Below are 5 common judgements I hear made about overweight people.
I disagree with these assumptions on the whole because they are generalisations and obviously can’t apply to everyone who is overweight.
Of course there are going to be people who are overweight who fit into every category.
But there are also people of a normal weight who also fit these categories. But we don’t assume they are skinny because of these assumptions listed below.
So why should these be true for an overweight person?
1) Fat People Are Lazy
It’s all too easy to assume that because someone is overweight they must just be sat at home on the couch watching TV all the time.
I know loads of overweight people and I can say with complete confidence that none of these people are sat on the couch any more than you or I.
In fact these guys are some of the hardest working people I know and they are for the most part, always moving.
2) Overweight People Are Glutenous
It is often assumed that because someone is overweight they must be over eating.
This idea is based on the theory of calories in vs. calories out.
The theory is that is you eat more calories than you burn off you will gain weight.
Therefore if someone is overweight they must be constantly eating too much.
However many overweight people I know are barely eating throughout the day.
In fact I would go so far as to say that many overweight people are undereating.
They are stuck in a starvation mentality where the only way to lose weight must be to restrict calorie intake and the more they restrict calories the more weight they will lose.
This approach causes the body to adapt by slowing down its metabilism making the rate of fat loss much slower and harder to achieve.
3) Overweight People Are Only Eating Junk
Fat people must be overweight because they are living on McDonalds, pizzas and ice cream.
Surely they can’t be overweight from eating healthy.
Right?
Well yet again, I know people who are overweight who barely touch processed food, who don’t like sweet food and who never get take aways.
I know people who are eating diets healthier than you or I and on the surface of things should be losing weight easily…
And yet they still struggle.
4) Overweight People Don’t Exercise
Have you been to a gym?
You’ll see overweight people working their asses off in there, really pushing themselves.
And yet they struggle to lose a single pound.
I’m talking about the people who are also eating decent diets, not the ones who stuff their faces with chocolate in between workouts.
It is possible to argue that these guys aren’t doing the most effective form of exercise to lose weight; but the intensity is there for sure.
5) Overweight People Are Unhealthy
Being overweight increases the chances of developing health problems such as increased risk of stroke, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
However people of normal weight or even underweight also have risk of developing these conditions too.
I know many overweight people eating a healthy diet who have no current health issues and yet I know many “normal” people who have suffered with health issues for years.
An overweight person with a healthy diet is in my opinion at less risk of problems than a “skinny” person who has a bad diet, does no exercise and smokes and drinks regularly.
Summary
I believe that weight loss is not just about restricting calories and over exercising.
There are many reasons why someone will gain weight in the first place, and many more reasons why they will struggle to lose weight especially more than just a lack of will power.
Reasons could include, gut bacteria imbalances, low functioning thyroid or high stress hormones to name just a few.
If someone is trying to lose weight, especially if they are in their 50’s or older then there are more factors that need looking into. More than just their diet and exercise, but these are certainly a good place to start.
Before someone can lose weight their body needs to be in good health.
For example;
The thyroid needs to be working and stress hormones need to be under control.
The gut needs to have a good balance of beneficial and bad bacteria. There also needs to be a high diversity of different strains of bacteria.
These are the sort of things we look at on a regular basis here at Precision Wellbeing.
Are you are struggling to lose weight despite trying all the different diets out there? Then maybe it’s time you looked a bit deeper.
You can either Email me at ashley@precisionwellbeing.co.uk to find out how I might be able to help you personally, or stay tuned for the launch of our specialised weight loss group.
Speak soon
Ashley