Robyn Spurr

Personal Health and Weight Loss Coaching For Women

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Fat People Are Not Lazy

This post was inspired by two separate articles I read today on the science of obesity. The old, “fat people are just lazy” ideology is being debunked right and left. Sadly, society hasn’t kept up with the scientific research.

Think about it. Making fun of someone because of their IQ, disability, religion, race or sexual preference is generally not acceptable. Making fun of fat people – well that’s just fine. Especially fat kids, they’re hi-lar-i-ous. Just watch a few hours of TV or listen in on the conversations around you.

Disgusting isn’t it? It’s bullying. It’s discrimination. It’s hate. And it’s devastating to children AND adults. Even if they’re laughing along with you. Honestly, what do you expect them to do?

Some folks never struggle with overeating or their weight. Lucky ducks!

Some of us do. There are many reasons. Laziness does not top the list.

I’ve linked to the first article here if you’d like to read it yourself, which I highly recommend. If not, here are the biggest takeaways along with my comments.

“Our model predicts that if you eat 100 calories fewer a day, in three years you will, on average, lose 10 pounds — if you don’t cheat.”

Long term changes equal long term results. Period.

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“One of the things the numbers have shown us is that weight change, up or down, takes a very, very long time. All diets work. But the reaction time is really slow: on the order of a year. People don’t wait long enough to see what they are going to stabilize at. So if you drop weight and return to your old eating habits, the time it takes to crawl back to your old weight is something like three years.”

This point brilliantly highlights why “crash” diets and quick fixes don’t work long term. Most folks go “on a diet” to lose the weight and then go “off the diet” once they reach their goal or get tired of starving and/or depriving themselves. My advice – go slow. Make life long changes when it comes to diet and exercise. And spend some time figuring out why the heck you’re overeating in the first place.

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“There’s no magic bullet on this. You simply have to cut calories and be vigilant for the rest of your life.”

This one is pretty dang clear. No need for me to elaborate.

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“People think that the epidemic has to be caused by genetics or that physical activity has gone down. Yet levels of physical activity have not really changed in the past 30 years. As for the genetic argument, yes, there are people who are genetically disposed to obesity, but if they live in societies where there isn’t a lot of food, they don’t get obese.”

There is too much food (in the US). It’s marketed like crazy. It’s cheap. And some of us have a genetic predisposition to want to eat more of it. This leads me to the next article.

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“Reward circuits in the brain are sensitized in anorexic women and desensitized in obese women. The findings also suggest that eating behavior is related to brain dopamine pathways involved in addictions.”

What does this mean? It means the brain’s reward system helps to regulate food intake. Some folks have to eat more to get the same reward response – that satisfied feeling. They are the ones who tend to struggle with overeating. For most naturally thin folks, a small amount does the trick.
Depressed? You shouldn’t be. You are not overweight because you are weak or lazy. That is complete bullshit. So stop believing that nonsense.

Does that mean you should throw your hands in the air and give up. Hell no!

Bottom line is that you need to make long term lifestyle changes. I wrote about my own journey here. It started nearly 15 years ago. I didn’t magically transform from an obese chick to a personal trainer overnight.

I want to help other women lose the weight for good. It’s the reason I pour my heart and soul into this work. I’m always considering ways to make my weight loss coaching programs more effective. Most programs out there are 6 or 12 week intensives. Quick and dirty. I’ve found this can lead to information overload and overwhelm. The client finishes the program, breathes a sigh of relief and then goes back to their old ways.

This recent research (along with my own experience) has given me even more evidence that I am on the right track. I plan to break my program up into four separate month long “phases” that can be purchased individually. Clients can sign up for the next phase once they have processed and integrated what they’ve learned and feel ready to move on.

It’s a more realistic approach. It allows the time necessary to make lasting changes that will ultimately translate into successful long term results.

You’re not lazy, stupid  or broken. You’re a complex biological system.

Be patient with yourself. Stop crash dieting and beating yourself up for “failing” again.

Go as slow as you need to go.

Not only will you lose the weight for good, but you’ll lose it without losing your mind!

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Chickadee Kitchen: Coconut Curry Broccoli Fritters

coconut curry broccoli fritters

Coconut Curry Broccoli Fritters

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups fresh broccoli (after chopping or processing)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1-2 tsp red curry paste (optional, but adds lots of flavor)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • fresh cracked pepper (a few grinds)
  • coconut oil
  • ~¼ cup coconut flour

Instructions:

1. In a food processor (I used my Ninja), pulse the broccoli florets a few times until almost ground.(I prefer the pieces a bit courser than in this picture – got overly ambitious with this batch)

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2. Add the egg, curry powder, red curry paste, pepper and salt (no coconut flour yet). Combine.

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3. Add coconut flour a little bit at a time if the batter is too thin.

4. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add ~1 T coconut oil.

5. Use a ½ cup scoop to drop batter into the hot skillet (~6 big patties).

6. Cook until golden brown on first side (~4-6 minutes) and then flip.

7. Enjoy your nutrient packed fritters right away or store in the fridge. I prefer them cold. Cold broccoli? Yes, don’t judge.

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Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.

For more information on Weight Loss Coaching, click here.

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The Weight Loss Journey

We take years, sometimes decades to gain our weight.

One day we decide we want it gone.

NOW!

We google “lose weight fast”.

We ask Aunt Mary about that shake she’s been drinking.

We starve. We overtrain. We cry. We beat ourselves up.

We spend lots of money.

We lose a few pounds.

We gain it back.

This is the classic diet mentality.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

Again and again…

Because we’re impatient.

We want a quick fix.

We don’t want to change our habits for good.

It takes too long.

Every time we crash diet, we lose fat AND muscle.

Losing muscle over and over slows the metabolism.

Restrictive eating does the same thing.

It gets harder to lose the weight with each diet.

There is another choice.

To go slow.

To change your habits for good.

Little by little.

Until this new way of life is routine.

I decided to lose the weight at age 20.

I stepped onto my first stair-master at 21.

I hired a personal trainer and began strength training at 26.

In my early 30’s, I embraced clean eating. No more processed crap.

At 33, I took up running.

And ran my first mile without stopping.

At 35, I became a personal trainer.

Last year, I ended the negative self talk.

For good.

I decided to love my body. Unconditionally.

And think only nice thoughts about it.

I’ve been on this journey for nearly 18 years.

Be patient and know that it’s okay if it takes awhile.

You’ll have setbacks along the way.

Simply dust yourself off and try again.

Learn from your mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up over them.

Be patient, kind and forgiving.

Stop trying to be perfect.

Stop trying to rush the process.

It will take as long as it takes.

And know this.

You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be right now.

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Rolling Over and Playing Victim

Lots of folks consider themselves victims. Some wear this distinction like a badge of honor.

Victims give up their own power. They make excuses. They blame. They want others to take care of them and make them feel good. They choose to not take responsibility for their own lives.

Guess what? You don’t have to be a victim.

Victimhood is a choice we make.

Lots of folks experience negative circumstances. Some of these circumstances are downright devastating.

In our minds, we create thoughts about these circumstances.

The good news? We get to choose the thoughts we think.

Some choose the thought, “I am a victim.”

They create a life of misery, inaction and blame.

Maybe they think it’s the easier that way. Or perhaps they believe it’s their only option.

I want to tell you something. You don’t have to choose this path and it’s NOT easier.

I speak from experience.

The details don’t really matter.

I could have chosen victimhood. I didn’t.

Consider this…

  • What if you believed that some people are simply incapable of certain emotions or actions?
  • What if you believed that it wasn’t about you?
  • What if you believed that everything in your life unfolded just as it was supposed to?

We can choose to look back on our lives and see that we went through the exact challenges that were necessary to allow for the growth we needed.

I am grateful beyond belief for the challenges in my life. Every single one.

My circumstances have bestowed upon me the greatest of gifts. Gifts that no amount of money could ever buy. The gifts of forgiveness, empathy and unconditional love.

My thoughts about my circumstances created my results. A life filled with gratitude, joy and courage.

I am not a victim.

I chose a different path.

And you get to choose yours.

It really is that simple.