Myth Busters: Why Thin and Healthy Aren’t the Same Thing - Ajit Patel Wellness

In this day and age of prevalent obesity, being thin is equal to being in the prime of health, right? Not so. Although being overweight is by no means beneficial to your wellness, being skinny certainly doesn’t get you off the hook in terms of looking after your well-being. Let’s take a look at some of the myths related to weight and weight loss.

1. If your kids are going to shed the obesity bulge, they need to lose weight.

According to a new study, published in the journal Lancet, some kids can outgrow their obesity around puberty even if they don’t lose weight. Researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health developed a mathematical model to differentiate between healthy weight gain of childhood and the extra pounds that contribute to obesity, noting that as children grow, they transform fat into muscle, which can weigh as much, if not more than fat tissue. This means that, even if your kid has a high BMI, they may not actually be overweight.

2. Fat people can’t be fit.

In 2012, researchers found that overweight and obese people – who were just as metabolically fit as their skinnier counterparts – had no greater risk of developing or dying from heart disease or cancer than normal people. It’s not about how fat you are, but the type of fat you’re carrying. Visceral fat is the type to watch out for, and lean people can have high levels of this fat in their tissues. Larger individuals, on the other hand, may be carrying more subcutaneous fat and so, in theory, may be metabolically fitter than those who are slimmer.

3. You can eat what you want and still lose weight as long as you exercise.

Sorry, folks, the best way to lose weight is still cutting calories by adjusting what you eat, especially when combined with exercise. According to Gayl Canfield, the director of nutrition at Pritikin Longevity Centre, ‘You can greatly undermine weight loss efforts and general health by not considering the quality of the foods you eat. It is important to consider calorie density and nutrient density of foods to maximize exercise performance and improve health status.’

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