That’s right, we’re finally tackling the big H. The subject is especially unavoidable for gainers, as we transform our bodies into what many see as the very antithesis of health. The process of gaining weight is bound to impact our health in one way or another, whether in the form of physical complications like diabetes or sleep apnea, mental effects on our self-image and libido, or changes in the way doctors treat us. 

But because our choices go consciously against the norm of health, we’re uniquely positioned to challenge and critique that norm. Are good health and weight gain truly incompatible goals? What can gaining tell us about how mainstream society (mis)understands health? And is health really all it’s cracked up to be?