according to the European health interview survey refers (see the linked article) to BMI which is not a helpful index - which I think is what you are getting at, implicitly. It would be good if you were to comment BTL about what 'fat' means and also about the different kinds of problems induced by lack of exercise and a surplus of fat: say weak cardio-vascular performance versus clogged arteries. Why are all the school gyms lying unused at night time? Surely it would benefit the public's health and save money for the NHS if we staffed these gyms at night time and opened them up to the public, for a nominal fee? Glad to see someone talking about the health benefits of exercise as opposed to the weight-loss aspect. It would be great if we started to focus on actually being healthier rather than just looking healthier, which is what all this obesity panic always seems to focus on. Encouraging everyone to be more active and find physical exercise they enjoy makes exercise less like a punishment and makes it more likely that people will stick with it once (or even "whether") they've achieved their weight-loss goals. Anecdata example: since I can no longer run due to a banjaxed ankle, I now cycle a lot, but if I didn't love the way it makes me feel it would be much harder to get on my bike on a cold, frosty morning like this one. Part of the reason I