Bound to be controversial
Replies
-
So... Healthy at every size
I keep hearing and seeing people talk about being healthy while being fat, overweight or obese.
I can inderstand being healthy while a bit fat but it seems fat and health have a negative correlation.
So am I wrong in thinking that you can't be healthy while very over weight? It just seems logical to me that more fat equal less healthy.
But healthy at every size people seem to be common. Maybe my thinking is outdated.
So healthy at any size... Yay or nay?
Why not start by defining what you mean by healthy?
You are getting confused with.
1. A heathy weight using BMI as a defining standard. BMI is just a general population measure, that is not perfect and uses only one measurement of weight. Its not bad, but its not perfect either.
2. Being considered to be healthy by a different definition, which covers more thna just how much you weigh. A wider definition would cover such things as physical health, how good shape you are in, biological health, free from disease etc. On this basis its possible to be the correct weight but have all sorts of diseases or be unfit or conversely slightly overweight, but be fit and free from diseases. It would also cover mental health.
3. It still remains a fact that all things being equal that being overweight and especially obese is by its nature unhealthy and puts you at risk of more complications immediately and in later life.0 -
Try to look at the body from the inside-out....what does the blood look like? Full of triglycerides? How hard does the heart have to work? Is there layers of fat suffocating the organs? Are all the organs functioning properly? Is the electrolytes and hormones all under control? Is there a medical professional telling you to do something different about your lifestyle?
0 -
I've seen obese women who are stronger and fitter than me at half their weight and body fat-so it's possible to be fat and healthy.0
-
I think people have to distinguish between "overweight" and "obese." There are many people who are slightly overweight who are just over the top level of normal BMI. In fact, many doctors now feel that older people (over 60) who are at around a 26 are healthier than those at the low end of normal. Also, some people who are "overweight" by the BMI charts actually have higher muscle mass and bone density than others. When someone is obese == that's a different story. I don't think someone can be in the obese category and not be subject to obesity related illnesses down the road. My husband was healthy high BMI overweight toward obese for many years, but once he hit 45, the diabetes set in.0
-
I do think it is relative. If HAES didn't go for fringe tactics, I could support their line of thinking. I could also support them if they also would at least admit that if someone who is obese loses weight that they would most likely become more healthy.
I do think there are a lot of assumptions about health about those who are overweight and not all those are always reality. I have always been very active even when I was overweight/obese. I do a walk for hunger every year which is a 20 mile walk. I have done it when 200+ lbs and done it at 150 lbs. I know many people at a normal body weight who are not able to finish it. I've never not finished it. However, I also accept and admit that when I did the walk this year at a more normal body weight that it was much easier on my body and the recovery time was a lot less. Why? Because I was lighter and healthier. HAES would confront that and say it wasn't true. It is true. I also accept that while I got regular check ups and blood works from my doctors when I was obese and they said I was in fine and good health that I was at increased risk for health problems in the future if I remained at the weight I was at. I do believe that someone can be overweight and be healthy, but I also believe it is a ticking time bomb.
Totally agree. I also believe that someone can be very unhealthy and appear to be normal weight or even underweight. I have known people with very high cholesterol (due to genetics) and were very thin. There are also people with genetic heart problems who are also normal weight. We tend to see overweight people and assume they deal with health issues, which may or may not be the case; and we tend to see thin people and assume that they are healthy and fit- again may or may not be true.0 -
I think if you're overweight/obese and maintain a healthy lifestyle (e.g. but not limited to: eating within your recommended calorie intake, getting the recommended vitamins and minerals from your diet, exercising for the recommended amount of time and intensity, etc)... then you won't be overweight for too much longer.0
-
I disagree that "stronger and fitter" = "healthy". Doing "healthy things" or even being good at healthy things doesn't mean you are healthy overall.Whitezombiegirl wrote: »I've seen obese women who are stronger and fitter than me at half their weight and body fat-so it's possible to be fat and healthy.0 -
So I was once overweight. Not obese by any means but I was over weight and definitely not healthy. Every doctor I went to came in the room and told me I had to lose weight. With that being said I was also anorexic. I was really ill before I gained a lot of weight and was put into a hospital and I was recently put into a hospital in May due to complications from my eating disorder. My potassium level was so low they were shocked I hadn't gone into cardiac arrest. You're heart can give up on you if you're underweight or overweight. So no, I don't think you can be healthy at any weight. Now my BMI is in the 20-21 range and I'm actually medically healthy at this weight and size.0
-
Nah i think you are seeing things to black and white and there is a lot of shades of gray in it.
like for example ,Are u familiar with the term metabolically healthy obesity? The american society of endocrinologist have refer about it a lot
Normal bmi= healthy 100%? , as someone who works in a health enviroment you"ll be suprise how that doesnt always works that way.
0 -
-
I guess I define healthy as free from disease illness and long term injury and minimising risks of these.
The last part is probably the reason I think obesity can't be healthy.
So smoking is unhealthy for example, you may not have any ill effects but it's linked to a whole swag of risks.
Is my definition wrong? Too broard?0 -
There's a lot of variables. I had a friend who was perfect in weight, athletics, muscle tone, eating, etc. who died from a rare cancer. I also know people who do nothing to but eat and are obese, yet have been around for years without having to go to the hospital.
Weight is only one part of health.
Consider along with it: genetics, physical activity, nutritional balance, heredity traits for disease, stress, rest, and mental state.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
I think it varies from person to person where the line is between healthy and unhealthy. When I was 10lb heavier I had plantar fasciitis. I lost those 10lb and it went away. I'm still at least 30lb overweight but it's not affecting my health in any way. For others it does.0
-
Nah i think you are seeing things to black and white and there is a lot of shades of gray in it.
like for example ,Are u familiar with the term metabolically healthy obesity? The american society of endocrinologist have refer about it a lot
Normal bmi= healthy 100%? , as someone who works in a health enviroment you"ll be suprise how that doesnt always works that way.
Oh sorry i miss your/his point, must be my english limitation, carry on with the conversation, i"ll keep reading others opinionDeguelloTex wrote: »
0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
That's not what I am saying if that's what you think.
You can be unhealthy at any size.
My question is can you be healthy at any size. Mainly focused on the obesity side rather than thin side.0 -
This, for me. As a pharmacologist, I consider the body systems to be the indicator of health, not the way someone looks. A very slim person can have a fatty liver, although obesity raises the chances that someone will have a poor functioning liver, high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc. If a non-athletic obese (by BMI standards) person can prove their health with a clean blood panel, then fine, but I'm betting they're a very small proportion of the obese population. They're also probably very young, and any damage is of the 'yet to be done' variety'.allaboutthecake wrote: »Try to look at the body from the inside-out....what does the blood look like? Full of triglycerides? How hard does the heart have to work? Is there layers of fat suffocating the organs? Are all the organs functioning properly? Is the electrolytes and hormones all under control? Is there a medical professional telling you to do something different about your lifestyle?
I have joint problems caused by my weight, I'm only lucky that none of the very serious side effects of being overweight haven't materialised for me just yet. But that's why I'm losing weight. I skated through my 30's going from overweight to obese with relatively little actual medical issues. That doesn't mean I wasn't doing damage at the time. As we age, the body's natural defenses and ability to self-heal from everyday life reduce. Since I started my weight loss journey, I've come to the conclusion 'why make ageing any harder than it already is?'!
But 'healthy' clearly means different things to different people, and the more virulent HAES supporters will likely dismiss those with diagnosed medical conditions that are attributed to their weight as outliers, and continue to claim ignorance about their body systems and say they're 'healthy', until a blood test or similar proves them wrong!
BTW, I do consider BMI to be a flawed concept, and is a very blunt tool to measure something as variable as 'health'! But as a general indicator for population health, it works.
0 -
Nearly every HAES proponent I've seen has been in their 20s. If you're in your 20s and have lousy blood test results, that's probably more the work of your lousy genes than your weight. Where are the 57-year-old HAES advocates?
But the doctor card thing HAES bloggers advocate kills me:
because there are times when the patient NEEDS to lose weight and when medical intervention would be completely inappropriate without weight loss. A person in their twenties can blow out their knees with excess weight. Should they be given new knees, which can last for up to 20 years (but might fail in 3-5, a major risk factor for early failure being excess weight)? What kind of doctor would operate on such a person?0 -
HAES is HorseHockey for those trying to rationalize their refusal to lose the weight they *need* to lose, right?0
-
I haven't read the other comments, so I'm sure someone has already mentioned this, but some people who are overweight have normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Of course, they're still bound to have joint problems and put themselves at risk for stress fractures, but other than that, they are healthy. At the same time, there are those people who are at a normal BMI but have high blood pressure, etc. consistent with a fat person (a.k.a "skinny fat").0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 902 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions