Fat but fit?

Today’s ‘stunning scientific research of the bleeding obvious’ is the news that the theory that fat people can be healthy is a myth. Gasp. Extensive research (at least the researchers did look at a huge pool of people) shows that people who are overweight are at increased risk of having a heart attack, no matter how healthy they may appear to be.  

The study of more than half a million people across Europe found those who were overweight or obese had up to a 28 per cent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease.

I find the notion that we could have believed anything else bizarre. Just observe the way an obese person moves – look at the bias on the hips and how it buckles the knees, the small steps, the slow pace of walking, the restricted arm movements, the blocked back and neck; listen to the breathing, look at the skin. Ok, so cholesterol levels might be normal, blood sugar levels and blood pressure may be unremarkable – but the strain on the heart, organs and bone structure is huge.

I'm pretty ruthless with clients who need to lose weight or have been 'too busy' to exercise. I won't listen to their excuses and I tell them exactly what I think they should be doing to help themselves. And I won't treat obese people because they come with too many underlying complications – and besides, I simply can't risk jeopardising my hands. Yes, I'm a right pain in the arse!

But I got my comeuppance this week when I told a client to get off his butt and start exercising and to stop eating so much. 'But Paul,' he said, 'you don't understand - I don't want to change. I'm happy being like this and it would make me deeply unhappy to exercise or cut back on my eating. And if I die 10 years earlier than I otherwise would have done, that's fine.' That told me!