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by jdclyde

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http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=26390271

Was just reading the story on gamespot [i]"Wii Fit tells 10-year-old she's fat"[/i].

Buy a game that is going to call you names? Is this meant to motivate?

Is this an over reaction by the "National Obesity Forum" to advice people NOT to buy or play Wii Fit? Is the chance of being labeled based on your BMI as overweight worth playing a game that gets lazy kids (and adults) to move?

I say, "get up fatty and lets get moving!".

70 replies

by jiminpa

and it told me that I was overweight and unbalanced. I told it that it was ugly and its mother was a TRS-80. :D

Seriously, it was only telling the truth. It goes by BMI and mine is 25.6

As a society we are becoming too sensitive. I don't think we should all be stick figures but let face it. Alot of us are FAT and fat is not healthy.

by jiminpa

The wife uses it more than I do. It is valid exercise. If you do it right (which is the case with any exercise) you wake up the next morning feeling it. The misses was really sore for about a week after starting it.

by dumphrey

Around here I commonly see 2 people in a car with 4 to 6 bags of chips on the dash board, and guess what, they aint skinny...

ANY exercise at all is better then none. Even a Wii. im not sure how it would compare to a real gym, or even a good long walk, but some people just aren't ready/able to do real exercise.

On the other extreme we have the anorexic, twig like model wanna-bes of both male and female types. Also a no-no.

fat == bad
to skinny == bad
just right == good and this is the problem.

And thats hard to judge since sizes are not fixed. My mom called me up laughing because she bought some pants and had to get several sizes smaller then normal, and NOT because she lost any weight 9and no she was not at K-Part or Squal-mart, but a National, upscale department store).

But to sum it all up:

Wii == good

by charliespencer

"Hey there, all you jelly rolls,
Hot dogs and Ho-Ho's poppin' oucher clothes!
Hi there, ho there, Krispy Kreme queens,
Eclairs and kruellers filling oucher jeans.
If you eat, you will get fatter!
Think about your health! It's a serious matter!"

The military has an unlimited number of cadences making fun of the overweight. Perhaps they should be incorporated into the Wii Fit. Beyond a certain BMI it might be useful to refer to the exerciser by any of the following terms of endearment: Michelin Man, Mr. Sta-Puft, Poppin' Fresh, or (my personal favorite) Weeble.

by ganyssa

I plan on getting a Wii Fit with my next education bonus. When I do, it will tell me that I'm overweight, and uncoordinated. This will not surprise me, or damage my psyche. Overweight I'm working on (17 pounds down) - and I'm trying to see uncoordinated as endearing, because it's not going anywhere. Hopefully I won't kill myself, because the story will sound real stupid on CNN. But it looks like fun, and my kid wants to do the hula-hooping.

Pretending you're not overweight won't change anything, and you're not helping your child by pretending they're not overweight either. My doctor told me I was overweight, too. Should I stop going to her? Take some responsibility already.

Of course, I'm mean. I'm sure if you just tell the kid she's perfect just the way she is it'll all work out in the end. Buy her a Happy Meal, she'll feel better.

by maecuff

Speaking of stupid CNN stories.. I definitely would have made the national news the other day with the world's most undignified death.

I was driving to work and a truck in front of me (one lane over) was hauling two port-a-potties. One of them fell off. Had I been directly behind him, it probably would have come through my windshield. Fortunately, the semi next to me hit it and just scooted it along.

After I worked my heart out of my throat, it struck me how horrible it would be to die by flying port-a-potty..

by ontheropes

My religion made me say that. Sorry.

Just thinking about it more, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad way to go. I mean we've all got to die, it may as well be a remarkable death, right?

by dumphrey

serving coffee, we had a physician come in two or three times a week. One day he was livid, I asked him why. Apparently he was being sued for telling a patient 99.9% of their health problems were because they were fat, again (the third suite against him for this). He assured me that it would not go to trial and he would not have to pay anyone. I have no idea how fat, he would not say, and I didn't ask, but this is the climate we live in, no one wants to be responsible for themselves. Everyone just wants to sue some one else for a quick buck.

by jamesrl

And it tells you that you have the feeble mind of a 75 year old....

And not Einstein at 75 either.

No thats not my score by the way.

James

by the scummy one

If you buy a game to get fit, take the friggin ridicule and
STFU.
Obviously, if you dont want the ridicule for being a fat a$$,
dont buy a fitness game!!!

People are too sensitive about everything, just looking for a
reason to sue or create problems because their sorry a$$
lives are pathetic.

by Member 25348569

If the reported measurements are correct and she's 4ft 9in tall and weights 92lb, this gives her a BMI of 19.5 which would be ideal for an adult and doesn't even apply if she's ten - which she is.

Basically, the Wii is WRONG and so is everyone in this thread. The very least that Sony could do is say sorry.

So, your tenth birthday present tells you you're stupid. How do YOU feel?

Neil X-(

p.s. She's British. We don't sue at the drop of a cup of coffee but we do believe that if people are wrong then they should admit it.

by w2ktechman

I didnt read the article, been real busy recently. However what would the real difference be if she was watching a workout video and it said that?

Now lets add a bit more, what if it were a game that said some other profane thing (there are those out there). Is she gonna cry cause a gang member or someone on WOW calls her a ho or somthing?
Probably not, but if so, I think she has some emotional issues.
I have been around plenty of little ones, and they can get much nastier than saying 'you're fat'!

by maecuff

It's ridiculous to have your birthday present insult you. I wouldn't like it NOW, I sure wouldn't have liked it when I was 10.

And kids are all different. Most of them go through some sort of chubby stage. Big f*cking deal.

I have a 10 year old. He's a bit on the chubby side. He plays outside and does normal 10 year old things. I'd be pissed as hell if anything or anyone said something to him to make him feel bad about himself.

Honestly, isn't 10 about the only age when we DON'T have hang ups about ourselves? When I was 10, I always thought I was just fine. You know, after a hard day playing in the dirt, messed up hair and mismatched clothes I still felt good about myself.

So now? We are going to have a TOY take that away from a child?

Bullsh*t.

by maecuff

Gonnna have to say that when I go, I don't mind if it's spectacular, but not like that. Not by a flying sh*thouse.

by the scummy one

:^0 :^0 :^0
Ok, that was bad. My religion made me say it!

More seriously though, it is very doubtful that it would have
killed you by itself. If you hit another vehicle or tree due to
it, maybe. However, the portapotty likely would not have
gone through the windshield completely

by charliespencer

1) Always wait until it's full before you tip it over when your friend's inside.
2) When you do tip it over, be sure the door is on the 'down' side.
3) When using one in the dark, use a flashlight to be sure none of the 'contents' are stacked up above seat level. Otherwise you'll wake the other campers.

by ontheropes

I'm hoping for a natural death myself, something easy and hopefully a long way off from now. I want to go to sleep here and wake up 'there' or just go to sleep forever if this is all there is. Something like that. Too deep.

Dying by a flying toilet would practically guarantee you'd be remembered though. I can't recall the woman's name but I remember her simply because she passed away while on the toilet. I thought that odd but I've heard that it's not all that uncommon.

BTW- I'm seriously glad that nothing bad happened to you.

by maecuff

I've had some sort of stomach thing going on and I've been sick for a couple of weeks. I was already feeling sick to my stomch, when I saw that flying through the air, I almost puked on my steering wheel.

by jamesrl

The main charecter dies by being hit by a toilet from the MIR space station....

I liked that show's dry sense of humour, evn though I'm no fan of Mandy Patinkin.

James

by dumphrey

and spectacular way to go? Spontaneous combustion while nude and ridding a pony? Crashing your submarine into a volcano?
just how spectacular are we looking for here?

by jamesrl

But all it would take is a few notes of him singing to turn you off for life, I really dislike his singing voice.

James

by jellimonsta

My sister has a Wii and we played it while we were over in the UK last month. It was a blast. She does have the sports and fit packages. My wife loved the Wii fit and was on it almost every night.
I think the NOF are going overboard. The Wii Fit would have told the child she is 'overweight' and not fat. It uses height and weight to calculate, so unless she made a major mistake on input of her height, guess what? She IS overweight! :D
I don't really play entertainment systems any more, and have never owned one, but Wii was so much fun it may make me change my mind.

by Member 25348569

It gives a BMI of 19.5 from 4ft 9in and six and a half stone. Other calculations give under 20. I'd KILL for a BMI of 20.

by jellimonsta

I did not actually read the blog prior to posting. I thought it was maybe some kid who frequents Happy Meals and weighs more than me getting their back up. :D

I agree that does not seem overweight, but I can imagine a 10 year old being upset. Obviously an adult would be able to determine the fact that they are not overweight. Don't want to tell a 10 year old girl to start down the bulimic/ anorexic path though. :(

by jdclyde

ALWAYS back your cart against the door so your friend who is in there can't get out.... :D

by notsochiguy

Well, people go to this hot dog stand in Chicago to get showered with abuse with their dogs (ordering ketchup on a dog there is like going before Congress and admitting you're a Taliban loving supporter of NAMBLA...you get what you deserve).

So, why not get a Wii Fit to have it whip you into shape?

Though, like Neil said, the stats indicated in the blog don't correspond to a problematic BMI...so assuming the information was input correctly, how helpful could it really be??

by Member 25348569

is that the BMI for Asians does not have the same normal ranges. The normal for us fat westerners tops at 25 and it's 23 for Asians. Still, if the reported height and weight are correct then she's STILL normal.

I stood on a wii-fit and it said "One of you get off".

:_|

by jck

I'd never serve you old Guinness. Always fresh.

I could never do wrong by a Guinness that way! ]:) ;) lol

Lord...I just thought Shell. I've not been to a pub in Dublin 4 that I recall. You'd have to show me around to them.

I know Grafton St. and St. Stephen's Green and all...O'Donoghue's and what not. Several nice pubs to settle in for a bit of craic :)

by jellimonsta

Whoever!!!
I think maybe we should make Sony apologize anyway. Just for being Sony. :p

edited because I can't spell. :D

by jdclyde

I need to drop 20 lbs to get out of the obese range? :0

OBVIOUSLY the scale has been set by skinny little runts that eat nothing but rabbit food and fart excessively... :p

by jdclyde

and they are so full of ######.

It doesn't take into consideration AT ALL the build of the person. A skinny runt will be different than someone with a stocky build. From working in shops and metal fabricating, I carry on average about 30 lbs more than the average person thinks, based on looking at me. While I am not skinny, I am NOT the 20/30 lbs in the obese range they say.

by jellimonsta

They do not seem to calculate any muscle mass into the equation at all. Obviously, with muscle weighing more than fat, it does factor in.

by jdclyde

and they hooked up an electrode to your foot, and that was suppose to tell you something about something and get something.

I think I was about 25 according to that test, and 30 by the straight height/weight.

by jellimonsta

That site calc has my BMI around 25. I actually am in the worst shape of my life right now as I have not been working out for a number of years.
However, if I do start working out again I will likely just gain more muscle mass while losing little weight. I guess that is still considered a 'desirable' range though .

by boxfiddler

Ok, ok, bad, but I just had to. It was there. Screaming in my ears and I just had to.

Glad you're ok, Mae.

Loved that 'Dead Like Me' series, too. Too funny.

by Member 25348569

is that the wii was wrong. There's a lot of pre-adolescent girls who get eating disorders for less reason than this. Nearly all girls of this age have some sort of "emotional issues" and it just seems to me that there was no reason for a f*cking GAME to make things any worse.

What prompted me to post was "I didnt read the article" which seemed to apply to everyone in the thread and, in fact, everyone who commented on the original article.

Neil :)

by jdclyde

damn, but I am so revealed I didn't have girls!

[i]"Nearly all girls of this age have some sort of "emotional issues" "[/i]

I am not the best person for dealing with an irrational, overly sensitive and emotional person. I don't understand it and don't have a lot of patience for nonsense.

by ganyssa

I am one of the people who didn't read the article. My only excuse is I can't read the article at work, it's not an approved site - lousy excuse, I know. I assumed the Wii was right, which I should not have done.

One thing I did discover, though is that according to WebMD, a child's BMI isn't a set correct number like an adult's, it should be whatever percentile it has been historically http://children.webmd.com/tc/interactive-tool-is-your-child-at-a-healthy-weight-what-does-this-tool. So does the Wii Fit ask for age, or just height and weight? I don't have one yet, and I don't recall if I ever heard if it asks that or not.

by the 'g-man.'

and all for that exact subject, f*cking!

Stud that I am.

On another subject - What happened to your belief that if people are wrong then they should admit it?

by jdclyde

Wii Fit is not geared for kids in the first place?

I think the article leaves to many questions unanswered.

by maecuff

Either way, it's still a stupid feature on the game.

Since when is ridicule a motivator? Ridicule is designed to make a person feel shame.

by jdclyde

it is not intended as ridicule.

It is an assessment of where you are now, which if measured correctly, is valid when starting a program.

I am hoping someone that has a Wii Fit will put in the stated stats to confirm that the fit was wrong, because even based upon the web calculators, she would not have rated "fat", and I would also be interested if the Wii actually says "fat" of if that is the interpretation? I find that difficult to believe.

by tig2

If I could out walk a Wii Fit? Would it take away my socks? Laugh at my ponytail? Say anything that would cause me to hit it with a hammer?

This is over-reaction in my opinion. No one like to be told that they are overweight. But if Jabba the Hut's mother had told him at 10 that he was a fat slimy barstard, his life might have been different.

I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin...

by notsochiguy

Guy falling into a vat of 'fertilizer' at a plant, for example.

Makes me glad to be a cube dwelling city slicker, that's for sure!

Dirty bomb, gang crossfire, traffic accident...all preferred ways to go!!

by notsochiguy

Qualify for obese and morbidly obese according to BMI measures.

I'm not just talking linemen, either. RBs, WRs, QBs, LBs; all of whom are in pristine condition (well, not the QBs in Chicago; who are too drinky).

If a doctor tells me I'm obese, I'll take their word for it. Some obtuse calculation that pays no mind to anything other than height/weight...not so much.

by dumphrey

if someone said something to make me angry, I didn't sulk and cry, I hit them. It was expected. We all did it. The kids that sulked and cried were babies, mommas boys oh, yeah, girls (no offense meant ladies, we were 10).
Of course, even though my sister would cry when she was insulted, it was from anger. And I always felt real sorry for them. She was much more evil then a straight punch to the face.
Then again, maybe we just had good parents that taught us emotional stability, personal responsibility, and a sense of humor.
Really, learning to face personal insult without violence or legal action is a large part of becoming an adjusted adult.
BUT, in this case what we are actually seeing is a family wanting an apology from a company, and the press spinning this way out of control. What starts out as a domestic issue quickly becomes international news with the Spin of a hat. THAT is the real sickening part of all this. What should have been personal and private becomes gossip for the world. And I am certain Nintendo encouraged it, knowing it would start such discussions as this, and thus provide tons of free advertising.

by the scummy one

a list of names right now, with a promise of a Guinness,
someone on that list would be 'offed', right?
Ok, check the PM for names (Note, HAL tops it and JD is
next) :^0

by comatose_dreams

....seriously. How is this a problem? I was told all my child hood I was fat. And I was!

Now, I'm a nice size for my height and age and surprise everyone I knew.

At least it's a truth and not some sugar coated "It's okay becuase you are special answer"

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