Why I Hate Fat People or the Discipline Switch
If I see an obese person outside I look at them in disgust. I hate it when I see them eating at buffets, pigging out, and at fast food restaurants. I especially hate it when I’m at Wal-Mart and I see some fat lady riding around in one of those automatic wheeler cart thingies. JUST GET UP AND WALK! I know, I know. This seems insensitive. I’m fat so I know what it feels like to be in public and be stared at. Or not even being stared at but feeling like everyone is looking at you because deep inside you hate the fact that you are fat and can’t or haven’t been able to control yourself.
But while I have been fat, I have been disciplined as well. I know I can attain my goals if I stick to the plan. So I use that as a way to separate myself from other fat people, in my mind at least. In my head, I am not the same as them. I am different. Better. But that’s where it gets kind of crazy because I AM fat. I have used the same excuses they have. Done a lot of the same things they have. Eaten a lot like they have. Worn over sized clothes like they have. You get the point.
I’m fat, have been for most of my life. I have been known as the fat kid since child hood. There was a time when I was big, but in really good shape. I recall being 265 lbs. and able to out last smaller guys during training, running, and workouts. Then there was a time when I was slender, toned and in really good shape but I still weighed in at 225 lbs or so. That’s actually the lowest I want to get to. Then the lack of discipline would kick in and I would balloon up. Then I’d workout and lose it. My weight has fluctuated between the 230s and the 260s for many years.
That was until a few years ago when I completely stopped exercising. I started working from home and ate. I ate a lot of crap. Junk food-wise you name it and I ate it. And I loved eating, still do to this day. I love how certain foods hit my taste buds and satisfy my cravings.
A lack of discipline is the main factor for me getting to the obese incarnation of myself these days. I have always been accustomed to being disciplined, something I picked up in high school thanks to football. But for some reason the Discipline Switch (I just coined this term) was turned off for a long time and still gets flicked down every now and then. It’s one of the main things that I have had to battle with during my weight loss journey. It was so easy back in the day to workout and know that I HAD to. Whether it was for football or the military I knew that if I didn’t do my best to get into shape that there would be consequences. For some reason it has been harder to translate that into my life as an adult. Maybe it’s the added pressure of life? Having a family? Work? I dunno!
When I say I that I hate fat people I mean that in the least prejudice way possible. It’s not like I want to round up all the obese people of the world and get rid of them. I guess it’s that they are a visual representation of the lack of discipline that I have been battling. In essence I hate myself because I am a fat person. Albeit a damn good looking one! Yeah, that’s it. Folks, you are witnessing a major moment in my life, as it happens! I just realized that I can’t stand the fact that I am fat because it boils down to me not being disciplined enough to do what needs to be done.
Okay, so where do I go from here with this knew revelation? Hmmm, I dunno. Maybe I should go workout so that I can continue to instill discipline. Yeah, that sounds good. As soon as I am done writing this I will go lift, then I’ll hop on my recumbent bike for a low impact cardio session. Followed by some steak, veggies, protein, and chocolate milk. Oh, and I will try to fit a shower in there too.
I just found your blog. I think you are exactly right that it takes a lot of discipline to lose weight and keep it off. I personally lost 150 pounds twelve years ago and have kept it off even through four pregnancies. The discipline switch (great phrase) is an important concept. Great post! D.
Diane, congrats on taming that beast within and unleashing a better one. Thanks for commenting too.
Is,
I appreciate your honesty and I understand your frustration; I’ve been there bruh, and the reasons you may be feeling “better” is because of your athletic and military background. I’ll be the first to admit that I had similar thoughts. So, I hated obese folks because they represented my “weakness” or lack of “discipline”, and I envied lean or “normal” sized folks because I believed that they possessed everything I didn’t. How mentally screwed up was I?
Israel, my one semester stint in ROTC in college gave me enough of an insight into the all or nothing mentality that the military instills in all of its servicemen. The same can be said of high school sports. And that’s not a bad thing IF you’re in the service or playing a sport. However, for sustainable fat loss in the real world, you gotta drop this mentality because it’s a recipe for disaster.
You have to temper that “inner warrior” spirit Is and learn when and how to unleash it. At this point of your journey, THE most important thing is to “continuously” create a caloric deficit and follow a simple as hell training routine (e.g., bench/overhead press, squat/deadlift, pullup/row).
More than anything else, keep blogging about your journey because you have the support you need …
Well said Mu. Today I was lifting and everything felt complicated. So much that I almost forgot everything I know about working out and felt kind of stuck. Then I simply went back to basics and finished the workout, although it felt kind of weird.
Thanks for the great word my friend!
You hit the nail on the head with this one. I know exaclty how you feel, and have definitely been there. That panicky feeling as you wonder if this is how other people feel when they look at you. Self-loathing as motivation, lol. Whatever works, use it! 😉
Damn skippy.
It is weird – I am a fat man, not as fat as 6 weeks ago. I have also started to notice more fat people. I just notice them. I have no strong feelings about their condition but I feel different from them. Kind of an US and Them thing.
I know other people pointed at me and made comments about my size. I never completely cared but grew so tired of it I started my diet.
It is not Politcally Correct to be intolerant of over wieght people but I now know how the feeling of intolerance sneaks up on you.
cheers
Is it politically correct to be intolerant of one’s self?
I’ve always battled with my weight as well, I still think that so long as you are hitting the gym and making the effort that you’ll win over eventually!
True.
Def can understand your frustrations and distaste. But instead of channelling that towards others, use it as motivation for yourself! Look at the fat person sitting on the bench and use the image to remind yourself that is NOT what you want to be.
Motivation can be found in strange places. I used to get motivated when I would see others jogging. I would say, we’ll they’re working out. Why can’t I?
You can do the same when viewing fat people.
Tyler, I definitely use it as motivation. I use a lot of things as motivation to feed the desire I have inside to lose the weight. Thanks for commenting.
AMAZING insights, Israel! Have you been hanging out in my head? 🙂 KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!
Nothing amazing about venting my frustrations. I’m just using what I got to get where I want to be. Thanks Jimmy.
Diets and diet aids do not help anyone. The only way to successfully lose weight and get the body that you want is by using the right information.
Israel,
I commented on Muata’s site to this article and went to yours to check it out. Great post , great site. Any obese person that starts a serious fat loss journey and does not see folks differently(theirselves included) has their head in the sand.
Keep it up–eat well–live large–he happy.
a Cowboy from Texas
Diet pills, diet programs, diet aids and the likes are not the primary ingredients in weight loss… It is one’s will to lose weight which makes it possible…
For sure!!! The only diet I pill I’m taking is a mental one that’s called “determination.”
I need to lose something like 90 pounds myself. The only reason I’d be riding a scooter would be if my ankle hurt especially badly that day (I was born with club foot and have had surgeries on it). Still, I try to tough it out and walk if I can. I’ve been tempted to get a handicapped placard again but I know right well I’d be parking in a handicapped spot even if my ankle doesn’t hurt.
Here’s some advice for those trying to lose weight:
–Avoid polyunsaturated fat if you can.
–Eat saturated fat. No, I am NOT joking, I actually lost like 20 pounds doing this. Coconut oil is great for this. Don’t pay attention to the “experts.” Look up the Weston Price foundation online, there’s an article called “The Skinny on Fats.”
–Avoid trans-fats. Even if that label says 0 grams trans fat, to them, 0 means anything less than 1, even if it’s 1/4. If it says hydrogenated anywhere in the ingredient list, avoid it.
–Avoid soy. This can damage the thyroid.
–Avoid MSG and aspartame. These can make you pack on pounds.
–If the ingredient list reads like a novel, you probably don’t want it.
–Cut back on sugar and avoid high-fructose corn syrup if possible.
I’ve been making my own bread quite a lot, and I use olive oil in it. Making your own things helps you control what you eat.
Apple cider vinegar, I’ve heard, is good. Drink a couple TBSP of it in water before you eat. I’m going to try that.
Alexandra, sounds like you have some of the knowledge to be healthy. It’s all about applying it, right? For my eating I try to eat as much fruit and veggies with each meal as possible. I then spinkle in some meat for protein and voila. I get carbs, fat and protein in each meal.
You are projecting your thoughts about yourself onto other people. When you see “them” eating at “buffets, pigging out, and at fast food restaurants”, what you’re really feeling is that YOU know that YOU should not be doing those things. I believe this because I have thought just like you after losing 55 lbs. Now that I’m taking care of myself, I realize that the reason that it bothers me to see other obese people overeating is because I know that I’ve been there and I don’t ever want to be there again. It has nothing to do with them and everything to do with your thoughts and fears about myself. Look into “The Work” of Byron Katie.
I really enjoyed your post! I’m glad to see you are getting out and making positive changes in your life!
Tha biggest issue I take with obese people is that when I see them, I see people who constantly play the victim. I know it is bad to generalize, and that some individuals have disabilities or RARE diseases that prevent them from losing weight. However, for the majority of obese people on my college campus, the blame always seems to lie outside themselves. It is not so much the fat I can’t stand, it’s this mentality of “Oh, it’s not my fault.” They blame it on lack of time, money, genetics, etc. However, I FIRMLY believe that there is always something you can do. There is always a change (however small at first) you can make in your own life. Seize control! For some people it is truly more difficult to lose weight, but it’s not impossible.
I especially can’t stand people who complain about having the “fat gene.” I believe it exists, but that most people use it as a crutch. Both of my parents are overweight (they are working to change that and have both lost about 30 lbs. so far) and my brother gained an astronomcal amount of weight when he first went away to college, which he has since lost through diet and exercise. I take this as my inspiration to work hard and eat right. I carry the “fat gene”, but I don’t have to let it control my life. I look the way I do now because I work my butt off at the gym constantly and eat right. I’m not leaving my health to chance by just treating my body any old way.
Gallea, I read a comment made by a little child the other day. He said, “No matter what, we should always find a way!” I’ll be living by that!
I have to agree with your assessment of why obese individuals frustrate me, Gallea. I also strongly dislike the victim/powerless mentality, and I even more strongly dislike it because I used it as an excuse tactic for far too long. I think my personal disdain for obese people lies solely in the frustration I have/had for myself when I was in the “thick” of obesity, and the way I often played the victim in regards to all of my problems (not just my obesity) at the time. Ugh, it can be so easy to project our personal issues on others. But for me it doesn’t change the fact that when I see an obese person stuffing their face at the food court with nasty food I am irked by it. At the same time I do have some measure of sympathy for the “trapped” feeling some people have, and would in a heartbeat give my help to someone in that position if they asked for it.
I too find the sight of fat people(and myself) disgusting. Being overweight/fat has been my life story. My biggest problem is that I have NEVER been able to stay motivated. I find it extremely difficult to do any real exercise on my own. My “switch” is stuck in the off position. Im not hugely obese, but I am definatly not happy with my appearance, weight, or health. What do you recommend for a person like me?
I was 240 lbs when I was 14. By 16 I lost 100 lbs, took only 5 months. I now make fun of fat people all the time as I have every right to make fun of them. I beat genetics, I am now 20 and I weigh 170. I have maintained that weight for 3 years. I maintain single digit body fat, although I have lots of skin but surgery will fix that. After telling any fat person my story they kind of get angry that their excuses for being fat are worthless. However I support any obese person in the gym. I’d rather see them there for one hour than binge eating Micky D’s for that hour. Can’t believe I went from a waist 40 to 32. All it takes is discipline, nothing more. Americans are obese because they are lazy, sitting on a couch is easy, running every day is not. However running makes me feel better than watching tv.
i think its awesome when people try and strive at least you want too do the right thing i applaud u all