According to a new federal study released this week, moderately fat people live longer than those of normal weight.
Of course, "moderately fat" is not defined. Is it 10% above normal weight? 20% above normal weight? Who the heck knows? Therefore, this article is totally worthless and even dangerous as it will be used by people to justify being obese. And that's a shame.
I speak as one who used to be obese and when I was obese, I looked for every excuse in the book to justify the way I was. It was "in my genes." I had a "low metabolism." I was "allergic to exercise."
I was developing Type II diabetes, hypertension and heart disease and none of that had any effect on my deciding to lose weight. What made me decide to lose weight in the end was shame. I was ashamed of the way I looked and decided to make a change. So while I have a special sensitivity towards obese people and would never think of belittling or "shaming" them, I must say that had I myself never been at the receiving end of the jokes and insults (even the ones that were good-natured), I probably never would have been motivated to take the weight off.
I have the total opposite situation to the one you lived through. I'm 5'10" and the most I have ever weighed in my life was 165 and that was 3 days before I gave birth. I was back down below 125 at my 6 week check up. And I have never dieted in my life, I eat what I want, when I want, and how much I want.
I have been on the receiving of the supposedly good natured jokes about anorexics - so I sympathize with those on the other end of the spectrum.
The medical industry also relies on the cookie cutter BMI. What does that say about someone who is 6' 215# and 11% body fat? So according to the bureaucrats, I'm supposedly at risk! (The same bureaucrats who say bicycling is not exercise)
In the study, a BMI between 25 and 30 was "moderately fat".