200 pound fitness instructor ...

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  • beccyleigh
    beccyleigh Posts: 847 Member
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    2 years ago when I was 198lbs (6ft tall) I had very slim legs but still an apple belly, this woman carries her weight differently & clearly has a higher muscle mass than I ever did, she has an amazing flat stomach, toned muscular but not bulky arms but she has thick thighs & legs but again, toned & muscular, I can bet that if she had the legs I did at 198lbs no one would be calling her fat. She looks amazing, she is clearly at very peak fitness, strong as hell & loves herself (and rightly so)

    All this talk about visceral fat & health levels is moot unless you have access to her medical reports. The woman looks great & should be a role model, especially in women of African or Caribbean descent who tend to be thicker in the thigh, bum & legs, she would be a very good example of how you can achieve fitness & get a toned body rather than trying to compare to asian or european fitness models or instructors who (generally) have a different physique & carry weight in different areas.

    I think it's important to remember that not everyone's aim is to be stick thin with 5% body fat. Some of us just want to look good in clothes & be able to get up stairs without getting out of breath or suffering back pain.
  • karinapeterson
    karinapeterson Posts: 197 Member
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    [/quote]
  • karinapeterson
    karinapeterson Posts: 197 Member
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    nodding my head emphatically, agree with all said :)
    2 years ago when I was 198lbs (6ft tall) I had very slim legs but still an apple belly, this woman carries her weight differently & clearly has a higher muscle mass than I ever did, she has an amazing flat stomach, toned muscular but not bulky arms but she has thick thighs & legs but again, toned & muscular, I can bet that if she had the legs I did at 198lbs no one would be calling her fat. She looks amazing, she is clearly at very peak fitness, strong as hell & loves herself (and rightly so)

    All this talk about visceral fat & health levels is moot unless you have access to her medical reports. The woman looks great & should be a role model, especially in women of African or Caribbean descent who tend to be thicker in the thigh, bum & legs, she would be a very good example of how you can achieve fitness & get a toned body rather than trying to compare to asian or european fitness models or instructors who (generally) have a different physique & carry weight in different areas.

    I think it's important to remember that not everyone's aim is to be stick thin with 5% body fat. Some of us just want to look good in clothes & be able to get up stairs without getting out of breath or suffering back pain.
    [/quote]
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    That's great, but the number way you can reduce health related issues is to LOWER your weight in proportion to your frame.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Niner is right. Overall body fat is directly correlated with health so those "curves" can contribute to potential health related issues. And if you really want curves, lift weights

    Apparently you didn't watch the video. She has a ton of muscle tone.
    Watched the video. Muscle tone wasn't my argument. If you read my other posts, I stated the same about competitive bodybuilders. They have TONS of muscle tone (much more than her) and are also at risk for health issues because of too much mass (even though it's muscle) on their frames.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    ...that sort of comment probably warrants some backup. links to studies?

    pretty sure just by looking at her that she is not at any major health risk. she's just tall and strong and hasn't aimed for super low body fat.

    also, i don't get it - you're buff as hell. why have you chosen to be bulky if you know it's not healthy?
    At 5' 8" 175lb. I'm WELL within my weight limit. I "look" buff, but my arms are only 16" (avg male arms are 13"). Competitive bodybuilders at 5'6" are 220lbs with 19" arms........and that's when their ripped! In the offseason they can go up to 240lbs easily. As too studies here's an article with a couple of studies:
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/phys-ed-can-you-be-overweight-and-still-be-healthy/

    The idea that people can be overweight and yet still quite healthy began gaining scientific and popular credence some years ago, fueled by the publication of a number of studies showing that men and women who were a few pounds overweight but physically active had less risk of developing cardiac disease than people who were of normal weight but sedentary.

    Some scientists and doctors began speculating that healthy people who were sporting extra pounds didn’t necessarily need to worry about losing weight. As one researcher told a reporter in 2004, “If a fat person or obese person has normal blood pressure, if their total cholesterol and glucose levels are normal and they are healthy, there is no reason they should necessarily have to lose weight.”

    But several new studies are raising questions about that comforting notion at a very inopportune moment, with the holiday overindulgence season barely behind us. In the most recent of these studies, published online on Dec. 28 in the journal Circulation, Swedish researchers examined medical records reaching back 30 years for a group of more than 1,700 middle-aged men in the city of Uppsala.

    The men were measured and tested when they reached the age of 50 and then periodically for the next 30 years. They were categorized into groups based on their body-mass indexes and metabolic profiles, a good marker of overall physical health and fitness. Some were normal weight; some overweight (meaning they had a body-mass index of 25 or above); some obese (a B.M.I. greater than 30). In each of these groups, some had normal metabolic profiles, while others were afflicted with a variety of conditions known collectively as metabolic syndrome. A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome means that you suffer from three or more of these conditions: impaired ability to handle blood sugar, high blood pressure, elevated blood fats, low HDL (“good” cholesterol) and a large waist circumference.

    To no one’s surprise, the Swedish researchers found that being overweight or obese and having metabolic syndrome was quite unhealthy. Overweight men in that group had a 74 percent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease by the time they turned 80. Obese men with metabolic syndrome had a 155 percent higher risk. Even being of normal weight, if you had metabolic syndrome, was dangerous. Men in this group, with normal girths but poor cholesterol and blood-pressure readings, had a 63 percent higher risk of developing heart disease than normal-weight men without metabolic problems. In other words, you don’t want to have metabolic syndrome, even if you’re thin.

    More startling, though, was the study’s finding that being overweight with no evidence of metabolic syndrome left you at significantly higher risk for heart disease than if, with the same metabolic readings, you were not overweight. Men who were overweight (not obese) with healthy blood pressures, cholesterol readings, blood glucose levels and so on, still had a 52 percent higher risk of developing heart disease within 30 years than men who were normal weight and had similar metabolic profiles. That risk rose to 95 percent among obese men who didn’t suffer from metabolic syndrome.

    The researchers did not report on the activity levels or exercise practices of any of the men, but typically more-active people have healthier metabolic profiles and vice versa. The findings did make it clear that although being fat and having healthy blood work puts you at less risk of cardiac disease than someone who is thin and has lousy metabolic parameters, the extra pounds still leave you with at least a 50 percent greater risk of developing heart disease.

    “Previous studies have put forward the existence of a ‘metabolically healthy’ subgroup” of overweight people “who are at no increased cardiovascular risk,” Johan Arnlov, Ph.D., an associate professor at Uppsala University and the study’s lead author, said in a statement. But “if you follow them long enough, you find out there appears to be no such thing as metabolically healthy” extra poundage. (To assess your B.M.I., plug your height and weight into this calculator from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.)

    Another recent large study found somewhat similar results among women, although it looked at activity levels, not metabolic profiles, to assess health and fitness. That report, published in 2008, used data on almost 40,000 women enrolled in the Women’s Health Study. Its authors found that women with a higher B.M.I., even if they were active, had an elevated risk of coronary heart disease compared with women engaging in an equal amount of activity who were of normal weight. Being fit, for the thousands of women under consideration here, lessened but did not fully mitigate the health problems associated with being fat.

    Then there are football players, a group — particularly the linemen — who would seem to be advertisements for hefty-size health and fitness. But according to a study presented in October at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, when scientists studied current N.F.L. linemen, they found that those athletes had a significantly greater incidence of metabolic syndrome than a group of less-bulky professional baseball players.

    Why body size and composition should affect someone’s risk for heart disease and metabolic problems even if their body is otherwise apparently healthy remains a contentious issue. Some researchers, including the authors of the Women’s Health Study-based report, say that fat is itself a tissue with unhealthy properties. Fat can release inflammatory molecules, which increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Fat may also interfere with muscle function, as an article published this week in the Journal of Physiology points out, referring to several newly published studies.

    “The fit or fat issue has unbelievable levels of complexity,” says Tim Church, M.D., Ph.D., the director of Preventive Medicine Research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. Perhaps being active affects how fat cells operate in a heavy person. Age plays a role, too, he says, as do genetics. The very categorization of fatness using B.M.I. is a gross oversimplification, he adds. “You can’t just say being overweight” is unhealthy, he says. “Nothing is that simple.”

    So what can we take away from the most recent studies? If other scientists replicate the findings of the Swedish and Women’s Health Study-based reports, the message is clear if disconcerting: being overweight, even if you have sterling blood-cholesterol levels or a firm commitment to exercise, does increase your risk of heart disease, and you should probably try to lose the extra pounds.

    “Some researchers have suggested that a heavy person without other risk factors didn’t need to lose weight,” said Johan Arnlov, M.D., Ph.D., the lead Swedish researcher, in a statement. ‘Our data does not support this notion.”


    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    I am still VERY curvy at the healthy BMI of 22. Why do some people think that you have to be overweight to qualify as curvy?? Honestly, I don't care if some people prefer the looks of their body at higher BMI's but don't pretend like you have to stay there to be "curvy". It just isn't true.
  • 120weeks
    120weeks Posts: 242 Member
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    The above NYT blog lost me at "The researchers did not report on the activity levels or exercise practices of any of the men". FAIL.

    This thread has made it pretty clear what questions I need to ask personal trainers before hiring them....yikes....

    Anowa's BMI is 27.1. For my build and my height, my weight at 27.1 would be 185 pounds. I'm actually thrilled to learn this since my goal weight is right around 175. When I get to the body fat that I want to be at, I should be right around 175 pounds. With continued heavy lifting, I TOO could be a BMI of 27.1 but in the best and most fabulous shape of my life! I could potentially be "overweight" for the rest of my life :wink:

    This thread makes me so thankful for the people in my life, who are guiding me and supporting me, who know what body fat I should strive for and what find of fitness I should shoot for. I say ANOWA is amazing!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    The above NYT blog lost me at "The researchers did not report on the activity levels or exercise practices of any of the men". FAIL.

    This thread has made it pretty clear what questions I need to ask personal trainers before hiring them....yikes....

    Anowa's BMI is 27.1. For my build and my height, my weight at 27.1 would be 185 pounds. I'm actually thrilled to learn this since my goal weight is right around 175. When I get to the body fat that I want to be at, I should be right around 175 pounds. With continued heavy lifting, I TOO could be a BMI of 27.1 but in the best and most fabulous shape of my life! I could potentially be "overweight" for the rest of my life :wink:

    This thread makes me so thankful for the people in my life, who are guiding me and supporting me, who know what body fat I should strive for and what find of fitness I should shoot for. I say ANOWA is amazing!
    So I guess you missed the rest of the article on "football linemen and baseball players" too, who OBVIOUSLY do exercise.

    I'll go with the studies of medicine.

    Unlike most PT's, I work in a Wellness Center (which is a gym in a hospital in most cases) and get to be informed by doctors in that field and specialists who are in the Weight management field. So I'm more than confident my information is correct coming from them.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • 120weeks
    120weeks Posts: 242 Member
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    Truce. I'm a Clinical Research Coordinator and I work with surgeons at an academic hospital.

    I feel perhaps you were quick to judge. Human nature, I get it but coming from someone with your certifications, it was disheartening to read.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    The above NYT blog lost me at "The researchers did not report on the activity levels or exercise practices of any of the men". FAIL.

    This thread has made it pretty clear what questions I need to ask personal trainers before hiring them....yikes....

    Anowa's BMI is 27.1. For my build and my height, my weight at 27.1 would be 185 pounds. I'm actually thrilled to learn this since my goal weight is right around 175. When I get to the body fat that I want to be at, I should be right around 175 pounds. With continued heavy lifting, I TOO could be a BMI of 27.1 but in the best and most fabulous shape of my life! I could potentially be "overweight" for the rest of my life :wink:

    This thread makes me so thankful for the people in my life, who are guiding me and supporting me, who know what body fat I should strive for and what find of fitness I should shoot for. I say ANOWA is amazing!

    What she said.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    Truce. I'm a Clinical Research Coordinator and I work with surgeons at an academic hospital.

    I feel perhaps you were quick to judge. Human nature, I get it but coming from someone with your certifications, it was disheartening to read.
    Truce. Quick to judge, probably, but I do still have to stand by what science and research currently concludes for the general population. That doesn't mean that she's not inspiring others to want to become physically better. She is AMAZING at what she can do.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    How about my mom is overweight and she is almost 50 and she had a full physical at the Dr's and they told her all of her labs were perfect. She is active all day everyday working in management in a retail store and she doesn't eat junk. I still don't understand why she is overweight at all.

    How about I am overweight and just got blood work done and I have perfect scores too. Cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure everything.

    How about in contrast to that my 6ft tall only a couple of pounds over normal range husband has high blood pressure and possible cholesterol problems if he doesn't watch it according to his physical in Dec. Oh and he isn't even inactive he lifts 50-100lbs over and over for 9-16hrs per day outside on his feet.

    How about all of the "skinny" people that have health problems like high blood pressure and cholesterol and stuff and probably couldn't run for 1 min without stopping.

    ***ETA Basically my point is just because someone has low mass for their frame and is skinny doesn't mean they are healthy.
    Anecdotes aren't scientific evidence. There will ALWAYS be exceptions, however for the general population, the science is consistent.
    I'm sure you've heard of very FIT runners who die suddenly. Or smokers who smoked their whole lives and died from old age and not lung cancer. But again, these aren't NORMAL situations to consider and apply to the general population.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
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    That's great, but the number way you can reduce health related issues is to LOWER your weight in proportion to your frame.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Actually much more evidence says, if you are eating right and exercising, weight isn't important. (obviously extreme obesity is not great, but there is a huge amount of leeway here.) People who are overweight and active have the same level of risk of chronic disease as people who are smaller and active.
    Like to see the study that actually supports it. Please link it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This one shows that obese people with "minor" issues live as long as thinner people: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/obesity-healthy-early-death_n_927579.html

    This one shows no increase in death risk for overweight people (if you don't have chronic disorders)
    http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=20854

    Here is a quote from this article about the "fat and fit" idea:
    "If we look at individuals who are obese and just moderately fit – we're not talking about marathon runners here – their death rate during the next decade is half that of the normal weight people who are unfit. So it's a huge effect."
    Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/09/fit-fat-unfit-thin

    So obesity isn't the biggest problem, getting diabetes and high blood pressure is. If you don't have those, and you exercise, longevity outcomes are very good. And better than someone who is thin and does nothing.

    I saw an interesting chart a few months ago about death risk (don't remember were). It was very interesting, the lineup of the death risk (with percentages) was something like:
    Fit and healthy weight
    fit and slightly overweight
    fit and underweight
    .........
    underweight and not fit
    obese and not fit
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    That's great, but the number way you can reduce health related issues is to LOWER your weight in proportion to your frame.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Actually much more evidence says, if you are eating right and exercising, weight isn't important. (obviously extreme obesity is not great, but there is a huge amount of leeway here.) People who are overweight and active have the same level of risk of chronic disease as people who are smaller and active.
    Like to see the study that actually supports it. Please link it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This one shows that obese people with "minor" issues live as long as thinner people: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/obesity-healthy-early-death_n_927579.html
    Article states also in that sentence that these obese ate healthier and exercised compared to their thinner counterparts. That's not the same as if they were both eating healthy and exercising which you stated have the SAME level of risk if they are BOTH doing the same regimen.
    This one shows no increase in death risk for overweight people (if you don't have chronic disorders)
    http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=20854
    While risk of death is inconsequential, again this article doesn't address the statement you made above.

    From article: "In addition to diabetes and hypertension, health problems associated with overweight and obesity include heart disease, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea.

    "Our findings indicate that the risk of having an above-normal BMI may be lower than in the past," said Prof Jerant. "While this study cannot explain the reasons, it is possible that as overweight and obesity have become more common, physicians have become more aware of associated health issues like high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and are more aggressive about early detection and treatment of these conditions."
    Here is a quote from this article about the "fat and fit" idea:
    "If we look at individuals who are obese and just moderately fit – we're not talking about marathon runners here – their death rate during the next decade is half that of the normal weight people who are unfit. So it's a huge effect."
    Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/09/fit-fat-unfit-thin
    Still didn't address above statement.
    So obesity isn't the biggest problem, getting diabetes and high blood pressure is. If you don't have those, and you exercise, longevity outcomes are very good. And better than someone who is thin and does nothing.

    I saw an interesting chart a few months ago about death risk (don't remember were). It was very interesting, the lineup of the death risk (with percentages) was something like:
    Fit and healthy weight
    fit and slightly overweight
    fit and underweight
    .........
    underweight and not fit
    obese and not fit
    The statement I questioned was about overweight and active people having the SAME RISK as those who are smaller and active.
    None of the above articles or studies confirmed that, and I doubt you'll find one that does. Any cardiologist, weight specialist, bariatric surgeon, general doctor, NIH, CDC, etc. will all agree that an overweight person will be more at risk for chronic disease than their smaller counterpart even if they both ate well and exercised.

    Now if you're talking an overweight person who is active and a thinner person who ISN'T active, and compared the risks, then I'd probably agree.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    To each his or her own, but I'd never hire a fat fitness instructor.
    I see great value in people who have actually achieved peak fitness - not quit on themselves, then make it out like some virtue.
    Again, just an opinion.
    Good Luck :flowerforyou:

    Did you even WATCH the video? She's not fat.

    She looks amazing. Very strong and fit.
  • historygirldd
    historygirldd Posts: 209 Member
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    To each his or her own, but I'd never hire a fat fitness instructor.
    I see great value in people who have actually achieved peak fitness - not quit on themselves, then make it out like some virtue.
    Again, just an opinion.
    Good Luck :flowerforyou:

    All respects Bobby, but did you watch that video? Just the first 30 seconds, the rest is interview stuff. That woman is a beast and hardly what I would call fat.
    Yes, this is one of those topics where we will respectfully have a point of departure.
    I suppose that's because I was very strong and very active when I was still very fat.
    Some of us are like that.

    BUT DID YOU WATCH THE VIDEO? She is strong, very muscular. I think she is amazing.

    OP thanks for sharing. Very inspiring. And Bobby, if she is fat, I want to be fat like that.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
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    To each his or her own, but I'd never hire a fat fitness instructor.
    I see great value in people who have actually achieved peak fitness - not quit on themselves, then make it out like some virtue.
    Again, just an opinion.
    Good Luck :flowerforyou:

    Are you kidding me!? Did you even watch the video? How can you even say she is fat!? She looks like she would kick your butt!
  • KSea77
    KSea77 Posts: 119 Member
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    Going to watch the vedio when I get home
  • EmCarroll1990
    EmCarroll1990 Posts: 2,849 Member
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    That's great, but the number way you can reduce health related issues is to LOWER your weight in proportion to your frame.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    You can roll your eyes all you want, but he is right. Most women refer to their fat as their curves. All that extra fat is not healthy.

    Exactly this. If you're curvy when you're fat, you'll be curvy when you're slim. Curves are not defined by your fat. I'm pretty curvy at 105 lbs.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
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    That's great, but the number way you can reduce health related issues is to LOWER your weight in proportion to your frame.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Actually much more evidence says, if you are eating right and exercising, weight isn't important. (obviously extreme obesity is not great, but there is a huge amount of leeway here.) People who are overweight and active have the same level of risk of chronic disease as people who are smaller and active.
    Like to see the study that actually supports it. Please link it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    This one shows that obese people with "minor" issues live as long as thinner people: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/obesity-healthy-early-death_n_927579.html
    Article states also in that sentence that these obese ate healthier and exercised compared to their thinner counterparts. That's not the same as if they were both eating healthy and exercising which you stated have the SAME level of risk if they are BOTH doing the same regimen.
    This one shows no increase in death risk for overweight people (if you don't have chronic disorders)
    http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=20854
    While risk of death is inconsequential, again this article doesn't address the statement you made above.

    From article: "In addition to diabetes and hypertension, health problems associated with overweight and obesity include heart disease, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea.

    "Our findings indicate that the risk of having an above-normal BMI may be lower than in the past," said Prof Jerant. "While this study cannot explain the reasons, it is possible that as overweight and obesity have become more common, physicians have become more aware of associated health issues like high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and are more aggressive about early detection and treatment of these conditions."
    Here is a quote from this article about the "fat and fit" idea:
    "If we look at individuals who are obese and just moderately fit – we're not talking about marathon runners here – their death rate during the next decade is half that of the normal weight people who are unfit. So it's a huge effect."
    Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/09/fit-fat-unfit-thin
    Still didn't address above statement.
    So obesity isn't the biggest problem, getting diabetes and high blood pressure is. If you don't have those, and you exercise, longevity outcomes are very good. And better than someone who is thin and does nothing.

    I saw an interesting chart a few months ago about death risk (don't remember were). It was very interesting, the lineup of the death risk (with percentages) was something like:
    Fit and healthy weight
    fit and slightly overweight
    fit and underweight
    .........
    underweight and not fit
    obese and not fit
    The statement I questioned was about overweight and active people having the SAME RISK as those who are smaller and active.
    None of the above articles or studies confirmed that, and I doubt you'll find one that does. Any cardiologist, weight specialist, bariatric surgeon, general doctor, NIH, CDC, etc. will all agree that an overweight person will be more at risk for chronic disease than their smaller counterpart even if they both ate well and exercised.

    Now if you're talking an overweight person who is active and a thinner person who ISN'T active, and compared the risks, then I'd probably agree.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Unfortunately, this comparison chart that I saw somewhere isn't available. The difference was statistically negligible. (i.e. less than 5%) One day I'll see it again!
  • mcgraw0204
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    Facts based on studies designed to prove someones theories so that they can push their agenda and ideas. And did you really refer to a 300lb linemen with a gut hanging over their belt to a wide receiver who trains for speed and agility? Not sure I would consider most NFL linemen fit. I'm 6'5 245 lbs at 13 percent body fat, and according to the BMI calculators I am borderline obese. The most important thing this woman is doing is motivating people to start moving, I'd rather see that than trainers that discourage people by only focusing on numbers. Numbers matter to an extent, but the most important thing is to keep moving and work hard. The people that are at higher risk are those that give up on themselves because they look at some calculator and think they failed because the didn't some meet bogus number like BMI.