Is being overweight really unhealthy?

[The Black Forrest]

Slightly overweight? Not really. Obesity? Absolutely.

[Ors Might]

Being overweight can cause some problems but isn’t really unhealthy as long as it doesn’t go too far. Being obese, on the other hand, is very much unhealthy.

[Farnhamia]

yes

fatty

*** Warned for flame-bait. ***

[Bear Stearns]

Obviously.

[Bombadil]

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. That still leaves the question of why big pharma relies upon hollow correlation-causation reasoning, instead of modeling the tensile strength of cartilage the way engineers model the tensile strength of wires.

It's not so much the cartilage, it's the fat, specifically the visceral fat surrounding the organs, that causes medical problems. He's also like 6'3", so that may have something to do with the joints as well.

Indeed, there's different types of fat..

Are Sumo wrestlers unhealthy..?

[Drongonia]

Yes

[The Hobbesian Metaphysician]

yes

fatty

Kind of an unnecessary addition of an insult, but whatever.

[Blargoblarg]

Is water wet? Do bears defecate in wooded areas?

[Stellar Colonies]

It's not as unhealthy as consuming copious quantities of plutonium, but having excess body fat is certainly not ideal for one's health.

[Unstoppable Empire of Doom]

How many 300lb + people have you seen that lived to 100 years? None? 90 years? None? 80? 70? Maybe one guy?

We just dont live long. Our hearts have to work harder to move blood that extra distance. Our carteledge is compressed. We litterally carry more weight putting extra strain on muscles. All of that is just BMI. If were talking fat people problems we add issues like breathing, cholesterol buildup in veins and the heart, bacteria in fat folds, depression, certain cancers, gout, and so much more.

I'm 6ft and 280lbs. I work on my feet doing physical labor most days. For most of you it would be a bit like if you put 2-3 45lb Olympic weights in a backpack and wore a ski mask and an extra hoodie all day in the 100 degree weather while walking 2+ miles. How the fuck wouldn't this shorten my lifespan?

[Kuominwave]

Yes, I'm pretty sure the very definition of "overweight" means to be at a weight that is undesirably high.

[Corunia and Mironor]

Yes it is. I'm overweight and while I don't have the worst possible health problems that could come with it, I can definitely feel the negative effects

[Kowani]

What degree of overweightness are we talking here?

[Dogmeat]

Does OP think that "Big Pharma" just invented this idea, and that Doctors and medical universities never bothered to check their work?

[Aclion]

How many 300lb + people have you seen that lived to 100 years? None? 90 years? None? 80? 70? Maybe one guy?

In fairness people often loose a load of weight when they start getting past 70.

[Valentine Z]

Overweight... depends. I mean, if you are using the BMI's definition of overweight like others have put it, it doesn't really that a lot if you're classified as "slightly overweight / overweight". Maybe you just have lean muscle mass. BMI itself has many limitations that doesn't take into account of many other variables.

Being obese, or having too much fat (in terms of fat %), on the other hand... that's when it becomes a problem. And perhaps one's heart having BPMs off the scale for even as something as walking.

* Last bit is a bit of a hyperbole; I'm aware that your heart can go crazy over anything else, so.... yeah, just watch your BFP (Body Fat %).

[-Ocelot-]

By being overweight, you are stressing pretty much every system in your body. It's not a significant problem when you are 20 or 30 (although you can still get some diseases), but eventually you'll have to face problems 10 and 20 years earlier than you should e.g: Hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, heart attack, hemorrhoids etc. It's like having the organs of an older person.

If you like being fat and enjoy eating food, be fat and enjoy food. But don't let the food enjoy you.

[Cetacea]

BMI is not a good indicator especially across ethnic groups and its possible to be both big built and healthy just as it’s possible to be skinny and unhealthy.

Nonetheless if a person is over the weight they ought to be then that’s probably an issue.

[The Sherpa Empire]

Being somewhat "overweight" may be healthy, depending on how much of the weight is muscle vs. fat, what sort of body type and genetic predispositions you have, and what conditions you're most worried about. Extra body mass may increase your risk of heart disease, but it also gives you more reserves for healing from injuries or fighting off infections.

But there is a point where it becomes unhealthy and the risks of heart disease, the pressure from the extra weight, etc. outweigh any benefit.

If you're 10 lb overweight, but you have plenty of energy and no circulatory problems, that's probably healthy. If you're 100 lb overweight, that's probably not healthy.

[The Imperium Empires]

In short yes and no.....confused? Fat on the body is not a bad things obviously and beings slightly obese which is above the average weight is not an issue but the term overweight quite literally means you are 'over' weight. Your body is not meant to have that much fat, its causes arteries to become clogged, high blood pressure and numerous medical issues and so on, being underweight is also considered a bad things. Overall being overweight is not a good thing.

[The Blaatschapen]

BMI sucks. It's the MBTI of the health industry.

Now, being overweight can bring issues. And bad nourishment can bring issues as well. And bad nourishment and being overweight CAN be linked (not necessarily though).

However, there is also body image. Where weight really shouldn't be a factor. Which is hard when you get bombarded in the media with supposedly better looking people, who happened to be photo shopped.

In short, if you are happy with your looks and your doctor says you are healthy, continue with what you are doing. If you are unhappy with them, or your doctor/medical health professionals give out severe warnings, change your patterns (not only food, but also more moving).

[Juzade]

Being a little overweight shouldn't be a problem. I for one find slightly bigger men more attractive than super lean, super chiseled guys. But obesity is something else entirely and that definitely is unhealthy.

But then again, I know for a fact that several of those big American football players out there could outrun more than one "healthy" weight guys. Besides, if someone feels happy in their body, who are we to judge? Happiness is a major contributing factor to overall health. Sure, being happy won't magically cure a high cholesterol, but it does impact several others things positively.

Besides, being overweight doesn't equal unhealthy living and eating. Some people have a natural tendency to gain weight, they can do their best, sport as much as they can, but they'll still be bigger than others. I know a guy that sports 5 times a week, eats and lives super healthy, but still is on the overweight side of the scale despite everything and has immense trouble losing weight. Not every body is the same and I wager we'd all be a lot happier if we stopped judging one another for how we look.

Oh, also, BMI is absolute nonsense. It wasn't even created to measure individuals, but groups of people. Body builders will easily slip into the overweight category even though they're clean muscle mass, so that alone shows how incredibly fallible BMI is.

[Vivolkha]

Yes, it is. But many people try to convince themselves that it isn't so that hey don't have to do any effort to have a healthy lifestyle.

And then there are the ones that will tell you that "oh but being fat is beautiful, we should accept every body as it is". Ok, but being overweight is still unhealthy.

[Juzade]

Yes, it is. But many people try to convince themselves that it isn't so that hey don't have to do any effort to have a healthy lifestyle.

And then there are the ones that will tell you that "oh but being fat is beautiful, we should accept every body as it is". Ok, but being overweight is still unhealthy.

You're putting it black and white. Being overweight doesn't equal having an unhealthy lifestyle. You can eat and live super healthy, exercise several times a week and still be overweight. You're under the presumption that every human body works the same way, well, let me tell you, that's not the case.

Being a little overweight shouldn't be a problem. Being obese is definitely unhealthy. But I think slightly overweight men are often more attractive than super lean and chiseled guys.

[Vivolkha]

Yes, it is. But many people try to convince themselves that it isn't so that hey don't have to do any effort to have a healthy lifestyle.

And then there are the ones that will tell you that "oh but being fat is beautiful, we should accept every body as it is". Ok, but being overweight is still unhealthy.

You're putting it black and white. Being overweight doesn't equal having an unhealthy lifestyle. You can eat and live super healthy, exercise several times a week and still be overweight. You're under the presumption that every human body works the same way, well, let me tell you, that's not the case.

Being a little overweight shouldn't be a problem. Being obese is definitely unhealthy. But I think slightly overweight men are often more attractive than super lean and chiseled guys.

Being a little overwight isn't that much of a problem because the boundary between "healthy weight" and "overweight" is a tad arbitrary. The more overweight you are, the more serious the health risks you face.

And yes, there are people who are overweight because of genetic factors and others. These are not the kind of people I was referring to.