Get Healthy or Lose Weight which one?

Society has been pretty strong with its message: “thin is in” and “fat is unhealthy”. But science and reality are showing us this message may be slightly distorted. Imagine that our society having a distorted view of reality, it’s happened before and looks like it is happening again when it comes to weight and health.

Let me make sure we don’t confuse things any more then they already have been. Reducing body fat to healthy levels has been shown to reduce many health risks. But those individuals that are slightly overweight are not at any greater risk for serious health problems then those in the healthy weight range. The concern is that you are closer to being in the obese range and most people will gain weight over time, which will increase your risk substantially for many health problems the further down the obesity side you get. The important factor jumping out between the healthy and slightly over weight individuals is the difference in fitness levels. Even if you are in a healthy weight range or slightly overweight, but have a poor diet and exercise habits your risks start to go up.

The yo-yo diets of many overweight people trying to lose the last 5-10 pounds are probably more harmful to their health then the actual few pounds they carry. Yo-yo diets tend to cause damage to your metabolism long term which will make it more difficult to keep weight off over time and allow you to creep down the obesity trail over time.

Moral of the story – a fit overweight person is probably better off then an unfit thin person when it comes to health and reducing risk for diseases. If you are overweight getting healthy through diet and exercise is more important then the actually losing a few pounds. If you lose a few pounds that is just a bonus of good diet and exercise. If you don’t lose any weight, but get yourself more fit, realize you have become healthier and don’t worry to much about those last few pounds whether they come off or not. Also if you are thin but don’t exercise and eat poorly, don’t let your look fool you into thinking you are free of the risks of chronic diseases just because your not overweight, because you are still at risk!