I think what he was trying to say was that an obese person should not start lifting weights to loose weight, as that doesn't work well, and it's unhealthy to start off first.
in that, he is correct, Torn. You are much better off, if you are largely overweight, to work on toning and loosing weight instead of working on dead lifts, militarty squats, and such, which can hurt you in the long run as you are putting too much strain on your body.