Expert: Cari Corbet-Owen - 10/18/2008

Question
I'm 28 years old and I weigh 320 pounds. I'm 6 '1 and I look to be around 250. My problem is, I seem to be fatter on the right (dominant) side of my body - arm, chest, etc.

How do I even out?

I work out every other day. I do either a arm/chest back routine followed by a mile of cardio OR I do a leg/back/shoulder routine with a mile of cardio.

The miles takes me between 20 - 22 minutes.

I've been fat my whole life. I've been wrking onit for a few months now and I'm getting smaller but the weight itself isn't going away. I'm at 3-% body fat right now. I'd like to half that number eventually. Is this healthy? can I carry 300 plus pounds if I'm in better shape or do I need to be closer to 250?

Answer
HI Joe, I'm a psychologist and so I'm afraid I have no idea what you could do to even out your body - but I do want to mention that it is possible that it's a type of body dysmorphia (in other words a distorted image of what is real).  Think about it this way - Is this your own perception or is this something other people regularly comment on.

One thing to remember when you say the weight isn't going away - remember that it takes a while for fat to be converted into muscle (read more about this at http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/basal-metabolic-rat.html and also http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/benefits-of-fitness.html) and muscle on a scale weighs about 3 times what fat does.  So it's possible that you're getting smaller without that reflecting on the scale.  

Your percentage body fat came out at 3-%, I'm assuming that you're talking about 30% because 3% would hardly be possible.  For more on what percentage body fat you need you can find out more at http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/bad-fat.html

I have seen plenty of research that shows you can be healthy at any size and in face there is a whole movement called "Health At Every Size" - you can read more about this at : http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/obesity-research.html

Cari