So you’re a little overweight. But you’re active and you exercise a lot, so that counteracts those extra pounds, right?

Not so fast, friend.

A new study in the ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE says that being “fat but fit” is a fiction. The study finds that the risk of getting heart disease was 54% higher in women who were overweight but active, and 87% higher in women who were obese but active. (Active was defined by government-recommended guidelines of engaging in at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week.; overweight was determined by a Body Mass Index of between 25 and 29; obese by a Body Mass Index of 30 or higher.)

Sure, being active and overweight is better than being INACTIVE and overweight – the risk of getting heart disease was 87% higher in overweight and inactive women and 2 ½ times greater in obese women who were inactive. So there’s definitely a benefit to exercise.

But what the study hammers home is that exercise isn’t enough. Carrying too much weight still puts you at higher risk.

The study was limited to women, but it’s not a stretch to say that men should heed the same lesson.