Comments on: Can You Be Fit AND “Fat?”

By: Hidi

Hidi — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:43:07 +0000

I like your article; it’s really interesting.

By: PhluffyPrincess

PhluffyPrincess — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:52:01 +0000

great post! i agree wholeheartedly with your objection to the statement “because i am thin i have never been sick” that is not true. being within a healthy weight just places you at lower risk, not guarantees you will not ever be sick or develop certain diseases.

By: Erika

Erika — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:53:16 +0000

@Tracy, I think we’re mixing signals, here. If a person has a clean bill of health and their weight is kept in check, losing weight would be for aesthetic purposes. And when I say “kept in check,” I mean as in it doesn’t fluctuate to beyond 5lbs north or south of an intended goal.

I think you’re touching on a bigger issue within mixed signals, here. Additional weight isn’t usually the problem, it’s a visible symptom of the larger problem… which IS an unhealthy lifestyle. You’re generally told to “lose weight” because there’s a market for thing to HELP you lose weight. The woman in the video didn’t need to lose weight, and she was all jacked up on the insides – hence the problem with the focus being on LOSING WEIGHT and not being HEALTHY.

Combine that with the fact that the image of the “tiny woman” is constantly being put in our faces, and the message quickly becomes “lose weight, be healthy.” It then mutates into “lose weight to be healthy.” All wrong. You feel me?

If you are completely healthy and living a healthy and active lifestyle, you couldn’t possibly keep on the excess weight. It’s not physically possible. Because of that, I question the definition of “healthy” we are using here. I don’t know you or your stats to pass judgment, so I hope you don’t think that’s what I’m doing. But this is why I always say the focus should be on living a healthier lifestyle.. because once you fix that, the weight literally FALLS off. You dig?

Having said allllll that… at the end of the day, we just need to be honest with ourselves. Honest about what “fit” and “healthy” really mean, whether we are “close to” or “far away from” the definition of those… and what we really want out of life. After that.. just go after it. That’s all.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:17:09 +0000

I am SO going to be posting this video (and linking you of course) on my blog. I am much like the “fat” woman in the video in that I work-out daily, eat well but still manage to weigh about 180-ish and wear a size 12. On the outside I may not “look” like I work-out as much as I do but my doctor says I am in great health and my BP has gone from the 140’s to 120’s.

I do wish the disclaimer was a little more thorough. “Healthy” can come in all sizes but there are a lot of us that think being “thick” without weight/diet consideration is okay.

Great post!

By: Ashley

Ashley — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:28:32 +0000

I have a friend who is SKINNY as a beanpole and she just got diagnosed with high cholesterol. I think it’s partially due to her love of butter and partially from genetics. No matter what you look like, it’s important to have a balanced diet and lots of exercise!

By: Tracy

Tracy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:23:32 +0000

Based on the results in the video, I guess it would be aesthetic. And you’re right. “Fat” is subjective, especially in America. However, we hear all the time that “you might be healthy now, but your weight CAN (and WILL) eventually lead to health problems.” If it’s true that one can be fit and “fat,” then why encourage people to lose weight? Even at my weight and all my stats being good, should I even bother losing weight? I get so confused with all these reports. As soon as I try to lose weight to get “healthy” and save myself from future complications, I get reports telling me that I can be healthy and fat. I feel like a hamster on a wheel…

By: Erika

Erika — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:05:28 +0000

I don’t know, Tracy… I’d have to wonder – how much weight are we talking? Like I mentioned earlier, everyone has different definitions of “fat.” Would they be losing weight purely for aesthetic purposes at that point?

By: Tracy

Tracy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:48:55 +0000

On the other end of the spectrum, I’d hate for a “fat” person that is healthy to rest upon that. I believe that I am healthy and can do a lot of things that “skinny” girls can do. However, I would have for a “fat” person to receive a clean bill of health and feel as though they don’t have to lose weight.