Overweight but Healthy?

Blackdawn_70631

Not ranting, but just making my voice on the subject and for others.
I'm actually against the idea of being the correct weight for your height. Yeah, I said it.
I'm 5' 7", female, 31 & 180 lbs. I know I am heavy for my height and am loosing the weight, again. Was happy when I first lost the weight after finally gaining my happy 50 lbs. But have discovered that when I dropped down to 160 is that is where I needed to be. No less. Even though I still will be considered overweight by ten pounds.
Three years ago I was 160 where my rib bones were beginning to show along with my spinal cord. If I had dropped to 150 I really would have been nothing but ribs.
160 to 170 is my area of weight I would enjoy myself, at 160 my sides were even rock hard and working on a three-pack while sporting the two-pack.
And just recently about a month ago my job had offered a free health screening, which I took. I was 187 then and have dropped seven pounds since. What caught my interest was that even though by the official BMI system that I'm/was nearly forty pounds overweight I'm still fit and healthy.
I surprised the heck out that lady when she seen me numbers. They were through the roof. What was supposed to be low was low, very low. What was supposed to be high was very high.
Even though I'm "fat", I'm still active. My job as a produce manager has me lifting a good 10,000 lbs in one week. I can easily carry 50 lbs on my right shoulder with 25 lbs on my left and drag 200 lbs with no problem.
On top of this I still go home and walk on the treadmill, been doing it for years. I can't do the 4.0 miles like you're supposed to to lose weight because my knees won't let me. But after work I like to put on my headphones, hit a higher incline and zone out. I'm to my happy self for thirty minutes.
To add to my list, I've been taking cinnamon, fish oil and vitamins for years. No my doctor didn't tell me to take them, and yes I am taking various pills willingly.
I get that scenario a lot at work.
I even had co-workers a little upset with me because they all got the "you need to lose weight lecture." I knew I was going to fail my BMI, but when she brought it up, all I said was I'm already on it and she didn't say one more word.
So, just because there's something or someone saying you are overweight it doesn't mean your unfit and unhealthy. So we're not these perfect, hot super models. At least we all have our health and subtle curves.

FatFreeFrolicking

Being overweight (even by as little as 10 pounds) puts a strain on the heart so no, that's not exactly healthy.

raysputin

There is a lot to be said for the fit overweight. Some recent studies suggest that fitness is more important than low weight for maintaining health.
That said, as you age your body needs to be molly-coddled more. Also fat can block hormonal receptors such as insulin and clog up your liver as you age. A long-term weight loss plan might not be such a bad idea to help preserve the good results you are showing.

Sunitagt

So you're not overweight, you have a lot of muscle? Because those tests don't typically involve looking at your body fat % which is probably relatively low compared to the generic height/weight calculation. If you know what you feel/look best at then just shoot for that and don't worry about the label.

50sFit

FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »

Being overweight (even by as little as 10 pounds) puts a strain on the heart so no, that's not exactly healthy.

^^^^^^
(*) THIS (*)
And OP, I do not know your situation, so maybe this does not apply to you.
I choose to remain technically "overweight". Just make sure you're not settling for a lesser version of your health potential.
In general obesity is just one of many factors that can negatively affect health. There are always exceptions like the 85 year old woman who smoked a pack of cigarettes every day for 50 years. That never validates smoking any more than fat acceptance validates obesity. Try explaining that to diabetes, arteriosclerosis and heart disease.
If you want to be fat, cool!
Just don't make obesity a virtue on MyFitnessPal.

That ship won't sail.

Isabelle_1929

Sometimes the problem is not the excess weight itself: it's how and what you are eating to be at that weight. If you eat junk food on a regular basis, it's not healthy. If you eat "healthy" food but have excess weight, it's because you eat too much of it, and it's really not really better than eating junk food.

I am not saying it's the case for you, because I don't know how you eat.

But keep in mind that you are still very young.

It's totally normal to feel "fit" and to be able to work out when you're 31 years-old, unless you have a serious health problem.

If your weight is stable, 10 pounds over the "healthy range" is not the end of the world. But if your weight tends to go up, e.g. even only 3 pounds per year, you'd be clearly obese by the age of 40.

So just be careful.

50sFit

Isabelle_1929 wrote: »

Sometimes the problem is not the excess weight itself: it's how and what you are eating to be at that weight. If you eat junk food on a regular basis, it's not healthy. If you eat "healthy" food but have excess weight, it's because you eat too much of it, and it's really not really better than eating junk food.

I am not saying it's the case for you, because I don't know how you eat.

But keep in mind that you are still very young.

It's totally normal to feel "fit" and to be able to work out when you're 31 years-old, unless you have a serious health problem.

If your weight is stable, 10 pounds over the "healthy range" is not the end of the world. But if your weight tends to go up, e.g. even only 3 pounds per year, you'd be clearly obese by the age of 40.

So just be careful.

great observation!

50sFit

Sunitagt wrote: »

So you're not overweight, you have a lot of muscle? Because those tests don't typically involve looking at your body fat % which is probably relatively low compared to the generic height/weight calculation. If you know what you feel/look best at then just shoot for that and don't worry about the label.

Actually, I am still considered "overweight".
Instead of reducing down to 170 - the highest end of BMI for my height, I recomped and lost fat. I like my results.
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LeonCX

@50sFit - soooo, if you are still considered overweight (but with much lower bodyfat %) are you still "straining" your heart, as FatFreeFrolicking claims?

TJR88

I agree that BMI can be an imperfect measure and overweight doesn't automatically mean unhealthy, certainly no-one should ever let any number be it BMI, pounds on the scale, age, IQ etc make them feel inferior or inadequate.

10lb over doesn't sound too bad especially as you may be carrying some extra muscle. I'm not too bothered about BMI personally as anything more than an indicator which is all it is. If my health is good and I feel good and I'm happy with what I see in the mirror but my BMI is a little over I'm not gonna sweat it.

tuckerrj

I'm 56 years old, at 5'9" I weigh 228 lbs. That's a BMI of around 34. But I just finished a 4 mile, 40 minute run. I workout 5-6 days a week. My blood pressure is 105/60 with a pulse rate around 55. My cholesterol, glucose and every other number is in the normal range. My co-workers, with "normal" BMI's have to take the elevator, because that can't make it up the 4 flights of stairs to our office without heaving. So yeah, if by "Overweight" you mean a greater than 25 BMI, I'll take my kind of "Overweight" anyday.

50sFit

LeonCX wrote: »

@50sFit - soooo, if you are still considered overweight (but with much lower bodyfat %) are you still "straining" your heart, as FatFreeFrolicking claims?

My resting heart rate is 56 and my blood pressure is 115/78 as of this morning.
Opinions abound, but facts are stubborn things.

Polishprinsezz

Our bodies can only take the abuse from being overweight for so long. As we age complications will arise from not being a healthy weight as we don't stay young and invinsable forever. Your case sounds a little different as you may be carrying more muscle than the norm for this height and weight. FYI I am the same height as you and according to the BMI chart I was no longer overweight at 159lbs. I am currently 152lbs. I would like to lose 17lbs. Which will put me in the middle range of healthy weight. Giving me a few lbs leeway either way. Remember, we don't stay young forever.