In light of how depressing it can be to step on the scale right after Thanksgiving (and it ain’t over yet… December is even worse), we thought you’d appreciate this scientific tidbit: A few extra pounds can actually be good for you.

The relevant word here is a FEW.

In 2005, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at body mass index or BMI — an estimate of a person’s body fat calculated by height and weight — and found that overweight people [with a BMI of 25 to 29.9] had less chance of dying than people with a normal BMI or a low BMI.

For those over age 70 the evidence was even stronger. “The lower your BMI the worse your chances of survival,” says Katherine M. Flegal, CDC senior research scientist and lead author of the 2005 study.

“Banging on older people just because their BMI is 26 or 27 [when] some researchers say it’s supposed to be under 25 is just silly,” says G. David Williamson, a professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. “I don’t see any evidence that function or longevity are compromised in that narrow range.”

For people with osteoporosis a few extra pounds may actually be beneficial. “The more stress you put on bones, the more they grow, so someone who weighs more will have denser bones,” says Timothy Church, M.D., professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. “That’s an advantage as we grow older and lose one to two percent of muscle a year.”

But don’t we all want to be super-skinny like those beautiful actresses and models we’re supposed to emulate? Thinner is more attractive, right? Not necessarily.

In 2010, doctors at Case Western Reserve University compared photos of identical twins ages 40 and older and found the heavier twin, with a BMI at least four points higher, looked younger than the thinner sibling, who often appeared gaunt or haggard.

Turns out that a little body fat provides “volume replacement,” filling in the wrinkles and sunken areas of the face to provide a more youthful appearance.

The bottom line here seems to be that all things are good in moderation. Even weight loss. If you’re active and healthy, but can’t seem to get those last 5 or 10 pounds to budge, maybe it’s not worth stressing over. Maybe you’re just fine just like you are.