‘Healthy’ but overweight?

[bumbleymummy]

Ok, I know this is a sensitive subject and I’m really not trying to upset or offend anyone. I just think it’s misleading when people say things like ‘ICU is filled with healthy under 60s’ or talk about a ‘healthy 40- something’ passing away and it turns out that person/a high proportion of those patients are very overweight. Are people who are clearly overweight actually ‘healthy’? I know it’s not the same as an underlying condition like diabetes or heart disease but we know that a high bmi puts people at greater risk of complications from coronavirus.

Before someone jumps on me, I’m not saying that someone’s life is of less value because they are overweight or have an underlying health condition. I’m just wondering if it’s accurate to say that they are ‘healthy’ when we are reporting figures and talking about risk.

I’m also frustrated by this as it adds to the scaremongering and fear.
Now I agree we need to be in lockdown at the moment and the death rate is horrific. So one could argue the scaremongering is good.

However, it’s repeated on here in arguments all the time ‘ICU is full of young healthy people’ ‘doctors are seeing more healthy people being admitted to hospital’. That’s not the true story. ICUs are not full of healthy young people at all.

The Telegraph to be fair printed an accurate insight in to the situation in one ICU. They documented very clearly that every single young person in ICU was obese.

I agree though it’s very hard to lose weight.

I’m wondering also if this is why Japan and counties have suffered less? A slimmer population?

@merrymouse

Does being overweight increase your risk of developing a health condition?

This thread is specifically about COVID.

If a journalist wouldn’t describe a marathon running diabetic as ‘healthy’, but would instead mention underlying health conditions, they should at the very least not refer to health when it is clear that weight could have been a contributing factor.

Yes, maybe just not saying ‘healthy’ without explicitly pointing out that their weight could have been a contributing factor would be the best way to go?

Thanks for the links middleagedlurker and onlyteaforme.

Health behaviours (eating enough vegetables, regular exercise, not smoking etc) are actually more relevant than your weight as a health measure.

@Cowgran

Health behaviours (eating enough vegetables, regular exercise, not smoking etc) are actually more relevant than your weight as a health measure.

In terms of covid?

@Xenia

If I look at pictures of those who die of this so very many are over weight. The NHS has a useful waist measurement calculator for those who do not like BMI as a tool. However none of this makes it easy to eat a lot less and lose weight.

As always, the little dig there, isn't there Xenia

I don't eat very much, I could not eat 'a lot less', if anything, I don't eat enough and I certainly eat far far less than people who post on MN what they've eaten. Even reading the thread about what time people have dinner, I'm surprised at how many people eat 3 meals a day and snacks and how they need to eat dinner early as it's been 4 hours since lunch. I eat 1-2 meals a day, I don't snack & I eat incredibly low carb. & I'm still obese. It's shitty.

Your little digs really help 🙄

@IncrediblySadToo This really isn’t intended to point the finger of blame at anyone for being overweight or wanting them to feel scared about covid. It was just to do with accurate reporting. If the media mention other underlying conditions that increase risk then it seems misleading to not discuss weight too.

@IncrediblySadToo sorry you're struggling too! We can all just try our hardest I guess. Better than giving up. Very frustrating (understatement) when nothing ever comes off though. Interesting as I had glandular fever too as a teen (was already plump though!).

(Posted that before I'd seen your second post @IncrediblySadToo )

Must dash, zoom dietician appointment...

I’m sure that an overweight person can at any given moment be described as healthy - i.e. they have nothing that is causing them any health problems right now

But being overweight is clearly unhealthy in the long term for anyone and it is clearly a factor in suffering badly if you catch COVID-19

@Cowgran

Health behaviours (eating enough vegetables, regular exercise, not smoking etc) are actually more relevant than your weight as a health measure.

Not when it comes to having Covid it isn't.

You could be addicted to vegetables and exercise every day but again according to Public Health England...

If you have a BMI of 35 to 40, this can increase a person's chance of dying from Covid by 40%.

A BMI greater than 40 can increase the risk by 90%.

I’m sure that an overweight person can at any given moment be described as healthy - i.e. they have nothing that is causing them any health problems right now

But being overweight is clearly unhealthy in the long term for anyone and it is clearly a factor in suffering badly if you catch COVID-19

Being very overweight, yes. Being a fraction over the arbitrary point that BMI decides is healthy isn't any problem at all.

Ah sorry I was talking generally, not specific to covid - I just get frustrated when overweight people are automatically labelled as unhealthy. I have heard that obesity was related to worse outcomes with covid. Is it true of lower level overweight as well?

[quote bumbleymummy]@IncrediblySadToo This really isn’t intended to point the finger of blame at anyone for being overweight or wanting them to feel scared about covid. It was just to do with accurate reporting. If the media mention other underlying conditions that increase risk then it seems misleading to not discuss weight too.[/quote]
I know that wasn't your intention, but it's the way these threads go, you only have to read the replies!

Obesity is a choice. Obesity is a factor you can change. Etc etc.

With NO understanding that for some of us, it's NOT & that some of us who are obese already eat carefully, exercise & do what we can (with no change) we are NOT all eating a fuck ton of takeaway & drinking gallons of fizzy drink etc.

A friend of mine. Has a bmi of 54. She can barely walk. It's a shuffle. Can't wear any footwear that's not slip on because she can't even bend down to tie or strap shoes.

When she last had a gp apt. The gp said she was fit and healthy!
Even my friend who openly calls herself 'fat' etc and eats 4 take aways a week says she knows she's far from fit and healthy.

My bmi is definitely high. I need to weigh myself. But definitely over weight.
I'm healthy in the respect of no other conditions.
Fitness. I doubt I could do an hour in a gym!

@whenthestarsgoblue

This thread isn't exactly in good spirits is it? Do you think someone who has lost a relative or loved one to covid who was overweight, wants to read something like this? Carrying a bit of extra weight can be down to a lot if reasons. "Well done to us all trying to lose weight" It's so insensitive. I'm sure someone who lost a loved one would have seen them as fit and healthy, seeing as bmi is actually widely discredited. The amount of deaths is Tragic. Starting a thread to specifically nit pick over the term healthy, is petty and in extremely poor taste when so many are dying. I hope to god no one grieving a loss reads this thread.

You can’t just shut down discussions because someone won’t like it, a young relative of mine died of Covid and I can still be pleased that others are waking up and doing whatever they can to better their chances

There was a study very recently which debunked the idea that you could be "fit but fat".

As for covid, I mentioned this on another thread, but on Tuesday the Times ran a story about some of the people who had died from covid, all young to middle aged. However with the exception of a slim lady of 21, the elephant in the room was that they were all overweight to obese. There was a 19 year old lad who obviously had major health problems already.

Interesting thread. With regard to vaccination - there's clearly a case for vaccinating the obese and overweight first. Maybe the priority vaccination list should change to reflect this - for under 60s, vaccinate those with a higher BMI first?

I know there's a big thing for body positivity and "health at every size" ....

But I mean medically, that's not true. Even if you want to start a thing on social media promoting body positivity and being fat but fit..... It's not actually the truth...wishful thinking maybe but fat isn't healthy even if you want it to be

@lljkk

"Healthy" = not being treated for anything. Most people with obesity (even morbid obesity) are not being treated for it.

If you think about it, some of the people in critical care with covid will have hypertension or undiagnosed cancers, etc. But if not being treated, then there are no "underlying conditions" or "prior health conditions" on record for them.

It's this. When they report the word 'healthy' they mean they have no diagnosed co-morbidities.

We are told over and over that being overweight is a massive risk factor so they aren't pulling any punches and are telling us how it is.

If ever there was a reason to lose weight this is it surely? Covid isn't going to go away any day soon so this should be the writing on the wall.

The danger is in just using BMI as a shorthand for yes/no decisions about whether someone if overweight/obese. In reality there are lots of other measures which should be combined to get an overall picture. So for example, my Fitbit, in combination with smart scales, will tell me that if I tip over by 1lb into a BMI of 25 I will technically become overweight, but since I also know that all of the following are in the good to excellent range I'm not too worried: resting heart rate/ VO2 cardio fitness score/body fat %/ muscle mass %/ bone mass/ Basal Metabolic Rate etc

@EatingAllTheCookies

A friend of mine. Has a bmi of 54. She can barely walk. It's a shuffle. Can't wear any footwear that's not slip on because she can't even bend down to tie or strap shoes.

When she last had a gp apt. The gp said she was fit and healthy!
Even my friend who openly calls herself 'fat' etc and eats 4 take aways a week says she knows she's far from fit and healthy.

My bmi is definitely high. I need to weigh myself. But definitely over weight.
I'm healthy in the respect of no other conditions.
Fitness. I doubt I could do an hour in a gym!

Presumably be means 'clear of all illness or health issues bar severe obesity'.

BMI of 54 Jesus, poor woman.

@OnlyTeaForMe

The danger is in just using BMI as a shorthand for yes/no decisions about whether someone if overweight/obese. In reality there are lots of other measures which should be combined to get an overall picture. So for example, my Fitbit, in combination with smart scales, will tell me that if I tip over by 1lb into a BMI of 25 I will technically become overweight, but since I also know that all of the following are in the good to excellent range I'm not too worried: resting heart rate/ VO2 cardio fitness score/body fat %/ muscle mass %/ bone mass/ Basal Metabolic Rate etc

I look perfect, I live a lifetime of people commenting on how thin I am and how much they'd like to be like me. In actual fact I'm so unwell I'll be in hospital by tomorrow night. My BMI is ok though because after over half a lifetime of gymnastics I have a fair amount of muscle so despite the fact I currently cannot eat, and am very thin that tips me into the just about ok range (for now).

But obese is obese and you can see that clearly and that is definitely unhealthy

If you have a BMI of 35 to 40, this can increase a person's chance of dying from Covid by 40%.

This isnt overweight. This is obese

@Hazelnutlatteplease

If you have a BMI of 35 to 40, this can increase a person's chance of dying from Covid by 40%.

This isnt overweight. This is obese

Yes and to put it back into context, I posted that in reply to a PP saying...

"Health behaviours (eating enough vegetables, regular exercise, not smoking etc) are actually more relevant than your weight as a health measure."

That's a good point a poster made about potentially moving people with a high BMI further up the vaccine priority list. I imagine the NHS/PHE considered it, or are considering it. For example, a 30 year old with a BMI of 38 and no other conditions is probably not in any group so far?