstock.com)
Critics are arguing that Tess’ message could be as damaging as that of a bony-thin model. When The Doctors’ producers reached out to Tess, she said that her health is a subjective thing.
The Drs: Obese Woman Challenging Beauty Standards
Dr Travis Stork said he likes the idea of challenging beauty. Dr Rachael Ross said she’s noticed a trend toward BBW (big black woman) or BWW (big white woman), but in Tess’ case, based off her measurements (she’s 5’5″ and 260 pounds), she does have a BMI of 43. Over 40 is considered to be morbidly obese and you qualify for weight loss surgery. She said it’s not about beauty alone, but also about health.
Dr Jennifer Ashton said they’re not making a judgment on their personal character or the person as a human being, they just know “that train is only going in one direction.” She said there are higher risks of cancer with obesity, as well as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and joint pain.
Dr Stork said there is an increased likelihood of earlier death for those who are obese.
The Drs: Most Obese Country In The World
The Doctors then moved on to share that the most obese country in the nation actually isn’t the U.S. Approximately 17% of American children are obese and over two thirds of the United States is overweight. New data from the central intelligence agency has confirmed that in the last year Mexico, Germany, and Iran all have reported expanding waistlines. Over 1.9 billion adults in the world were obese last year.
The U.S. is actually not even in the top ten for most obese nations, but the most obese country in the world is a cluster of islands known as the American Samoa, with a 75% obesity rate. Experts are saying the U.S. might be to blame for the surge. Dr Ross said when you go international, you see American restaurants like KFC. She said pop culture also comes into play, and people in other countries will even save fast food wrappers because it’s “so American.”
Dr Stork added that a lot of food companies will turn to other countries to try to boost sales if they’re dropping here.
The Drs: Overweight Furry Friends
Continuing the conversation about obesity, The Doctors shared that your dog can actually become overweight as well. Kale Chips the beagle is 7 years old and was formerly owned by an elderly person who fed him human food. He now weighs 86 pounds, which is three times the weight of a healthy beagle. Beagles are actually a breed of dog that has been known to literally eat themselves to death. The puppy was put into a private puppy rescue for special attention.
The Drs: Kale Chips The Obese Dog
Kale Chips and his foster mom joined The Doctors via Polycom, and she shared that Kale Chips is actually down 4.8 pounds. Dr Drew Ordon said it can be hard to not want to give your pet human food, especially when you see how they react, but by doing so you’re really doing them a disservice.
You can see in the video of Kale Chips that it’s hard for him just to walk. Dr Stork shared that a healthy male beagle weighs between 20-25 pounds. Dr Ashton said she has two labradors, and larger breeds tend to have more orthopedic problems. She said keeping dogs thin will prolong their life expectancy.
Dr Ordon said his bulldog LuLu has had to fight packing on the pounds as well, and then he welcomed her onto the show. He said he’s put his dog on a pumpkin diet before, which was recommended by his vet.
The Drs: How To Tell if Your Dog Is Overweight
Dr Ordon said to use your hand to tell how your dog should feel at a healthy weight. The way your knuckles feel when your hand is flat is how their ribs should feel. If you make a fist and feel the knuckles and your dog’s ribs feel like that, they’re too skinny. If their ribs feel like the padding where your fingers meet your palm, they’re too fat.
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