—
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about the body positivity movement, which encourages people who may not think that society accepts their physical appearance to feel good about themselves. Hence the question of whether you can be fat and healthy.
It calls on individuals to overcome the hardship that frequently accompanies having a body that may be conventionally perceived as sick or unsightly.
Numerous conversations concerning the relationship between a person’s health and their weight, chronic illnesses, and impairments have been triggered by the movement. These discussions should be considered while treating patients as medical knowledge grows and researchers gain new insights.
It can be really painful to have a serious medical discourse regarding weight in addition to being difficult. Physical exercise, nutrition, weight, and health are very personal matters that can be very emotionally charged.
It was also revealed that patients are reluctant to talk to doctors about their weight-related concerns. Among these difficulties may be the feeling that one is a contributing factor to the issue.
“People are so reluctant to seek help because weight is complicated and attached to a lot of emotions.”
“They’re carrying a lot of self-blame because they think they’ve failed or that they don’t have sufficient will power. Losing weight is a struggle and maintaining that loss is even harder due to biology. It’s not just about will power. And it’s not as simple as eating less and exercising more,” says Silvana Pannain, MD.
Some doctors from UChicago Medicine have these to say about being fat and healthy:
Pannain: “Yes, you can be overweight and metabolically healthy. At the same time, we know that obesity is a disease that affects the body in many different ways. Thirteen types of cancer and 200 other health conditions are related to obesity.”
Also Read How to Lower Blood Pressure Without Visiting a Clinic
Mustafa Hussain, MD: “The number on the scale is just one data point. It’s part of a bigger picture. I believe in body positivity. At the same time, I also want to be real with patients. Those numbers directly correlate to life expectancy. If you’re 50 pounds overweight, your likelihood of dying of any cause is twice as high as someone who is not overweight. If you’re 100 pounds overweight, it’s three times higher.
“We want to be supportive and give people options. But we also don’t want to shy away from something that’s as serious a problem as cancer.”
Further speaking on how metabolism speeds up weight loss, Hussain said, “Metabolism is about your cellular function and how your cells interact with each other. Your weight, or obesity, directly impacts that. Metabolism can slow down or speed up certain processes.”
Weight is multifaceted and emotionally charged. Doctor visits are also shorter than they have ever been. People are therefore reluctant to bring up weight with their doctor because they usually only have a short amount of time during a consultation. If they feel rushed or like they’re being ignored, it’s not something they want to bring up.
In summary, yes, you can be fat and still be healthy. Nonetheless, even in people with normal metabolisms, obesity poses a certain risk to cardiovascular health when it comes to studies and earlier research. It does, however, entail a lower risk than the conventional risk factors of high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.
Therefore, the actual question may not be whether someone is healthy right now, but rather whether obese people will eventually have greater health issues. Without a doubt, the answer to that question is yes.
