overweight but healthy

dotido

Hello all,

So I have a kind of topic which I really want to know your opinion on.

Is it possible to be overweight but healthy?

Lets say you physically looked big but were healthy would you still try to change your outside person to feel more comfortable with what most peoples perception is of being attractive?

The reason I mentally stumbled upon this thought is just through my experience with my family doctor in the past. I was overweight and my mom wanted to kind of open my eyes to see I needed to lose weight but I felt fine with myself. Well, she wanted me to see the doctor to see if she would tell me to lose weight but the doctor said my health was fine.

This was highschool and I am 22 now and know for a fact I was overweight. Now I am trying to lose weight and have but only because I dont like the way I look.

Your thoughts and experiences are greatly welcomed.

Sl1ghtly

Is it possible to be overweight but healthy?

-Yes

Marge321

I'm 23 and overweight but I feel pretty great when I go our swimming with my boy friend (slim) and he can't do what I can. Makes me think wheight isn't the only thing!

seekingstrengthX2

Depends how overweight.

With that said... just because say your cholesterol and blood pressure are normal, doesn't mean you're healthy overall. Extra fat does a lot of harm to our bodies in the long haul of life.

runnercheryl

I felt healthy when I was at my highest. Thing is, I'd gained and got used to that weight, and felt fine.

The more I lose, the better I eat, the more I realise I was wrong. I feel more healthy as time goes on, and I can do things I never imagined.

We can be deceived.

dls06

As an older women, I think it is better to be a little overweight then too thin. Especially if I get sick. The extra weight will be very helpful. A little extra weight is definitely
When I got sick before I lost over 30 lbs. If I lost it now I would be in trouble.

jasperann

You could be overweight and healthy now, but the extra fat around your organs does more harm than good in the long term. Even skinny people can have the fat around the organs if they don't take care of themselves. So I think it has more to do with activity and exercise than size. I am still heavy, but I'm healthier than most people I know now, but I exercise 6 days a week for at least an hour a day. I am sure that by exercising you can start taking care of the fat you can't see, which is really the fat that hurts in the long term.

MarincicS

You could be overweight and healthy now, but the extra fat around your organs does more harm than good in the long term. Even skinny people can have the fat around the organs if they don't take care of themselves. So I think it has more to do with activity and exercise than size. I am still heavy, but I'm healthier than most people I know now, but I exercise 6 days a week for at least an hour a day. I am sure that by exercising you can start taking care of the fat you can't see, which is really the fat that hurts in the long term.

I have to agree with this one. I come from really robust peasant stock and have been carrying this extra weight easily for more than 10 years. It amazed doctors to see no high cholesterol or blood pressure and no matter how many time there was worry over diabetes, there was none.

Then 2 years ago my luck started to run out and i have had a series of health problems, some minor and some a little more than minor, that are either caused by or seriously complicated by all of this weight. I really really feel like i dodged a bullet when my last diabetes test came back negative, but i am certain my luck is at it's end. I feel so lucky that a friend gave me personal trainer sessions as a gift (which quite frankly i did not want), and another friend pointed me to this site (which is what's really made an impact in the weight loss), so now i feel like i'm on a better path and have already seen substantial improvement in some of the health issues.

But another thing is comfort and ease in a world designed for smaller people. Airplane seats are NOT comfortable when you're large and restaurant booths are made for normal-sized people and they don't have robes big enough at the spa and i could go on and on. In general, i actually feel more comfortable moving around in the world since i have lost even a fraction of what i need to lose and that comfort encourages me to be more active and happy and, quite frankly, healthy!

MarincicS

And now i'm going to stop reading these pages and go for a walk!

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

It depends on your frame because there are people who are naturally bigger. Some rugby players, power lifters or shot put players are examples of overweight & fit people. However the main reason why they stay this way is because they tend to consume more calories than they burn. Many times these types of people are healthier than the skinny but inactive people. Many of these overweight athletes have subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin) while the skinny but out of shape people may have what they call visceral fat (fat deep around the organs) which is dangerous.

Just because you are overweight doesn't mean you have more visceral fat than thin people. I remember in one episode of rachel ray's show wherein they feature one obese woman who is an olympic power lifter & a slim woman who live a sedentary lifestyle. Their bodies were scanned & from there they found out that the slim woman have more visceral fat than the obese one, who the majority of her fat are only subcutaneous ones.

Toddrific

Fat is bad mmkey, adipose tissue that is. Stores toxins which leads to lots of fun things(or so I've heard). Then there is the fat around your organs which leads to pretty much every major disease.

WhittRak

I am VERY overweight, and am healthy as an ox..FOR NOW. I know that soon enough..my body will just crap out, and things will become hard due to my weight. Thus, why I am on here and taking care of business So yes...you can be overweight..and healthy.

katthegat

Have you ckecked your BMI?

Elf_Princess1210

Hello all,

So I have a kind of topic which I really want to know your opinion on.

Is it possible to be overweight but healthy?

Lets say you physically looked big but were healthy would you still try to change your outside person to feel more comfortable with what most peoples perception is of being attractive?

The reason I mentally stumbled upon this thought is just through my experience with my family doctor in the past. I was overweight and my mom wanted to kind of open my eyes to see I needed to lose weight but I felt fine with myself. Well, she wanted me to see the doctor to see if she would tell me to lose weight but the doctor said my health was fine.

This was highschool and I am 22 now and know for a fact I was overweight. Now I am trying to lose weight and have but only because I dont like the way I look.

Your thoughts and experiences are greatly welcomed.

Absolutely, I was the same way when I was that age. In fact, other than PTSD and acid reflux disease I still am.

rml_16

It is possible to be overweight and healthy, but more than likely (and this depends on how MUCH overweight you are) that you will not remain healthy if you remain overweight.

However, yes, I would still want to change my outer appearance. I'm vain and I like to be small.

mrsdizzyd84

You could be overweight and healthy now, but the extra fat around your organs does more harm than good in the long term. Even skinny people can have the fat around the organs if they don't take care of themselves. So I think it has more to do with activity and exercise than size. I am still heavy, but I'm healthier than most people I know now, but I exercise 6 days a week for at least an hour a day. I am sure that by exercising you can start taking care of the fat you can't see, which is really the fat that hurts in the long term.

Couldn't agree more. We should all know our body fat %. Screw the scale and the BMI tables. What is your body fat %. Work to get that into the healthy range. Although you may feel fine right now, carrying around extra fat will negatively affect your quality and quantity of life as you get older.

Martucha123

yes
I was healthy at aprox 33% bf
all my results were in normal range (even on healthy side)
I was enjoying gym, no problem with short breath ect.

BeckyProctor

It will eventually catch up with you. I was overweight but healthy when I was in my 20's and 30"s. Now I'm in my 40's and I'm starting to have health issues related to my weight. My advice is make the necessary lifestyle changes now, while you are young and healthy. It's a lot harder when you get older, not only does the metabolism start to slow, but you have a lot more aches and pains associated with the extra weight.

lucylousmummy

yes and no
im 35 and have only just gone into the overweight range after being obese for years im healthier and fitter now than when i was a teenager my blood pressure is normal no problems with cholesterol doctor says im fighting fit but does he think im fit for my weight compared to other people of my size or compared to people my age also i may feel fit now but it doesnt mean that 5 years down the road if i stayed this weight i would still feel fit

1953Judith

At the age of 58, looking back, I wish I had not deluded myself in my middle years with the fact that being overweight was okay as long as I was healthy in the here and now. My weight loss goal in recent years has been to not have weight be a factor in either my illness/injury or my healing. I have finally succeeded.

I concede that it is not necessary for all of us to have the same goals for physical appearance, but I know now that I deluded myself in my 30s and 40s thinking that because I looked good and did well in my medical physicals that my weight was not a health issue.

Enjoy your time and your body in the present, but don't forget the future. With effort now, you probably can save yourself a lot of pain, grief and anguish.

omma_to_3

Yes, but it will catch up to a person at some point. I've been obese most of my adult life, but relatively healthy. Even my endocrinologist (when I was telling him my weight loss goal to be in the "overweight" range would be a huge accomplishment) said "hey, fat and healthy is still healthy". However, being 37, it was finally starting to catch up to me. My HbA1c was at the absolute top limit of normal and my cholesterol had risen over the years. Blood pressure still low normal. If I hadn't changed something, over the next few years I wouldn't have been healthy anymore.