FAT PEOPLE CAN BE AS HEALTHY AS THIN PEOPLE
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How many obese 90 year olds do you see around?
Um...a lot?
Let's refine even further, how many active 90 year old obese people do you see around? I've got a guy at my gym who looks like he used to chill with Jesus and he works out every day. Can't say I've witnessed any 90 year old Chris Farley types doing the same0 -
Sure, but I know which one I would rather sit next to on a plane/ the bus/in the movies.0
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What's the benefit of being fat or being thin? Thin people can be as unhealthy as fat people.
Benefits of being fat....hmm can't think of any
Benefit of being thin ooh well let's see......far too many to list here!0 -
Awesome!0
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What's the benefit of being fat or being thin? Thin people can be as unhealthy as fat people.
Benefits of being fat....hmm can't think of any
Benefit of being thin ooh well let's see......far too many to list here!
We know what the disadvantages of being fat and unhealthy are, now....
What would be the benefit of being thin and unhealthy?0 -
I was 373 pounds and I considered myself fairly healthy apart from the weight a little high blood pressure (140 over 95).
I don't drink or smoke
Had no diabetes
I could walk several miles (but I am now faster)
I have now lost 200 pounds and I have backache a lot of the time.
I was 395 and am now 373. How did you do it? I could use some encouragement.0 -
What's the benefit of being fat or being thin? Thin people can be as unhealthy as fat people.
Benefits of being fat....hmm can't think of any
Benefit of being thin ooh well let's see......far too many to list here!
We know what the disadvantages of being fat and unhealthy are, now....
What would be the benefit of being thin and unhealthy?
I don't know, you tell me.
That's not the question I was answering!0 -
Yep. My doctor gave it to me straight. PCOS did not make you fat, you developed PCOS when you became fat.
Your Dr is WRONG. I was diagnosed with PCOS LONG before I got fat. Some people may develop PCOS symptoms because they're obese, but for many people, the PCOS came first. Once I hit puberty, despite nothing else changing, I started gaining weight. And losing weight has done NOTHING to alleviate my PCOS symptoms.0 -
How many obese 90 year olds do you see around?
I'm all for getting "healthy," but hell I'd gladly trade my 80s and 90s to enjoy myself while I'm in my 20s.
ETA: Screw it, throw my 70s in the trade too.
As an old person, I hope that you live to regret these words. The "fun" I had in my 20s involved drugs, sex with random people and other transitory moments of fleeting pleasure. As an older person, the things that I derive joy from involve relationships with my kids, major professional accomplishments and my ongoing love affair with my wife.
For me it is just the opposite. I would trade years of youthful idiocy for months of a more evolved, sustainable happiness.0 -
How many obese 90 year olds do you see around?
Hover round!!!! (one of my favorite commercials) :laugh:
Now Carry on!
Ever been to walmart on a saturday?
none of those people are 90. they're 65 at the oldest. they just LOOK 90.
^^^I was thinking the same thing. LOL
As was I.0 -
How many obese 90 year olds do you see around?
I'm all for getting "healthy," but hell I'd gladly trade my 80s and 90s to enjoy myself while I'm in my 20s.
ETA: Screw it, throw my 70s in the trade too.
As an old person, I hope that you live to regret these words. The "fun" I had in my 20s involved drugs, sex with random people and other transitory moments of fleeting pleasure. As an older person, the things that I derive joy from involve relationships with my kids, major professional accomplishments and my ongoing love affair with my wife.
For me it is just the opposite. I would trade years of youthful idiocy for months of a more evolved, sustainable happiness.
[/quote
You're not an old person...you're 42.0 -
This article is correct.
Both fat and thin people can be immensley unhealthy.
^ This.
Yes, and... what's your point?
Some people have flipped their cars and are healthy. Others were not so lucky, they were partially paralyzed, but they're still healthier than a friend of mine who has Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I don't plan to go out and flip the car I'm driving to see if I'll be one of the lucky ones.
Some thin people are thin because they're dying from cancer or another health condition. As anyone with even basic statistical knowledge can tell you, correlation is not causation.
Just because you can find exceptions, doesn't mean that a general health guideline is not a good one.
Edited to correct a typo, and...
"Healthy except"... high blood pressure, diabetes, inability to walk, etc.. Who are you kidding -- that's not healthy.0 -
Yep. My doctor gave it to me straight. PCOS did not make you fat, you developed PCOS when you became fat.
Your Dr is WRONG. I was diagnosed with PCOS LONG before I got fat. Some people may develop PCOS symptoms because they're obese, but for many people, the PCOS came first. Once I hit puberty, despite nothing else changing, I started gaining weight. And losing weight has done NOTHING to alleviate my PCOS symptoms.
Oh, I know that is not always the case. I think you are in the minority of developing it at a normal weight. And I know there are some who have never been overweight who develop it but like I said, that's the minority. . Maybe I should say overweight people with PCOS can ease their symptoms with proper diet, exercise and getting to a healthy weight.0 -
Not a very good article IMHO. I could find you mountains of evidence to the contrary. Is someone that is 10-20 lbs overweight healthier that someone who is not overweight but smokes a pack of cigarettes a day? I would say yes. But to suggest that someone who is 50 or more pounds overweight is healthy just because they don't drink or smoke is wrong.
A quote from the article:
"The Health At Every Size (HAES) movement attempts to interrupt the conflation of health and thinness by arguing that, instead of using one’s girth as an indicator of one’s health, we should be focusing on eating/exercising habits and more direct health measures (like blood pressure and cholesterol)."
In MOST cases, If you have good eating/exercising habits, you will not find yourself grossly overweight.
okay. show us the "mountains" of studies to the contrary.0 -
Obese 90 year olds? In the nursing homes where I worked, the ratio was pretty much the same as in the general population.
I have a friend who is a volunteer firefighter, and she is heavier than I am. She puts on all the gear, goes into the burning house, does her job the same as any of the fit men who are with her. She's active, and healthy. There are many average-weight and thin people who aren't healthy and strong enough to do what she does!
Not all overweight and obese people are unhealthy. The average lifespan of people in 1st world countries of European descent is in the 70's. Living til 90 has much less to do with weight than it does with genetics and luck.0 -
I wouldn't think that working in a nursing home would be a good sample set. What about 90+ year olds that don't live in nursing homes. My great grandmother is 99, still lives on her own, still dances and does kicks, and challenges men to arm wrestling.0
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I think the point of the ' healthy at every weight ' movement is to convince people who are overweight to start taking steps to become more healthy without focusing on what the scale says - giving examples of how to become healthier without putting pressure on them for something they probably already have personal issues with and most likely view as inevitable. Really, what is it but a basic example of what everyone on this site is trying to do (except members who smoke and binge drink) ? Just without the benefit of calorie counting to ensure measurable results.
If they follow that guide, eating more fruits and vegetables and exercising more, most will naturally lose the weight anyway and make it a moot point. If not, at least they are taking their health as much into their own hands as they can.
Seriously, this is a dumb thing to argue about.0 -
Yeah, they CAN be, but there's an absurd amount of risk factors. People CAN smoke and be healthy, too. Doesn't mean I'm willing to take my chances on being that lottery winner.
Exactly.
I don't think it's a coincidence that when weight decreases other health markers generally tend to improve as well despite the quality of the diet. Whilst I would never recommend the "Twinkie" diet that certainly happened...0 -
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Just because you can find exceptions, doesn't mean that a general health guideline is not a good one.
This is it.
Like you can find a 90 year old who smoked a packet a day - doesnt negate the fact that smoking greatly minmises your chances of a long and helathy life.
Being obese does too.
Thats not to say thin people are always healthier or that extreme thinness isnt a health hazard either (nobody is recomending we all become anorexic)
Sensible thing is to stay wihin your recomended weight range and to avoid other risk factors like smoking, excessive alcohol etc.
Common sense really.0 -
What's the benefit of being fat or being thin? Thin people can be as unhealthy as fat people.
1) Fun clothes to to wear. It’s so much more fun to show off a cute figure if you are at your happy weight.
2) You fit nicely into an airplane seat.
3) You can sit on any kind of furniture without fear of breaking it.
4) You fit nicely into a movie theater seat.
5) You can wear any necklace, bracelet, ring or watch you desire.
6) You fit nicely into a booth in a restaurant.
7) You no longer worry about stares or comments from people about your weight; if anything they will be telling you how good you look!
8) At job interviews, you don’t have to worry if being overweight will be a factor in deciding whether or not you will get the position.
9) If you are trying to date, being thin helps.
10) It is easier to keep a thin body clean.
11) It’s easier to go to the bathroom.
12) It’s easier to have sex. Sex is better.
13) It’s easier to enjoy any kind of physical activity that is fun, like riding a bike, taking a walk, swimming, hiking a trail, etc.
14) The thought of being seen in a swim suit in public does not sound mortifying. Buying a new swim suit might even be kind of fun! You might even plan your next vacation at the beach.
15) You can go up a flight of stairs without feeling like you are going to die. You might even seek out the stairs, because it is good exercise and will burn calories.
16) You eat in front of people now, not worrying what they might be thinking.
17) You are happy to see people you haven’t seen in a long time, not worried anymore about what they might be thinking of your weight gain. You are thin now.
18) If you have suffered from sleep apnea, it gets better now, maybe even goes away entirely, and breathing at night gets easier (OK, this is technically kind of a health one, but who doesn’t want to get a good night’s sleep?)
19) You fit into a cars nicely.
20) You will most definitely like yourself better, and feel better about things — everything.
I agree with most of these points. But many have to do with your own thoughts about yourself. Which you can eliminate with the right frame of mind. I could add many points to the list too. Quality of life is definitely affected for most overweight people.
The article says nothing to the "quality" of life. It just says that longevity is about the same if you maintain a pretty healthy lifestyle but just happen to be fat.
One of the potential benefits of an article like this is to accept and love yourself now, as you are. Fat and all. With this new better self esteem it is much more empowering for the obese person. With this guilt gone I think losing weight and/or maintaining a healthy lifestyle is much easier.
I'm personally still working hard on losing the rest of the weight. But it does feel good to know that the changes I've already made have had a significant positive impact on my life.0 -
What's the benefit of being fat or being thin? Thin people can be as unhealthy as fat people.
Come zombie apocalypse, people with a higher body fat % will have an edge (provided they are not zombies).0 -
I have a really hard time believing that article. Overweight and over fat are always unhealthy, period, end of that story!
If you don't believe it then look into the study. Read it. It looks pretty solid to me.
If you have another study that refutes this one I'd love to see it. I really would.0 -
How many obese 90 year olds do you see around?
quoted for absolute perfection0 -
What's the benefit of being fat or being thin? Thin people can be as unhealthy as fat people.
Come zombie apocalypse, people with a higher body fat % will have an edge (provided they are not zombies).
QFT0 -
How many obese 90 year olds do you see around?
quoted for absolute perfection
that's a very good question. there should be a study on that too. i think it is unwise though to assume the answer to this question as it seems you are doing.0 -
What's the benefit of being fat or being thin? Thin people can be as unhealthy as fat people.
Come zombie apocalypse, people with a higher body fat % will have an edge (provided they are not zombies).
Except for Otis in the Walking Dead. It killed him.0 -
i doubt that anyone here on mfp would see this title and say, 'oh, then i can go eat what i want and be healthy'. it's about sharing information that helps motivate us. are there specific health concerns that overweight/obese people have that thinner people do not? yes. but there are so many health concerns that have nothing to do with weight. based on my measurements, i'm morbidly obese - but have spectacular blood work, normal blood pressure, etc. the only medical problem i have that's directly caused by my weight is pain in my hips. however, i have other medical problems that are NOT HELPED by my size - degenerative arthritis, to name one.
does that mean i'm healthy? no, it doesn't. but being thin doesn't mean you're healthy either. when my father was at a healthy weight, he was practically dying from diabetes. smokers, drinkers, thin people with high cholesterol - fat or thin does not mean healthy or unhealthy.
what saddens me the most after reading through posts like this is how so many people take what was meant to be a motivating idea - that just because we're fat doesn't mean we can't be as healthy as others - turns into a 'who would even want to be fat anyway?' discussion. i am fairly confident that none of us here set out to get fat. i know some people would tell me to pull up my big girl panties and suck it up - people are mean to each other on the internet. i just don't understand why anyone would be here and not be supportive of others.0 -
i doubt that anyone here on mfp would see this title and say, 'oh, then i can go eat what i want and be healthy'. it's about sharing information that helps motivate us. are there specific health concerns that overweight/obese people have that thinner people do not? yes. but there are so many health concerns that have nothing to do with weight. based on my measurements, i'm morbidly obese - but have spectacular blood work, normal blood pressure, etc. the only medical problem i have that's directly caused by my weight is pain in my hips. however, i have other medical problems that are NOT HELPED by my size - degenerative arthritis, to name one.
does that mean i'm healthy? no, it doesn't. but being thin doesn't mean you're healthy either. when my father was at a healthy weight, he was practically dying from diabetes. smokers, drinkers, thin people with high cholesterol - fat or thin does not mean healthy or unhealthy.
what saddens me the most after reading through posts like this is how so many people take what was meant to be a motivating idea - that just because we're fat doesn't mean we can't be as healthy as others - turns into a 'who would even want to be fat anyway?' discussion. i am fairly confident that none of us here set out to get fat. i know some people would tell me to pull up my big girl panties and suck it up - people are mean to each other on the internet. i just don't understand why anyone would be here and not be supportive of others.
I think you get the point. Thank you!0 -
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/12/31/evidence-that-fat-people-can-be-as-healthy-as-thin-people/
This article was very encouraging. It's all about the lifestyle change. Certainly it is important to lose the weight for a lot of reasons (like stress on knees, making more money, a better self-image).
Also, the survery says nothing to quality of life or the fact that obese people are treated with much less respect in general in society.
But for those of you in a huge rush to lose the weight so you can be healthy guess what? The changes you have hopefully already made already are giving you a much longer life.
check out the graph in the article and it is quite surprising.
The 4 measured factors for prolonging your life:
1. eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables daily
2. exercising regularly
3. consuming alcohol in moderation
4. not smoking
Do you notice that it's not a medical research journal study that was done.. it's an internet site.. you can't believe everything you see on the internet.
All those 4 things, will lead to weight loss- I lost 10 lbs by eating better0
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