Can I Be Overweight and Still Healthy?

Dear Lifehacker,Im an overweight man who has struggled to lose weight my entire life.

My doctor tells me that my BMI is in the overweight category.

To be honest, Im happy with my body.

I dont have any medical issues and I have a go at live healthily as much as possible.

Is it possible to be overweight and still healthy?

Sincerely,Happily Overweight Harold

Dear Harold,Thanks for the note.

The first thing we need to ask is what does it mean to be overweight?

However, as obesity physicianDr.

BMI doesnt take many things into account, such as muscle mass.

As Dr. Nadolsky mentioned, body fat percentage is a much better metric to use.

This number is difficult to obtain, however, and often requires expensive equipment for high accuracy.

This method is cheap, effective, and allows you to understand some of the limitations of BMI.

it’s possible for you to find out how to use these measurements, along with their limitationshere.

The risk of weight-related illness rises when your weight goes up.

According to Dr. Nadolsky:

you’ve got the option to still be healthy and overweight.

Blood pressure, glucose, and lipid markers must be examined as well to get to determine risk profile.

Obviously, only your doctor can tell you if you are at risk for these diseases.

Its possible, however, that youre not at risk and dont need to lose weight for health reasons.

Health isnt measured in pounds.

But according to Dr. Nadolsky, there is one exception: exceptionally high BMI.

30-34: Class 1 Obesity.

This is a bit of a grey zone in terms of risks.

Its important to look at waist measurements as well as labs from your doctor.

35-39: Class 2 Obesity.

Risks increase further.40+:

40+: Class 3 Obesity.

This is the highest class with the highest risks.

If your BMI is in one of the categories above, then you probably need to lose weight.

Just because you dont have any health issues today, it doesnt mean that you wont have any tomorrow.

Making the Decision to Lose Weight

A word of caution here.

In this case, you’ve got the option to lose weight bychanging your dietandstarting an exercise regimen.

Other than that, there is no reason for a healthy person without a high-risk BMI to lose weight.

So, Happily Overweight Harold, Ill leave you with this: your initial question is flawed.

Sincerely,Lifehacker

Images byTania Anisimova(Shutterstock),Michael B, andAlan Cleaver.