5 Excess Weight Myths

Few extra pounds aren’t always as bad as you think. Here are five surprising Myths and Fact you may not know about weight

MYTH 1: Extra Pounds Are Always Bad News
FACT: Extra weight is bad for your health but some surprising research suggests that people considered overweight by BMI standards—25 to 30—might have a survival advantage after heart attacks and surgery. Because people tend to lose weight after surgery, those carrying a few extra pounds may indeed fare better.

MYTH 2: Weight Loss Is Always Good, No Matter How You Achieve It
FACT: It’s better to choose a healthy diet and exercise program and lose weight steadily than to crash diet and shed tons of weight, only to rapidly gain it back. (Experts commonly recommend a pound a week). 5 or 10 pounds overweight is better and healthier than to constantly lose and gain weight

MYTH 3: A High Bmi Means You Need To Shed Pounds
FACT: BMI does not take into account physical fitness or bone structure, and it doesn’t differentiate between weight gained at a muscle-building camp or weight gained at McDonald’s. So if you’re packing a lot of muscle—say, if you’re a bodybuilding male—you may end up with a BMI in the obese range. (For example, at the peak of his bodybuilding career, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a BMI of 33, which is considered obese.)

MYTH 4: Fat Is Fat, And It’s Always Bad
FACT: Not all fat is created equal. New research found that even if two people are equally overweight, one may be much healthier than the other. For one, people who carry fat around their midsection are at greater risk for illness than their pear-shaped counterparts, who carry weight in the hips, buttocks, and thighs.

MYTH 5: Slim Equals Healthy
FACT: Skinny people may not be any healthier than heavier people—particularly if they smoke. People who are relatively thin can still carry unhealthy fat internally. This fat is called visceral fat, and it pads vital organs. Thin people who carry internal fat are still at risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, says Gans.

source : health .com