Fat Bottomed Girls (And Boys)

I spent my whole life until this point trying to make my body into a shape it wasn’t meant to be and felt disappointment every time I failed.  I will never be lithe, gazelle-like or confused with Heidi Klum. And that’s okay. Heidi Klum only wishes she could be confused with me!  *snap*

Maybe it’s due to reaching a certain age but I’m no longer obsessed with going down a size.  I need to get into better shape but that’s totally up to me.  However I was happy to read a review of a new book that takes aim at the be-all-and-end-all BMI. The Body Mass Index was adopted and became gospel and a goal for everyone to reach. And we are not a one-size-fits-all society.

The Obesity Paradox by cardiologist Carl J. Lavie doesn’t claim that stuffing whatever you want in your pie hole is A-OK but it does oppose the commonly held belief that skinny is the only way to be.  Dr. Lavie explains why lower-body plumpness may actually be better for fighting disease.  Study after study has shown that people who are considered a little overweight have higher rates of survival from serious illness and diseases. Fat in the middle is the worst kind of fat, though.

Still, he says the best thing you can do is get up and move. Sitting still is what kills. You can be on the chunky side and fairly active and skinny and sedentary and it’s Twiggy who’s doing the most damage to their health.

I know a skinny woman who does all sorts of fad diets and cleanses and appears to be quite unhealthy.  I’d rather have a bit of junk in the trunk.  I just need to move that junk around more.

The early death of comic John Pinette this week illustrates the problem with being a bit of a glutton and not much of a mover. At 50, he had heart and liver disease and a weight that fluctuated wildly.  I suppose there’s no one, easy answer that fits all. And it’s refreshing to me when someone in the scientific community admits that fact.