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Kylee Moss, a 7-year-old-girl from Belton, Missouri, was sent home from school with a note to her mother saying that the 54-pound child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) was too high. Aside from the idiocy of using a discredited measurement for body fat, what are these administrators thinking? Obviously, they’re not. If they had two working brain cells, they would take one look at this kid and realize the stupidity of believing their “measurements.”

THE rising number of fat people was yesterday blamed for global warming. Scientists warned that the increase in big-eaters means more food production — a major cause of CO2 gas emissions warming the planet. Overweight people are also more likely to drive, adding to environmental damage. Lard help us ... overweight must eat less for planet Dr Phil Edwards, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “Moving about in a heavy body is like driving in a gas guzzler.” Each fat person is said to be responsible for emitting a tonne more of climate-warming carbon dioxide per...

LONDON (Reuters) - A "fat tax" on salty, sugary and fatty foods could save thousands of lives each year, according to a study published on Thursday. Researchers at Oxford University say that charging Value Added Tax (VAT) at 17.5 percent on foods deemed to be unhealthy would cut consumer demand and reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes. The purchase tax is already levied on a small number of products such as potato crisps, ice cream, confectionery and chocolate biscuits, but most food is exempt. The move could save an estimated 3,200 lives in Britain each year, according to...

Primary schoolchildren are to be weighed regularly and their parents told if they are too fat under a Government drive to reduce obesity. Children aged four to 10 in England will be put on the scales this term to help prepare an obesity "map". From next year, parents of any obese four- to 10-year-old can expect a letter telling them that their child faces long-term health problems unless they live a healthier life. Yesterday, the Department of Health rejected suggestions that the Government was "policing" the size of children and increasing the risk that some children could be stigmatised or...

N.Y. Wants Trans Fats Off Restaurant Menus Click to enlarge NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City wants restaurants to narrow their list of ingredients - and maybe some waistlines - by cutting out trans fats. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said the voluntary change could also help fight the city's biggest killer, heart disease. To comply, chefs would have to dump many margarines and frying oils, and possibly reworking long-held recipes for baked goods. The New York State Restaurant Association supports the effort, Executive Vice President E. Charles Hunt said in a health department release Wednesday. The...

MILFORD, Conn. -- Cupcakes are contraband at Meadowside elementary school. Principal Robert Davis's ban on all celebratory sweets has made some parents sour. Health officials said Davis adopted a new policy of using games and crafts instead of baked goods to fete birthdays, holidays and special occasions, and praised it as a way to combat childhood obesity.

Coloradans are almost annoyingly healthy. Joggers, hikers, bikers, organic markets and a proliferation of gyms make it difficult to stay chunky with a clear conscience. In a year's time, I'll probably be sucking down wheat grass cocktails after my 20-mile jog, but at this point, my weight tends to fluctuate between flabby and floppy, depending on how many burritos I've consumed that day. I'm not alone. In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that obesity will overtake smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States by next year if current rising trends continue....

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. About 200 employees at a Bally Total Fitness corporate office in Towson will be laid off in mid-August, the company informed the state's labor department last month. Workforce development officials with the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development also received notice and were told many of the layoffs would come in the company's telemarketing operations, which have been hard hit by new federal government do-not-call regulations. Officials at Bally's regional service center in Towson and its Chicago-based corporate headquarters could not be reached for comment. Bally operates five fitness clubs in...