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There are two very polarized sides in this debate. The medical industry has been insisting that even a small amount of overweight, based on very general weight-height measures, is dangerous to the health, without reference to the actual bone structure or health of the individual woman. But medicine really has nothing to offer that helps in the long run, not even stomach-stapling surgery. Many women's health organizations point to research showing that diets rarely work in the long term and may cause more health problems, including obesity, than remaining at one's original over-weight. Some assert that weight is genetic and cannot be controlled.
Now, many alternative doctors are saying that the average American diet is guaranteed to cause obesity and associated degenerative diseases like diabetes, and agree that dieting will only make one gain more weight. Currently the statistics about the large number of deaths caused by obesity are being re-evaluated.
The medical industry looks at everything in bits and measures a few effects at a time for large numbers of people. This approach doesn't correct for mental and emotional attitudes, social support, or particular lifestyles, but goes ahead and draws conclusions about how one bit relates to another bit. Can we trust these findings and studies and recommendations to give us the whole picture for one extremely individual person?
It is clear that risk for certain diseases rises as fat weight as opposed to muscle weight rises. The issue of how we might be hypnotized into assuming we must be ill if we are overweight is not usually addressed. There is a lot of evidence that some women who are classified as "overweight" are extremely active and healthy. There is also general agreement that sufficient exercise is extremely useful, perhaps required, for weight loss.
Meanwhile, there is the issue across the culture of serious prejudice against fat people, who are openly insulted, treated as if their weight is due to sloth, and discriminated against in work situations. Skinny girls and women who are conforming to the "beauty myth" can thereby get acclaim - in spite of the fact that there is no disagreement at all about the potential mortal danger of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, or of being too thin and therefore nutritionally deficient.
Energy psychology therapies have had results with issues of weight and eating disorders where others have not by addressing and collapsing the underlying emotional issues. If you have "tried everything," and you know your weight is not healthy, don't give up till you've tried this! See Energy Medicine and sidebar link.
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 The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions--Today
Julia Ross, M.A.
2002
www.moodcure.com
www.dietcure.com/
Buy new or used from Amazon.com
Julia Ross, a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychology and a specialist in the treatment of eating disorders and addictions since 1980, nails the physical aspect of the “mood” problem. She describes clearly, concisely, and completely how our physical sense of well-being is intimately affected by the availability of necessary building blocks to supply the brain with the nutrients it needs to function optimally. She distinguishes between “true” and “false” emotions: real feelings of grief or anger related to life events, and moods of sadness, irritability or depression that hold us in their grip for no reason. Of course we often do have unexplained feelings that are a signal of something we need to attend to—but these signals can be clear only if our minds are not fogged by deficiencies of the necessary neurotransmitters.
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 The Schwarzbein Principle II: The Transition 2002The Schwarzbein Principle: The Program—Losing Weight the Healthy Way 2005
Diana Schwarzbein, M.D. http://www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com She has just added a 33-minute video interview in which she explains the basic program and talks a little about what she has added in the latest book. Buy new or used at Amazon
She’s an endocrinologist, and focuses on healing metabolism by balancing diet by eating whole natural and organic foods, tapering off sugar, drugs, and stimulants, balancing hormones, getting the right amount and kind of exercise. She addresses stress and its influence on health, but this is primarily a physical rather than mind/body approach. Especially useful for women who are diabetic or insulin-resistant, have dieted consistently with either low-fat or low-carb diets and are either overweight or underweight, eat a lot of processed food, are taking pharmaceutical drugs for early symptoms of degenerative disease, have a tendency to overexercise. Other books may be more useful if you are already eating well and are basically healthy.
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Rewriting Cultural Rules 
