# Advantages of being overweight **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2014, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829 "2014-03-16T11:50:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/41 "2014-03-17T04:27:08Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve seen really huge guys outside in frigid weather wearing a t-shirt and jeans. But what happens in July when it’s 90 degrees and humid? Uh, they are hot and sweaty, like anyone else wearing a lot of insulation. I don’t think this thread is about really good reasons to get fat. Seems like just a fun thought exercise about the benefits of such. No one is suggesting it’s an all-around great way to live or anything. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/42 "2014-03-17T05:18:59Z")
On a bench seat on a bus, you can have the whole place to yourself. There isn’t room for others. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/43 "2014-03-17T05:22:50Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Uh, they are hot and sweaty, like anyone else wearing a lot of insulation. > > I don’t think this thread is about really good reasons to get fat. Seems like just a fun thought exercise about the benefits of such. No one is suggesting it’s an all-around great way to live or anything. I was truly curious how much more miserable the extra insulation would make someone. I’ve been 10 pounds lighter and 10 pounds heavier than I am right now. I’m not sure if I could tell the difference between my heaviest and lightest. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/44 "2014-03-17T06:14:31Z")
Save lots of money by not dating as much, especially while in school. Stay home, studying, get better grades, get better jobs, make more money. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/45 "2014-03-17T08:24:58Z")
A fat guy will win in the belly womp. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/46 "2014-03-17T13:42:58Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I don’t remember if I made this up when being silly one night, or if I read/heard something about it as a real study…but having a thicker layer of “me” around my organs in my midsection could save them from puncture if stabbed by a blade or other implement short enough. > > As in - you might not be able to nick any of my organs from my front with a paring knife or a pocket knife, but it could be a very deadly proposition for a thin person. No reason to believe this wouldn’t be the case - see the link in the OP, there’s at least one documented case of fat saving someone in a stabbing and that took me about 3 seconds on Google. The further away a sharp pointy thing is from the heart, liver, etc the better. > [@tracer](#): > > Two words: > > Sumo wrestlers. See [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POJ2T023M4I) fight between Gracie and Akebono; Gracie weighing in at 180-lbs and Abebono at 486. Gracie wins in an arm lock. See also [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWxlZ52O0rI) match - a 600lbs (!) fighter vs 169lbs MMA fighter, the smaller man doesn’t even know where to start - but eventually superior mobility wears the bigger man out. So I don’t think it’s worth the trade-off. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Uh, they are hot and sweaty, like anyone else wearing a lot of insulation. > > I don’t think this thread is about really good reasons to get fat. Seems like just a fun thought exercise about the benefits of such. No one is suggesting it’s an all-around great way to live or anything. Quite right; like the example of smoking in the classic column. Everyone knows it’s bad for ya, but are there any silver linings? According to the New Scientist publication _Does Anything Eat Wasps?_ to have enough fat to stop a bullet you’d have to weigh at least 650kg, at which point the advantage of potentially stopping a bullet is outweighed (no pun intended) by being unable to move and having your cardiovascular system crying for mercy. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/48 "2014-03-17T14:49:21Z")
I saw an episode of a TV show where a fitness trainer had to wear a fat suit to simulate the weight of his obese clients, and he couldn’t even move in it. It made me wonder if an obese person who abruptly lost weight would be extraordinarily strong, relatively speaking. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/49 "2014-03-17T15:13:45Z")
> [@Batistuta](#): > > Ever wondered why men tend to gain fat around the belly, whereas women gain fat in different areas? That’s because males were historically bound to get into fights, and all that belly-fat would protect the vital organs from harm. This sounds to me like one of those explanations rooted in simplistic folk (mis)understandings of evolutionary biology. I would be very surprised if your claim were true, although i’ve been wrong before, and am perfectly willing to be convinced if you have any evidence. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/50 "2014-03-17T15:14:10Z")
Another advantage is that you can have the nickname “Slim”. Most Slims I’ve met weren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/51 "2014-03-17T15:35:41Z")
As far as general mortality goes, isn’t part of the statistical ‘advantage’ of being ‘overweight’ just that some fraction of the skinny people are thin because they’re sick/dying/not thriving for one reason or another? Sort of like, with all the chemo patients, bald people probably have a relatively high mortality, but that doesn’t mean that having hair is directly advantageous. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/52 "2014-03-17T15:36:45Z")
> [@Chihuahua](#): > > I saw an episode of a TV show where a fitness trainer had to wear a fat suit to simulate the weight of his obese clients, and he couldn’t even move in it. It made me wonder if an obese person who abruptly lost weight would be extraordinarily strong, relatively speaking. Only if you exercise to maintain some muscle and eat properly. Many of the people you see on TV who garner the lions share of the attention are ones that lost the weight quickly thru some crazy diet with minimal exercising (like walking); they lose a lot of muscle mass along with the fat. If you lose the weight slowly and do some weight training you can maintain some strength but you will not have bulging muscles, if only because of all of the loose skin that comes with the weight lost. I’ve lost a hundred pounds before thru diet and walking and you look good in cloths, but when you take them off you have stretch marks and flabby skin hanging from your triceps, thighs and neck. Still, I looked good enough to get laid. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/53 "2014-03-17T15:41:16Z")
And as for the OP. There are no real advantages to being fat. Being fat sucks, no one seriously wishes to be fat. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/54 "2014-03-17T16:56:36Z")
If you’re fat then you wear bigger pants which make a better floatation device than skinny jeans. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/55 "2014-03-17T16:59:27Z")
> [@spikytrogle](#): > > It really feels more comfortable to hug somebody who is fat rather than a skinny one. It’s a matter of degree. Slightly overweight maybe. But I, for one, find physical contact with obese people off-putting. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/56 "2014-03-17T22:29:53Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > It’s a matter of degree. Slightly overweight maybe. But I, for one, find physical contact with obese people off-putting. Whereas I find the opposite. To each his own. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/57 "2014-03-17T22:58:48Z")
Fat is fluffy but often smelly. ---
**Author:** ![smokey78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/58 "2014-03-17T23:43:16Z")
when I was a child I was obese (I’ll consider myself overweight now, at BMI of 25) I accidentally took an extra strength Tylenol and when my mom called Poison Control she told them my weight (I think it was 105 lbs) at seven yrs old and they said there wasn’t much to worry as my bodymass could excrete that amount. ---
**Author:** ![Vercingetorix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/848f3c/32.png) [@Vercingetorix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vercingetorix)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/59 "2014-03-18T01:15:14Z")
Overweight men are perceived as “more reliable, honest, and better able to cope with the pressures of public life.” > **[Public Prefers Fat Politicians— If They're Men](https://www.newser.com/story/79544/public-prefers-fat-politicians-if-theyre-men.html)** > > Study finds fat men, thin women believed to be more reliable I wouldn’t say it cancels out the negative effects, but it’s something. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/60 "2014-03-18T03:05:45Z")
If you’re in love with a Chubby Chaser, then you’re in like Flynn. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829/61 "2014-03-18T08:04:30Z")
Being fat in a famine does nothing for your longevity - you become lunch.:eek:😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advantages-of-being-overweight/683829.md?page=4)