Those whose body mass index (BMI) places them in the “overweight” or “obese” category are exposed to an endless stream of health messages about increased risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases. These messages reflect how much value medical, nutrition, and public health professionals place on using BMI to assess health.
However, BMI is based solely on weight and height, and not on body composition or where body fat is stored. It can't tell us much about how good a person's metabolism is.
In some cases, losing weight produces health improvements such as lower blood pressure or loss of liver fat that benefits people with diabetes, heart disease and other metabolic diseases. But what if you have some extra weight, but you don't have any of these problems? Is that extra weight just as worrisome?
Maybe not.
In recent years, researchers have recognized that some people considered overweight or obese may be just as metabolically healthy as others who are "normal" weight.
Although the criteria for “metabolically healthy obesity” vary, it has been found in several studies that between 6% and 75% of obese people may not suffer from poor health due to their weight. Obviously, this is a very wide range, so it's not clear exactly how common it is. Although the science isn't in complete agreement, there is evidence to suggest that it does happen!
Indicators of good metabolic health typically include normal blood pressure, normal blood sugar , normal insulin values , high HDL cholesterol , and low triglycerides. If you are overweight or obese and these values are within your desired range, you may be at the right weight for you. However, metabolically healthy obesity remains a controversial topic.
More Reads :What is a “healthy weight”? | Weight Loss Tips
Focusing on these values is using a medical approach to "healthy weight." But a healthy weight can also be one in which a person feels energetic and able to do the things he wants to do without costing him too much. This would be a weight that one can easily maintain without going hungry, while meeting all essential nutritional needs.
The Health at Every Size (HAES®) principles promote eating for wellness, the movement to improve quality of life, and respectful care for all, taking weight out of the equation entirely . We like to. Above all, we agree with the HAES principle that people should not be judged for what they do or do not do to improve their own version of "health."
What this means to us is that “healthy” can be different for different people; And it doesn't have to include weight loss. Our idea of “healthy” includes the use of low-carb and keto diets when they help people feel better, enjoy their lives, and improve many of their health indicators.
