Your situation is interesting, I am not particularly thick in the torso, but I have had issues in the past with the string being on my chest.
I was shooting a bow way too long for what I needed, and a might too heavy? I also started to cant my bow, started shooting from a more closed stance(with both feet quartering toward the target more)these two things changed my traditional bow shooting life, for the better.
Regarding your four finger release, I think you are cheating yourself out of all the bow has to give by adding more resistance to the bow string. Having said that, I have seen a lot of things, "strange", in this sport. If it ain't broke, don'f fix it.