Does size= health?

Some thinner women are associate with eating disorders and some larger women are associated with over eating. There are assumptions on their eating habits, their exercise habits, and personality traits.


How much truth does your size actually hold? I say none. You must look underneath the exterior to find out the truth about their health. Look into their anatomy. 

I think these factors are the most important in determining the physical health of a person:

Body fat distribution
Blood Work
Bone and joint health

I am going to use myself as an example to demonstrate health despite size.

Here are my stats:

5'10"

125 kgs/275 lbs

Size 20/22

In a book I have about sports and exercise science, the definition of obesity is, "A pathological condition in which a person's body weight is is 20-25% above their skeletal and physical requirements for a male and 30-35% for a female." It says nothing about body fat, and it says nothing about your clothing size.

For my sport, MY physical and skeletal requirements are based on my weight class and levers. Because I am 5'10 and have a larger frame and long levers, I am best suited for the 75+ weight class and need my body weight to lift large amounts of weight. Am I considered, "obese?" Am I "unhealthy?" It depends on who you ask.

Body Mass Index

I weigh about 275 lbs. I'm assuming if my weight were actually on the chart, I'd be considered "obese." I think this chart is relatively bogus. Athletes, especially power athletes like myself are going to have a large amount of muscle mass, making them weigh more for their height than the average person. I can understand using this chart for the average or sedentary person but it is not applicable to all people. Why is there only one chart? Shouldn't there be one for each gender at least?

In 2010, I had a Dr. tell me what my BMI was and it was 39.1 at 266 lbs

Body Fat Distribution

At 5'10 and 275 lbs, now my body fat percentage is 34.8 That means 95.7 lbs of my body is fat but 179 of it is lean muscle. Take away all of my fat and leave only lean tissue which is organs, bones, and muscle, and I weight 179 lbs. Even at that weight, my BMI is considered over weight.

Where body fat is located is a major indicator of health in my opinion. Is it located subcutaneously (under the skin) or viscerally (around the organs)? Which sounds like a greater problem to your health and life?

My body fat is located under the skin. Not in or around my organs. Thank goodness!

Blood work

When I initially got detailed blood work I was surprised at how bad some of it was. The initial blood work was done toward the end of June and then the beginning of October. Based on the way I "look" you could assume that my blood results were a given because I am "unhealthy." June's results would show what you expect in a big person.  

6/29/11.

Total Cholesterol 250 High/Normal 100-199

Triglycerides 171 High/Normal 0-149

LDL Cholesterol 169 High/Normal 0-99

HDL Cholesterol 28.3 Low/Normal >= 30.5

TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) 99.79 High/Normal 0.45-4.50

Triiodothyronine, free serum  1.2 Low/Normal 2.0-4.4

T4, direct 0.35 Low/ Normal 0.82-1.77

10/08/11

Total Cholesterol 138/Normal 100-199

Triglycerides 118/Normal 0-149

LDL Cholesterol 75/Normal 0-99

HDL Cholesterol 28.3 Low/Normal >= 30.5

TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) 0.008/Normal 0.45-4.50

Triiodothyronine, free serum  9.6 High/Normal 2.0-4.4

T4, direct 1.67/Normal 0.82-1.77

I started taking Armour Thyroid which is a natural thyroid hormone and within that short period of time, all of my blood work corrected itself. I also adjusted my diet somewhat. I am so thankful to be healthy on the inside! My previous blood work wasn't a result from bad eating habits or lack of exercise, it was because my Thyroid wasn't working properly. TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. That tells your thyroid to start working. That was because my actual thyroid hormones like T4 and triiodothyronine were low. It's surprising how much your Thyroid actually controls.

I think it's also noteworthy to state that I do not have DIABEETUS.

Bone and Joint Health
The last indicators of health I'd like to discuss are the bones and joints. Your bones and joints, as well as your body fat distribution and blood work can say a lot about the health of a person.

Because I do resistance exercises for a living, my bone mineral density is awesome. My score is 1.364 and my age matched score is 2.8. The highest score possible on this particular chart is 1.383 and the highest age matched score is 3. So I am in the highest percentiles for that. I've never had a broken bone and I don't have anything musculoskeletal issues outside of my wrist deformity (which I will discuss in a future post)

In conclusion

So the moral of the story is that looks can be deceiving. What a person looks like is not a good indicator of their health. Some people may see me and think that I could have health problems. Little do they know I spend anywhere from 6-24 hrs in the gym in a week, totally healthy on the inside and out, and am an Olympian.

That scan of the skeleton and fat is actually me. I want to be as honest and transparent as possible. I guess I did that quite literally this time.

I wish I could elaborate more on the counter argument of thinner people and their health but, using myself is the best I could do.

I still have work to do to make me a healthier person and a better athlete. I will always have that work to do.

I recommend seeing your doctor and seeing what you can do to make yourself healthier and happier. Always see your doctor before starting and exercise or diet regiment.

Stay Strong,
Sarah