I caught a segment on ABC News Wednesday night that really got me thinking about this question: “Can you be overweight and fit?”
This story quotes Dr. Carl Lavie- A New Orleans, Cardiologist, “it’s much more important to be fit than it is to be thin if you’re trying to improve long-term health”.
(Photo Credit: ABC News)
Roger Juneau, 61, had a heart attack 20 years ago and now, at 191 pounds, he’s still overweight. But his doctor has advised him not to worry about shedding the pounds.
“Fat isn’t always the devil,” said Dr. Carl Lavie, a New Orleans cardiologist who has written a book called “The Obesity Paradox,” which suggests focusing on fitness and not on being thin.
He says it’s better to be fit and fat than skinny and unfit.
“In a society preoccupied with thinness, objectivity about how our weight relates to our health is often lost, and subtleties overlooked. In The Obesity Paradox, Dr. Carl Lavie masterfully explores the relationship between body weight and health, giving us a balanced and uniquely illuminating perspective. If you want the whole truth and real understanding, lay down your preconceptions, and pick up The Obesity Paradox.”—David Katz, MD, author of Disease-Proof
New research from the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health also shows that underweight people were 70 percent more likely to die early than those battling obesity. You can read the whole ABC NEWS story here:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2014/04/09/focus-on-the-fit-less-on-the-fat-doctor-advises/
Dr. Lavie references the BMI scale which is widely used today to determine fitness:
Your body mass index (BMI) is an estimate of your body fat that is based on your height and weight. Doctors use BMI, along with other health indicators, to assess an adult’s current health status and potential health risks. You can determine your BMI with the calculator below.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm
Great post. I don’t think weight tells you much, although it’s a good guide. I think a person can be in the overweight category and still be healthy. People used to aim to be skinny, now it seems like “ripped” is the new skinny and is associated with being fit. I know people of various shapes and weights who are all examples of healthy.
I agree! This article changed my perspective on the subject.Not everyone has the genetic capability to be “ripped”. You’re right that does seem to be the new “goal”. Thanks for commenting.
Having been overweight and let’s face it, sometimes obese, pretty much all my life, I, now in my forties, have finally learned that yes, there is an overwight healthy balance. At my skinniest, which was the ideal weight for my height and built, I was the most unhealthy individual. Poor diet content and no structures exercise routine. Now, facing the challenges of premenopause I find myself, overweight, working on a hormonal friendly diet but at my healthiest ever! Low RHR, low blood pressure, perfectly balanced sugar levels, among others. I have a very steady and healthy workout routine…. My figure is far from perfect but healthy. Rule of thumb, every time I look at my plate I ask myself, would my grandparents eat this? If the answer is yes then it is probably a healthy meal. I just have to work on portion size. That and at least one hour of vigorous excersise 4 times a week keep me in good shape…. Phisically and mentally…. This is what I try to tech my children….
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You’re right being too thin is not healthy either. Exercising 4x/week a week and making healthy eating choices is doing your best to be the best for you. That’s a great message to teach your kids. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and thanks for stopping by.
Having been passed in the sixth mile of a race by people who looked like they couldn’t even run around a block, I wouldn’t correlate weight to fitness level. But carrying extra weight can be unhealthy for other reasons such as hormone levels (i.e., thyroid). I think it depends on if you’re talking about a person who could lose a few pounds, versus a person who is clearly obese.
You make some good points. There are overweight people who are great athletes and can out run the best of us. You’re right there are also significant health problems that can accompany being obese. With America’s obesity epidemic what it is, these are all important points to consider.
This is such an interesting post! Just using BMI as a gauge, many professional athletes would be “overweight” as well, so I believe that BMI is certainly not the only factor. It is still widely used because it is so easy – and so cheap – but it certainly doesn’t tell the whole story!
I agree! Certainly something to consider when evaluating others. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
People can get so hung-up on what is a ‘healthy’ weight because of the seriously-flawed BMI scale. If memory serves me right, a mathematician, not a medical professional, created that, and it wasn’t originally used to categorize people but to instead study normal human growth. I get that it’s an easy calculation to run to give us an idea where people stand, but having struggled with and beat an eating disorder after several years of wanting to get into that ‘underweight’ category (twisted, I know), I get really irritated when this calculation gets used day-in-and-day-out to shame perfectly healthy people. Thanks for sharing what you learned about the reality of being ‘overweight’ but fit!
I completely agree and can totally relate having been there myself. Thanks so much for taking the time to read the blog and stop by. Hope to see you soon.
OMG…thank you. I keep saying that BMI isn’t a realistic determination of health and constantly use larger athletes, like foot ball players as an example. THANK YOU for writing this. They really need to get a complete picture of a person not just base it on a number.
I agree Theresa! There are so many other factors to take into consideration. Thanks for sharing your opinion and thanks for taking the time to visit and read my blog. Hope you’ll stop by again.
I’m a bit overweight and the fittest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life! My annual physical is just great, so I should stop worrying about the number on the scale. This post is a good reminder.
The scale does not tell all! As long as you are exercising and eating well and seeing improvement in other areas, I say well done! Thanks for commenting and reading the blog!