Is it possible to be fit and healthy and overweight?

shanitomorrow

I remember reading a couple of years ago that being fit helped to cancel out the negative effects of smoking. Is this true for being overweight too?

defauIt

Yes, of course. Doctors actually recommend exercising regularly to increase your fitness level, even if you don't lose any weight, because being fit and overweight is healthier than being totally out of shape and a normal weight.

Unknown

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sabaraba

Well, I'm still overweight, but I have now exercised regularly for 2-3 years, and I even have muscles on my legs and arms and back you can see . I would define myself as relatively fit. I do HIIT, strength, pilates etc. on regular bases ( 6 times a week ). I am defenitely fit and healthy, just need to lose my fat .
You can be fit and healthy or you can be unhealthy when beeing overweight. Skinny also isn't an indicator for beeing healthy, still can be worse than an overweight person..the bodyshape doesn't really count in that matter..unless it's really extrem and you can tell there has to be a problem .

acpgee

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25077076

_Zardoz_

Depends what you count as fit and healthy. Yes really but being over weight will increase your chances of a range of life limiting medical conditions. Normally people start down this line of thought when they are looking for excuses

Missjulesdid

Fit, healthy and overweight? ABSOLUTELY! Fit, healthy and morbidly obese, not so much.

All my numbers are optimal except my weight. Blood pressure is 106/70 resting heart rate is around 60 (sometimes as low as 58 sometimes as high as 62) Lipid panel is perfect with overall cholesterol in the 120's.. Liver enzymes? perfect...fasting glucose and a1c perfect as well. I recently had laproscopic surgery and was told that the operation was easy because I am "skinny on the inside" with very little visceral fat..... I am 238 pounds and even at 360 pounds I had similar test results.

The problem for me is that even though I am perfectly healthy, I'm actually not perfectly healthy. My 5'5" frame was not made to carry this much weight and exercise is difficult on my joints making it painful sometimes and something that I often don't want to do because of that.. YES, I do it anyway, but how long am I likely to keep this up if I stay this weight and continue to pound my joints? Also fat is not inert.. it's a living thing, producing hormones, etc and too much fat can mean too many of certain hormones. That said, I do believe that certain individuals can tolerate excess fat better than others and I am one such individual (as were both of my obese grandmothers who lived on their own into their 90s with zero obesity related ailments). For me, I'll be happy at the upper end of the "normal" range or in the "overweight' range. I feel like this will give my joints the relief they need and I'll be light enough for a fireman to throw me over his shoulder and rescue me from a burning building.

sabified

When I was in high school I was abt 10 lbs into the overweight category, yet I played field hockey and flag football and I was pretty strong (could lift much more than you'd think from looking at me). I would say I was fit and healthy, though overweight.

And now, I'm basically back at the same place (abt 10lbs over), running regularly and getting back to being strong again.... and my blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar levels and all other stats are fantastic. I'm again fit and healthy, while overweight. I'm working on changing that, but it's mostly just for vanity. I am healthy.

Lozze

Overweight yes. Overweight is an indicator that you need to do something about your weight.


Anything over obese though, no you're not healthy. You can be exhibiting good behaviors but you're putting extra weight on all your joints, and putting yourself at increased risk of numerous health issues. Just because you're not exhibiting bad numbers NOW doesn't mean this will stay this way.

aneary1980

Most international rugby players are classed as obese and they are fit and heathly.

BUT - they do lots of training and unless your job is a rugby player then you are unlikely to do the same amount of training or build up the same muscle mass of that of a rugby player (which is why they are considered obese).

Lozze

There are the extreme outliers but they are the exception not the norm. Even then, they still have the same issues with weight related issues (such as joints) that others would.


Majority of obese people are not as fit or healthy as international rugby players

aneary1980

There are the extreme outliers but they are the exception not the norm. Even then, they still have the same issues with weight related issues (such as joints) that others would.


Majority of obese people are not as fit or healthy as international rugby players

Which is why I added the BUT.

maryetamfp

Definitely.

I think one of the important points though is what we consider overweight or how we "measure" it. BMI? Body fat? The usual BMI does not work for many people because it's just something generic which doesn't really take into account your personal conditions (e.g. big, small, medium frame?) but it's just based on a few plain numbers and a fixed formula.

I was on the "obese" range a few months ago when I started to change everything and after 42lbs/19kg I'm still in the overweight range even if I've reduced my size overall dramatically. My frame is BIG (always been told this by doctors, massive bones by the looks of it). I now exercise regularly with a combo of heavy lifting (my main workout), swimming, some running and HIIT classes. I couldn't even jog for 1 minute 5 months ago and last Saturday I completed my second 5k race. I feel fantastic and fitter than I've ever been before, and actually smaller being a few lbs over what I could have weighed in the past when I was a teenager.

I'm still eating at a deficit and dropping weight very slowly now (1lb ever 2 weeks or so) and everyone comments on how small and healthy I look. Yet, I'm still "officially" classed as overweight and would need to drop another 15lbs to enter the high end of the "healthy" weight.

So... I do think it's possible :-)

Palamedes

This depends a lot on what you are defining as over-weight and healthy.

A study published by Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2005 showed that overweight people had a similar relative risk of mortality to normal weight people as defined by BMI, while underweight and obese people had a higher death rate. Therefore, you could say someone in a BMI range from 25 to 30 could be healthier than someone with a BMI between 16.0 to 18.5. Watching my Mother-in-Law who had a severe stroke explains why this could be true. My Mother-in-Law has trouble eating, so her weight has dropped from about 140 to less than 90 since the stroke. If she didn't have some body reserves, she would not have made it this long.

When I hit my target weight, I will probably still have an over-weight BMI. This isn't very rare for males using BMI. Hopefully, my fat percentage will be below 24% at that time.

shanitomorrow

This depends a lot on what you are defining as over-weight and healthy.

A study published by Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2005 showed that overweight people had a similar relative risk of mortality to normal weight people as defined by BMI, while underweight and obese people had a higher death rate. Therefore, you could say someone in a BMI range from 25 to 30 could be healthier than someone with a BMI between 16.0 to 18.5. Watching my Mother-in-Law who had a severe stroke explains why this could be true. My Mother-in-Law has trouble eating, so her weight has dropped from about 140 to less than 90 since the stroke. If she didn't have some body reserves, she would not have made it this long.

When I hit my target weight, I will probably still have an over-weight BMI. This isn't very rare for males using BMI. Hopefully, my fat percentage will be below 24% at that time.

Having posed the question, I've done a lot of reading today about this. The results of lots of research are not consistent (no surprise there), and I can see why some researchers and doctors would be worried about people taking the line that as long as you are exercising, it doesn't matter if you're overweight (it does, it seems).

Some research results indicate that overweight people who exercise and are fit fare better than normal weight people who are not fit ( and/or healthy) and certainly, as some posters have indicated, better than obese or underweight people (although the health/fitness of people falling into these groups is not always made clear). Other research, notably a longitudinal one of nurses showed definitely, over time, "heavier" nurses had higher mortality rates than less heavy nurses, regardless of health or fitness or activity.

I started thinking about it after a question yesterday: is it possible to lose a pound a day through increased exercise (the answer is no, in case you are wondering). Part of the discussion seemed to indicate that losing weight inevitably had some adverse effects, namely the loss of muscle mass, along with fat loss.

That made me start thinking about improving your health generally, regardless or as well as losing weight.

Thanks posters for your contributions.

seltzermint555

Overweight yes. Overweight is an indicator that you need to do something about your weight.


Anything over obese though, no you're not healthy. You can be exhibiting good behaviors but you're putting extra weight on all your joints, and putting yourself at increased risk of numerous health issues. Just because you're not exhibiting bad numbers NOW doesn't mean this will stay this way.

I agree with this.

While it bugs me when people ASSUME an overweight/obese person has a host of serious health conditions just based on their weight problem, there is a huge risk factor there.

I was once 5'8", 307 lb...morbidly obese, for sure. I wasn't pre-diabetic, didn't have high blood pressure, all of my lab work looked fantastic. For a long time I could outwalk, outswim, outstand women of average weight. I believe that I was somewhat lucky in the genetics department, and I also believe that my overall "healthy lifestyle" (plenty of sleep, no smoking, minimal drinking, lots of healthy food along with the junk I ate) contributed to my avoidance of serious health issues. But I was headed down a bad road because I KNOW that carrying all of that weight on into my 40's and 50's, my body would have eventually begun to show real signs of damage. Was I healthy? Somewhat. Did I need to lose a lot of weight? Yes!

But if we're talking about someone who is say, 10 lb overweight, then of course they can be fit and healthy.

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SuperVixen2B

If you're using BMI to determine whether someone is "overweight", then abso-freaking-lutely. Many bodybuilders fall in the "obese" category.

meridianova

if you looked at my BMI numbers, you'd think i was going to fall over and die of a strokeheartattackdiabeticcoma tomorrow.

if you looked at my medical numbers (blood pressure, cholesterol panel, hormone levels, fasting glucose, etc.) and my overall medical history, you'd think i was in perfect shape.

the reality is that i'm somewhere in the middle. i'm medically healthy, but i'm overweight and look horrible so i'm not happy.

GeeWillickers

Define overweight? I'm fairly fit and according to BMI I'm overweight. It's been like that my entire life. Overweight doesn't mean over fat despite what anyone wishes to believe. In fact when I was in my BMI range years ago the doctors told me I was 20 pounds underweight. BMI while an interesting statistical tool is pretty much useless on a diagnosis basis from my perspective. So OP it is possible to be healthy and overweight and on the other side of the equation for smaller framed people it's possible to be underweight and healthy.

lisabinco

But I was headed down a bad road because I KNOW that carrying all of that weight on into my 40's and 50's, my body would have eventually begun to show real signs of damage.

This is the crux of the matter, to me. While I've battled my weight since I was a teenager, swinging from 115 to 184 pounds over the years, I was muscular and strong for most of those years due to active exercise and genetics. However, in my late 40s and 50s it was inevitable that the extra weight would begin to wear on me. Hence, knee and joint issues worsened and health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes crept into my life. Getting to a normal weight in a healthy manner, and maintaining that weight through better eating --something I should have done all my life-- has enabled me to skirt those health issues that are now crippling those of us who thought overweight and healthy could go hand in hand.

meganjcallaghan

I've had more medical issues pop up since losing weight and being smack in the middle of "normal" on the BMI than I ever had when I was 310 (which is to say, I never had ANY issues at that weight). I was much healthier then.

skittle316

Yes a lot of people become fit and barley loose any weight. if you can be normal weight and unhealthy the same vice versa. Remember there is nothing with excess fat, it's excess fat in your midsection that''s bad. My aunty has a huge butt and hips, but a tiny waist. She is overweight by BMI, but overral healthy.

Kalikel

No. The overweight and the underweight like to say it's healthy...a lot. They say it a lot, lol. But there are health risks involved with both.

For every extra pound of you, your body has to lie down a lot more blood vessels. I think it's five miles for each pound. Not certain about the number, would have to look it up...but I'm pretty sure that's it. That sounds like a lot, but you've got enough of them in there to wrap around the world, so five miles isn't much. But it's still more work for your poor heart. That's just one little thing.

Being overweight or underweight is NOT good for you,regardless of how you feel or whether you've been diagnosed with a major problem yet.

smarieallen85

I was wondering the same thing. There are some female trainers at my gym who are big girls. Definitely pushing 200 lbs and over. I always found that...interesting.

Loralrose

Here's the thing: being overweight/obese makes it statistically more likely that you will have certain health problems and a shorter life span. But there's a HUGE difference between what is true statistically and what is true individually.

Case in point - myself. I have been overweight my whole life. However by every test they can do I am the healthiest person you'll find. My blood pressure is perfect, my resting heart rate is 55 bpm, my VO2 max is off the charts excellent. Cholesterol, blood sugar, you name it. When I had a routine respiratory exam for work the doctor said I literally had the healthiest lungs she'd ever seen. The only chronic medical problem I have is a bad knee.... from when I slammed it into a pipe so hard the pipe broke. Did I mention my bones are unusually dense?

I'm a statistical anomaly but I'm not the only one. A "typical" person my weight would not be so healthy... but there are an awful lot of atypical people in the world.