# Happy, Healthy and Heavy **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 15, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233 "2009-09-15T21:16:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/41 "2009-09-16T11:38:55Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > There’s something really cute about the hangdog expression of your dog in that photo! 😛 That’s Mirabel, the [master](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-5yydCIzUDo/SkmQc0YfxSI/AAAAAAAAE78/ZAG_CrhZN98/s512/DSC00132.JPG) of puppy dog eyes. She’s an awesome dog. > [@Nava](#): > > And shut their mouths with an audible snap when I point out that being at less than 5 kg above what they consider my maximum acceptable weight makes me lose my periods. > > I do want to avoid getting my mother’s size, but it would be a lot easier if the people who are supposed to help me with that worked with me, with my body, with my tastes, instead of against me, or instead of talking to the Generic Average Patient. Newsflash: telling someone who never eats pastries and doesn’t drink alcohol “do not eat pastries or drink alcohol” is not going to help! > > **Renee** , if you’re overweight I must be a whale even when my periods go MIA ☹ It’s maddening, isn’t it? First you’re told your fat, 'cause look at the chart!, and then if you don’t agree, you’re both fat _and_ delusional, and your sense of normal is skewed because all the people around you are whales who spend all their time eating doughnuts and watching daytime TV. But don’t get defensive or anything! It’s just a tool! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/42 "2009-09-16T12:24:10Z")
My BMI says I’m slightly overweight. This has occasionally caused medical people to advise me to lose weight, usually over a fear I’m going to ballon in a whale in a few short years. On the other hand, my weight has been stable since high school (over 25 years), the only time it wasn’t was because I _lost_ 25 pounds due to a severe illness. I also currently engage in manual labor for a living, and thus I’m a bit more muscular than most women my age. With all other indicators looking good (things like blood pressure of 110/70 and a resting pulse in the low 60’s, normal blood sugar, etc.) the whole issue of weight is largely a non-issue. However, a woman my size who weighs 190 (as one of the women depicted in that photo spread does) is overweight. She may be healthy, but she is overweight. That may never turn into a problem. You know, there are women in the normal weight range who are athletic and healthy… but have high blood pressure. Everything else may be fine, they still have high blood pressure. It’s still better if they get that back down in the normal range, even if the high pressure may never cause them a health problem it is still a risk factor. Likewise, there are some very healthy, very athletic people who have elevated blood sugar. That’s not good, even if they are healthy enough otherwise that it’s not causing them problems. At the very least they need to keep an eye on the situation and take steps if a problem develops. You know, it wouldn’t hurt me to lost 5-10 lbs at this point. But, because it’s not hurting me to carry it right now, and I have a bajillion other concerns in life, it’s not a priority (I do plan to _maintain_ my weight and not gain more). If it DID start causing me a problem, though, I’d take off the 5-10 lbs. Saying those people are fine right now is OK, but the question is, IF their weight started to become a serious health issue would they/could they take off the weight? ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/43 "2009-09-16T12:59:13Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > I just got a new scale. The old one maxed out at 270. I have a paunch, I’ll admit, but I get regular excercise, and the last string of tests (albeit 6 years ago), were negative. > > That said, the Über scale I got for cheap on woot says I’m 26% fat, have an obese BMI, and the body of an 80 year old. (FTR, I’m 40 and 6’5") > > I’m not in as good a shape as I used to be, but I get an hour of cardio three times a week, and I’ve far from Obese. If you’re 6’5", weigh over 270 pounds, and are not an NFL defensive linemen than chances are you are fat. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/44 "2009-09-16T13:01:07Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > However, a woman my size who weighs 190 (as one of the women depicted in that photo spread does) is overweight. She may be healthy, but she is overweight. That may never turn into a problem. You know, there are women in the normal weight range who are athletic and healthy… but have high blood pressure. Everything else may be fine, they still have high blood pressure. It’s still better if they get that back down in the normal range, even if the high pressure may never cause them a health problem it is still a risk factor. Likewise, there are some very healthy, very athletic people who have elevated blood sugar. That’s not good, even if they are healthy enough otherwise that it’s not causing them problems. At the very least they need to keep an eye on the situation and take steps if a problem develops. That’s a very good point. You can’t always make accurate assumptions about a person’s state of health based on their weight/size. My blood pressure is fine (as is all my bloodwork). My slim husband has prehypertension and his mother has very high blood pressure which is being treated with medication. Yet if we were to stop the average person in the street and ask them to guess which of us has prehypertension, I bet your bottom dollar they’d guess it was me. Some overweight people are unhealthy. Some underweight people are unhealthy. Some normal weight people are unhealthy. The presence of overweight does not automatically mean someone is in bad health. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/45 "2009-09-16T13:08:44Z")
Right, it’s an _indicator_, not a snap diagnosis. That’s what doctors talk about vital sign **s** , not singular. The problem is not BMI in and of itself, it’s people using that one indicator as an absolute diagnosis of health and well being. It’s not. It’s one factor among many. If you only have one factor that raises a flag you’re actually doing pretty good, but if you have several you have a problem or at a high risk for problems. Fact is, a _lot_ of overweight people have other warning indicators (high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, whatever) to go along with their BMI. If your BMI is high you definitely need to get a check up and see if there are other warning signs, and keep an eye on your health. But then, even if all your vital signs are perfectly normal you still need to keep an eye on your health. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/46 "2009-09-16T13:58:04Z")
Right, it’s an _indicator_, not something meaningless. Most people who have a BMI that puts them into the “obese” category are there because they have excessive body fat. Maybe they are otherwise healthy - if so, good for them. But they are still obese. It’s not everything, it’s not the only thing, but it’s not nothing. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/47 "2009-09-16T14:04:04Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Right, it’s an _indicator_, not a snap diagnosis. That’s what doctors talk about vital sign **s** , not singular. The problem is not BMI in and of itself, it’s people using that one indicator as an absolute diagnosis of health and well being. It’s not. It’s one factor among many. If you only have one factor that raises a flag you’re actually doing pretty good, but if you have several you have a problem or at a high risk for problems. Fact is, a _lot_ of overweight people have other warning indicators (high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, whatever) to go along with their BMI. If your BMI is high you definitely need to get a check up and see if there are other warning signs, and keep an eye on your health. But then, even if all your vital signs are perfectly normal you still need to keep an eye on your health. Exactly. I accept the fact that being obese makes me more likely to have health issues, but I do not accept that obesity itself is a health issue. In the same way, having fair skin makes me more likely to develop skin cancer, but I do not believe that having fair skin is in itself a health issue. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/48 "2009-09-16T14:45:30Z")
> [@Algorithm](#): > > When a 250 pound fat ass who shoves cupcakes in their mouth a dozen at a time can run a mile as fast as I can, they can call me unhealthy. Am I the only one who got this? Everyone replying to it seems to have been completely whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/49 "2009-09-16T14:49:19Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Am I the only one who got this? Everyone replying to it seems to have been completely whooshed. I got it, just didn’t feel like arguing about the whole issue anymore 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/50 "2009-09-16T15:45:53Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > You’re wasting your time, honestly. You’re discussing this with someone who routinely spouts ideas that if you’re not overweight then you’re boyishly built. In her world, real women have fat. Engage her much more and she’ll sick her husband in to deal with you. Please stay on topic, and refrain from comments about the poster and other encounters you’ve had with her. twickster, MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/51 "2009-09-16T16:31:02Z")
> [@Discipline](#): > > Bullshit. That’s completely disingenuous and you know it. The implication is clearly that all skinny people simply _must_ be anorexic. > > Read it again: > > First is the implication that skinny people are simply not active or do no work at all. > Second is the implication that 100-pound women are necessarily starved. > Third is that they do it to be “beautiful.” > Fourth is the completely retarded conclusion that a 100 pound person is inferior and incapable because she cannot lift 80 pounds of hay. As negative comments go, the one we’re arguing about in this thread is pretty innocuous (and true) - a woman would have to be a complete freak of nature to be 100 pounds, maintaining that weight by not eating, and still be able to do the manual labour that the woman in the picture does. That woman actually **is** inferior to the woman pictured by these parameters. I don’t buy your extrapolations to all underweight women from that comment. The woman in the picture didn’t say, “All women who aren’t fat like me are useless.” She made a fairly specific comment. > [@](#): > > News to the self-righteous fatties [not directed at anyone in this thread]: some people are small, some people are thin, most of them don’t starve themselves to be that way. For as much as we rail against the “she’s fat therefore she must eat constantly” stereotype, it seems to remain OK to denigrate people on the other end of the scale. It’s exactly as ignorant an argument, just in the opposite direction. I’ve given this quite a bit of thought - the egalitarian in me wants to believe that is true, but it isn’t. Fat people in North America are treated to much more abuse than skinny people (I can get the cites if you don’t believe it, but I believe it is pretty much common knowledge). Fat people tossing off a few less than worshipful comments about skinny people does not compare to the comments and attitudes (blatant and subtle) that fat people receive all the time. A fat woman in North America probably hears negative comments about her weight and attractiveness a couple of time a year. A skinny woman might hear negative comments about her weight a couple times in her **lifetime** (and even those are probably of the jealous/envious type - “I wish I could be as skinny as you”). I am aware that two wrongs don’t make a right, but fat people have a lot of built up hostility and bitterness; the negative comments towards skinny people are backlash at this point. Is it wrong? Yeah. Is the way overweight women are treated in many obvious and subtle ways right now wrong? Hell yeah. No, the answer isn’t being as mean to skinny people as people have historically been to fat people, but I’m willing to give fat people a little chance to blow off some steam. Black people in America didn’t instantly start loving white people the second segregation ended either (and if you think my comparison is over-the-top, I submit to you that fat people in North America are currently being treated like second-class people). ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/52 "2009-09-16T17:02:27Z")
> [@treis](#): > > If you’re 6’5", weigh over 270 pounds, and are not an NFL defensive linemen than chances are you are fat. By the same token, a ‘non obese’ BMI would have me weighing 205-210. I might have 30 lbs to lose. I do NOT have 60. But it’s been well established that BMI doesn’t count for much, especially for folks on the outlying ends of the bellcurve. what got me more than the BMI was the scale’s ‘You have an effective body age of 80’. My wife, who is a little under 6’ and does not exercise, received much more ‘expected’ results. Her percentages seemed more in line, and the BMI actually classed her as ‘mildly overweight’ ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/53 "2009-09-16T17:33:33Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Right, it’s an _indicator_, not something meaningless. > > Most people who have a BMI that puts them into the “obese” category are there because they have excessive body fat. Maybe they are otherwise healthy - if so, good for them. But they are still obese. > > It’s not everything, it’s not the only thing, but it’s not nothing. It seems to me that the loudest voices in the “scrap the BMI” campaign come from those who would be considered obese by any measure, BMI or no BMI. The fact that a bodybuilder might erroneously receive a high BMI measurement also does not mean that you’re suddenly considered fit despite your\* cascading terrace of fat-rolls and hyperventilating duck’s waddle. - In the general sense, of course. I’ve no doubt **Shodan** ’s sporting a G.I. Joe six-pack and can bench-press 600 lbs. without breaking a sweat. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/54 "2009-09-16T17:36:48Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > Exactly. I accept the fact that being obese makes me more likely to have health issues, but I do not accept that obesity itself is a health issue. In the same way, having fair skin makes me more likely to develop skin cancer, but I do not believe that having fair skin is in itself a health issue. How true is this? I’ve heard lots of people say that being obese in and itself isn’t necessarily a health issue–is that so? ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/55 "2009-09-16T17:47:03Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > How true is this? I’ve heard lots of people say that being obese in and itself isn’t necessarily a health issue–is that so? According to Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, that is correct. I don’t know how much expertise he has on the human body but he seems to be a genius when it comes to food and health and held to god-like standards by lots of people when it comes to diet related information. I read that in In Defense of Food so I don’t have a link to give here unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/56 "2009-09-16T17:49:28Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > Exactly. I accept the fact that being obese makes me more likely to have health issues, but I do not accept that obesity itself is a health issue. In the same way, having fair skin makes me more likely to develop skin cancer, but I do not believe that having fair skin is in itself a health issue. Isnt that like saying having a heart problem isnt a health issue till you actually drop dead from the heart attack? Sounds like flimsy justification to me. My general understanding is extra fat, much less a bunch of extra fat had NO real health benefit and certainly has downsides, baring extremes like famines. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/57 "2009-09-16T18:20:37Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > By the same token, a ‘non obese’ BMI would have me weighing 205-210. I might have 30 lbs to lose. I do NOT have 60. Again, I just have to doubt it. A 6’5" 240 pound person in good shape is very very muscular. It is true that you may never get down to a 210 weight, but unless you look like Ahhnold getting into the “overweight” category shouldn’t be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/58 "2009-09-16T18:23:02Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Am I the only one who got this? Everyone replying to it seems to have been completely whooshed. You’re going to have to explain it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/59 "2009-09-16T18:24:05Z")
> [@treis](#): > > You’re going to have to explain it to me. I got it, too. He was saying that the woman in the article’s remark about how she can carry more hay than a 100 pound woman starving herself is just as mean spirited as making fun of a fat person who stuffs themselves with cupcakes and can’t run fast. ---
**Author:** ![Discipline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Discipline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discipline)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233/60 "2009-09-16T18:29:05Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I don’t buy your extrapolations to all underweight women from that comment. The woman in the picture didn’t say, “All women who aren’t fat like me are useless.” She made a fairly specific comment. You’re in complete denial if you think that unprompted anti-thin diatribe was a “fairly specific comment.” There’s a pretty huge difference between “I’m this way because it supports the activities I do” and “Your pathetic twiggy ass couldn’t handle _these_ hay bales!” “All women who aren’t fat like me are useless [and must obviously starve themselves into that state]” is _exactly_ what she said. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I am aware that two wrongs don’t make a right, but fat people have a lot of built up hostility and bitterness; the negative comments towards skinny people are backlash at this point. Yeah, but since we’re justifying being self-righteous judgmental assholes in this thread, let’s go all out: They have a lot of built up fat too. And steam isn’t all they need to burn off. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Is it wrong? Yeah. Yeah. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Black people in America didn’t instantly start loving white people the second segregation ended either (and if you think my comparison is over-the-top, I submit to you that fat people in North America are currently being treated like second-class people). Hoo boy. Let’s not go down this road OK? Unless you want to run down it, it’s pretty long and would be a good workout. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-healthy-and-heavy/510233.md?page=4)