Of all the socially descriptive categories in our society — tall/short, quiet/loud, outgoing/shy, pretty/plain, dark/fair, funny/serious – there is only one that causes continued and increasing levels of shame, embarrassment, self-loathing, and even disgust: thin/fat.
F-A-T. For many, it is the most terrifying three-letter word in our language. You would think there are worse things that someone could be, but in our society, to be fat is to be a failure.
Fat is the opposite of fit, right? Fat is the feared ingredient in a recipe for certain death, yes? We should all being trying to lose weight as fast as we can then, shouldn’t we?
Not so fa(s)t…
What if a lot of what we are hearing about being overweight these days is actually not entirely accurate? What if being overweight isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world, or for your body?
Before you shake your head and roll your eyes, let’s examine the top ten myths associated with overweight and obesity. First, obesity IS most certainly a health problem for many people and there are well-documented health risks associated with clinically significant obesity. However, the reality of these risks, both in magnitude and in prevalence, may not be exactly what you have thought … or what you have heard.
Myth #1: Overweight people are all at great risk of weight-related death.
Wrong. Studies do show that the relative risk of death among obese people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) at the highest end of the scale is significantly higher than normal weight people. However, three important points to note: 1) some studies suggest that it is only as one approaches a BMI of close to 40 that the risk of weight-related death increases significantly, 2) the majority of overweight Americans have a BMI of between 25 and 30, and 3) some studies show that the relative risk of death among overweight people with a BMI of 25-30 is the same as in normal weight people.
Again, before you dismiss me too quickly, as I said earlier, there is a substantial body of evidence that clinically significant obese persons are at increased risk of certain diseases and early death, however, the risks and rates of disease and death have not been appropriately communicated in all cases. For example:
Myth #2: Obesity is about to surpass smoking as the number one cause of preventable deaths in this country.
Not so. The claims of rampant deaths due to obesity stem from reports that followed a 2004 CDC announcement which laid out the statistic that more than 400,000 Americans die from obesity related deaths every year. The problem is that the CDC got its numbers wrong. The following year, the CDC reduced the estimate, revising the number of annual deaths from obesity to 26,000 (94% less!). The number has since been revised yet again, although we didn’t hear much about corrections to the overblown statistics…but that doesn’t change the facts…
Myth #3: Body Mass Index (BMI) is the most accurate indicator of overweight and obesity.
Only if you consider Kobe Bryant, Will Smith, LeBron James, Donovan McNabb, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger fat.
In 1998 the federal government adjusted the BMI criteria for overweight and obesity, lowering it from 27 to 25, which means on the day the criteria were adjusted, 29 million people became “fat” who had not been considered fat the day before! And as plus-size model Crystal Renn points out in her book Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves, seven of the nine members of the then government’s obesity task force were directors of … weight-loss clinics!
BMI is not always the most accurate indicator of overweight because it does not take into account a person’s muscle vs. body fat ratio.
Myth #4: Being fat is worse for your health than being thin.
Here’s the biggest shocker, and a fact that sadly goes unnoticed: the risk of death from a very low BMI is greater than for someone at a high BMI! Translation: more skinny people die as a result of their weight than fat people do. Yep, it’s true. Aggregate death rates and scientific studies prove this. But we don’t hear warnings about people being too thin, do we. And we don’t see disclaimers underneath fashion industry photos that read, “Warning, being as thin as this airbrushed model’s image may be hazardous to your health.”
Myth #5: You cannot be both overweight and healthy.
Correction: health has more to do with fitness level than it does with weight.
Dr. Kelly Brownell, Director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, states, “Groundbreaking work on fitness and weight has been done by [epidemiologist Steven] Blair and colleagues at the Cooper Institute. They have shown that the advantages of being fit are striking and that people can be fit even if they are fat … and thus have lowered risk of disease. A remarkable finding is that heavy people who are fit have lower risk than thin people who are unfit.” It’s often about the fitness, not the fatness.
Myth #6: Body fat is bad for you.
Actually, without body fat, your organs would not function properly, your bones would break easier, you would have impaired cognitive ability, and you would be putting yourself at risk for a heart attack. Body fat itself is not bad for you. How much of it, what type, and where a person’s fat is stored on their body makes a difference. In fact, as Dr. Glenn Gaesser states in his book, Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health, fat storage on the hips and thighs is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and Type II Diabetes in both men and women. Visceral abdominal fat does raise the level of free fatty acids in the blood, which is the hallmark of a myriad of metabolic disorders and health concerns.
Myth #7: Obesity is caused from uncontrolled eating and/or an eating disorder.
Studies show that this is not the case. Less than one-third of obese folks engage in binge eating. And we know now that obesity is related to many factors; overeating is just one of them, and not even the most important one. In general, people aren’t really eating that much more than they used to, on average. Lack of exercise is likely a bigger culprit. And it would be ignorant to not acknowledge that genetics, endocrine function, lifestyle, medications and metabolism all play a role in determining a person’s weight.
So let’s drop the stereotypes about fat people who cannot control themselves. Obesity is not always a matter of willpower; in fact, studies show it is rarely a matter of strict willpower. Studies show that 95% of people who diet, obese or not, gain the weight back that they lost. Crash dieting is not the answer; a balanced and healthy lifestyle does make a difference for the majority of folks. Accurately and appropriately defining health and an understanding of healthy weight, however, is an important part of the equation. (See here for a related discussion of set-point theory and weight regulation).
Myth #8: The thinner you are the more attractive you will be.
I don’t know, really? Since when do protruding ribs, gaunt faces and forearm-sized thighs seem more attractive than Crystal Renn, pictured above?
Myth #9: Skipping a meal per day can help you lose weight and improve your health.
Nope. In fact, eating three meals a day may actually help to stave off obesity! Studies show that skipping meals slows down metabolism as the body is tries to reserve its energy stores for daily function. And skipping meals increases the likelihood of overeating or even binge eating later in the day. Plus, we know that too-rapid weight loss is not healthy for the body and unhealthy dieting increases the risk of developing an eating disorder.
Myth #10: Societies have always valued thinness so the standard of beauty will never change.
Actually, standards of beauty vary from culture to culture and change over time. Linda Bacon, Ph.D., author of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight, notes that historically, more often than not, larger bodies have been considered more attractive and desirable. Our culture’s standard of thinness is fairly recent, and can change over time. And I think perhaps we are witnessing some welcome changes.
Remember, it’s the fitness, not the fatness, that often matters most.
For more about obesity myths, try these recommended PDF sources:
http://www.obesitymyths.com/downloads/obesityMyths.pdf
http://www.obesitymyths.com/downloads/SCBB.pdf
You can read about other food, diet, and exercise myths in my book 100 Questions and Answers about Anorexia .