CARRYING a few extra pounds has long been associated with being unfit – and exercise plans often focus on losing weight.
A new study released this week shows that you can be both fat and fit.
An American review of numerous scientific reports found that regular exercise is more effective in improving health and decreasing the risk of premature death.
Professor Glenn Gaesser from Arizona State University claims that our preoccupation with weight has increased the health risks associated yo-yo diets.
He said: “We’d like people to know that fat can be fit, and that fit, healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
“In a weight-obsessed culture, it might be challenging for programmes that are not focused on weight loss to gain traction.”
Three women tell Alison Maloney why they believe that you can be in great shape and still be overweight.
‘People in the gym are shocked to see me running on treadmill’
CHANTAL O’BRIEN, 46, works in a children’s home in Preston.
She says: “I’m over 16st at 5ft 2in, so I’m classed as morbidly obese. But I’m fitter than most of my thinner friends.
6
“I live near the Three Peaks in Yorkshire and earlier this year I took up mountain climbing. I plan to do a 2- or 3-hour hike uphill twice per week.
“I’ve recently climbed Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike, which each take six to eight hours.
“In between climbing I also go to the gym twice a week, so I would say I’m pretty fit.
“I gained weight almost 18 months ago when I had my daughter. Even though I was 14 years old, I was still a size 14 compared to the 18 I am today. Because I’m so small, every pound I put on shows.
“So people look at me and assume I’m unfit. When I climbed Scafell in June, lots of people on the climbing forum I use posted: “We saw you going up, well done.
“But they weren’t saying it to my sister, who’s thinner – so it felt quite patronising, like they were surprised I’d done it. People are often surprised that I run on the treadmill at the gym.
They expect me to walk slowly and look at me. They assume bigger people sit on the sofa eating crisps all day and that they don’t do anything. But I’ve got thin friends who couldn’t do what I do.
“Just because they’re thin on the outside doesn’t mean they’re fit on the inside.
“Doctors are always telling me to go on a diet but I don’t eat badly at all. I eat a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits.
“I joined Slimming World several times. It only lasted for three weeks.
“I’ve never stuck to a diet.
6
“Climbing mountains is the only thing I’ve stuck to because I love it.
“When I input my height and body weight into the NHS App, it drops off the scale. I’m nowhere near what’s termed normal weight.
“But being classed as morbidly obese doesn’t worry me because I am fit.
“Apart from getting Covid last year, I’ve never been ill or had an operation, and my blood pressure levels are perfect. After getting Covid, my health was checked thoroughly and I was tested for every condition. It was all normal.
“I’ve had weight problems for more than half my life but it hasn’t affected my health at all and I’m fitter than most people my age.
‘Big people train – just not in public’
LAURETTA JOHNNIE (54), is a plus-size personal coach from Fulham, South West London.
She said, “As a kid I did gymnastics and athletics. Although I was slim, 14-year-old girls began talking about diets and reducing calories.
6
“When I got pregnant with my son, now 33, I put on a lot of weight. I was always on a diet which can cause hormonal imbalances.
“I started Full Figured Fitness 20 years ago as an ‘exercise to music’ instructor. I wanted to help bigger clients get fit.
“I saw an opportunity in the market. Because of my weight, I felt targeted for fitness classes. I’d be told: ‘You might not be able to do this.’ Or they’d say: ‘Come on, you can do it.’
“Assumptions were made simply because I was overweight. Gyms are not always comfortable.
“Once I was very tired and did a mixture of running and walking on the treadmill. As a joke, a trainer stood in front and performed a Six Million Dollar Man slow-motion run. Or I’d get high-fived for touching equipment, as if it needed celebrating.
6
“Gym posters always depict thin, muscular, and white women. I wasn’t going to be like that. Equipment isn’t designed for larger people. We’re made to feel ashamed. One client received a drink while running from a car.
“You don’t often see large people running.
“That’s not because they don’t run. They just don’t want to do it 7
in public.
‘I work out, swim and run weekly 5k but doc always says I should lose weight, do more’
SOPHIE EDWARDS (27), is a food stylist and influencer from Crawley in West Sussex.
She shares that she did a lot of exercise as a child and danced until she was 17. This led to issues with my body confidence and eventually I was diagnosed with an eating disorder.
6
“It wasn’t until I was made redundant in 2019 and started running that I got back into exercise. It was good for my mental health.
“I use a fitness app at home three times a week – HIIT sessions, yoga and strength training – swim at least once a week and run 5k once or twice a week.
“People look at me, a size-16 to 18 woman, and don’t believe I could run a 5k tomorrow. The society associates being overweight with being unhealthy. But I’m much fitter now than when I was poorly and living on a huge calorie deficit trying to be thin.
“I eat a healthy, balanced diet while a lot of my thinner friends don’t look after themselves as much. Yet at the doctor’s I’m told: ‘Lose weight, do more.’
“I tell them what I do and point out my size is not because I’m unfit – it’s in my genes. My polycystic-ovary syndrome makes it difficult to lose weight.
6
“I realised there weren’t many people that looked like me on Instagram. It took off when I began posting about fitness, mental health, and body positivity.
“People need to stop putting others into boxes and learn not to judge a
book by its cover.
Weight is a factor
By Carol Cooper, Sun Doctor
THERE’S now plenty of evidence to support the idea that it’s possible to be both fat and fit.
When assessing someone’s health, it’s important to look not just at the scales but at the whole person – their strength, exercise levels and so on.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that weight no longer matters.
Being overweight or, worse, obese, still isn’t good for health. This increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke as well as high blood pressure and other health issues like back and joint problems, sleep apnoea, and many common cancers. You will likely be healthier if you lose excess weight.
What the science does say is that weight loss on its own isn’t a be-all and end-all. If you want to become healthier, it’s also very important to become more active physically.
If you’ve never exercised much before, have a word first with your GP or practice nurse.