Is it Possible to be Fat and Healthy?

[Justindee13]

Yes, I am fat. I am not afraid to put it out there because I am who I am, and honestly people aren't just looks.

ANYWAYS: I am Fat but, am I healthy? Is that possible to be fat and healthy? What if I am just born big and have big jeans?

I don't eat super healthy but yet I never eat super terrible food. I don't drink any soda. I do drink coffee and water, that's it. I don't eat fast food. I run/walk almost every night for at least 3 miles. I am very active. So I raise the question can I just be big and still be healthy?

BTW: I would like honestly, so please don't be that person to put "oh yeah you can be" but honestly think it can't be, because Honestly counts and no one will hurt my feelings


THANK YOU

[Just Passing]

I'd say yes. You could be fat and healthy, provided your diet was pretty good and you weren't just eating junk food every day.

Hell, you're probably healthier than me and I'm average in weight with slight stomach fat.

[KaraBulut]

When you're young, perhaps. But as you get older, things like extra body fat, poor diet and lack of exercise tend to cause health problems.

[Lychee]

I would say no. You can still be fat and eat completely healthy food, but you just eat too much of it.
I think, by definition, you can't be either overweight, or underweight, and still be considered 'healthy'.

[Ridiculous]

Originally Posted by Lychee

I would say no. You can still be fat and eat completely healthy food, but you just eat too much of it.
I think, by definition, you can't be either overweight, or underweight, and still be considered 'healthy'.

Yeah pretty much.

Even if you feel perfectly fine now, you'd feel better and be healthier if you weren't overweight and you'd be future proofing yourself from complications as you get older.

[maverick]

I agree with Lychee. You say you don't eat super healthy but you don't eat horribly either. Well, a mediocre diet in excess can still make and keep you fat. You might just have a body chemistry that requires you to be a little more spartan in your diet and a little bit more hardcore in your activity level than the average person to keep weight from accumulating on you. I'm like that too.

Body weight may be genetically predetermined to some degree, but people have a lot of control over their weight. It really comes down to basic mathematics - you burn more calories than you take in. It's literally that simple. There are calorie counters all over the internet. Weight Watchers is a simpler play on this, and I don't know a single person who has done Weight Watchers that hasn't lost a significant amount of weight. Like 30-50 pounds.

If you're that active, and you're not dropping weight, it's gotta be the diet. If you guessed your calorie intake for a week and then actually measured your calorie intake, I think you'd be surprised to learn that you eat at least 25% more than you thought you did.

You could try getting your GP to refer you to a nutritionist. That way you'd know for sure that your diet was healthy or not.

I don't know if you're looking to lose weight or not, but I personally don't think it's healthy to carry a ton of extra weight. It puts extra stress on your entire system - your organs, your joints, your cardiovascular system, everything.

[Hitchhiker]

I ACTUALLY SAW A DEBATE ABOUT THIS. It was like on a news show. It was between this health nut and this woman who was fat and said you could still be healthy. I believe you can be fat and healthy, and you can be thin and UNhealthy (I know plenty of people like this!).

[Danny19]

i think that you can be healthy and fat. Im fat and when i went to the doctors to get a full check up. When i went back for the results he said im a healthy guy, the only thing is that im overweight. So you can be healthy and fat. However, being fat isnt healthy. I know that even though my doctor told me that i still feel uncomfortable. I know that by eating healthy and exercising i will feel healthier. Im not gonna lie ive had fast food and soda, i used to be those that couldnt eat without some soda on the side. however now i stopped i dont drink soda. All i drink is water and milk. And thats all ive been drinking for the past 3 weeks. And i feel great. Last time i had a little soda just to give myself a break, and the next day i literally didnt feel well. i had a stomach ache and i just felt nasty..

anyways what im saying is that even though one can be healthy and fat its not always a good thing. Being fat can increase the risk of health issues. So im trying to lose weight to be healthier and to look better. because for me my appearance is a lot to me. And i know if i see myself skinny i will feel a lot better. just my thoughts

[malachite]

yup.

[Zontar]

Depends. How's your blood pressure? Cholesterol? Level of physical activity? That's what matters more than the actual fat. But being fat brings them out of whack.

Eventually those metrics are gonna south, and you with 'em. Lose the pounds and you won't regret it.

[Emberstone]

I would say it depends on your level of activity and diet, as others have pointed out.

however, there is a point along the continuem of weight where it is unhealthy regardless.

[Mogget]

Yes, you can be overweight and healthy. Provided you have a good, balanced diet; are exercising regularly; have low cholesterol levels; etc, being overweight isn't an inherent marker of poor health. There's some evidence that slightly overweight people live longer than thin people, actually. There's some evidence that some people's metabolisms require them to diet to unhealthy levels to reach the official normal weight. This is especially true if you're judging your status as "overweight" based on your BMI as the BMI Illustrated Project attests.

[KaraBulut]

Originally Posted by Liam

There's some evidence that slightly overweight people live longer than thin people, actually.

I wanted to make sure I clarified the research that I think is mentioned here.

There were some studies that were done that looked at weight and diet and longevity. Those studies had different and somewhat inconsistent findings.

Some of the studies found that people who were on calorie restricted diets lived longer. The flaw in these studies were that they didn't examine why the other population eating more kcalories didn't live longer. So, if a comparison study looks at someone thin who eats 2000 kcalories per day versus someone who is overweight with diabetes who eats 3000 kcalories per day- it's not really a good study because we don't know which factor- body type, diet, diabetes, fat percentage - is causing the shorter life.

Some of the latest studies are adding new factors- like age and cardiovascular fitness. What they are finding is that if you look at people who exercise daily- even if it's just a daily walk- live longer than people who don't exercise. There are other factors that come into play- like weight, genetics, etc. But it's safe to say that a heavy person who exercises may be healthier than a thin person who doesn't exercise.

The issue that we run into is that excess fat increases other risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, insulin resistance, hormonal imbalances and cardiovascular disease- that are known to shorten lifespan. We don't completely know why fat seems connected to longevity but what we're discovering is that fat isn't just fat. Fat is living tissue that produces hormones and other chemicals that affect the rest of the body. Fat also seems to encourage the body to make more fat. And the studies point to exercise as counteracting the effect of fat- perhaps because it activates processes in the muscle tissue that stop the effects of stored fat in the body.

If you're interested, there's a good summary of some of the University of South Carolina studies here:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Fitness-Vs...rch&id=4028365 other more scholarly articles can be found under "Aerobic Center Longitudinal Study".

[LegitRomance]

Definitely.
If your doctor says your in good standing then it's just the way your body was built. Since everyone's body is different there's no real way to say your healthy or not.

[Austin]

I would say no. But that's just my logical guess, basically. I would say it depends how overweight you are. Having a few extra pounds, and eating completely healthy, would probably be better than a naturally thin person who can eat fast food, drink soda, have tons of ice cream bars, etc and still be thin. But my guess would be that, someone who is normal weight versus someone who is overweight, both eating the same kind of diet, the normal weight person would be healthier.

[Morphim]

Well, in my opinion, it depends on how you define 'healthy' and 'overweight'. If the amount of excess fat you have doesn't keep you from exercising regularly and you feel healthy, then yes.

[greeneyes]

I am exactly the same way and for a time I was stumped.

Then I realized a couple things that I thought I would pass on -
I would have a preference or eat out of habit certain foods that wouldn't fill me up (breads, pasta, pizza), and then I would eat too much of it or I would eat more later.
Even if I didn't eat more food, I wasn't getting the nutrients I needed so I was keeping on all of my weight. - Particularly I did not have enough protein in my diet, so I was tired a lot and would eat to try to energize myself.
I would skip meals (not on purpose, just like I wasn't hungry at breakfast) - that wasn't good for my digestive system.
I wouldn't get enough sleep - so I wouldn't digest completely.
I was doing the wrong kind of exercise - I did a lot of walking but it wasn't enough for me because I needed to do something to raise my heart rate.
Exercising at a certain point in the day was more beneficial than other points during the day.
My body would get used to my doing the same type of exercise - I have to mix it up and not go on auto-pilot.

I haven't changed that much in weight, but I have felt healthier. These obviously don't apply to everyone, but they have helped me. =)

[ezkill]

Originally Posted by Justindee13

I don't eat super healthy but yet I never eat super terrible food. I don't drink any soda. I do drink coffee and water, that's it. I don't eat fast food. I run/walk almost every night for at least 3 miles. I am very active. So I raise the question can I just be big and still be healthy?

It's great that you don't eat fast food, because it is the most efficient way to get fat, fast.

Anyways, what kind of foods do you eat on a day to day basis? It is entirely possible that your diet is too high in fats.

If you are exercising about an hour per day and you are eating somewhat right (and working towards healthier), then you should be fine. I noticed you mention that the doctor didn't say you were unhealthy, but maybe you should return and ask for more details about this matter, or see a nutritionist?

[zeratul]

Its a very simple conservation of mass/energy problem. If you are big in size, your body works harder to keep you alive and running. Your machinery work harder. Whatever amount of chemicals every organ and function a thinner person produces, you have to produce more. Thats just the surface of the problem. The internal problem is your blood pressure. Blood vessels are pressurized tubes and fat stays in there for about 8 minutes before they are carried to their destination. So if your blood vessels are thinner diameter than other people, then you simply increase your blood pressure. And depending on your diet, you may still have a cholesterol buildup in them.

Anyway, I don't think that being big in size and having even a slightly unhealthy diet will be considered healthy. And I define healthy by the long-term sustainability and maintenance of your body in order to maximize longevity.

[Michealleo]

if u raelly wana gain some weight they try to eat more protein foods like more peanuts , almonds , peanut butter , boild eggs , bananas and fish . Because these are all protein foods . these foods would help u to gain some weight . BEst of luck