Finally, evidence of what the fat acceptance movement has always said (based on comparisons between fat people in their native cultures vs. those who move to America and live a less heart healthy lifestyle): Overweight doesn't always mean heart risks and normal-weight people aren't always heart-healthy!

Excerpt:

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- You can look great in a swimsuit and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can also be overweight and otherwise healthy.

A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people -- about half -- have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.

The first national estimate of its kind bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed.

The results also show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading and that even "less voluptuous" people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity, said study author MaryFran Sowers, a University of Michigan obesity researcher.

"We're really talking about taking a look with a very different lens" at weight and health risks, Sowers said.

Of course people of any size with a family history of heart disease will want to be cautious about weight gain and want to be particularly careful with their diet. It is recommended that they also keep their cholesterol well below the 200 that used to be considered normal. (Mine was only slightly higher than that in the years leading up to my diagnosis.) We should all be aware of our risk factors since heart disease is the number 1 killer of both men and women.

A follow up to the original Fat Rant by Joy Nash.

Joy Nash addresses some of the stereotypes about fat people and how they affect fat people's lives.

Reading my favorite passage from Jalaja Bonheim

Parabol/Parabola with Tool's own video from concert. Don't ask me what the video images mean! They are known for having some bizarre video but the music is what I love.

Parabol

So familiar
And overwhelmingly warm
This one, this form I hold now
Embracing you, this reality here
This one, this form I hold now
So wide-eyed and hopeful
Wide-eyed and hopefully wild

We barely remember
What came before this precious moment
Choosing to be here
Right now
Hold on, stay inside

This body holding me
Reminding me that I am not alone in
This body makes me feel
Eternal, all this pain is an illusion

"Parabola"

We barely remember who or what came before this precious moment,
We are choosing to be here right now. Hold on, stay inside
This holy reality, this holy experience.
Choosing to be here in

This body. This body holding me. Be my reminder here that I am not alone in
This body, this body holding me, feeling eternal
All this pain is an illusion.

Alive, I

In this holy reality, in this holy experience. Choosing to be here in

This body. This body holding me. Be my reminder here that I am not alone in
This body, this body holding me, feeling eternal
All this pain is an illusion.

Twirling round with this familiar parable.
Spinning, weaving round each new experience.
Recognize this as a holy gift and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing.

This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality.
Embrace this moment. Remember. we are eternal.
all this pain is an illusion.