Lifestyle tips

Is gaining weight and having a belly legitimately bad for your health?

I’m not talking about carrying 450lbs with a massive belly. Let take me for example, I’m 6’2 and weigh 195lbs. If I were to reach a weight of 275 or 300lbs, would that legit be bad for my health? I know there are so many fatphobic people that’ll tell you “stay under 200lbs, I look healthy now, fat is unhealthy, increase in heart attack and this and that.” Idk if the world is generally against fat people or if there’s evidence that if you carry more weight than what the average person, you’ll be in danger.
I’m sure the only true way to remain healthy is to remain active with my doctor to make sure nothing bad is happening.
5 months

Is gaining weight and having a belly legitimately bad for your health?

MrOverstuffed:
I’m not talking about carrying 450lbs with a massive belly. Let take me for example, I’m 6’2 and weigh 195lbs. If I were to reach a weight of 275 or 300lbs, would that legit be bad for my health? I know there are so many fatphobic people that’ll tell you “stay under 200lbs, I look healthy now, fat is unhealthy, increase in heart attack and this and that.” Idk if the world is generally against fat people or if there’s evidence that if you carry more weight than what the average person, you’ll be in danger.
I’m sure the only true way to remain healthy is to remain active with my doctor to make sure nothing bad is happening.


Like all things medical, it depends.

Having a belly puts you at an increased risk for a lot of things. However, that doesn't mean you'll end up with these conditions. That said, there are things you can do to manage these risks like eating a balanced diet, doing light to moderate exercise, gaining slowly, and getting regular check ups.

Also, keep in mind that visceral fat has a higher risk of illness than subcutaneous fat. You can manage these levels to a degree by eating clean and exercising, but you won't get rid of it all without losing weight.
5 months

Is gaining weight and having a belly legitimately bad for your health?

Most studies show that obesity has cardiovascular risks for everyone.
Even "metabolically healthy" people have cardiovascular risks from obesity. A better indicator would be muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the lower your chances for health conditions. You can be both fat and strong by working out. Look at the strongest natural athletes, not those using steroids. A fat person who works out is usually a lot healthier than a skinny person who doesn't.

Another good example are sumo wrestlers. They train and eat in a specific way that results in high levels of subcutaneous fat. However, they have relatively low levels of visceral fat. These types of fat have different effects on health, with subcutaneous fat being healthier than visceral fat. So they are quite healthy, even if they are "morbidly obese" if you saw their BMI. Yet, they live an average of 10 years less. They struggle to maintain their routine after retirement and age. Losing weight to compensate for reduced activity becomes extremely challenging.
5 months