Often the butt of jokes, the governor's size is a serious health issue. Watch video
Gov. Chris Christie's weight is once again coming under scrutiny, after he was hospitalized with breathing problems Thursday.TRENTON — During Gov. Chris Christie's campaign for governor, his weight was fodder for political attacks. His Democratic opponents filled television advertisements with unflattering photos and slow-motion footage and, in a barely veiled accusation, said he "threw his weight around" to get out of traffic tickets.
But Christie's heft is also a serious health issue, one he has struggled with for years despite his good-natured jokes about it. And Christie's hospitalization for breathing problems Thursday refocused attention on his weight, an issue he acknowledges is a concern.
"The weight exacerbates everything," he said when leaving the hospital. "I've been pretty candid about that, right from the start of my public career."
And, just like most everything else, Christie addressed it with characteristic bluntness during a half-hour press conference delving into his personal health.
"I weigh too much because I eat too much," he said. "And I eat some bad things too."
Christie, one of the hottest voices in the national Republican Party, said he’s generally healthy but will continue pushing to lose weight.
"I don't want to press my luck," he said.
Last month he told CNN interviewer Piers Morgan that his weight causes him the most guilt.
"I'm really struggling, been struggling for a long time with it," he said. "And I know that it would be better for my kids if I got it more under control and so I do feel a sense of guilt at times about that."
Doctors believe the governor’s breathing problems were related to his asthma, a condition Christie has had for years and requires him to keep an inhaler handy, said the governor’s spokeswoman, Maria Comella. Christie said the recent hot and humid weather likely caused the problem to resurface.
Gov. Chris Christie, standing behind a podium Thursday evening after being released from Somerset Medical Center, is once again facing questions about his weight.Christie said he hasn’t been hospitalized for asthma since he was a law student at Seton Hall University, where he graduated in 1987. He sees a doctor once a year specifically for his asthma. Just like every other doctor, he said, his specialist urges him to lose weight.
"If I weighed less, I'd be healthier," Christie said.
Recent medical studies and some doctors said obesity can exacerbate asthma.
For example, excess weight can hinder the movement of the body’s diaphragm, a sheet of muscle that extends across the midsection of the chest, said Robert Guardabasco, manager of respiratory care at Newton Medical Center. The diaphragm is a major muscle for breathing.
"If you're overweight, it can't drop well because the stomach's in the way," Guardabasco said.
Medical questions have dogged politicians before, most recently Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, a congresswoman from Minnesota. After news reports revealed she has needed emergency medical treatment for migraines, she said the headaches would not affect her ability to serve as president.
Christie, who President George W. Bush nicknamed "big boy," has always said he's healthy enough to be governor.
Christie hasn't been prevented from working because of any medical problems, said William Palatucci, a friend, political adviser and former law partner of the governor’s.
As far as his weight, "it’s always been a battle during his adult life," Palatucci said. "He’s mindful that it’s something he needs to combat."
Asked whether the stress of the governor’s office exacerbated any health issues, Palatucci pointed out that Christie also faced a high-stress environment while U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
In fact, on Thursday Christie said his blood pressure was a healthy 118 over 78 — so low he said one person didn't believe it.
Christie, a high school athlete, has struggled with his weight for years, although he hasn’t hesitated to poke fun at it. He once told radio host Don Imus that his incremental weight loss is like "throwing a couple deck chairs off the Titanic."
While he was a Morris County freeholder in 1996, Christie made a bet with a colleague over who could shed the most pounds. Later Christie tried dieting again at the U.S. attorney’s office.
During his campaign for governor in 2009, Christie joked that he’s been in the public eye for years "at various sizes."
"Up 30 or 40, down 30 or 40, it’s kind of been the way it’s gone," he said. "And I don’t think all of you are blind."
Despite the jokes, Christie also takes the issue seriously. He said he's been eating better and working with a trainer more consistently.
"I'm working out tomorrow morning," he said Thursday.
Star-Ledger staff writers Ginger Gibson and Eugene Paik contributed to this report.
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