Thin People Healthier than Heavy People
The Institutes of Health, a government scientific agency, will tell you that being thin doesn't mean that you healthy. And having a higher BMI doesn't mean you are unhealthy!
People who fat-shame others claim that being heavy is unhealthy. They say that being thin means that you are healthy. The research does NOT support their opinion. These fat-shamers are so turned off by the appearance of fat that they deny research and statistical evidence that goes against their beliefs. They use their beliefs to bully heavier people claiming that shaming them will motivate them to lose weight.
They are wrong on two counts:
Unhealthy Food Choices
It's been estimated that about 42.4 percent of the population is considered obese. Does that mean that only fat people eat McDonalds french fries and other "unhealthy" food choices?
OF COURSE NOT!
But the thin percentage of the population has a faster metabolism allows them to eat and not gain weight. They won the Metabolism Lottery! This is their lucky genetic predisposition. My friends (below) eat twice as much as I have.They drink beer, and other alcohol. They eat sugar and gluten. They eat pizza. And on occasion, they even go out to McDonald's and have french fries fried in crappy oil. They have maintained their thin bodies for decades. and one (on the left) has never exercised in the 30 years I know her. They are both very thin. Or, like I always said about my dear friend Yolanda (on the right side) that she had a TAPE-WORM that ate all her food!
But only half of the population that is fat is blamed for their food choices. This is simply not true!
Thin people are just assumed to eat less and exercise more. Not true!
Heavier People Live Longer!
“Studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention repeatedly find the lowest mortality rates among people whose body mass index puts them in the “overweight” and “mildly obese” categories. And recent research suggests that losing weight doesn’t actually improve health biomarkers such as blood pressure, fasting glucose, or triglyceride levels for most people.”
Thin People Who Can't Gain Weight
I have just read many posts from thin people who claim they "can't gain weight". They say that they are couch-potatoes and that they eat junk food. I am not advocating eating unhealthy food (whatever that is!- there are differing opinions about this). Why don't scientists research this?!
The interesting thing is that people who respond to their question about why they can't gain weight just fall back to that old excuse: "Eat more, and Exercise Less". But that doesn't work when your body is genetically programmed to stay thin.
Dieting Makes You Gain Weight
If you never diet your body takes over decisions about your weight. Some people are genetically predisposed to having a heavier body and or thicker appearance. Some mediations and medical conditions cause weight gain. Then there is the issue of Abuse that has a profound effect on body weight due to the stress and PTSD. Dieting is what slows down your metabolism and makes you eventually regain the weight you lost and add additional pounds!
Your body is more sophisticated that the most powerful computer when it comes to balancing your energy expended vs. your calorie intake!
Stress Causes Dieting
Being dissatisfied with your body or actively hating your body and is STRESSFUL. Your body is feeling attacked even when it comes from your own thoughts!
WHY did you gain weight in the first place?
WHY did you start over-eating (if that was the reason that you gained). People don’t over-eat because they are hungry. They over-eat because they are using food as self-medication; or as a drug for stress. It’s even called “comfort food”. But it doesn’t help when you stuff your feelings with food!
And, for those who didn’t over-eat? What caused your weight gain in the first place? Were you a caregiver, did you lose your job, your relationship…? STRESS causes a change in your physical body along with your emotions. It makes your body feel “unsafe,” and starts the cascading changes that stop proper digestion and metabolism of your food. Stress can make good sleep impossible; and that alone can cause changes in the way your body responds to food.
Robert Sapolsky, PhD. in his book, Why Zebras don’t get Ulcers, explains that even baboons get belly fat in response to stress. WHY won’t diet professionals pay attention and STOP BLAMING overweight people for deliberately causing their own overweight problem? Over-eating is a SYMPTOM, not a cause of overweight!
It is CLEAR that stress affects the metabolism: and stress is a primary factor in economically challenged or poor people; stress is the factor in epi-genetic findings that the pregnant mother’s stress level affects the fetus; stress is a factor in the ACE studies of childhood upbringing; and stress is the factor in people being rejected and scorned and laughed at by society.
Obsessed with your Body Weight
Stress about your appearance and your body weight is probably what caused you to start dieting in the first place. And that locked you into a revolving door that is hard to escape.
Accept the Facts
The worst thing is when YOU BELIEVE that you created this problem in yourself. Anti-fat brainwashing and gaslighting are so pervasive that you must consciously work to start believing and acting upon these facts that:
A thin body is not necessarily a healthy body. A fat body is not an unhealthy body. Once you know these facts you will be empowered to feel better about yourself and eat like you want!
Learn more of these facts from the founder of Health At Every Size, Lindo Bacon, Ph.D
Empower yourself !
