Obesity

Are we sure it's a bad thing?

The more I research this, the more I believe that it's just the body's natural tendency to grow whether it be in height or circumference. It's a survival mechanism and while there seems to be an increased risk of some diseases such as diabetes with obesity, I'm willing to bet that it's not the actual extra weight but rather the diet they're eating.

Think about the set point theory.

Your body's set point is the weight at which it tries to stay. If it's below this point, it will slow the metabolism and try to gain weight. If it's above this point, it will raise metabolism and slow weight gain. So if you gain weight and hold that weight for a while, it theoretically becomes your body's set point. This has been documented in rats.

Whenever your body reaches a new weight, it does whatever it can to defend it. It's as if the body sees a high weight as a good thing. When one diets, Thyroxine output declines, appetite and hunger go through the roof and energy plummets setting the stage for weight gain.

So it's obvious the body wants to be big. You know, just in case there's a famine or something.

The question is, is it really a bad thing?

The most recent research shows a decreased risk of infection, osteoporosis and some cancer in the obese. The obese also live longer when in intensive care due to their extra body mass.

It could be the media that leads us to believe that obesity is such a terrible thing when in reality, it just looks bad. It may actually be beneficial.

Last I checked, according to the BMI, I'm obese. One CAN be obese and still be very physically active and healthy. I may be obese but my bodyfat is less than 8% and my blood pressure is 117/67. What does that tell you?

Here's to obesity!