Most women we know agonize over every bite of dessert and feel vaguely guilty about eating things like pancakes or pasta. Kind of takes the fun out of it and definitely hurts our self-esteem! “I was bad today,” we’ll say.
Here’s great news for all of us that run a little on the heavy side! A bit of extra body fat isn’t nearly the health risk that we’ve been told. In fact, a little padding might even improve your health! Really! This was the conclusion of a recent study at the Centers for Disease Control by Dr. Katherine Flegal, who analyzed 97 studies involving more than 2.8 million people.
As you would expect, severe obesity clearly hurts your health. A BMI over 35 increases our risk of dying. (That’s a weight of 210 pounds on a woman 5′ 5″ tall.) So it’s important to get those numbers down if you’re in this category. You’ll feel the benefits immediately.
A Little Overweight No Big Deal
But guess what: that same 5’5″ woman at 180 pounds (a BMI of 30) does NOT have an increased risk of dying. The truth is, there’s a small protective factor, perhaps because a bit of extra weight is a reserve should a person become ill with a wasting disease like cancer. Fat cells also produce estrogen, which may help ease the menopausal transition, and provide padding the the case of a fall. These are both reasons that buxom gals are at lower risk for osteoporosis and fractures.
It’s clear that proper nutrition and regular exercise to promote fitness may be much more important than a few extra pounds. I think we should all follow Julia Childs’ advice: “Enjoy your meals.”
Thank you Dr. Katherine Flegal. Good food is one of the great pleasures in life.
Follow the Money
It’s worth noting that our much-touted epidemic of obesity increased by 37 million people in a single day. Pretty fast weight gain, you say? Actually, it happened in 1998 when an “expert” panel for the National Institutes of Health redefined the categories of “overweight” and “obese.” Voila! More customers for the gazillion dollar a year weight-loss industry, to which 90% of the panel members had financial ties. Funny how that works!
Critics Try To Distract Women From Exercising Power
As for people who focus on a woman’s weight rather than her ideas, actions or character, we like what Gloria Steinem had to say: “If our bodies are treated as ornaments instead of instruments that’s because we are rebelling…it’s an effort to distract us.” Let’s keep our eyes on the prize of making a better world for ourselves, our families, and all women everywhere. And oh yes — keep enjoying our meals!