Can You Really Be Fat and Fit at the Same Time?

So currently I have been participating in a competition through my University called "Fit and Phat". Basically a rip off of NBC's "The Biggest Loser," this competition has put me through the ringer fitness wise, but with great results. Unfortunately, our grand prize is only $350 dollars, but it has made me start to wonder...can a person truly be fit and fat at the same time? Recently there has been a renewed search for answers to this exact question. Can you truly as an overweight person, but still active (just not active enough to be losing weight) still be healthy?

This debate all started with an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year. In this study both male and female obese participants who were deemed "fit" by treadmill tests, were shown to have a lower mortality rate than those who were of normal weight, but lower fitness level. The article went on to stress how important activity was regardless of weight. I actually read this article when it first came out and it truly made me jump for joy. Since about the age of ten I have been overweight, but I noticed early on that though I was overweight, I was able to keep up in most sports and other activities. My joy however was short lived. New research published this year is stating that you truly cannot be fit while being overweight...Goodbye cookies.

The new study affiliated with Harvard was published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study has upped its amount of participants to 39,000, and though it was done with only women, the results are pretty undeniable regardless of sex. The results show that compared with normal active women, the risk of heart disease rose 87 percent for those who were obese and active. The study also showed the numbers to be 88 percent for inactive overweight women, and 2 ½ times more at risk for obese inactive women.

These Numbers are sobering. Studies have already been put out that estimate that 2 out of 5 women will develop heart issues by the age of 50. Being overweight or obese only raises those odds whether you are active or not. I may be of the male species, but looking at studies our odds are not much better. In fact, in a new 2008 update from the American Heart Association 233,000 men died of heart related complications in 2005 alone. Those number I'm sure have skyrocketed since.

So have these numbers made me say goodbye to my late night cookie runs? Not really. I am not one to go on these crazy no sugar whatsoever diets of nothing but cabbage. I will admit that these studies have affected the amount of cookies I consume at a time. They have also increased my resolve to continue to lose the weight, not just get fit.

As a person who has lost over 70 pounds now, I'll promise you that you can drop the weight, and you will be amazed at how good you feel. You'll not just look in the mirror and feel good, you will be able to physically feel the difference. So get off the couch, put the cookie down, and start the road to a much healthier and longer life.

Resources

American Medical Association

American Heart Association

http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1200078608862HS_Stats%202008.final.pdf

Archives of Internal Medicine

MSNBC.com