Fat and Healthy: Is it Possible?

An article on Time.com talks about people who are considered obese, but they work out, and get straight A's on their physical exams. They are strong and flexible. They may have BMI's of 35, but perhaps, as Time suggests, obesity is overrated.

With the common debate out there that it is possible to be both fat and healthy, it's good to ask the question, " Is that really true?" Here are the reasons why some say it's true and others say it is definitely not.

Maybe we should all be as "unhealthy" as some obese people.

Can you lie down, pull your leg to your face, and touch your nose? Some obese people can. They teach aerobics and dance classes. Some of them never miss a day of walking. Ask yourself how high your blood pressure is. Some obese people always have a good blood pressure report when they visit the doctor.

Perhaps "thin" is not as "in" as we thought

Over 50 million Americans are on some type of diet, and they are usually unsuccessful. Anorexia and bulimia have ruined the lives of countless teens trying desperately to lose weight. It is said that about eighty percent of Americans will eventually become overweight.

So just how "in" is "thin?" It's in enough to consume many people's lives. Perhaps, if like the fit and obese, we could be happy with the bodies we have, America would be a much better place. But, with these positive attributes of being obese yet fit, there are some negatives.

It's been tested and proven that obesity cuts life short.

Why? Because even though at the present time, an obese yet healthy person's blood pressure may be low, by no means are there any guarantees. Later on in life, more things happen to obese people than to thinner people.

The proof is in the study

A study that appeared in the journal of the American Medical Association tested men and women from the Chicago area who had no heart disease or diabetes at the time of the study. Followed for approximately 32 years, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hospitalizations for those illnesses were tracked beginning at age 65.

31 people who had normal blood pressure and cholesterol at the beginning of the study ended up dieing of cardiovascular disease. The obese were 43 percent more likely to die of heart disease than the subjects who had a normal weight. Experts in the study say that without increasing cholesterol or high blood pressure, fat stored in the body can send out messengers that can cause other diseases such as diabetes.

What do we learn from this? Perhaps you can't even trust your doctor! Researchers are disagreeing about this topic even though the studies are out there. That means that your doctor might tell you it's okay to be obese as long as you stay healthy, but be cautious. stay informed, and make your own decisions.