Being Fat Is A Choice

My brother David was in Orlando this weekend covering the IFBB Europa show so we got together for breakfast this morning and, as usual, the conversation quickly turned to the subjects of bodybuilding, fat loss, and the difficulty of getting personal training clients to follow their diet. I explained how I could usually tell whether a new client was going to be successful in losing fat or not by the way they answer a few questions. First, I ask whether they have always been as heavy as they are currently. If they answer “no” I ask them when they were in the best shape of their life, and what changed. If they answer in a way that shows they understand and take responsibility for the change, saying things like, “I started to eat a lot more,” or “I started getting lazy” it’s a safe bet if they’re serious they’re going to get good results. If they answer by blaming things that happened to them, their kids, their job, etc. it’s usually a safe bet they’re not going to take responsibility for their eating or follow any diet I give them and they’ll find a way to blame me too when they don’t lose fat.

David’s reply, which sums the whole thing up nicely, is that “being fat is a choice.” At first this might sound like a mean thing to say because the vast majority of people don’t want to be fat, however that is exactly what people do when they make decisions about the types and quantities of food and drink they consume and other behaviors which affect fat gain or loss. This is also exactly what people who are fat need to hear, because when they understand being fat isn’t something that just happened to them and that it is a choice, they will also understand that it is within their control and that they can choose to be leaner and healthier instead.

This is extremely important, and bears repeating; being fat is a choice.

I am not saying this to hurt your feelings. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty or ashamed of being fat. What I am trying to do is to give you the most important tool in making a change, the understanding that you can change if you choose to.

If you believe the cause is outside of your control, that other people, circumstances, or events in your life are the reason you are fat, then you will also believe you are powerless to change. If you believe you are powerless, that you are doomed to failure, then you will not make the necessary effort and you will not change.

If you believe the cause was your bad dietary choices, that you and you alone are responsible for the eating behaviors that made you fat, then you will also believe it is within your power to change. If you believe you have the power to change, the confidence that your effort will be rewarded with success, then you will make the effort and you will change.

Also, stop thinking of yourself as a “fat person” and stop listening to anyone who says you are, and instead think of yourself as a person who is only temporarily fat. Your degree of fatness is changeable, it is not who you are, it is a temporary condition that you can control. If you have a lot of body fat you didn’t put it on overnight and you’re not going to lose it quickly, but even if you take it slow every pound you lose is a step towards being the fit person you can be.

Start small. Make a commitment to strength training once or twice a week, making better food choices, and reducing your calorie intake. You don’t have to go all-out with your workouts right from the start, and you don’t need to restrict your calorie intake severely, just get in the habit. With time and experience you will learn to train more intensely and become more accustomed to and able to embrace the discomfort of hard workouts. As you start paying more attention to what and how much you’re eating and making conscious decisions with your goals in mind you will get better at making healthy choices and developing healthier eating habits.

Start smart. Set realistic short and long term goals, write them down, and put them where you will see them every day. For example, “I will lose five pounds this month” and “I will lose at least sixty pounds by this time next year” and “I will strength train consistently and be more active in general” would be realistic, achievable goals for someone with a lot of fat to lose. Share your goals with others and ask that they respect what you are trying to accomplish and be supportive. Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people. If someone is negative or discouraging, or if they attempt to sabotage your efforts call them on it and tell them to cut it out.

Start now. No matter how much fat you have to lose you can do it, and the sooner you begin the sooner you will achieve your goal. Even if you only lose a pound of fat per week in a year you can lose over fifty pounds and in two over one hundred. It will take discipline, effort, and patience. It will not be easy. But, if you choose to you can persevere and you will succeed.

“A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.”

– Vince Lombardi