Gas Guzzlers (Obesity and Fuel Use)

Chicago-Sun Times ^ | October 25, 2006 | Monifa Thomas

[miliantnutcase]

Exactly. My sierra is stickered at 15-18mpg I get 22 Highway and 16.5 around town measured at the pump. I weigh 280lbs. (I'm 6'-8" tall) but that is a lot of weight yet I am exceeding my expected fuel economy.
Further this fuel economy of a 5k+ lb. truck is better than the average sedan bought in 1960...
I would like to see their control data for this supposed "study".

[LZ_Bayonet]

Yes, but it balances out. Obese people tend not to be eligible to be Hollywood movie stars. This means they will not be using thousands of gallons of private jet fuel to fly around the world fighting global warming and adopting children. Even the amount of extra corn (ethanol) they consume will not diminish fuel supplies at the same rate as a private jet. </s>

[Last Laugh]

Won't be long before obese SUV drivers are ticketed and fined.

The nanny state has its eye on the overweight.

They will find something to get chubby people to loose weight. It is what the nanny state wants and what the nanny state will get.

Just ask a smoker.

[qam1]

oh jeezz

[nickm71]

"And probably contribute to global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer, and other horrors, with their second-hand smoke."

Only if its tobacco smoke - pot smoke is somehow NOT harmful...
We can start to solve this problem by converting Al Gore, Ted Keneddy, and Michael Moore to biodiesel.

[Muleteam1]

And newspapers cause the destruction of spotted owl habitat. This is an incredibly stupid story.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

We can start to solve this problem by converting Al Gore, Ted Keneddy, and Michael Moore to biodiesel.

That's an plan I can get behind!

[Dead Dog]

In 1960 an NCAA tailback (not obese) weighed in at what 180 to 200lbs???? Now they are 250+. Folks are just bigger and healthier than they've ever been.

24lbs does not equate to obese, especially when people are 4 inches taller.

[tort_feasor]

" Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards

* The enactment of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards in 1975 resulted in a near doubling of cars' average fuel economy, measured in miles per gallon (mpg), over the ensuing decade and an increase for light trucks of over 50%.

* Fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles save the United States over 55 billion gallons of fuel annually Without CAFE, total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions would be more than 10% higher than they are today."
http://www.aceee.org/energy/cafe.htm

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

No doubt about that. And no doubt about what another poster wrote -- if you haul more weight you burn more fuel, all things considered. I just thought it was interesting how the researchers managed to link two current scares. Next thing you know, there will be a study that shows that obesity is causing the earth to wobble out of its orbit.

[jdm]

Not only can walking save money, but this guy(?) used to weigh 300 pounds.

:O)

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

And when someone gives him a lift, he's easy on the MPG's.

[miliantnutcase]

Haha..nice.

[absolootezer0]

Do smokers decrease the amount of fossil fuels burned in autos since they die early?

i would think that they decrease the amount of fuels burned because they have the windows open rather than using the a/c all the time.

[absolootezer0]

well, as far as gas, i don't know if they cost more but they contribute to higher car costs due to warranty work. for some reason, when you put a 300 person in an escort it pulls left.
if you don't allign the car to compensate for the weight, the customer will bring it in half a dozen times.

[MEGoody]

Another excuse for the nanny state to start regulating every morsel that goes into your mouth.

[MEGoody]

Do smokers decrease the amount of fossil fuels burned in autos since they die early?

They also weigh less than they would if they didn't smoke. (Most people who quit smoking put on weight.)

[MEGoody]

The more weight you haul the more fuel you burn.

That is true. But I would imagine driving big pick ups and SUVs wastes a lot more gas than being obese.

[ryan71]

My fat a$$? How about the case of beer in the backseat, does it count?

[PissAndVinegar]

I agree - while this study is taking some leaps, weight does have an impact in fuel economy and 'off the line' time.

I lurk around some car-nut forums and people are always taking out 'extra' parts, cutting out material and replacing steel with aluminum/plastic whenever they can just save a few ounces. Most are interested in upping their performance 'off the line' but some have actually calculated the MPG they've gained.

Inadvertently tho, in every discussion at least one person chimes in "just loose some weight, fatty" to which most respond it's easier to pull that spare tire out of the trunk than it is to get it off your waist :-)