American author, Dr. Glen Gaesser -- who wrote `Big Fat Lies, the Truth About Your Weight and Your Health' -- will visit Bermuda next week to put the squeeze on the idea you have to be pencil-thin to be in proper shape.

Government nutritionist, Besty Baillie, backs the University of Virginia professor's stance that lean is not necessarily better.

"Thinness does not equal fit and healthy,'' she said. "We want to get people away from the fixation that they have to be thin. We want them to look at their overall health instead.

"You don't have to be a size six -- in fact some of those who are that size are not healthy.'' Mrs. Baillie said people needed to change the way they evaluate health -- shifting away from a scale and moving towards health factors.

She added controlling sugar intake, watching blood pressure, cholesterol, proper eating habits and exercise were the real key to being healthy.

And she insisted: "If all of those are alright -- then you are healthy.

"Genetically we are all disposed to have a certain body type,'' she explained. "It's how you feed and exercise your body which impacts on your weight and health.'' Mrs. Baillie said a healthier lifestyle can be achieved by making even minor modifications.

"There are three problem areas,'' she explained. "People do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, consume enough milk/dairy or high calcium foods and they eat too much meat and snack foods.

"A fourth problem is the size of portions, they need to be decreased.'' Mrs. Baillie said as people age, they need to decrease the number of calories they consume.

"Between the ages of 30 and 50, people lose ten percent of their muscle mass and it is the amount of muscle which determines the amount of calories a person needs. So during those years, people need to decrease their intake and increase the amount of exercise they get.

"Strength building exercises helps to build muscle and can help control the amount of muscle loss.'' "One of the problems is that we tend to judge people on their weight,'' Mrs.

Baillie said. "And we find that people who are overweight tend to be put off going to their doctors because they are afraid of being told to lose weight.

But you cannot generalise with weight.

"Weight does not have to be the cause of health problems if you eat and exercise properly. Overweight is fine as long as you practice healthy habits in eating and exercise.

"It's about accepting our body shape and size but keeping it in good condition,'' she added. "It's like a small car and a big car -- both will get you where you want to go, it's just how you take care of them.'' And she pointed out: "The diet industry is a billion-dollar one. Diets are only a short-term solution -- 95 percent of all diets fail.'' Mrs. Baillie said Dr. Gaesser will discuss how individuals do not need to lose excessive weight to enjoy "successful'' health benefits.

"He will talk about research that may suggest that thigh fat may provide protection against heart disease.'' Dr. Gaesser will headline a free workshop that will take place on Thursday, October 15 at 7.30 p.m. at the St. Paul's Christian Education Centre in Paget.

Mrs. Baillie said the aim of the workshop, with the associate director of the adult fitness programme at the University of Virginia, was to spread the message that you can be fit and healthy at any weight.

However, it is important to note that neither Dr. Gaesser not Mrs. Baillie are suggesting that there are not real health problems associated with excess body fat. They are just trying to get the message across that the public's preoccupation with the bathroom scales may discourage people from achieving real fitness.

Dr. Gaesser recently said: "When someone quits an exercise programme because they've been unable to achieve a predetermined weight-loss goal, all of the health benefits that have accrued -- that have been produced by exercise -- are lost.

"Exercise should be about health and fitness, not about burning calories to achieve some magic number on a scale.'' He added: "Some men and women are naturally meant to be fat, a birthright that no amount of exercise or dieting will change.'' Mrs. Baillie said she hoped the public would take advantage of the opportunity to listen to Dr. Gaesser's free presentation.