----- Original Message ----- > > Re: the 5', 200+ pound woman -- it's probably impossible to tell what her > > muscle tone is because her excess body fat is covering it. > Perhaps this woman is very muscular and not fat nor overweight. Hi, Adrienne & Dr. B., It's definitely very possible to carry high weight from a lot of muscle. Three years ago I weighed 20 lbs more than I did in high school but could fit in to old hs clothes. (Rats... that was before my menopausal/hormonal/off-HRT weight gain, back on HRT, and quitting smoking more weight gain. Now it's plain old overeating weight gain. Don't ask how much, I'll never tell. BUT if you have any advice I'll be glad to devour it.) But that's not the case here. No doubt she has amassed some significant muscle, but by the eyeball test she is indeed carrying around a lot of fat overweight. She started marathoning three years ago, having been encouraged/hounded by her family to lose weight. She has lost 30 lbs in that time, down to her current weight of 219. She's 50 and actually seems to fit a (controversial) profile of fat & fit. I know she can outwalk me, in both speed and distance. She's the walking coach for the Little Rock Marathon. Theola