Why Appearance Doesn’t Necessarily Equate to Healthy Weight

Our looks-obsessed society has made us believe that being slim is healthy while being bigger is unhealthy. To worsen this stereotype, people with bigger bodies are always encouraged to lose weight to have a healthy weight.

But who said one cannot be bigger and have a healthy weight? And what proof is there that being slim equates to being healthy?

Recent scientific studies have proved that one can be healthy at any size. The converse is true, one can be unhealthy at any size.

Have you been recently looking in the mirror and not being so proud of your big body? Perhaps you are rather slimmer and have all along been thinking “I do not have to exercise or stick to a healthy diet because I have a healthy weight!”. 

Whichever your state is, you need to understand that your physical appearance is nowhere close to determining how healthy your weight is.

Being Slim doesn’t equate to having a healthy weight

Yes, you read that correctly- being slim does not necessarily mean you have a healthy weight.

Experts argue and prove that being slim can decrease one’s risk of developing obesity and other chronic illnesses. This, has for a long time, been used to propagate the wrong notion that being slim is generally healthy.

One can be thin but have a rather unhealthy weight that can increase their risk of developing some chronic diseases. You probably have a friend or family member who has a disease that is mostly associated with fat people, and you wondered how that was possible. The bottom line is, one can be sporty thin but have high cholesterol or blood pressure levels that otherwise position them at risk of heart diseases. 

Slim people, especially women whose BMI is less than 19, are at risk of having brittle bones. Less bone mass in these women puts them at risk of developing osteoporosis, irregular menstrual cycles, and other fertility issues. 

Associating slim bodies with healthy weights has made many people lead rather unhealthy lives. For example, one may not see the need for physical exercises because they are slim and healthy anyway. Some may consume junk foods, sugary beverages, and all sorts of high-calorie foods and remain slim- assuming they have a healthy weight.

What happens after leading a sedentary lifestyle in the name of being slim and healthy is the development of chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart diseases. 

Being Fat doesn’t equate to having an unhealthy weight

Meeting friends and family after some time away can be met by comments related to your physical appearance. Often time than not, your friends and family will notice a slight change in your body size- especially if you have become bigger or added more weight than before. Their comments can make you doubt if you have a healthy weight or are even healthy in the first place. 

Being fat has constantly been associated with ugly and subsequently unhealthy weight. It is quite unfortunate that even today, society still perceives this unproven mindset. 

Some things in being fat that society underestimates include lifestyle habits and how the people in question feel about themselves. You can be fat, bigger, name it, but have the energy to do your daily activities with ease. 

You can be fat and always do your daily tasks and exercises with ease. For example, cycling uphill without getting out of breath. In such a case, you are very likely to fit- regardless of how you look on the outside. 

But what if your BMI is over 30 and you have been worrying about your unhealthy weight and subsequent illness risks? It is quite simple, get past the scale readings and be you. 

Genetics, ethnic background, and family history are factors that can contribute to one’s body type. It could be that you inherited your big body from your parents, and really, there is nothing you can do to get a small body. But all the same, your body could be functioning normally and your metabolism functions in check. Quite simply, you are healthy.

The best thing one can do if they are fat is to stay physically active and eat a healthy diet not because they consider their weight unhealthy but because these two are the key determinants of a healthy life. 

However, if you are fat or overweight for some reason, and you do not exercise or eat a healthy diet, you are unhealthy. Do not sit back feeling all comfortable with your weight without a healthy lifestyle and think you are at no risk of diseases. Get that gym subscription, follow that recommended diet, and see yourself stay healthy regardless of your appearance. 

How can you determine the health of weight?

The health of weight is beyond one’s appearance. There are some common ways of checking whether or not your weight is healthy regardless of your appearance.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

You can estimate your body fat and determine the healthiness of your weight by calculating your body mass index (BMI). BMI is basically how your height compares to your weight.

An MBI higher than 25 is considered overweight while a BMI above 30 is considered obese. The only shortcoming of BMI measurements is that it does not account for belly fat. Thus, it does not fully determine how healthy someone is. 

Lifestyle Measures

Diet and exercises are a big part of attaining a healthy weight. The more you exercise and eat healthily, the safer you are on the healthy weight scale. 

You can be fat but if you lead a healthy lifestyle characterized by adequate sleep, a healthy diet, and adequate physical exercise, your weight will always be healthy. 

What Now?

Now you know that appearance or outside look does not determine whether or not one has a healthy weight. 

Yes, BMI count may subsequently indicate that a fat person is overweight or obese, while a slim person is within a healthy weight- but this is not always the case. Other factors such as lifestyle habits are important in determining the inner health of a person.

Regular exercises, a healthy diet, healthy behaviors such as little to no alcohol consumption, reduced smoking, and adequate sleep, to name but a few, are important to consider when determining whether one is healthy or not.

Looks can be deceiving. Being slim can fool one into an unhealthy lifestyle characterized by physical inactivity, inadequate sleep, poor diet, among other habits. While one may think they are generally healthy because of their appearance, they are at risk of diseases otherwise associated with obese people. 

Don’t stop exercising or eating a healthy diet just because your BMI scale states you are within a healthy weight. Lift those weights, they help in putting on lean muscle, having strong bones, and subsequently putting your heart in a healthy state. 

Take this home- being slim doesn’t necessarily mean you have a healthy weight. Neither does being fat mean being unhealthy. Stay healthy by adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle regardless of your appearance. 

source https://healthyw8.co.uk/why-appearance-doesnt-necessarily-equate-to-healthy-weight/