HEFT AND HEALTH - NEW AWARENESS : NO WEIGHT LECTURE, PLEASE.

Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer

Idrea Lippmanof Studio City is not your standard size-6, perky aerobics instructor clad in a thong leotard.

No, no, no.

Lippman is a large, healthy, happy woman - and proud of it.

Just watch her lead a class at the Women Only gym in Studio City. Listen to her roar encouragingly at her loyal students of all ages, shapes and sizes. They flap their arms and shift their feet to the thumping beat of Melissa Etheridge's ``I am woman!'' anthem, ``I'm the Only One.''

``Yeah! She's back,'' hollers Lippman at a late student who slithers through the crowd of hard-breathing, bouncing bodies.

Several minutes into the warm-up phase of the hourlong workout, Lippman barks short incantations about loving one's body and self. Her students repeat after her in loud, crisp voices, their heads held up high.

``I've got it!'' I've got it!

``I own it!'' I own it!

``It's mine!'' It's mine!

``Can't take it!'' Can't take it!

``Want it?'' Want it?

``Can't have it!'' Can't have it!

Lippman, who graced the cover of the country's first plus-size fashion magazine for women 18 years ago, also is a model of good health. A growing contingent of physicians and fitness experts are recognizing people, like Lippman, who are large and healthy.

``Weight is not as important as we've been led to believe,'' said Glenn Gaesser, associate professor of exercise physiology and associate director of the Adult Fitness Program at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

More studies are emerging that indicate thin doesn't always guarantee a clean bill of health; and large doesn't always equal unhealthy.

More research is buttressing the notion that many people are born with a set point or range of weight that won't fluctuate severely - regardless of how much you exercise or what you eat.

That's not to say obesity is OK. Medical and health professionals are quick to delineate the difference between being large-sized but healthy and being unhealthfully obese.

``Thin-ness doesn't always guarantee health, but being obese guarantees health risks, including high blood pressure, cholesterol, ... osteoarthritis,'' said Dr. Peter D. Vash, executive medical director of Lindora Comprehensive Weight Control, a chain of private weight-loss centers based in Costa Mesa.

Although health officials don't agree on a single definition for obesity, the American Dietetic Association says a body mass index (BMI is replacing the old height-weight chart as a standard way to compare people's weights) of 19 to 25 is a ``healthy weight target.''

``The idea of fat and fit is true for me,'' said Pat Lyons, an Oakland-based health education consultant and registered nurse who stands 5 feet 8 inches, weighs 240 pounds and has a BMI of 36. She reports good blood pressure and cholesterol readings.

In 1974, Lyons began exercising regularly. Her energy and endurance levels skyrocketed. Barely able to walk around the block initially, she now runs races and backpacks at elevations of 10,000 feet.

But her weight has barely budged. ``I never got the so-called `payoff' of being thin,'' she said.

What she did get was frustrated and more than an earful from physicians about her weight. ``When you go in for pinkeye or bronchitis, you don't need a weight-loss lecture and have everything blamed on your weight,'' Lyons said.

The key challenge for large people remains swaying experts to target health rather than solely weight loss, Lyons said. But, she added, ground has been broken in this area.

``We're beginning to question that thin equals healthy and fat equals unhealthy,'' Lyons said. ``This is a major shift.''

Blame it on your genes

Research conducted at the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas was one of the most significant studies to nudge some medical officials toward that shift, said Gaesser of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Between 1970 and 1989, the center tracked more than 25,000 men - measuring their BMI, charting their level of physical activity and recording their mortality rate.

The data suggested a weak link between BMI and mortality risk. In other words, the study's larger men were not more susceptible to death than their leaner peers. And, regular exercise strongly lowered the risk of mortality in the lean and the larger men alike.

Therefore, a large person who exercises regularly can be more healthy than a leaner ``couch potato,'' Gaesser argued.

The Cooper research also revealed some disheartening news for people who want to be thin. As was Lyons' experience, physical activity or a stricter exercise regimen didn't melt away the pounds for all of the study's men.

The reason can be traced to your genetic makeup, according to Gaesser and other experts.

You're born with a certain ratio of fat and muscle cells. That ratio, which will differ from person to person, can be influenced by exercise and diet changes. But there's a limit to which that ratio can be altered, Gaesser explained.

In March 1995, researchers at Rockefeller University in New York found all people, fat and thin, adjust their metabolism to maintain their weight.

And about a week ago, researchers at the University of California at Davis and Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., say they've discovered a protein that explains why some people can gorge on Chinese food and stay slim while others can consume the same food and add on pounds. Animals with high levels of the protein, according to the study, converted excess calories to harmless body heat while animals with lower protein levels stored the extra calories as fat.

``We're a prisoner to our genes to a certain extent,'' Gaesser added.

The debate continues

But some physicians argue the new studies aren't green lights to ignore excess weight and the strong likelihood of associated health problems.

Harold Holler, an ADA member, said an overall lifestyle change that includes regular exercise will result in weight loss and improved health, Holler said.

Large people who stay large despite regular exercise may be eating too many high-calorie foods. ``It's the issue of moderation of consumption of all foods,'' Holler said.

But Gretchen Head of North Hollywood, who believes weight is somewhat rooted in genetics, has come to terms with her genes - and her weakness for chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.

Head, 48, works out with Lippman three to four times a week. She's 5-foot-4, 200 pounds and has a BMI of 34. Losing the extra pounds isn't easy.

Although she sticks to a healthy, low-fat diet, including lean meats and steamed vegetables, Head said she has a sweet tooth.

So she has resigned herself to focusing on her health, not a daily scale reading. And she doesn't thumb through fashion magazines that feature lanky, lean models anymore. ``I would probably have to live on celery and carrot sticks,'' Head said. ``I can't deal with that, so I just try to eat healthy.''

New gauge for weight

The body mass index swiftly is replacing the old height-weight chart as a better way to gauge your target weight. Here's how to calculate your BMI:

Multiply your weight in pounds by 700.

Divide that number by your height in inches.

Then divide again by your height.

The resulting number, which probably will be somewhere between 20 and 30, is your body mass index.

The most recent statistical survey used a BMI of 25 as the definition of overweight. Previous surveys in the United States have put the number at 27.3 for women and 27.8 for men. The bottom line: A good BMI for women is under 24. A good BMI for men is 28 or under.

CAPTION(S):

Box, 2 Photos

PHOTO (1) Shouting out encouragement to her students, Idrea Lippman leads her aerobics class at the Women Only gym in Studio City.

(2 -- color -- colver) A model of fitness? Idrea Lippman of Studio City is large -- and healthy.

Tina Gerson/Daily News

Box: New gauge for weight (see text)