The Fat Shaming Blog

The United States has a big problem and it's not just the narcissist we have as president.  It's huge, really huge.  It's fat.  The US is the most obese/fat country in the world. The US may not just be the most obese but also the most overweight with over 70% of Americans in that category.

You can walk down any street in our country and in front of you will be a large group of people who are waddling off to buy a 1,000-calorie latte.  When you get on a plane to fly off on vacation, you know that secretly you’re praying that a fat guy doesn’t sit next to you and take over half of your seat as well as his own.  

Likewise, when you have a ticket to a football game, you attempt to get there first before that overly plump fan arrives to try and take your allotted few inches of hard metal bench (unless you have a pricey ticket which may have separate seats). 

I know you remember an earlier blog and are saying, “Coach Jay, you’re biased because you have a degree in Physical Education.”  What you don’t know though, is that I got that degree partially because it bothered me to run into PE coaches with bellies that looked like they had tucked a bowling ball under their belts.

Okay, I’ll be honest too, I could use shedding a few pounds.  I’ve gained more weight than I’d like lately, but I’m obsessed enough about the issue to want to do something about it.

It all began years ago after I read “Fit or Fat?” by Covert Bailey.  I was working as a study hall monitor as I attempted to break into the Austin ISD click as a PE teacher.  One of the biggest points I remembered about that book was Bailey explaining one big reason why we gain weight as we age.  It’s because we eat like we're still kids.  As a child, you probably ran around constantly, driving your parents wild but naturally burning off lots of calories.  

 As we age, we do less running around.  Unfortunately, most people don’t adjust how many calories they take in daily.  In other words, people are still eating the tons of food they could get away with as a child once they have passed college or high school and have joined the workforce.

Let me interject here that—as you can guess from above—it’s a myth that you naturally gain weight as you age.  No, it’s not part of the aging process.  Although your lean muscle mass declines with age (thereby not burning as many calories as in your younger years), the real problem is that it’s part of Americans' habit to eat too much and not exercise.

One of the things I did after reading that book is that I decided to just eat an apple for lunch.  Yeah, that’s a little extreme and I began to do a little more later in life (probably why I could use with losing a few pounds now), but that was the idea.  I no longer was as active as previously, so I cut back on a lot of calories. 

There are charts that give you estimates of how many calories you should consume (also Body Mass Index charts to see where you stand) and you’ll note that it’s less as you age, and also it’s less if you’re female. For example, an 18-year-old moderately active male should consume 2800 while a female 2000.  Once you hit 55, a male should take in 2400 cals, a female 1800. 

Of course, Americans don’t do this.  They do not cut back calories, instead preferring to amp them up.  Ergo, fat Americans.

I am often perplexed when driving home late at night and notice big crowds of people in fast food places.  I always wonder why people are eating supper so late, but subconsciously I know that they’re not eating supper—they’re eating a snack that has as many calories as supper!  That’s insane!  If you want a snack then eat an apple (50 calories) rather than that 1,000-calorie double-meat hamburger covered with cheese and sour cream and maybe an extra piece of bacon thrown on top.

Of course, that won’t happen.  Greasy food is too alluring, especially compared to an apple.  It’s also super cheap.  Plus, often it’s hard to find an apple because many cities have food deserts.  They don’t have a grocery store nearby, instead they have 20 fast-food joints. 

Fast food isn’t the only culprit in our national disgrace, we also have an easier life than previously.  Now people will drive to the corner fast food place instead of walk down the street to the Mom and Pop grocery store.  Obese children are a big problem in the US nowadays partially because they find it more fun to play games on the computer, rather than tag or hide-n-seek outdoors.

Admittedly, it’s difficult to make lifestyle changes once you’ve gotten into a well-worn and comfortable rut.  However, if you are tired of folks like me trying to shame you into changing, then maybe you should give it a shot.

There are a few simple things you can do to start the process.  One is to weigh yourself every morning.  Buy one of those cheap digital scales and hop on it when you get up.  No, it won’t take pounds off you, but it will begin to make you think about your weight more seriously.  If you weigh yourself and notice you gained a pound since yesterday, it may not stop you from grabbing that donut during a coffee break that morning, but you may begin to think twice.  And that’s a start.

Also, consciously think about those calories you consume.  We were supposed to have menus at restaurants and charts at food stores showing the calories available by now, but sadly, Trump in his anti-regulation craze has delayed (if not stopped) this from happening.  So you’ll have to either guess or look it up somewhere.  Do it though.  Find out how many calories are in that Big Mac before you buy/eat it.  Like the scale idea, it may not stop you from consuming, but again it may begin to change your perception of what you’re putting in your mouth. 

Another thing to try is to find snacks you might enjoy and that are low in calories.  For example, years ago I read an article about what are the best fruits and discovered that watermelon was #2 (guava #1).  I like watermelon.  So I decided to buy a seedless one and cut it up into small chunks and have it sitting around to snack on instead of something like calorie rich chips or M & Ms. Find one you really like and snack away.

And don't get me started on exercise. Of course you need to do this (as well as watch your calories).  Not just for weight, but because it will improve your health and mental well being.

Lastly, don’t give yourself or your friends a pass.  Don’t say “she’s naturally big-boned” or “he is too busy to exercise” or any of the hundreds of apologies/excuses you or your friends may use.  Sure, some people gain weight because of medications or other unavoidable occurrences—but those are the rare occasions. This epidemic won’t resolve itself until we all resolve to fix it. 

So next time your coworker invites you to lunch at some diner or fancy establishment, counter-offer that he/she join you on a walk to the park a few blocks away and present him/her with half of your apple.  Tell them Coach Jay insists.