Are fat people just lazy and make excuses?

walking2running

A slightly overweight woman of average height (5'4") with a desk job will maintain her weight at 1600 calories. If that same woman were to eat 200 calories above her TDEE, it would account for a gain of 20 pounds per year. 200 calories per day could mean an extra x-large latte, or half a muffin. That same woman could be waking up at 5 am to get her kids ready for the day, in the office from 9-5, then picking up her kids from daycare/school, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, then repeating the same the next day. I wouldn't call that woman lazy.

As a woman of average height, I was overweight because I ate just a little over my TDEE. I ate over my TDEE by finishing my kid's leftovers (healthy stuff, no junk), or grabbing a few crackers here and there, or having the incorrect serving of pasta.

Now, I wake up at 4 am and exercise for an hour. I walk during my lunch hour regardless of the amount of work that's on my desk. I am more aware of how calories add up here and there throughout the day, so I don't graze at home and I say no to treats at work.

I wouldn't say that I'm less lazy. I have a better awareness & understanding of my weight, calories in/calories out, and how I can affect both sides of the CICO equation.

It is overly simplistic to say laziness is to the root of all weight issues, just as it is overly simplistic to say over-consumption of sugar leads to obesity, or the 'burbs are to blame. They may very well play a role, but we don't know to which degree.

The most important take-away for me is that regardless of reason why I was overweight, whether I was emotionally attached to my snacking behavior, or if I had just too much on my plate to worry about losing weight, I was ultimately responsible for my weight. Losing weight and maintaining weight means manipulating the equation on both sides in order to achieve your desired result. It is a concept that is not very easily accepted.

genpopadopolous

I was/am. To a point.

There's an emotional component to my eating, and I don't like working out so I got fat by eating too much and moving too little.

And I definitely had excuses - excuses why I couldn't work out, why I didn't change my eating, even to myself about how I was fine with my situation.

I'm still lazy. I still don't like to workout and I still want to eat. I just recognize that l dont HAVE to let those thoughts win. It's still a struggle and I mess up quite a bit but I know that doesn't mean I stop. There's also a pile of dishes in the sink that I should be doing. Meh.

I also don't think my situation is applicable to everyone else, nor do I think "Just do it, fatty" when I see another overweight person. There are a million reasons a person may be heavy other than lazy.

brb_2013

I only speak for myself. Yes, I was lazy. Yes, I was full of excuses. Now I know better, and yet still have laziness and excuses. I have to force myself to eat properly and move my body. It's still very easy to be lazy and find excuses and always will be.

jmgj27

I'd disagree. I've always done HUGE amounts of exercise whether I've been a size 8 or a size 18. The difference in size for me has largely been due to eating way too much and drinking way too much alcohol. I also have a medical condition and have to take steroids but mostly it was the food and booze. Not the laziness.

MightyLolo

I have two sisters. One is about 100 lbs heavier than me, and lazy and makes excuses. The other, like me, exercises, watches what she eats, and, also like me, is definitely not thin.
So I would say excuses are a piece of the picture, but so are biological factors like genetics, hormones, gut flora, etc.

KrissaJane92

Well, as a female who has PCOS (cysts on ovaries and insulin resistance) and thyroid problems (underactive; very slow metabolism, tiredness everyday) before getting those two diagnosis, I couldn't lose weight, no matter what. Now, I'm on meds and with a vegan lifestyle and exercising an hour every day I've lost over 60 pounds. So, it's different for everyone.

Don't judge others, plain and simple because you don't know what they struggle with!!

SideSteel

Mods: Delete link if me posting to my facebook page is against TOU

I wrote a post about this a few times because this is something I'm rather passionate about.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1769658113257323&id=1451299741759830

"Random thoughts:

I think many people who are overweight or who have obesity have made multiple attempts to improve their health and manage their weight.

It's stressful.
It's challenging.
It's not fun.

Statistically we can say that this is incredibly difficult to do successfully. Most people regain weight.

If I tried to accomplish a task that was really difficult over and over again and I continuously failed despite making changes and giving it a genuine effort and if the process itself sucked and caused me to feel horrible ( <--- censored for MFP), I would probably feel defeated.

I think this is something important to recognize.

I think SOME people tend to have a negative opinion of people with obesity, as if they don't care enough or are somehow just lazy, and I think that's pretty damn unfair."

mathiseasy

I'm fat and lazy and have managed to lose 21 pounds so far. I'll echo the poster above: people are fat because they eat more calories than they burn. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. You don't need to be lazy (although sometimes it furthers things along) to be fat.

endlessfall16

BZAH10 wrote: »

Some posters have confessed to being lazy whether overweight, thin, or somewhere in between. (Raises hand) Count me in that group. I'm lazy. My youngest son is lazy and gets mad at himself for putting off yardwork or laundry and I tell him sorry, you inherited that from me. He tells me I'm not lazy because my house is clean and I workout regularly, but I tell him I work hard to be lazy! I get up early on the weekends and lift at home so that I can be lazy the rest of the day and not feel guilty. I'm also one of those people who will carry ALL the grocery bags into the house in one trip because TWO trips is just too many.

Another example why it's impossible (and convoluted in this case) to define "lazy".

Losing weight (or not) is mostly about priority.

lemurcat12

Francl27 wrote: »

I don't know, has it occurred to people that maybe those fat people just don't care enough to bother? It's pretty presumptuous to assume that they are lazy and are making excuses... They're not making any excuses if they're happy the way they are, because there are no excuses to make - they just don't care.

It's presumptuous to assume that just because we care about our weight, others should too. I don't know about you, but when people think I'm 'making excuses' not to do something I just don't want to do, I find it rude. I'm not making any excuse, I just don't want to do it, period.

Agree with this.

Christine_72

I became overweight because i was lazy physically AND mentally. It was all just too hard and I couldn't be bothered changing anything.
Losing weight requires effort and watching everything you eat, plus a little suffering thrown in for good measure. I loved food too much and didn't want to reduce anything i was eating.

JeromeBarry1

I don't now and would not then have taken kindly to being called "lazy". What I was was ignorant. There is neither shame nor dishonor in recognizing that. I was ignorant of the available resources of mfp to gain mastery over food and body.

sunflowerhippi

SezxyStef wrote: »

sunflowerhippi wrote: »

I was fat because I wasn't allowed to go to the gym, my ex husband cooked and controlled the meals. If something was left over he was annoyed that we were wasting foods. We went out all the time because he wanted to.

I eventually lost weight by doing intermittent fasting aka starving all day so I could eat what and when he cooked for dinner and still loose weight and be under my tdee. Sucked balls, but oh well. I eventually found a method that would work for my lifestyle and lack of "time" to work out.

Yes he was a prick, yes he is my ex for good reasons. So lazy no, but sometimes there is other reasons to why someone gets/is overweight.

See a lot of people would see the bolded as an excuse. Lots here don't go to gyms (I don't).

Some would see it as a valid reason because of the "ex" being of a controlling nature.

I said that at one point to...I had an ex who got mad when I would go to the gym and yup I got fat again...I was lazy about it. I didn't try and figure out a way to keep the weight off and keep him happy. I was lazy....made excuses.

Glad you got your situation under wraps.

and another poster mentioned that they work hard to be lazy...that's a great statement...that's me now. I love being lazy...love it.

So I work hard to ensure I have lazy times...it's great..

Yeah if I chose to go for a run or try to go to the gym which I was paying monthly for he would stalk me to make sure I was there. I wasn't allowed to make friends, he would treat them so *kitten* they wouldn't speak to me. Then make a mess of the house while I was gone so I would have to clean the rest of the day and then spend the night insulting me, and just being an all around *kitten*. It isn't being lazy as much as prioritizing how much torture and hell is a workout really worth.

Starving myself for 20 hours a day while hypoglycemic and having low blood pressure just so I could eat the food he was cooking wasn't healthy or reasonable either.

positivepowers

ChxSurf782 wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Is she thin because she is high energy or is she thin because she seems to subsist primarily on coffee, alcohol, and smoking weed?

Alcohol is a depressant and overindulgence definitely hinders fat loss.
Smoking marijuana is mostly linked with being a depressant (and hallucinogen) and has no tangible effect on adipose tissue.
Coffee is likely not the cause for her being "high energy," as regular coffee drinkers develop a tolerance to the stimulating effect; this typically maintains a baseline of normalcy vice a noticeably "energetic" effect.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant constructed almost entirely of carbohydrates which aids in weight gain and poor food choices.

Marijuana is a known appetite stimulant, that's one reason why cancer patients do so well on it and why stoners eat so many Cheetos. Chronic pot use has been linked to a decrease in ambition, like the ambition needed to exercise. Habitual weed smokers should put on weight, not be high energy (just high) and thin.

Even habitual coffee drinkers will become jittery and nervous if the level is increased beyond their tolerance.

racergirl1991

I'm overweight because I used going to the gym as an excuse to eat any crap I wanted. I actually told people I went to the gym so I could eat anything I wanted. Great theory.....

Panda_brat

I just did not care that my weight made me healthy.

beautifulwarrior18

I'm fat. I'm not lazy. I work out at least 3x a week, have two jobs (one full time) that results in me working 7 das a week. I get maybe a two three days off a month if I'm traveling. My excuse for not eating well. There's not enough hours in the day to cook and meal prep. Is it an excuse? Yes. Is it legitimate. Perhaps. But I'm trying so say what you want but in the words of lil mama "watchu know 'bout me?"

And mental illness (depression) had a lot to do with my weight gain. Do I blame myself for being fat? Yes. But I also know that some days getting out of bed was impossible. Happily medicated now though . I still struggle, but I struggle less.

UncaToddly

flippy1234 wrote: »

I think it's partially true but I also think that it's a daunting task for many. It has to be a mental decision. Until your head is in the game, nothing will work.

I think this is true for a lot of people, especially once you cross over a line. I have always hated exercise and led a pretty sedentary life. I thought nothing of eating whatever I wanted. For me, 10,000 calories in a day was not a big deal. The whole time I kept getting bigger and bigger but there was always someone bigger than me. I felt bad but would always ask my wife "am I as big as that guy" because your perception of yourself is different than others see.

It is a hard decision to make to actually commit to working the weight down. When a perfectly proportioned body for your body type is 185 pounds and you are 225, the idea of losing 40 pounds is a lot but in your head you know that if you start eating right and get active, you can do it. When you cross that line and realize that to get to 185 you need to lose 200 pounds or more.... it can be mentally challenging to even believe that is possible without starving yourself and hating your life.

oph296

False. Check Ted talk from Peter Attia