The panel was forced to conclude that for most people, achieving body weights and shapes presented in the media is not a reasonable, appropriate, or achievable goal. The panel went on to say that being fat is multifactorial in origin, reflecting inherited, environmental, cultural, socioeconomic, and psychological conditions. They also pointed out that increasing physiologic, biochemical, and genetic evidence suggested that being fat is not a simple problem of will power. The available studies indicated that people lose weight while participating in almost any program, then universally regain the weight over time. As to the myth that losing weight is one of the goals of a healthy life-style, the panel noted that evidence that reductions in mortality follow weight loss is meager.
Most epidemologic studies suggest, instead, that weight loss is associated with increased mortality.
That is, trying to lose weight is likely to shorten your life. The healthy decision is to accept your body the way it is. The entire text of the NIH study is available online. The alledgedly link between health and weight has been vastly exagerated by the popular media. Consequently, it is one of the chief excuses for perpetuating prejudice against fat people.