i just skimmed most of this very long thread, so forgive me if im touching on points that have already been covered.
first of all... WOAH. i had no idea this was such a touchy issue and im glad i realized that before i just posted my initial reaction. but... a few things.
#1. being obese is NOT good for your health. this is why when we all started a healthy lifestyle, we lost weight. it doesn't mean that you can't be healthy AND obese, but they somewhat depend on each other. people leading consistently healthy lifestyles (with no health problems or medications that cause obesity) will probably never get obese.
#2. its pretty absurd to say you're healthier than an average weight smoker. obviously you probably are. but the average weight non smoker is also healthier and has less risks for health problems than we do.
#3. no one will ever say that being obese is beneficial to health. it increases risks of many health problems. as someone mentioned, even though you don't have diabetes or sleep apnea, neither did all the other obese people who got them, until they did. its the same as a smoker saying, i can breathe fine and i don't have lung cancer.... add the word *yet* to the end of their sentence.
#4. spitting out numbers and saying things like, "well im more healthy than my thin friend", is pointless. did you decide to change your habits so you could be healthier than your chain-smoking friend? or did you decide you wanted to be as healthy as you could be? if you chose the second option, stop comparing yourself to others. yes thin people smoke, yes they eat junk food, yes they drink and do drugs. they'd be healthier if they didn't do those things. and we're healthier by losing weight.
having been obese myself at one point, i think its awesome that these people are comfortable with it and loving themselves. i couldn't do that, i hated being fat. i give them congratulations and hope they do whatever makes them happy. but theres a difference between doing what makes you happy and what is the healthiest choice for you. the facts have been presented, and being obese gives you more health risks than being thin. sure, being thin and smoking/drinking/eating crap also gives you health risks, but that wasnt the subject of the post. the subject was about people who ARE obese, not our thin friends or other people we know who eat garbage. there's no gray area here. being obese just isn't as good for you as not being obese.
im not trying to add fuel to the fire here, im just saying what i think and im not sugar coating.
/rant.