Here’s the best tidbit of news I’ve come across in years. According to David Lipschitz, MD, PhD, on webmd.com: “…dieting is not good for you. The idea that being overweight is a major predictor of illness is not borne out by the facts. After the age of 45, life expectancy and health is optimum in individuals who are pleasantly plump.” This may be the first time ever that I fell into the optimum range without even trying. Dr. Lipschitz goes on to say, “Being too thin or morbidly obese has a poor outcome, but individuals who are 10% to 15% above their ideal body weight tend to have the best chance of a long and independent life.”
Hooray for Dr. Lipschitz! There should be ice cream flavors in his namesake. The Lipschitz Chocolate Caramel Nut Fatty. The Lipschitz Pleasantly Plump Marshmallow Fudge Swirl. Women everywhere who have struggled with the 10-15 extra pounds that automatically attach to their midsections at age 45 should be writing love letters to this man. “Dear Dr. Lipschitz, I am a 57 year old pleasantly plump woman looking for an enlightened medical practitioner of the Jewish persuasion to spend my life eating chocolate chip cookies with – preferably nuts (the cookies – now stop it!).”
Mind you, Dr. Lipschitz also says a little exercise is not enough – the more you exercise the better…maybe just an afternoon fling with Dr. Lipschitz would do. Noting that Dr. Lipschitz also says that the way around letting fatigue put a damper on your sex life is to have morning sex - “the morning is a great time for sex” – maybe a casual friendship would be enough.
The news is still good. We already knew we had to exercise, but I think most of us have long believed that we need to stay THIN to be healthy as we age, a la Kathryn Hepburn and Jessica Tandy. Dr. Lipschitz says that after age 75, the chubbier the better.
Don’t worry, Dr. Lipschitz. I won’t go out and start chowing down on Ben and Jerry’s. If I did even an enlightened medical practitioner of the Jewish persuasion might begin to question the “chubby is better” philosophy. But I will stop obsessing about the extra ten pounds that seem to want to live around my waistline. And I’ll try to walk the ten miles a week Dr. Lipschitz says is necessary for good health. I might even read his book, Breaking the Rules of Aging, and learn more helpful aging tips. With more tips like, “stay chubby” this could be a long and beautiful relationship.
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