Fat Lesbians

Remarkably, (via) it appears that lesbians are more than twice as likely to be fat as heterosexual women:

Ulrike Boehmer of the Boston University School of Public Health and colleagues looked at a 2002 national survey of almost 6000 women, and found that lesbians were 2.69 times more likely to be overweight and 2.47 times more likely to be obese.

“Lesbians have more than twice the odds of (being) overweight,” the authors wrote.

Such a finding of course means that those who are overweight in this manner are more at risk of heart trouble and diabetes, as the researchers point out.

Now my purpose in highlighting this is not (only) to have a snigger about stereotypes but (also) to ask a slightly more serious question:

They reviewed smaller studies that have suggested a higher prevalence of obesity among lesbians and the possible reasons why.

“The results of these studies indicate that lesbian women have a better body image than do heterosexual women,” they wrote.

Now yes, I do realize that it's one of the tropes about the Patriarchy, that we men force heterosexual women into starving themselves by our oppression and mind waves so that we can impose upon them our own ideals of the female shape, thus creating the well known situation where women have a bad "body image" and are thus brainwashed by....sorry, I can't quite keep that going, I haven't read enough of my cousin's book, obviously.

So here's the question. How is a body image that increases the risks of heart disease and diabetes "better"?

For extra points, an answer to this one would also be nice. Given that I am myself on the very definitely porky side, does this mean that I am in fact a lesbian trapped in a man's body? In touch with my feminine side? Or just fat?