I agree we should all (on average) lose a little weight. I don't see how that can be used as a rebuttal to follow safe practices in the endemic.
The period of time in which I lost with the most quickly was when my COPD was at its worst, eventually sending me to a night in the hospital. When they weighed me, I was surprised to be 35 pounds down from what I thought was too heavy, but still comfortable. It was dramatically effective, but I wouldn't recommend it as a means for most people.
And I have usually been pretty fit, to the point of being skinny, I gained 20 pounds in Navy boot camp, very little of it fat.