The Real Reason We're Fat (or Some of Us, Anyway)

I think people underestimate how much their NEAT contributes to their overall calories. On days when I'm confined to a chair for very long periods (like driving long distances), I burn significantly less calories than a normal days where I'm up and about. We're talking 300 or so. That's before any exercise! Some people think they have to work and work to burn calories. I think I burn 1.5x as many calories standing as sitting. That makes a huge difference over time. Just get up and move, every hour. Or stand part of the day. If a person was truly sedentary, they wouldn't even have to diet or "exercise" and they'd lose weight if they made those minor changes.

I have a hard time sitting still. I'm pretty sure that's one of the reasons I've been pretty lucky on the weight issue (or lack of weight issue).

One of the most poignant things I've read is regarding the difference in calorie needs. A 5'4" sedentary woman needs 2600 calories to maintain 200 lb and 2000 calories to maintain 140 lb (fat2fitradio). That's only 600 calories!

I became morbidly obese while still being quite active. I ate about 4700 calories a day for 13 years... There's no question why I weighed 450 lbs. I ate too much and didn't care. That's probably what's up with your coworkers too... They don't care about being obese and want convenience and comfort while they're in denial that they're on a path to living a short life.

I started on the road to being morbidly obese about 10 years ago. I worked a very stressful demanding job and didn't MAKE time to care for my body properly in the way of nutrition predominately but also intentional exercise. Looking back I'm sure tons of people spoke about my weight and habits behind my back. Too bad no one once had the courage and concern to do anything to try to help. I'm absolutely not saying police anyone else's lives. I have taken accountability for the choices I made and have now completely changed my life. Maybe I could have done it sooner if someone had tried to encourage or motivate me. Sometimes we don't see what awful choices we are making for ourselves. Luckily it finally hit me. Hope you feel better getting that off your chest OP.