Are fat people just lazy and make excuses?

12346

Replies

  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    OMG, I choked on a carrot, too!!! Was sitting on a couch hanging out with family and eating a salad. Started choking on a sliver of carrot from the salad, stuck my finger down my throat and got it out ;)

    When I was fat I was putting in lots of hours at work. Knew I needed to exercise but just never got it done. I'd say I was lazy in that regard. But I can understand what people are saying about priorities because I actually cut back on work to start exercising.

    I did magically come back dozens of pounds lighter after learning that it was all about calories
  • tracie_minus100
    tracie_minus100 Posts: 465 Member
    When I was morbidly obese, I would say I was kind of lazy, sometimes. I was nowhere near as active as I am now (at a healthy weight now) and it was partially due to laziness and partially because it was physically harder for me to be active, and I would get discouraged and give up, or give up because I felt self conscious and uncomfortable. But I was fat mostly because I had zero self control when it came to food.
    I was miserable in my body, yet at the same time was full of excuses and seriously lacking in motivation and willpower.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I don't think anyone telling anyone anything about weight loss is going to motivate them to do it, normally. I do think the realization "oh, it's really just about burning more than I take in, totally in my control" can spark something in someone so they can and do lose weight, but it's not about information coming in from outside, but them being in the frame of mind to seek it and hear it. One thing that helped me was a friend telling me "if you don't like how much you weigh, why not lose weight" which sparked the rather obvious thought "you know, it is something I can do, not just something that happens to me."

    I also used work as an excuse (for me, not saying it was for others) not to lose weight, but when I thought about it my co-workers were mostly not overweight, even those who worked as much -- that also helped me realize I had the control, but it was something I had to realize for myself. And I had to figure out how to balance and to some extent re-prioritize.

    "Processed food" was never an issue for me, and I really hate "processed" being used as a synonym for high cal and low nutrient as in fact it's all over the place. I had a really healthy wrap from Pret yesterday that fit in my calories and nutrition goals well -- that was processed, but so what? I also disagree that food packaging is wildly tempting. More tempting may be the food (and most supermarket packaged stuff really isn't, to me, although the cannolis from an Italian bakery that a co-worker brought in today, yeah, tempting. No more processed than the Pret wrap, more like something I'd make at home (if I weren't too lazy), but tempting. (It was 100% my choice whether to eat one or not, and yes I did.)

    Maybe I'm weird, but I also think that supermarket produce (and certainly green market/farmer's market produce) looks tempting and delicious too. Maybe it looks worse once you hit the northwestern-ish border of my city. ;-)

    More seriously, I don't think people were judging others or calling fat people lazy or excuse-makers for the most part. Some people were talking about themselves, and that's fair.
  • steponebyone
    steponebyone Posts: 123 Member
    salembambi wrote: »
    seeing former fatties talking crap about fat people is just the best thing

    oh i just love seeing their self righteousness ooozzze all over

    But doesn't it justify itself since they themselves were "fatties"?
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    edited May 2016
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    so I read the rest of the responses and mostly yes...people here who were fat or are currently losing admit it we were lazy and made excuses.

    Lazy being not making the changes required to lose the weight.

    You can work 60-80 hours a week and be lazy
    You can have an immaculate house and be lazy

    Lazy is defined as "unwilling to work or use energy."...

    losing weight requires energy put forth into that area.


    Imagine investing a great deal of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears into a business. You do well and feel on top of the world. You're the most popular place in town for awhile. Time passes, and for reasons that you won't understand until later, that business slowly goes under.

    So, you build again a few years later. Once again, your business reaches a certain status. Maybe you do too well. Maybe you take things for granted. Maybe you blow too much corporate money on blow. For reasons that you somewhat understand, it collapses.

    A few more years pass, and you invest everything that's left. You're wildly successful for a time. You make more money than you ever have despite having more debts than you ever had. A mix of old and new problems surface, and in your frustration, before the business has a chance to properly fail, you set fire to the place in a moment of insanity. Now you're deeper in debt than ever.

    Even your closest friends and family tell you that perhaps you just aren't cut out to be a business owner. They look at you differently. They're a bit horrified by the torching of the last business though most of them have the good sense not to say so. For the first time, they accept you as a penniless fry cook at your local burger joint instead of urging you to follow your dreams - both a relief and a source of great sadness.

    You have no faith in your ability to maintain a business beyond the 2-year mark. Even if you did, you've long since used up all your capital. You spend the next 7 years just being. Things, outside of not being a business owner, actually go amazingly well. Still, you have an insane amount of debt. It weighs on you every second of every day. You know it's going to bury you, but your job at the local burger joint isn't going to cover it.

    It's okay until it's not okay. Secretly, with almost no hope and just a humble desire to make a small dent in that debt, with money that you are quite convinced you will never see again, you begin to build a 4th business. Not enough time has passed to determine whether this business will make it for the rest of your life. You keep going each day, but you're still scared that a future version of you will burn everything to the ground. You do have a kind of grim determination that you've never had before, but you're certainly not going to climb onto any high horses.

    Does "lazy" fit?

    Just for some perspective since I realize that everyone is on MFP for different reasons and from different fitness/BMI backgrounds.

    @afatpersonwholikesfood not sure what this story has to do with what I said. It''s not about weight it's about a persons ability to be success at being a business owner.

    You're not into parables and "the moral of the story" then? It was actually pretty excellent writing, gave me goose bumps and everything. Read it again :)

    I am into parables but I already answered the question in my post they quoted when they wrote this. I read it more than once not sure where they were going with it considering I already answered the question...I personally wondered if I am getting baited as my posts are getting flagged for abuse.

    I believe that we can all be lazy in aspects of our life. Regardless of what the other parts show.

    I was "lazy" about my health and fitness and weight loss but I worked 60 hours a week and had a very clean house and cooked from scratch and crocheted and painted had an active social life and raised a son on my own...and and and...
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I'm not fat. I'm not any more or less lazy than when I was fat; I just prioritize different things.

    This is exactly how I feel. I didn't magically have a personality change and stopped being lazy when I lost weight. I didn't mind being fat so it was low on my list of priorities.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    edited May 2016
    It's a touchy subject because no one wants be called lazy. But whatever. Given the number of excuses I see in this thread and elsewhere on MFP, I'd say very often yes. The one exception I see frequently on MFP is those who are suffering from mental health disorders and/or who are using food as a coping mechanism for trauma. I also think the priorities point above makes sense because I found myself in a similar situation of prioritizing work above all else. Even during that time though I could have been taking 30-60 minutes a day to work out and I could have been eating less and better. I still think lazy has/had a lot to do with it.

    The real question is do you want people thinking you're lazy and making excuses? You answered that when you started the thread. Why does it bother you? If it does bother you (and it is pretty obvious that it does) then make the changes to your life that are necessary to be fit. Or, just learn to be fat and happy. Either approach puts the onus on you, not everyone else. The only way you can control other people's perceptions of you is to control what you look like and how you behave. You can't control what goes on in their heads.
  • c_tap77
    c_tap77 Posts: 189 Member
    In some cases it probably is laziness. However, in my case it wasn't general laziness (I work 50-60 hour weeks and go to graduate school in the evenings)but I just had different priorities in my life. I'm not trying to make an excuse--could I have made more time to prepare meals and work out? Absolutely! But I was choosing to spend my time focusing on work and school.

    It wasn't until I was diagnosed with cancer a year ago that I started to realized how much more I should be focusing on my health. After I finished treatments I still work long hours and go to school in the evenings, but I've made my health a huge priority since then and I make sure I'm planning my time accordingly so I can meal-plan and exercise within my busy lifestyle.

    My point is, I don't think it's fair to say all fat people are lazy (although it's true some are) but others are just choosing to prioritize different things in life.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Lazy can lead to fat.
    Fat can lead to lazy.

    Is it the only cause? Probably not.

    1 snickers bar is easy to eat. I have to jog (not fast walk) on a treadmill for 45 minutes to burn that off.

    The rise of ultra calorie dense foods, that taste awesome too, share a significant portion more blame than being lazy and making excuses.

    Then we get to health issues. My best friend is obese. She has type 1 diabetes and is asthmatic. So, if she went ahead and wasn't "lazy" and ran on the treadmill, if she managed to still be able to breath, she'd run through her blood sugar and fall into a diabetic coma... unless she continuously ate while on the treadmill.

    But there are people like my sisters... "I want McDonalds every day and I will not exercise."

    So... its all individual.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    DanaDark wrote: »
    Lazy can lead to fat.
    Fat can lead to lazy.

    Is it the only cause? Probably not.

    1 snickers bar is easy to eat. I have to jog (not fast walk) on a treadmill for 45 minutes to burn that off.

    The rise of ultra calorie dense foods, that taste awesome too, share a significant portion more blame than being lazy and making excuses.

    Then we get to health issues. My best friend is obese. She has type 1 diabetes and is asthmatic. So, if she went ahead and wasn't "lazy" and ran on the treadmill, if she managed to still be able to breath, she'd run through her blood sugar and fall into a diabetic coma... unless she continuously ate while on the treadmill.

    But there are people like my sisters... "I want McDonalds every day and I will not exercise."

    So... its all individual.

    Are you sure that's how diabetes and asthma work?
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    Are you sure that's how diabetes and asthma work?

    Its a horrifying oversimplification/generalization meant to illustrate a point not express a thesis on medical practice he he.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    DanaDark wrote: »
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    Are you sure that's how diabetes and asthma work?

    Its a horrifying oversimplification/generalization meant to illustrate a point not express a thesis on medical practice he he.

    lol. I'm sure you could try to be somewhere in between. I have asthma and with medical management actually workout at a fairly high intensity (my preference). I knew someone with type 1 diabetes - I'm not certain if they favored the treadmill but I know they had one and that they exercised regularly, which also helped them manage their condition better (helps me, too). I imagine there are some health issues that could completely eliminate exercise from one's lifestyle. I'm not personally familiar with a lot of them
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    so I read the rest of the responses and mostly yes...people here who were fat or are currently losing admit it we were lazy and made excuses.

    Lazy being not making the changes required to lose the weight.

    You can work 60-80 hours a week and be lazy
    You can have an immaculate house and be lazy

    Lazy is defined as "unwilling to work or use energy."...

    losing weight requires energy put forth into that area.


    Imagine investing a great deal of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears into a business. You do well and feel on top of the world. You're the most popular place in town for awhile. Time passes, and for reasons that you won't understand until later, that business slowly goes under.

    So, you build again a few years later. Once again, your business reaches a certain status. Maybe you do too well. Maybe you take things for granted. Maybe you blow too much corporate money on blow. For reasons that you somewhat understand, it collapses.

    A few more years pass, and you invest everything that's left. You're wildly successful for a time. You make more money than you ever have despite having more debts than you ever had. A mix of old and new problems surface, and in your frustration, before the business has a chance to properly fail, you set fire to the place in a moment of insanity. Now you're deeper in debt than ever.

    Even your closest friends and family tell you that perhaps you just aren't cut out to be a business owner. They look at you differently. They're a bit horrified by the torching of the last business though most of them have the good sense not to say so. For the first time, they accept you as a penniless fry cook at your local burger joint instead of urging you to follow your dreams - both a relief and a source of great sadness.

    You have no faith in your ability to maintain a business beyond the 2-year mark. Even if you did, you've long since used up all your capital. You spend the next 7 years just being. Things, outside of not being a business owner, actually go amazingly well. Still, you have an insane amount of debt. It weighs on you every second of every day. You know it's going to bury you, but your job at the local burger joint isn't going to cover it.

    It's okay until it's not okay. Secretly, with almost no hope and just a humble desire to make a small dent in that debt, with money that you are quite convinced you will never see again, you begin to build a 4th business. Not enough time has passed to determine whether this business will make it for the rest of your life. You keep going each day, but you're still scared that a future version of you will burn everything to the ground. You do have a kind of grim determination that you've never had before, but you're certainly not going to climb onto any high horses.

    Does "lazy" fit?

    Just for some perspective since I realize that everyone is on MFP for different reasons and from different fitness/BMI backgrounds.

    Fabulous analogy! As a many times failed dieter, I can definitely related to this!
    wSUsDDy.gif
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    so I read the rest of the responses and mostly yes...people here who were fat or are currently losing admit it we were lazy and made excuses.

    Lazy being not making the changes required to lose the weight.

    You can work 60-80 hours a week and be lazy
    You can have an immaculate house and be lazy

    Lazy is defined as "unwilling to work or use energy."...

    losing weight requires energy put forth into that area.


    Imagine investing a great deal of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears into a business. You do well and feel on top of the world. You're the most popular place in town for awhile. Time passes, and for reasons that you won't understand until later, that business slowly goes under.

    So, you build again a few years later. Once again, your business reaches a certain status. Maybe you do too well. Maybe you take things for granted. Maybe you blow too much corporate money on blow. For reasons that you somewhat understand, it collapses.

    A few more years pass, and you invest everything that's left. You're wildly successful for a time. You make more money than you ever have despite having more debts than you ever had. A mix of old and new problems surface, and in your frustration, before the business has a chance to properly fail, you set fire to the place in a moment of insanity. Now you're deeper in debt than ever.

    Even your closest friends and family tell you that perhaps you just aren't cut out to be a business owner. They look at you differently. They're a bit horrified by the torching of the last business though most of them have the good sense not to say so. For the first time, they accept you as a penniless fry cook at your local burger joint instead of urging you to follow your dreams - both a relief and a source of great sadness.

    You have no faith in your ability to maintain a business beyond the 2-year mark. Even if you did, you've long since used up all your capital. You spend the next 7 years just being. Things, outside of not being a business owner, actually go amazingly well. Still, you have an insane amount of debt. It weighs on you every second of every day. You know it's going to bury you, but your job at the local burger joint isn't going to cover it.

    It's okay until it's not okay. Secretly, with almost no hope and just a humble desire to make a small dent in that debt, with money that you are quite convinced you will never see again, you begin to build a 4th business. Not enough time has passed to determine whether this business will make it for the rest of your life. You keep going each day, but you're still scared that a future version of you will burn everything to the ground. You do have a kind of grim determination that you've never had before, but you're certainly not going to climb onto any high horses.

    Does "lazy" fit?

    Just for some perspective since I realize that everyone is on MFP for different reasons and from different fitness/BMI backgrounds.

    @afatpersonwholikesfood not sure what this story has to do with what I said. It''s not about weight it's about a persons ability to be success at being a business owner.

    Concrete think much @SexyStef? This is called an analogy, and a particularly apt one.
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    DanaDark wrote: »
    JaneiR36 wrote: »
    Are you sure that's how diabetes and asthma work?

    Its a horrifying oversimplification/generalization meant to illustrate a point not express a thesis on medical practice he he.

    lol. I'm sure you could try to be somewhere in between. I have asthma and with medical management actually workout at a fairly high intensity (my preference). I knew someone with type 1 diabetes - I'm not certain if they favored the treadmill but I know they had one and that they exercised regularly, which also helped them manage their condition better (helps me, too). I imagine there are some health issues that could completely eliminate exercise from one's lifestyle. I'm not personally familiar with a lot of them

    Agreed. Fit asthmatic here who lifts and runs. Does it limit my running performance? Yes. Has it gotten in my way at times? Yes. I even find myself panting for breath often after high-rep squats. Has it stopped me? No. It's a challenge to be overcome, not an excuse.
  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    edited May 2016
    Disabled people who can't exercise that are overweight are lazy What an odd post tbh & why does it matter
    Your life is your own don't worry about mr x y z
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
    I used to be 300lbs, I wasn't lazy when it came to anything else, but yes, I let myself get to that weight
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    size102b wrote: »
    Disabled people who can't exercise that are overweight are lazy What an odd post tbh & why does it matter
    Your life is your own don't worry about mr x y z

    Have you ever watched the Special Olympics? How about former soldiers with no legs killing it in TRX straps or on a basketball court? Did you pay attention to the Boston Marathon this year? These people have overcome very real disabilities (and often a ton of pain and frustration) to make the most out of what they have. Yes, there are people who are truly bedridden, but focusing on what one cannot do rather than what one can do is a recipe for excuses and failure.
  • jwcanfield
    jwcanfield Posts: 192 Member
    edited May 2016
    No
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    so I read the rest of the responses and mostly yes...people here who were fat or are currently losing admit it we were lazy and made excuses.

    Lazy being not making the changes required to lose the weight.

    You can work 60-80 hours a week and be lazy
    You can have an immaculate house and be lazy

    Lazy is defined as "unwilling to work or use energy."...

    losing weight requires energy put forth into that area.


    Imagine investing a great deal of time, money, blood, sweat, and tears into a business. You do well and feel on top of the world. You're the most popular place in town for awhile. Time passes, and for reasons that you won't understand until later, that business slowly goes under.

    So, you build again a few years later. Once again, your business reaches a certain status. Maybe you do too well. Maybe you take things for granted. Maybe you blow too much corporate money on blow. For reasons that you somewhat understand, it collapses.

    A few more years pass, and you invest everything that's left. You're wildly successful for a time. You make more money than you ever have despite having more debts than you ever had. A mix of old and new problems surface, and in your frustration, before the business has a chance to properly fail, you set fire to the place in a moment of insanity. Now you're deeper in debt than ever.

    Even your closest friends and family tell you that perhaps you just aren't cut out to be a business owner. They look at you differently. They're a bit horrified by the torching of the last business though most of them have the good sense not to say so. For the first time, they accept you as a penniless fry cook at your local burger joint instead of urging you to follow your dreams - both a relief and a source of great sadness.

    You have no faith in your ability to maintain a business beyond the 2-year mark. Even if you did, you've long since used up all your capital. You spend the next 7 years just being. Things, outside of not being a business owner, actually go amazingly well. Still, you have an insane amount of debt. It weighs on you every second of every day. You know it's going to bury you, but your job at the local burger joint isn't going to cover it.

    It's okay until it's not okay. Secretly, with almost no hope and just a humble desire to make a small dent in that debt, with money that you are quite convinced you will never see again, you begin to build a 4th business. Not enough time has passed to determine whether this business will make it for the rest of your life. You keep going each day, but you're still scared that a future version of you will burn everything to the ground. You do have a kind of grim determination that you've never had before, but you're certainly not going to climb onto any high horses.

    Does "lazy" fit?

    Just for some perspective since I realize that everyone is on MFP for different reasons and from different fitness/BMI backgrounds.

    @afatpersonwholikesfood not sure what this story has to do with what I said. It''s not about weight it's about a persons ability to be success at being a business owner.

    Concrete think much @SexyStef? This is called an analogy, and a particularly apt one.

    @positivepowers and like my other reply said I had already stated my opinion on the question prior to it being asking so again not sure what it had to do with my 2nd reply...And yes you will have to excuse my concrete thinking...I guess I expect that questions won't be asked when the answer is known.

    and to make it simple simple I answered the question before it was asked....so not answering it again.

    However I will say this...asked my partner about it and his response was this...

    "lazy" has some many bad "connotations" to it...people are better off calling it "lackadaisical" towards their health and weight....not so much in other parts of their life...as he explain...a guy he works with...works all the time but is unhealthy and overweight...another guy is fit and healthy and a good weight...doesn't do much work on the job...

    Who is lazy in that scenario?

    so instead of being "baited" into some little "you so mean" fest I will say this...I agree with my husband.
  • emmam1212
    emmam1212 Posts: 67 Member
    In my opinion I feel like it's important to consider why someone might be coming off as "lazy." After having my twins my hormones weren't regulating correctly and I dealt with horrible postpartum depression and anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I had to go onto a depression meds for my mental health that had a side effect of essentially making me "lazy." I didn't want to move much and I ate more than I should have but I also didn't want to kill myself. So maybe there's deeper reason to the "laziness" for some people that should be considered before making such a generalized statement.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    I think the thing is that once 'some' people lose the weight, they realize that they could have done it a LONG time ago if they would have just stuck to it (note, I said some, because not everyone is like this!)

    I am overweight, and I won't lie, I've been lazy about it. I make excuses, and it's a daily struggle to stick to what I know is a proven method to lose weight. I work a pretty hectic schedule at work, and I also own a tattoo shop with my husband so my hours are crazy.

    I KNOW that I can go home at night and cook a healthy meal for the next day for me to eat. But after being tired, etc. I go to bed and then end up just eating out the next day.

    I KNOW that drinking water throughout the day is healthy, and it's what my body needs, but man I really love coffee and a beer sounds good with my dinner.

    In all honesty, when people make comments like that it makes me feel ashamed, because I think it's probably true for me.
    I think the thing is that once 'some' people lose the weight, they realize that they could have done it a LONG time ago if they would have just stuck to it (note, I said some, because not everyone is like this!)

    I am overweight, and I won't lie, I've been lazy about it. I make excuses, and it's a daily struggle to stick to what I know is a proven method to lose weight. I work a pretty hectic schedule at work, and I also own a tattoo shop with my husband so my hours are crazy.

    I KNOW that I can go home at night and cook a healthy meal for the next day for me to eat. But after being tired, etc. I go to bed and then end up just eating out the next day.

    I KNOW that drinking water throughout the day is healthy, and it's what my body needs, but man I really love coffee and a beer sounds good with my dinner.

    In all honesty, when people make comments like that it makes me feel ashamed, because I think it's probably true for me.

    You don't have to drink tons of water to meet your requirement for liquids /hydration. Drinking water does seem to help some people lose weight, but not because it's meeting some nutritional need. It helps because it cuts down on how much many people can eat because it keeps you full. All the liquid you take in counts. From tea, soda, coffee, juice, beer, veggies and fruits, even meats. Of course caffeine and alcohol can undermine things, but if you aren't thirsty, you're getting enough liquid. Unless something is inferring with your thirst response, like old age or some illnesses.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    I cared that I was "fat" (I was barely overweight) when I was a teenager. But by the time I was ~25 I was happily married and comfortable in my own skin. I didn't care. I wasn't exactly last. I liked food a lot (still do). I had varying levels of activity. My weight would go up and down in about a 25-35 lb range without any effort on my part. I'm still not sure what my highest weight was, but probably around 270 lbs (I'm 5'4" to put that in perspective). But I would also drop down to 235 sometimes.

    I finally got annoyed with my size one day because some clothes didn't fit. I was around 250 lbs. I decided to lose weight and I did, 46 lbs. Probably would have kept going but I got pregnant, almost died, developed hypothyroidism that went undiagnosed for 18 months, lost that weight when my meds stabilized, and got pregnant again.

    I am a totally lazy person, but that has nothing to do with my weight. Lazy just means the laundry piles up and I order my husband around like a domestic servant. "Fetch me a glass of water, knave!"
  • hhnkhl
    hhnkhl Posts: 231 Member
    It's not that fat people are lazy....some people don't have set goals or things they want....if they did then they will be really determined to go for it
  • Bluegum27
    Bluegum27 Posts: 9 Member
    Here is a blog on motivation with a contentious perspective. "Merry X-mas and Tough Love for Bob"

    https://www.t-nation.com/powerful-words/merry-christmas-bob

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    hhnkhl wrote: »
    It's not that fat people are lazy....some people don't have set goals or things they want....if they did then they will be really determined to go for it

    I'm pretty sure fat people have and set goals. They may just have different goals at the present time. I achieved a number of goals while I was fat -- hard ones that not everyone could achieve, even.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,282 Member
    Meh, when I was overweight i was no more or less lazy than I am now. I just ate more.
  • jessiethe3rd
    jessiethe3rd Posts: 239 Member
    edited May 2016
    Often the culprit is the emotional state which no one really gets. The physiological differences. The psychological differences from person to person.

    You can live in your head thinking that it's a lazy thing. People who say things like, "they are lazy," often lack the emotional maturity to understand that food, in today's commercial society, more than ever, is a drug. People do not become drug addicts because they are lazy. They become addicts because the are; stressed, depressed, distraught, down, lost, and suffering.

    How and what you what you eat is also dictated by heredity. For instance, I cannot eat bowls upon bowls of rice... But my Japanese girl friend can. Her generics are quite simply different than mine.

    Do I personally feel sorry for them? No.

    Can I empathize? Yes.

    You inspire people by telling your story.
    A good story makes people dream.

    Being critical of others is a simple reflection of a conversation most people have with their own self when they are fighting them selves.

    How you engage is how people react.
    Do you like to dream or like to fight yourself?

    One is a losing battle... The other can transform your world.

    Dream big!
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    People like binary absolutes. It makes them feel safe...
    In reality, there are lots of grays to discern.
    What strikes me among some of the most overweight people who have quizzed me about my approach to weight loss since I began last August is how much misinformation they are operating under. They lead with things like 'Oh calories might mean something to you, but my metabolism is broken.' Or 'I ate 1200 calories a day for six months and didn't lose a pound.' Then when I ask how they know they really ate only 1200 calories (because that is actually an uncomfortably small number & they are clearly still 300+ pounds!) I've heard 'Oh I didn't need to weigh my food because I knew I measured perfectly.' Several overweight teachers have said to me very seriously 'My doctor told me I would never lose the weight I need to lose at my age without x, y, or z...'
    The heaviest people I have encountered in the last nine months have lots of 'theories' about weight loss but they are mostly of a conspiracy theory ilk.
    And they do sincerely feel like they are working hard without asking themselves if they are working smart or well informed.
    It would be like if you were told running on a giant hamster wheel in your home would 'magically' pay your rent for the month... You would run and run and yet always be short rent because the rate of pay off is so low... Pretty soon you're skipping your day job that actually paid your rent just to 'effortlessly' pay your rent this other way.
    The largest people I have met do not strike me as particularly lazy, but they do seem entrenched in their opinions and unwilling to push beyond certain physical and psychological 'comfort zones.'