can you be fat AND healthy?

coronadozx · 02-12-2008, 12:51 PM

this is something i've wondered for awhile ... is it possible to be fat and healthy at the same time?

i seriously doubt it, but what if a person eats primarly healthy food, but a LOT of it and just is overweight? healthy food meaning fruits, vegetables, low fat, low in saturated fat, etc. not anything like fried foods, canned foods, fast food, etc.

i'm just curious to see what other people say.

Fizzgeek · 02-12-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coronadozx

this is something i've wondered for awhile ... is it possible to be fat and healthy at the same time?

i seriously doubt it, but what if a person eats primarly healthy food, but a LOT of it and just is overweight? healthy food meaning fruits, vegetables, low fat, low in saturated fat, etc. not anything like fried foods, canned foods, fast food, etc.

i'm just curious to see what other people say.

I often thought about that. I lost about 40lbs after I gave up alcohol in 2004 and am much healthier now for a variety of reasons. I certainly FEEL better at 190lbs and 6'0". The weight may not be a factor in and of itself for some people if they are doing everything else right. Blood pressure is okay, blood sugar is okay, and cholesterol is under 200. I think you can look "doughy" like The King of Queens and be ok...(But are you going to FEEL okay )

AlphaRider · 02-12-2008, 01:01 PM

I think what your asking is if a person consumes an above the average ammount of calories of "healthy" food and is fat, is he healthy?

I would have to say that too much food either vegetables or mcdonalds is not good for the body. I know mcdonalds is much worse but too much of either is still bad. It's easy to assume that a person who is overweight and eats healthy doesn't work out regularly or enough to lose weight.

Losing weight is 90% diet and 10% working out.

Back to the question. Excess weight on the human body puts extra strain on the health, respiratory system, ect...Humans by nature are not meant to be fat, we are animals just like everything else outside. By fat I mean obese, everyone should carry some fat as it is very important.

See any fat apes?

R1oldguy · 02-12-2008, 01:02 PM

Yes. One of the news shows had a guy that was close to 300lb. BUT, he had an unusually large and strong heart. The guy did exercise, but he looked kinda fat

binx_19 · 02-12-2008, 04:19 PM

well i have been seeing in the news that if you work out and eat right and still fat, you are better off then a skinny person who doesnt eat right or workout. so yes to your question.

cbrenthus · 02-12-2008, 04:28 PM

I don't know many people that complain that they got fat from eating too many fruits, vegetables, and low fat foods.

firefighter81 · 02-12-2008, 04:38 PM

There's always going to be anomalies out there. For example, my supervisor is a marathon runner who also chain smokes. I don't get it, he goes through easily a pack and a half day, yet everyday he also runs 5 or 6 miles. He also participates in long distance (20+ mile) runs about once a month.

Or there's another guy I know who is 5'9" 270lbs, not in shape, just fat, but he keeps up with me when we go running. I run a 9:14 1.5 mile, not blazing fast, but I've never known anyone else his size who could do that.

The problem with being overweight is that your organs have to work that much harder to supply blood to your extra body weight. This goes the same with professional body builders. If you go from 180lbs to 280lbs but muscular, you've added a lot of body mass, and your heart is the same size as it was before.

It all depends on your definition of healthy, some people think you can be fat, and as long as you don't have any diseases, you are "healthy"

I just don't understand how some of these people can allow themselves to become so grossly overweight and not do anything about it.

coronadozx · 02-12-2008, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firefighter81

There's always going to be anomalies out there. For example, my supervisor is a marathon runner who also chain smokes. I don't get it, he goes through easily a pack and a half day, yet everyday he also runs 5 or 6 miles. He also participates in long distance (20+ mile) runs about once a month.

Or there's another guy I know who is 5'9" 270lbs, not in shape, just fat, but he keeps up with me when we go running. I run a 9:14 1.5 mile, not blazing fast, but I've never known anyone else his size who could do that.

270 lbs running at a 9:15 1.5 mile pace? WTF?????? even when i was running a LOT, i didn't run faster than 10:45 1.5 mile! i weighed 195 pounds at the time and was running 20-25 miles a week. i'm impressed.

as for the marathon cigarette smoker ... i don't get that either! i can't tell you how many times i've seen guys/gals trying to get that last puff in before the semi-annual PRT ... this one guy ran a 10:15 1.5 mile who smokes almost 2 packs a day! after he ran, he walked over to the bleachers and lit up! i just don't get it.

XB12R · 02-12-2008, 05:38 PM

If you eat healthy and exercise it would be very difficult to stay fat. Anyone who does both of those things, but doesn't lose weight is eating too much even if it is healthy food. Having a healthy weight and body fat percentage has just as much to do with how much you eat as it does what you eat. Theoretically a person could stay fit eating McDonald's and whatever else everyday so long as they only took in the amount of calories they burned per day. Of course that would mean the person would either eat less meals per day or have to burn tons of calories working out, but it would be possible.

I am 5'10", and in July of 07 I was 205 lbs, but since then I started to pay attention to the calories I took in and I have dropped all the way to 175 lbs. I was not healthy at 205 lbs, but nobody would have considered me to be fat as in obese... I can directly attribute this weight loss to reducing the portions I take in at each meal, and sticking to a reasonable workout schedule. The most difficult part for me is pushing through the couple times I have hit a plateau.

firefighter81 · 02-12-2008, 05:52 PM

The thing is, there is more to health than weight. You can be skinny and eat McDonald's every meal, that doesn't mean you are healthy by any means. Eating that way, depriving your body of many nutrients that it needs to function efficiently is unhealthy.

acalliste · 02-12-2008, 05:57 PM

What's your definition of "fat"? Or healthy/unhealthy, for that matter?

I'm about 15 pounds over my ideal weight. I gained 15-20 pounds in 5 years (from age 35 - 40), yet my cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, thyroid, etc have been and still are perfect. I don't exercise all that much, but I can walk up 5 flights of stairs with no problem (and do at least once every week day), and I jump on my eliptical every now and then. I'm pretty inactive compared to the workouts some of you guys do, but my 20 year old son could barely keep up with me when we were walking all over London. He was exhausted after I'd only been there a few days.

I eat whatever I want. I don't go on diets. But I eat a lot of fruit and veggies. No red meat, barely drink any alcohol, no soda. But I haven't lost any weight in several years. My body just seems to be happy where it's at right now, and is trying it's damnedest to stay there.

So, yes I think you can overweight and healthy, as long as you aren't so overweight that the extra weight itself causes health problems.

Ozy · 02-12-2008, 06:00 PM

Theres a cast member of the Wiggles,he's not one of the main dudes, but he dances around in the background.

He's kinda fat.

Is that wat you mean?

coronadozx · 02-12-2008, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acalliste

What's your definition of "fat"? Or healthy/unhealthy, for that matter?

I'm about 15 pounds over my ideal weight. I gained 15-20 pounds in 5 years (from age 35 - 40), yet my cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, thyroid, etc have been and still are perfect. I don't exercise all that much, but I can walk up 5 flights of stairs with no problem (and do at least once every week day), and I jump on my eliptical every now and then. I'm pretty inactive compared to the workouts some of you guys do, but my 20 year old son could barely keep up with me when we were walking all over London. He was exhausted after I'd only been there a few days.

I eat whatever I want. I don't go on diets. But I eat a lot of fruit and veggies. No red meat, barely drink any alcohol, no soda. But I haven't lost any weight in several years. My body just seems to be happy where it's at right now, and is trying it's damnedest to stay there.

So, yes I think you can overweight and healthy, as long as you aren't so overweight that the extra weight itself causes health problems.

you're at the so-called "set point." a lot of people are like you (me included) that can't seem to lose weight when they are doing what is recommended. every prt (every 6 months) i have to get my bodyfat measured b/c i don't fit the ideal weight for my height as far as the navy is concerned. i'm even over the bodyfat the navy sets as the standard ... 22%. they measure your neck and your waist, subtract that and look on a chart to get your bodyfat. how archaic is that!!!!??? i am able to pass the prt b/c i can score so high on it, but i'm too fat!? however, according to a caliber bf, i'm 16%. way to go navy.

firefighter81 · 02-12-2008, 06:36 PM

It's the same deal in the Air Force, except they don't use that body fat equation. They use BMI (body mass index). For myself to be "ideal" weight at 6'2", I have to be under 190lbs, screw that, I was that skinny before and I worked my ass off to get to the 220lbs I am now. I'm way happier with my body now than I was when I was 180lbs. So according to the BMI, I am "overweight" pfffffttttt.

coronadozx · 02-12-2008, 06:41 PM

it makes me so dag on mad the military states they are so technologically advanced and they still employ 35 to 40 year old methods in a LOT of areas.