"Fat and fit" as healthy as being normal weight

ShreddedTweet

There is no good reason to be fat, whether you're still healthy or not. Do your body and your bones/joints a favour and continue to lose the weight! I can't help but feel that these articles just give people with too many excuses one more excuse.

djsounddog

My brother is an amateur body builder and considered morbidly obese according to BMI, however he is completely ripped and under 13% body fat. BMI is completely irrelevant in some cases. But fat is most definately not fit, don't go fishing to validate laziness or bad decissions.

PapaDunx

Bodyfat is a true measure of health and fitness!!!

Rubbish!
I have just cycled 40 miles in 3.5 hours and I have a BMI in the obese range.

I have low blood pressure, low cholesterol and yet according to you Im unhealthy and unfit.

Might want to think about your comments there, Mr Motivation.

pen_thief

I went from being able to run 2 minutes to almost 10 straight in just two weeks and my good friend thinks I'm a heart attack waiting to happen. Lol...I've never felt better! Running ain't just for the skinny things buddy!

pen_thief

**Not using this article as justification to stay heavy though!

Jemmuno

Bodyfat is a true measure of health and fitness!!!

Rubbish!
I have just cycled 40 miles in 3.5 hours and I have a BMI in the obese range.

I have low blood pressure, low cholesterol and yet according to you Im unhealthy and unfit.

Might want to think about your comments there, Mr Motivation.

I think person is talking about bodyfat percent not bmi.

castadiva

I've always found it interesting that I get sick far less frequently, and generally return to health faster, than many of my thinner, but less active, friends, and have always had much better metabolic stats than the majority, despite being heavier. Thanks for posting, both OP and the person who posted the abstract - a most interesting study that confirms what I, and many non-establishment medical scientists have suspected for years.

pinkraynedropjacki

Athletes have MUSCLE & not fat fat so there is where their BMI is showing as overweight. They are NOT however because it is MUSCLE & not FAT. Sorry but there is a difference. Being overweight or obese WILL put you at risk for Diabetes. Sorry but it's true.

I'd rather be fit & trim than fat & fat. There is no other way to put it, you can NOT be fat & healthy. Been there, it killed my back to the point I'll be lucky to work again. Put that in your fit & fat pipe. FAT caused more problems than you can dream.

sijomial

Bodyfat is a true measure of health and fitness!!!

It's one measure but not the only one - plenty of skinny cancer sufferers out there.

BerryH

I've always found it interesting that I get sick far less frequently, and generally return to health faster, than many of my thinner, but less active, friends, and have always had much better metabolic stats than the majority, despite being heavier. Thanks for posting, both OP and the person who posted the abstract - a most interesting study that confirms what I, and many non-establishment medical scientists have suspected for years.

My emphasis.

I think a lot of it is because of being heavier. I put far more stress on my cardiovasular system doing the same 5K run at the same speed as a slimmer individual, resulting in a stronger heart and lungs, lower resting heart rate and lower blood pressure.

It's the equivalent of "lifting heavy" for cardio!

castadiva

I've always found it interesting that I get sick far less frequently, and generally return to health faster, than many of my thinner, but less active, friends, and have always had much better metabolic stats than the majority, despite being heavier. Thanks for posting, both OP and the person who posted the abstract - a most interesting study that confirms what I, and many non-establishment medical scientists have suspected for years.

My emphasis.

I think a lot of it is because of being heavier. I put far more stress on my cardiovasular system doing the same 5K run at the same speed as a slimmer individual, resulting in a stronger heart and lungs, lower resting heart rate and lower blood pressure.

It's the equivalent of "lifting heavy" for cardio!

Makes sense to me! :flowerforyou:

Lina4Lina

No one should settle for being overweight no matter how active they are.

Have you ever been morbidly obese? I'd love to be considered overweight. Actually, based on BMI, if I lost 200 lbs total, I think I'd still qualify as overweight. Weight loss and maintenance is a tricky thing and being fit should be a goal but individual weight should be left to the individual.

tenaheff

I would like to know what the statistic is for those who are obese in their younger years, stay obese into their middle years, and are still obese as a senior. I believe it could be that as the added stress on the heart and lungs causes deterioration over time. It could be that it doesn't. However, I think the average obese person is not fit and does not exercise regularly. The danger from this research study is that those people will use the results of this study to justify not losing weight at the same time they do not do anything to become fit.

PapaDunx

Bodyfat is a true measure of health and fitness!!!

Rubbish!
I have just cycled 40 miles in 3.5 hours and I have a BMI in the obese range.

I have low blood pressure, low cholesterol and yet according to you Im unhealthy and unfit.
Might want to think about your comments there, Mr Motivation.

I think person is talking about bodyfat percent not bmi.

.. and my body fat is high too.

I am overweight. I have too much fat. But I am fit and very healthy.

Lina4Lina

Athletes have MUSCLE & not fat fat so there is where their BMI is showing as overweight. They are NOT however because it is MUSCLE & not FAT. Sorry but there is a difference. Being overweight or obese WILL put you at risk for Diabetes. Sorry but it's true..

There are skinny people who get diabetes. The link between diet and diabetes is stronger than obesity and diabetes.

elyelyse

From the BBC News today:

Amy Thompson, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "In the majority of cases, obesity is an undeniable risk factor for developing coronary heart disease. However, these studies remind us that it is not always your weight that's important, but where you carry fat and also how it affects your health and fitness.

In the majority of cases ... undeniable risk....

I think a lot of us would like to think we are or can be the exception, but in the MAJORITY of cases, we aren't. Was there any mention of specific weight in the study? Are they talking about an extra 20 pounds? Or 50. Does this theory still hold true at 100 pounds overweight?

What about weight as an indicator of future health problems? The fat 25 year old may be ok. For now. But if he carries that weight until he's 50, isn't he at higher risk for developing weight related health issues?

I think I'll work on being a *healthy* weight anyway, instead of *just* working till I'm fit-fat. And not just for vanity.

Lina4Lina

I would like to know what the statistic is for those who are obese in their younger years, stay obese into their middle years, and are still obese as a senior. I believe it could be that as the added stress on the heart and lungs causes deterioration over time. It could be that it doesn't. However, I think the average obese person is not fit and does not exercise regularly. The danger from this research study is that those people will use the results of this study to justify not losing weight at the same time they do not do anything to become fit.

I'm someone who was obese from a young age and the difference I've noticed from my counterparts and myself is that I learned to be active despite my obesity, many of them became obese in part due to their inactivity. I'm not sure where my heart will be 30 years from now but we'll see.

neverstray

Since 50% did have problems, you're betting 50/50 that it's ok to be overweight? That's far too high of a risk for me. It sounds like some of you will use this article to rationalize where you are.

Koldnomore

I've always found it interesting that I get sick far less frequently, and generally return to health faster, than many of my thinner, but less active, friends, and have always had much better metabolic stats than the majority, despite being heavier. Thanks for posting, both OP and the person who posted the abstract - a most interesting study that confirms what I, and many non-establishment medical scientists have suspected for years.

I do NOT get sick.. The last time I was 'under the weather' it was food poisoning and that's not really something one can control. I rarely have sniffles or coughs either and the last time I was off work it was because I had my tubes tied and in the hospital. I honestly find that thinner "skinny-fat" people around me take more time off work due to health issues than I ever have.

And you know what if someone is a bit overweight, but fit and healthy (ie no heart problems, high blood pressure or cholesterol) and they are happy with the way they look, then why should they not settle for being happy the way they are? We don't HAVE to all conform to the way the media and society tells us we "should" look. But we do have a responsibility to keep ourselves as healthy as we can be, and I agree that we should want to do that for ourselves, our families, and so we do not drain the health services unnecessarily.

I have been over 200lbs for the better part of my adult life ..not muscle. My BMI is somewhere in the 31 - 35 range. I have never had high cholesterol, I do not have diabetes or insulin resistance, my resting heart rate is 68. I am in better health than 90% of women my size / age and probably more active than a lot of smaller women too. I didn't hate my body. I was a happy fat girl, no stress, I have a good man who loves me regardless of my size and a decent life. I wasn't feeling overly limited by my weight. I would go and hike weekends and have long walks with my boyfriend. My ONLY reason for wanting to drop weight is because I was starting to feel some joint pain - after 15 - 20 years - and it could very well have been just age related.

It pisses me off that people seem to have this idea that we all have to look, act or think a certain way according to what the media says. I am my own person and will continue to do things because I want to and not because someone else says I have to.

elyelyse

Athletes have MUSCLE & not fat fat so there is where their BMI is showing as overweight. They are NOT however because it is MUSCLE & not FAT. Sorry but there is a difference. Being overweight or obese WILL put you at risk for Diabetes. Sorry but it's true..

There are skinny people who get diabetes. The link between diet and diabetes is stronger than obesity and diabetes.

You're right that it has a lot to do with diet.... It stands to reason that overweight people are at higher risk just bc of the fact most fat people have poor diets. Maybe not the fat people using MFP.... But in general, yes, most fat people have poor diets. That's how we got fat.