Can You Be Overweight and Healthy?
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I think people need to look at different factors together - not exercising, eating poorly, drinking too much, smoking and being overweight will all contribute to health risks. Some one who is overweight, but doesn't have any of the other four risky habits, would most likely be healthier than someone who is thin but otherwise making a lot of poor choices. It isn't that heavier people don't benefit from good habits. However, it also doesn't cancel out the risk of extra weight. Risks can also be overstated - being only15lbs heavier than recommended doesn't mean you are suddenly a walking time bomb. Our bodies can take more when we are younger (not that everyone should test this!). My highest recent weight (194) was a weight I also reached once in my late 30s. At the time it effected my mental health but didn't seem to take a noticeable physical toll. However, at 50 I started having back pain and my knees started to hurt. Luckily this scared me and I lost weight and now in the 160s these problems have disappeared. Now I am trying to lose 'vanity' weight rather "my god I'm slowly destroying my body's health" weight. Overall there are risks to being too thin and too heavy and there is a range in-between. While it isn't easy to keep within this range I think it should be everyone's goal to try their best and certainly not test the limits. Right now you may not have any indicators of obesity related problems but why play a game of russian roulette with your health (your indicator might be a heart attack).0
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Overweight is a medical designation used to describe anyone higher than the normal/healthy range on the BMI scale. There are people who, due to sheer lean mass, qualify as overweight based on that alone. These people, however, are few and far between. There are a ton of people who think they qualify here but really don't.
Is it possible to be overweight from fat and still be healthy? It's possible for someone to be overweight yet not currently experience any health risks that can be measured by normal medical tools, but it does catch up with you after a while in terms of joint health because the bottom line is that carrying that extra weight from fat is hell on the joints. Bone density increases with muscle so as you build lean mass your bones become stronger, leading to stronger joints. Being heavier from fat carries no such benefit.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »Can you smoke and not develop lung cancer? Definately! But the risk is much higher, so why risk it? Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes, so why risk it?
Does it really? The article seems to suggest that it's not always so.
What the article is stating is that as long as you are in good metabolic health you should be fine, and yes you could be overweight with a great metabolic health. But it also does state that the higher you slide on the BMI scale the higher your risk is of developing metabolic issues.
You could be overweight but active enough to counteract it, you could be overweight but lucky enough to have good genetics, you could be overweight by BMI but with a good fat distribution or a larger build, you could be overweight ever so slightly that you are actually at a good weight for you despite of what BMI says. Yes, all of these are possible. But if all things were equal (genetic predisposition, activity level, fat distribution.. etc) I believe a person who is within the normal range (not necessarily according to BMI) would be healthier than someone who has more extra weight.
Interesting. Why do you believe the part I bolded?
There may be other factors of course, but I believe this purely because of the numbers and risk probability according to statistics, purely in the higher end of the range of overweight, and purely regarding heart disease and diabetes (being the number 1 killer).0 -
Everything is relative.
I am 30 pounds from a "normal" weight. I would bet money I am in better health then the girl I work with who is a stick but does not exercise and eats junk food 24/7.
I think too many people will use the statement "overweight but healthy" as an excuse to not lose those few extra pounds. So I wouldn't be advocating it. I'd rather have a few extra pounds and be fit than skinny and unable to run up the stairs though. Then again my top choice would be normal weight and fit!
Everything is relative....0 -
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I think the article made a good point at the end that it may also depend on your weight trend. If you're overweight and you've been losing then you may be more healthy than if you're the same weight but you've been gaining.0
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There are unhealthy ways to shed pounds. So losing weight, especially dropping below the normal range, can certainly be unhealthy.0
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Health is more than just about weight and great blood work though. Factors for good health are:
Weight (number 1 risk)
Nutrition
Enough rest
Stress level
Environment (smog, pollution, etc.)
Risk behavior (smoking, etc.)
Exercise/fitness level
Genetics
Mental statis (feeling happy is different than feeling sad, also illness mentally)
So one could be overweight and "healthy" in that aspect, but suffering from any of the others could trump it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Well, yes, of course. Even things that can help keep you at a 'healthy weight' can cause you to be unhealthy through injury or overexertion. And you could be born unhealthy, or genetically predisposed to disease. There are no guarantees, no matter what you do or eat. But that’s not really the focus of the article.0 -
Here's a far more interesting question.
Can you carry a 10-15% greater fat load than mean for "Average" and be healthy?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
Healthy is a sliding scale and it's relative.0 -
I never understand these threads. It seems like a means to justify staying overweight.0
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It's a b on the wardrobe budget though. lol.0
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Indeed. But how awesome is it wearing sexy things? I know you run around in a thong now all the time, db.0
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Actually, just got this nice sport coat and an overcoat for winter. Both are already loose. I coulda spent that money on another 4 months of trainer sessions. >_<0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
I said a means.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
I said a means.
Sorry for being dense, but I still don't understand. Do you mean that some people might read that article and think "Oh good, no need to lose weight"?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
I said a means.
Sorry for being dense, but I still don't understand. Do you mean that some people might read that article and think "Oh good, no need to lose weight"?
Yes, I am sure it has happened.0 -
If the regards are just to weight as the marker for being "healthy", then yes some can be overweight and still have good health.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Health is more than just about weight and great blood work though. Factors for good health are:
Weight (number 1 risk)
Nutrition
Enough rest
Stress level
Environment (smog, pollution, etc.)
Risk behavior (smoking, etc.)
Exercise/fitness level
Genetics
Mental statis (feeling happy is different than feeling sad, also illness mentally)
So one could be overweight and "healthy" in that aspect, but suffering from any of the others could trump it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Well, yes, of course. Even things that can help keep you at a 'healthy weight' can cause you to be unhealthy through injury or overexertion. And you could be born unhealthy, or genetically predisposed to disease. There are no guarantees, no matter what you do or eat. But that’s not really the focus of the article.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
I said a means.
Sorry for being dense, but I still don't understand. Do you mean that some people might read that article and think "Oh good, no need to lose weight"?
Yes, I am sure it has happened.
I suppose it's possible, though it certainly doesn't make the article less interesting to me.
If a person is active and healthy by physical exam while maintaining a weight that is overweight, I see no reason why they would need justification for not trying to lose weight. But if they did, this article might provide it.0 -
The best thing to have, when it comes to health, is luck.
Most of the people who have heart attacks are not pictures of health. They eat too much, they eat junk, they pay no attention to sodium and they don't get regular cardio exercise. But you do have the occasional person who has always been thin, eats healthy, exercises regularly and still ends up in the cath lab.
Nobody knows yet exactly why a few fat people beat the odds and a few physically fit people get clobbered by them. Luck is much better than a healthy diet. But we have to play the odds and do what we can.
You don't even need studies to tell you that obesity shortens life spans. Just think about how many 300 pound eighty year olds you see.
OP, I did read the article. I'm not a fan of Dr. Nancy, but I did read it.
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The best thing to have, when it comes to health, is luck.
Most of the people who have heart attacks are not pictures of health. They eat too much, they eat junk, they pay no attention to sodium and they don't get regular cardio exercise. But you do have the occasional person who has always been thin, eats healthy, exercises regularly and still ends up in the cath lab.
Nobody knows yet exactly why a few fat people beat the odds and a few physically fit people get clobbered by them. Luck is much better than a healthy diet. But we have to play the odds and do what we can.
You don't even need studies to tell you that obesity shortens life spans. Just think about how many 300 pound eighty year olds you see.
OP, I did read the article. I'm not a fan of Dr. Nancy, but I did read it.
Who is Dr. Nancy? And, as mentioned in the article, I think you are mixing obese with overweight.0 -
If the regards are just to weight as the marker for being "healthy", then yes some can be overweight and still have good health.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Health is more than just about weight and great blood work though. Factors for good health are:
Weight (number 1 risk)
Nutrition
Enough rest
Stress level
Environment (smog, pollution, etc.)
Risk behavior (smoking, etc.)
Exercise/fitness level
Genetics
Mental statis (feeling happy is different than feeling sad, also illness mentally)
So one could be overweight and "healthy" in that aspect, but suffering from any of the others could trump it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Well, yes, of course. Even things that can help keep you at a 'healthy weight' can cause you to be unhealthy through injury or overexertion. And you could be born unhealthy, or genetically predisposed to disease. There are no guarantees, no matter what you do or eat. But that’s not really the focus of the article.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
That was my take on it. The relationship between overweight, but not obese, and being/remaining healthy.0 -
contingencyplan wrote: »Overweight is a medical designation used to describe anyone higher than the normal/healthy range on the BMI scale. There are people who, due to sheer lean mass, qualify as overweight based on that alone. These people, however, are few and far between. There are a ton of people who think they qualify here but really don't.
Is it possible to be overweight from fat and still be healthy? It's possible for someone to be overweight yet not currently experience any health risks that can be measured by normal medical tools, but it does catch up with you after a while in terms of joint health because the bottom line is that carrying that extra weight from fat is hell on the joints. Bone density increases with muscle so as you build lean mass your bones become stronger, leading to stronger joints. Being heavier from fat carries no such benefit.
Well, now that is interesting. Do you mean that having muscle increases bone density, or just that to get/keep muscle you usually must do something that would also benefit bone density?0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
Good question. If HIPPAA could be ignored, it would be rather easy to get stratified samples from different regions. Find the actual mean and deviations for the population for multiple classes based on age and I'd gather educational and economic data.
Then from there, determine health potential per class, a health prediction model would be helpful there, but beyond my knowledge.
Then after all that, and model validation. Placing someone in the right bucket and assigning a predictor value should be easy. You know, "easy".0 -
Short answer: Yes.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
Good question. If HIPPAA could be ignored, it would be rather easy to get stratified samples from different regions. Find the actual mean and deviations for the population for multiple classes based on age and I'd gather educational and economic data.
Then from there, determine health potential per class, a health prediction model would be helpful there, but beyond my knowledge.
Then after all that, and model validation. Placing someone in the right bucket and assigning a predictor value should be easy. You know, "easy".
De-intentified data is not that hard to get for a researcher that can show need and resources. But I doubt most medical data contains information on body fat content, other than an estimate based on BMI.0
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