overweight but healthy
dotido
Posts: 49
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.
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.
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Replies
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Is it possible to be overweight but healthy?
-Yes0 -
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!0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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.0
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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!0 -
And now i'm going to stop reading these pages and go for a walk!0
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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.0 -
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.0
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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. 0 -
Have you ckecked your BMI?0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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.0
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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 fit0 -
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.0 -
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.0
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Virtually all 22 year olds are healthy! I hate to say it, but it sounds like you might be in a bit of denial. Now that said, I don't actually know how overweight you are, or if you exercise. It is possible to be "overweight but healthy" if you exercise frequently and have a lot of muscle. But in general, most people who truly exercise (i.e., not walking on the treadmill while talking on your phone) aren't overweight.0
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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.
Yup. Excess fat isn't healthy. Period. It causes systemic inflammation, changes your hormonal balance for the worse, & stores toxins. The eating habits that make you fat increase oxidative stress and have been proven to lower life expectancy significantly. Being overweight and sedentary puts you at the same risk of cancer as smoking, for example. It also skyrockets the risk of dementia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
That doesn't sound remotely healthy to me.
Sure there are fat people walking around that aren't acutely ill at this very moment. But tell me this. When was the last time you saw a healthy elderly person that was mentally intact and was fat? The only healthy and sharp elderly people I've met were skinny and were lean their entire lives. All the fat people I've known had miserable health starting in middle age and didn't last much past it. Your Dr. can take chances with his body. I'll do what science and experience tells me is my best shot at life.0 -
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.
This is true. Your stats can be "picture perfect." However, over the years carrying excess weight impacts your joints leading to arthritic conditions
BTW, I think it is wonderful that you enjoy swimming and feel comfy in your skin. That in itself is a plus.0 -
I have an autoimmune disease. Even at my highest weight (5' 7" and 241lbs) I always aced doctors appointments. As a 29 year old who has been obese since puberty, I've never had high blood pressure or cholesterol, never became pre-diabetic and I have never had a doctor tell me i need to lose weight.
One of my major reasons for losing weight is to maintain that perfect record. I already have bad genetics and a condition that will cause my health to deteriorate as I age if I'm not careful, and I know that as an overweight individual, I increase my odds of developing complications with my health. Heart Disease, diabetes, joint problems, all of that is just the tip of the iceburg!
When you're young, your body can handle the stress being overweight puts on it. As you age, it gets harder and harder. That's why I'd recommend to you, as I am doing myself, get out now while the gettin's good! You'll be happier in the long run!0 -
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.
That's weird. I always thought fat was energy stores.0 -
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.
That's weird. I always thought fat was energy stores.
No. It stores those pesky toxins and so now we all have to do a cleanse and shed every ounce of fat on our bodies so we'll live forever.0 -
i felt the same way in high school and had the same thought process. i still feel healthy even though i am what some consider obese, but now as a junior in college i am losing weight to look better for myself and to others.
after thinking about this concept of overweight but healthy on many occasions, i think we just feel healthy (and have healthy cholesterol, blood pressure, etc) because we are still so young. i think this pertains to high school in particular because you get up everyday nice and early, and just walking around school for class is partially staying active. and most kids play sports in high school. i myself played hockey in fall/winter and volleyball in the spring. i also had a job that i worked part time during the school year and full time during the summer that kept me quite active without me consciously thinking about having to be active. i always knew i was overweight, but once i hit high school and started playing sports, i was able to eat whatever i wanted without gaining weight.
i am working an internship currently, however, and it is a desk job. i started off with the same eating habits and after a month i gained about 8 pounds. i physically feel worse whenever i do the slightest bit of activity. and i look and feel worse than i ever have in my life.
all in all, i think its important that, as many have said before me, that just because you feel healthy and some numbers are in a healthy range does not mean you can continue same eating habits all through life. it will all catch up eventually.0 -
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.
That's weird. I always thought fat was energy stores.
No. It stores those pesky toxins and so now we all have to do a cleanse and shed every ounce of fat on our bodies so we'll live forever.
Good to know. I don't really need that extra 30,000 or so calories of energy reserves for anything important.0 -
You may be healthy, but this isn't just about losing pounds. It's about changing eating and lifestyle patterns to ones that are good for you. I was healthy - running, weight-lifting, etc., all through my 30s. Then came my 40s and my body's metabolism began slowing down. Before I knew it, I'd put on 8 inches in my waist. The mid-section fat in particular puts pressure on your organs. My "spare tire" caused problems during an abdominal surgery I had to have. I took longer to heal than any other surgery in my life and required more post-op care.
One of my primary motivations in losing weight was comments made by my surgeon. A secondary motive is that my wife has to help me quite a bit now - something I'd never even considered when we got married. It's a lot easier for her since my weight is down. No one plans on becoming a disabled person, but I'm sure 20 years of steadily gaining weight has helped put me in this position. The yo-yo diets certainly never helped. Now I'm at a weight and level of recovery where she can help me in and out of bed or the shower without fear of hurting herself. I'm continuing to lose and exercise in order to live longer. It's a win-win deal.0 -
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.
Yes. I am a decent enough example. Medically, though I was considered obese at 210 and 5'7"... I had no problems. Great cholesterol levels... the good high, the bad low... terrific blood pressure.... no sugar issues... BUUUUTTT.... my knees suffer a bit and I hate the way I look. Plus, I know that my weight, if not controlled, CAN turn into a medical nightmare as I get older. So, I decided- what the hell... let me look good AND feel good!0
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