Here's something from me:
As some of you may know, a little over a year ago I weighed 240 lbs and had about 20% body fat with no strength. I was depressed, always tired, and just sat around all day eating and playing videogames because it's the only thing that took my mind off how shitty my life was. Yes, being obese can indeed be a psych issue. It was for me. To quote Fat Bastard from Austin Powers " I eat because I'm unhappy, and I'm unhappy because I eat." It's a true sentiment, and something you probably wouldn't understand unless you were severely overweight. However, I was also lazy. Really lazy. I finally got so tired of being made fun of and feeling like shit that I decided to do something about it. It wasn't a great idea.
I crash-dieted. Went to 180lbs in about 3 months, and I'm pretty sure I was close to having an eating disorder. I was "thin", but I still felt like shit. The lack of proper nutrition was really doing me in, and I was still "skinny-fat". So, I started to strength train. Casually at first, but last year I started to get serious about it and proper nutrition. Now, I'm up to 206lbs with 12% bodyfat. My bench went from 125 starting out (no shit) to about 270 right now. My squat went from 180 to 425 (well, before I hurt myself last month, but that's neither here nor there. Trying to heal up.). I went from being able to run half a mile in 10 minutes to running 2 in about 11 . I feel better, I look better, and I have more self-confidence.
The thing is, it was NOT easy. It required a lot of research and more dedication than most people would assume.Most people think they can eat a salad or spend 10 minutes on a treadmill or something and improve themselves, when in reality there are many MANY more issues to consider. Part of the reason people are so
overfat (overweight an overFAT are 2 entirely different things) is because it's hard work. So what do they do? They make excuses. They "don't have enough time" is what I normally hear. That's bullshit. I work 2 jobs and am a full-time college student. You know what I do? I get my ass out of bed at 5 AM and hit the gym by 6 so I can be out in time for class and work.
"I love *insert food here* too much" is another really good one. Seriously, are you that weak? Is your will really so flimsy that you can't give up chocolate cake? My ass loved all the classic greasy foods, but all they did was make me feel worthless, tired, bloated, and lethargic. I gave them up. I'm not saying it was easy, but, seriously, who expects it to be? I miss the food sometimes, but then I ask myself if 30 seconds of flavor is worth what it does to me and I always answer with "not a
ing chance."
To anyone claiming being overfat doesn't harm you; I don't have any real science (myself) to refute claims. I only offer my anecdotal evidence. When I was that size, I was sick at least twice a month. I sweat a bunch, and there were times where I couldn't breathe. When I got bloodwork for my acne medication, the doctor told me that my LDL levels were so high from my weight that my heart had to work twice as hard to keep blood pumping. That's
ing real right there, regardless of whatever studies people want to throw up about obese people having higher rates of survival from illnesses that (from current medical thought) their condition has brought on themselves.
I know I'm rambling, but this is a pretty real issue for me. I guess I'll wrap it up like this:
1. Obesity can indeed be genetic and mental, but from what I've seen those cases are more rare than people make it out. I was obese and depressed, and I kept eating because it was the only thing that made me feel better, but I (by myself) got out of it.
2.Losing weight and exercise are more involved than spending 20 minutes in the gym and having a salad. Most people either don't understand that or don't want to put in any effort towards it.
3. I guess the reason I hate obesity is because it reminds me of what I was, and it's hard for me to escape my past. It's not right to judge fat people because they're fat, but I feel it's ok to judge their poor habits.
Anyway, I hope anybody out there who wants to change themselves has great luck. It's a new year, and it's never too late to do a 180. Just remember "Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but ain't nobody want to lift no heavy-ass weight".
). But I'd caution that you need to follow a strict regimented diet 6 days a week minimum. Give yourself one day to go nuts and eat what you want - once every two weeks is even better, but 1 out of 7 days is more reasonable for starters.