Any thing "good" about being overweight?
 

I have only thought of one thing.

My second pregnancy was twins. I have read that when you are obese, you have more of a tendency to hyperovulate (drop more than one egg). If I wasn't heavy, I might not have one of my perfect babies! There are no other fraternal twins (identicals don't run in families) in my family. Doesn't seem like there is another reason I would have hyperovulated.

So, thank you, fat, for helping me get my twins. Now get the **** off me!!

Congratulations!!!
Ummm, let's see, how about - well no.
Then there's well - no to that too.
All righty then there's - no not that either.

The answer would be no, no and more no!!!

Anything I can think of there is a good come back for and it's no reason whatsoever to stay overweight for.

For instance - insulation. When I was overweight I wasn't always cold. Oh well. Now I just have to take sweaters with me everywhere and wear multiple pairs of socks in the winter. It was waaay worse to be overheated, red faced and sweaty most of the year.

Another instance - padding. Some chairs were comfier, when I had more padding on my behind. But to counteract that - I was TERRIFIED of chairs - breaking them, embarrassing myself by spilling over the sides of them, not fitting into them...

I can think of a few more like that, but really my answer remains a firm NO.

There has not been one area of my life that has not been GREATLY CHANGED FOR THE BETTER since I lost the weight.

Rockinrobin makes a good point, I really miss being warm but by golly do I look good in these cashmere trousers; trousers I could never have worn, even on the coldest day when I was overweight.

Rockinrobin, you nailed it.

Can't really think of a thing that's been good for me because of being overweight OR obese.

I don't lose my butt padding even when I'm the correct weight, LOL! So I couldn't even point to that as something better.

Being able to walk without losing my breath, being able to wear nice clothes and shoes and look presentable, not having health problems that are self-induced/weight-induced....these are all good things I'm looking forward to when I lose the weight. Nothing good will come of me keeping it on.

You know, I have thought about this. I wanted to say that the years I spent overweight taught me things I didn't really KNOW before. For instance, when men look at me now I am not in the least bit tempted. Well, of course, I have an awesome hubster but even if I was single, I will never forget how easily they dismissed me (most of them anyway) before. Also, I have a family member that "skated by" on her good looks personally and professionally for decades. Now, she cannot do that anymore. She is having an amazingly difficult time now--her personality and skills never truly developed IMO because she was supermodel status. Hehe, yeah. I never had the benefit of that.

That being said, I wish I never would have become overweight, let alone obese. I wish I had cared myself enough way back when I started developing the problem. It is what it is though. I absolutely 100% agree with Robin in that EVERY SINGLE THING in my life has improved since I became fit. Everything.

Maybe I'm not answering the question directly, but I have had some good things come from having been overweight. I learned how important healthy food is. I learned that I love to run. I learned that weightlifting totally rocks. I discovered my inner athlete and health nut. If I would have been able to live my life eating junk and being a sloth without the consequence of becoming fat, I would not have had the impetus to change.

My breasts look incredible at this weight. After losing weight? Not so much. That's it! Not one other thing.

about being overweight
 

less wrinkles maybe!

I have read that there are health benefits to being slightly overweight. I can only find this article at the moment http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009...4961245860812/ but the one i originally read was more convincing.

your BMR is higher so you can eat more and not gain weight? that's stretching it...

I agree with passionista
I am not looking forward to the twins losing their perk.

Other than that I have read articles that talk about health benefits if you carry extra weight on your thighs.

Every struggle and unpleasant situation or event in my life has brought good things into my life as well as bad. I've been obese and struggling with my weight since early childhood, and I wouldn't be the person I am without those struggles. Wishing that away would be like wishing myself away. That doesn't mean I don't have regrets, or wouldn't have done things differently if I could, but it does make it easier not to dwell on it.

I enjoy life. Even with a lot of struggles and barriers. I'm a joyful person and it's in my nature to be an optimist. I will enjoy life thinner and (hopefully) with fewer health problems, but I'm not sure I'll enjoy life any more than I do now. I'll be grateful for all the things I'll be able to do, that I'm not able to do now, just as I'm grateful for all the things I can do now, that I couldn't do before.

But largely, I think life is what you make of it. It's always been important for me to make the best of any situation. At my fattest, I enjoyed my jobs, my friends, and doing whatever I was capable of, and tried very hard to not let my weight prevent me from doing anything it didn't physically prevent me from doing. I excelled in school and always had a lot of friends because of my friendly, outgoing personality. I realize that I'm lucky in that regard, because most girls my size struggled more with confidence and social skills.

I wouldn't wish fat on anyone, or poverty or health problems, or death of loved ones, but I also wouldn't wish a struggle-free life for myself or anyone. As cliche as it is, struggles really can build depth of character. We're not just a product of all the good and easy things in our lives: The unpleasant and difficult things shape us as well.

I don't like the shape of my body, but I do like the shape of my soul.

My body is waaaaay better now, smaller breasts and all. My breasts were bigger, I'll grant you that much, but for me, big deal - it was fat, it wasn't the way I was *intended* to be. It came about by me abusing my body - no joy in that. It wasn't what Mother Nature had in mind for me. Now my breasts are smaller, but so are my waist and hips. So proportionately, I'm *perfect*, well at least perfect for me - or again, as I was intended to be.

midwife, I get what you're saying. I mean I sometimes think, well actually I pretty much know, had I not been so overweight and so miserable from being so overweight, I would never enjoy certain things the way that I do now.

For example, I get the biggest pleasure from doing my laundry now - are those my tiny panties? is that tiny t-shirt fit on my body? It's like - whoa, I can't believe these are mine!!! I get the biggest kick out of squeezing through small spaces, out of sliding into every and any restaurant booth, out of walking up a flight of stairs without being winded. My collar bones, hip bones, muscles, veins - I ADORE them. These ARE things (& there are plenty of others) I would have taken for granted had I never been super morbidly obese.

But my answer still stays firm - there is not one good thing I can find from being overweight.

If you're hearing a chip on my shoulders - you're right. For me, it was an awful, awful experience. Made more awful by the fact that it was something I could have avoided - but I did not. And it angers me that I allowed myself to get and remain that way. And therefore I will never see any good in it.

Reduced risk of osteoporosis. Especially since I always exercised -- a large woman walking is building bone mass.

Of course, it doesn't balance out the higher risks that being overweight has caused me -- my dad died of a heart attack at age 63 and my mother of complications of Type 2 diabetes at 67. I should live so long as to worry about osteoporosis!

I was talking to a co-worker who had lost a good bit of weight back when I was just starting. He said he missed being able to set his drink on his belly (this image only further encourages me to lose weight :lol: ) and he missed being able to float (we're both lifeguards, floating effortlessly is a bit of an asset). That said, I'm fully prepared to sacrifice my ability to float for all the things I'll gain by losing weight (and as a female I'll probably retain some buoyancy anyhow)

Exactly what I was going to say! I'm at my heaviest, and my boobs are at the biggest they've been (still not terribly large lol) and I love them! The only thing of me that I'll be sad to see go...

Easier to avoid uncomfortable situations with the opposite sex.

That's it.

Ahhh, but when you're slim, trim, fit, confident, healthy and feeling fabulous, there are LOTS less UNcomfortable situations with the opposite sex. What was once uncomfortable becomes very comfy. Very comfy indeed. ;)

Yes. And you totally LEARN how to deal with the few jerks that really are unpleasant/uncomfortable. Being healthy and confident makes it so much easier to say eff off, when that's appropriate. That's been my experience. :)

Thats one of the reasons I was heavier & stayed that way in the first place; I didn't have the confidence (or the belief I was worthy enough) to handle these situations, so I labelled them as "uncomfortable" and kept on munching....

Hope that makes sense.

It makes perfect sense. I think lots of us do that. It's a way of avoidance. The only thing is, it causes waaaay more problems then it supposedly *solves*. If we would have only realized just how powerful (& worth it) it is to be strong, fit, and healthy the vicious cycle would cease...

1000%. EVERYTHING is easier to deal with when you're feeling better (best) about yourself. EVERYTHING.

I think someone mentioned wrinkles. Being at the age where I have to worry about those things, I have to admit, I am sooooo hoping that I don't get to the weight I want to be at and find out that...lol..the well preservedness of my skin that I enjoy right now is only an illusion caused by excess fat. I don't carry that much extra weight in my face, its mostly in my middle, so I'm trying to think positive and be hopeful on that count.


Points about osteoporosis are well taken. I've never been underweight or at the really low end of my healthy BMI so I think I'm okay on that count...and I've always eaten plenty of dairy and green veg.

And the studies about slightly overweight folks being healthier or living longer than super-thin underweight people - I believe it could be true but one of the criticisms of those studies that Ive heard is that they strictly used BMI as the measurement of overweight/underweight - so people with a lot of muscle mass may be in the "overweight" range of their BMI but they aren't there because of their body fat. That does make a difference as far as health & disease go.

On the other hand, I've always (til lately) been either in the mid to high range of "healthy" BMI or slighty "overweight" and I've always enjoyed perfect health & perfect vitals (til lately).

I'm a teacher, and a popular one, and I sometimes think I did some good in the world by showing kids that a fat woman can still be highly intelligent and worth listening to. One of the worst things about being fat is the way you get ignored and dismissed by people who don't even realize they are doing it.

I never referred to my weight, and weirdly, neither did my students--I never got called a "fat *****" (where I could hear it) or even had anyone ask me why I was so fat or anything like that, which is sorta remarkable--kids are not tactful. Now that I have lost weight, I've only had two mention it, and even they were hesitant. What I have noticed (regretfully) is that they are more likely to talk in a derogatory fashion about their own or someone else's weight in my presence now--something that never used to happen. I know how to deal with it when they start in with the "gay" this or "fag" that or ethnic slurs or whatever--now I have to learn how to deal with kids being mean about weight without it seeming pathetic or self-serving. I used to be able to just be a silent example of fat with dignity!

the larger i get the more "invisible" i become. it's why i started gaining to begin with. for me, it's been a nice shield for a very long time & will be the hardest part of my weight loss journey.

Only thing I can think of is not having 2 share a seat on the train.:D It is kind of embararising having the only empty seat on a crowded train and no one wants to sit next to you. Makes you feel like you have the cooties or something.

I met my other half when I was at my highest weight (188) and he loved me for me. My fat was a "jerk filter" that made it easier for me to find Mr. Right. :)

Ummm..you don't have to worry about buying new clothes when your weight stays the same. :dizzy:

Same here. I was never sporty/athletic. In the name of losing weight I finally exercised enough I started to not mind it, and love what it was doing for my body. I've done Triathlons, and I'm training for a freekin' Ironman. WHO IS THIS WOMAN? :)

If I had not been obese I don't think I ever would have found this interest. I'd probably a be "fat" normal couch potato.

I am really afraid of being intensely cold worse than I already am! I have trouble with keeping my body temperature up on a good day and that's with being overweight and wearing layers and a hat almost all the time. Friends used to laugh when they'd see me wearing a hat indoors, so I'd touch my ice cold hands to their sides. Now they offer me blankets haha

Ooooo..... but when I'm thin, three shirts at once won't make me look like a puffy sheep with no fashion sense!

When I was fat I never had to wear a belt....I hate belts( i can't explain why) Now I have to wear a belt with everything.

I'm fat and I can't float to save my life! LOL

I can't think of a solitary thing that benefits me in any way from being fat. Yes, I have large breasts, but I don't like them. They get in the way, make it difficult to cross my arms, get really sore for a good two weeks out of the month, cause me to wear bras with 3-4 closure hooks which are a strain to hook, cause jr. high boys to stare and blush and I have to buy larger shirts than I would have to otherwise.

I'm not me in this body. I look in the mirror and hate that people who have only known me fat will think I look like a different person thin while I'll be looking in the mirror saying "Yes, there's me again!" My face is becoming my own again.

I still have some favorite sweatshirts I wore in college. I'll probably be buried in them. :D I had one on this morning and just stared at myself in the mirror for a good 10 minutes amazed at how much I look like the college me from fourteen years ago. I think once I've hit goal people who knew me only then might actually say I haven't changed a bit.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned this one yet!

Being able to eat ANYTHING you want, whenever you want! Furthermore, being able to do whatever you want to do instead of fretting over what you'll be eating or when you'll be exercising. Of course, many of us would probably continue to gain weight though :p

Hm I don't know about most people but despite being 300lbs I wasn't eating anything I wanted. I did eat way too much and the wrong things, but If I truly ate everything and anything I wanted at the time I surely would have made it wayyyy past 300lbs! Heh.

This hasn't exactly been the case for me. I wrote in another thread about how, since I've reached 200+ lbs, I've suffered from digestive issues like heartburn, reflux and more that are TMI.

I used to be able to down large glasses of grapefruit juice, eat hot cherry peppers on a hero sandwich, jalapeno on my nachos, etc etc ....I can no longer do this. Can't drink orange juice, can't drink diet Pepsi....can't even tolerate tomato sauce sometimes....

I've had days where the only things I could tolerate were saltine crackers, chicken broth and pastina. Simply because any spices or acid would make me hurt.

I know digestion changes as we age, too. But, I feel sure that its in a large part due to my weight, as if things are so compressed in my belly that I'm not digesting properly and/or binge eating is stressing my system.


I haven't gone to a doctor because I'm not insured and frankly a GI series for what, in the scheme of things, is minor discomfort, doesn't appeal to me. If I still have these issues when I'm thinner, then I'll go.

Oh I don't see this as a benefit. Eating anything that I wanted did not give me peace, joy or happiness. I HATED the fact that I had no control, no off switch, no limits, no boundaries. HATED IT!!! I also LIKE the fact that now I actually CARE and though not fret about eating and exercising, but that I put thought into it. That it MATTERS to me. I hated the fact that I was a person who didn't put much thought into their health. I felt I was falling short and not doing what was required of me.


Well I'm STILL able to eat anything I want. Having lost the weight has not changed that one bit. What has changed is what I want.

I find that in comparison to my friends who have always been thin I stress less about aging and not looking perfect. Or the fact that even though they are still thin their body changed after having a baby. Since I didnt look that good in my teens and 20's I dont have this "Oh I wish I looked like I did when I was 18"

So having BEEN fat was good.

This was certainly the main benefit for me. I love food and alcohol. Eating and drinking without being mindful of calories and portions and whatnot is much, much, much easier than what I have to do to lose weight.

Obviously there are ways in which the benefits of being trim and healthy are worth more than that particular benefit, or I wouldn't be here trying to get myself under control.

But when it comes to the pure pleasure of eating and drinking, for me being fat is way easier - and a whole lot more fun - than trying to be thin.

I think that having had the experience of being morbidly obese taught me just HOW AMAZING being in a healthy body feels. If I didn't have the comparison point, think of all the little joys I'd miss...wonderment at feeling hip/collarbones, wonderment at doing hard work all day and not wanting to collapse at the end, wonderment at the energy I have and all of the associated benefits (clean house, more work done, etc).

If I hadn't been obese, these things wouldn't mean as much to me.

The only thing I miss is not feeling vulnerable when I'd walk home alone at night. I'd carry an ice pick with me too lmao... but I also knew I weighed more than most grown men, so that along with the ice pick made me feel relatively safe.