Fat Vs. Fitness
Below is a link to a recent study related to fitness and longevity:
A quick summary of the research suggests that cardiovascular fitness proves useful even to those who are carrying excess body fat. This research IS good news. Even those who currently have weight problems can realize the benefits of exercise.
This does not mean that we should overlook the dangers of obesity however. Do we really need Captain Obvious to save the day. Those with excess weight must still strive to lose it! Let’s not fool anyone and suggest that obesity is no longer an issue as long as you put in a little cardiovascular exercise.
Unfortunately, soon after this report was released, catchy articles have appeared with titles such as:
Being Fat Is Okay As Long As You Are Fit
This is a problem, and I’ll explain why. Many readers glance the headlines. They don’t take (and may not have) the time to read through each line referenced within the research material. A quick glance at the headline above suggests that being fat is okay. Suddenly, all of the problems related to obesity vanish as long as you engage in some cardiovascular exercise. If life were only so easy…
We as a society need to stop coddling the obesity problem. If you care about your health, you need to recognize that being overweight is a problem. There are several problems associated with obesity. Let’s not try to hide these problems and make excuses for those who won’t lose the weight (note the word choice won’t as opposed to can’t).
Our society has grown soft. Society needs a kick in the ass and a wake up call. If you want to lose weight, lose weight. Start eating better and start busting your ass in the gym. No one said it would be easy. It’s not easy for me to wake up at 4AM to train before work. I do it. No one holds my hand or forces me to wake up. No one forces me to make healthy food decisions. I make the decision for myself.
I’m not special. I’m just a regular hard working adult. If you want something, go get it. This simple truth applies to almost anything in life. Want to get in shape? Go get in shape! Want a better job? Go get a better job! Want to eat better foods? Eat better foods!
We need to stop babying those who don’t want to put in the work. We all make choices. It’s about time that we were held responsible for these choices. If you want to abuse your body, don’t blame me or anyone else. If you want to nourish your body, there are plenty of us who are willing to help. You need to make the choice for yourself however.
Rant over
Ross
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“Start eating better and start busting your ass in the gym. No one said it would be easy. It’s not easy for me to wake up at 4AM to train before work.”
Being an athlete may be difficult, but maintaining a reasonable standard of health & fitness is a not nearly as hard as most ppl make it out to be. You don’t have to bust your ass like a prizefighter at 400 in the AM. In fact, most ppl are intimidated by examples like that and use it as an excuse not to exercise…
I can’t afford a gym membership &/or personal trainer. I don’t have 2 hrs/day to set aside to workout. I can’t get up that early. Adjusting to a new diet plan is too complicated. Excuses, excuses… It’s really not that complex!
Two simple lifestyle changes:
1. calories consumed > calories burned = weight gain
calories consumed
Very well said, Ross!
good post Ross
amen brother!
Hi Ross,
Have you read Gary Taubes’ ‘Good Calories, Bad Calories’. I would be interested to hear your comments. Taubes disagrees with the idea that “calories consumed > calories burned = weight gain”, and I have to agree with him.
I tried to reduce body fat by eating low-fat, reducing the number of calories I ate and upping my cardio, but this did not work LONG-TERM. Short term reduction in body fat slowly crept back on over time (not that I am normally fat – my body fat level is usually under 10%)
Then, about 18 months ago I decided to eat high fat (animal fat), high protein, and lower my grain consumption (whilst maintaining my normal high fruit and veg intake) – as recommended my guys like Art Devaney. I also cut back a bit on my cardio to volumes more in line with your program in Infinite Intensity and the results have been beyond my expectations. Suddenly I have a pretty good set of abs and yet my calorie level is higher than before – I don’t even measure portions/count calories any more – I just eat what I want in whatever volume as long as it is not grain based or refined.
What bothers me most is those obese people who do nothing but eat crap and have no desire to change but, when it hits the fan, they go looking for sympathy when they develop health problems. They use their medical problems as a red badge of courage to say that they are actually a victim. They would love to fix things but they cannot because they have diabetes and heart disease which they forget to mention is the direct result of their lifestyle. I am sorry to say, but accountability is lost in most Americans.
You got it right when you said we are soft Ross.
Well said Ross. I come from the “other side” meaning that I was once obese. I lived for years trying to justify my obesity. I finally had enough with life and made a change. That was 50 pounds ago and I’m still looking to lose another 50 to 60.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Ricardo
I haven’t read Taube’s book, but I have read excerpts of some of this other work. I believe his view is based on the 2nd law of thermodynamics, regarding entropy, specifically that different macronutrients have different thermic costs. John Berardi had a similar concept in that it’s not really an “energy balance” as much as it is an “energy flux”, since the calories you consume, how often you consume it, and at what time, also has a feedback mechanism that can affect your metabolism, and hence calories burned. Ultimately though, I think you would still lose weight as long as calories consumed
I’m curious as to why you chose that picture to go with this post. If your thesis statement is that “We need to stop babying those who don’t want to put in the work,” it is illogical to use a picture of an obese person who is exercising, and is clearly willing to put in work. Unless the implication is that every fat person you see must be a sedentary person, even if you see them exercising with your own eyes…
Mich – If you opened the actual article, you’ll see that image GOES with the article. Click the link above. I didn’t pick anything. I used the image which comes from the referenced article.
I understand that the picture came from the article, but just because ABC made a poor choice doesn’t mean it has to be perpetuated by a site that I respect.
In the next post, commandment #6 states, in part: “6. Your efforts will be the final determinant of your success”. So, when I saw an article and post that took people to task for not making an effort, but using a picture of a person who clearly is making an effort, I was not clear why the two should be together.
I’m also surprised that I’m the only person, thus far, who felt the dissonance.
Perhaps you should not over-analyze an image that simply went with a study that I had referenced in a matter of 5 seconds. It’s not my image. I simply stuck with the article that I had linked to. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ross
Not to mention, if I were to play the role of Devil’s Advocate, how do we know that the image is of someone who is trying to lose weight? The article said that overweight individuals can reap benefits from exercise. Perhaps the individual in the picture is simply exercising, but also eating far more than she should? Maybe she isn’t trying to lose weight?
If this were the case, it would fall in line with the original blog entry.
But once again, this is paralysis by analysis. Lengthy meetings are not held before an image is used