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9 Reasons it's better to be Overweight

9 Reasons it’s Better to be Overweight

 

If there are so many reasons we should be skinny why is any of us overweight?  Have you ever done a pros and cons table when making a decision? You list all the positives for making the decision on one side and list all the negative results on the other.  At first some people may think there are no benefits to being overweight, but I’ve been training people long enough to know that isn’t true.  Sometimes we are even unaware of a powerful reason we keep sabotaging our weight loss efforts.  Some of these reasons I have seen range from minor annoyances to crippling traumas. 

 

This is not an exhaustive list.  If you find yourself overweight see if any of these are subconscious motivators for you and sit down with your pros and cons chart and brainstorm some of your own personal pros to being overweight.  If one of these is a powerful motivator you will need to address that before you’ll make the big break through. 

 

1.)  You have to eat less to maintain weight -

Using the example of a 50-year-old woman who is 5’3” tall and moderately active.  At 130 pounds she would burn 1,976 Calories per day.  At 180 pounds she would burn 2,314 Calories per day.  That’s 338 Calories extra they can eat without gaining any more weight.  For many people that is like adding an extra meal into their day.  This may be the most obvious benefit, you get to eat more food!

 

2.)  You become a minority –

By losing weight and getting into a healthy range you actually become a minority group.  With nearly 70% of the population overweight or obese being smaller can make you stick out.  You become noticeably different than the average person.  That may be great to you but for someone who is shy and doesn’t like to make any waves this would be tough to maintain. You might be able to get there but the pull of the majority’s behavior would be like a magnet pulling you back to average.  Upsetting family and friends who are overweight is also an issue.  The people around us will sometimes pull us back to a place that makes THEM feel more comfortable. 

 

3.)  You get colder easier –

I see this all the time with our clients.  Especially in the winter!  When you are overweight the extra layer of fat under your skin acts like a jacket or a winter coat that you wear all the time.  You actually over heat easier when you are overweight.  In heavy air conditioning or winter time you will notice a difference.  You’ll have a choice to make…wear an extra layer of clothes or cuddle up on the couch with a snack and slowly add the “blanket” of fat to your body.  

 

4.)  Extra Sexual Attention –

If you have been leered at, hit on, harassed, pressured, or in the worse cases raped, you are not very comfortable with the extra attention being thinner can bring.  Some women even subconsciously use extra fat as a way to have less sexual attention from their husbands.  With the number of women who have been sexually assaulted in some form or another this reason is a big factor.  If you lose weight and feel more anxious or vulnerable you might have this happening in the deep recesses of your mind.  Obviously, this is not an easy fix.  I would strongly encourage you to get a counselor.  I recommend www.interactcounseling.combecause they are nationwide experts in eating disorders.  People fly in for intensives from all over the country. 

 

5.)  Change of wardrobe –

A change in the depth of reasons compared to the last one.  This is not a horrible scar but really an annoyance.  Some of your favorite clothes may not fit anymore. While most people say they would gladly have that option, it does mean an extra expense and if you have a significant amount of weight to lose it means some awkward stages as you try to make several sizes before you buy much clothes.  If you like shopping and have a nice big budget for clothes this one is not an obstacle.  But, if money is tight and you don’t like shopping this could be holding you back a touch. 

 

6.)  Change of Identity –

Maybe you have a persona that you have had for decades or your whole life of being the overweight smart girl or Big Mike.  If you lost weight you might feel like you are losing something that defines you, and you may value at least part of that persona.  I often find people who are overweight have a coping mechanism to be a jokester and they tell self-deprecating jokes about their size. If they lose weight their coping mechanism as well as their jokes would no longer be appropriate.  Who am I if I’m not overweight?  For some this will be an important question to work through. 

 

7.)  Cancer –

There is no doubt being a twig before you are diagnosed with cancer is going to make you shrivel up more and there could be complications with that.  Being Obese has been studied to show there is an increase risk of getting cancer but the slightly heavier 10-20 pounds might make someone feel safer or stronger.  This will particularly apply to someone who has already had a bout with cancer.  I try to settle this issue by trying to carry extra muscle.  I could still survive 30 pounds lighter I would look like a distance runner. 

 

8.)  Lose an excuse for not doing something else –

They didn’t hire me because of my weight.  That might be easier to take than they didn’t hire me because they don’t think I can do the job the best.  Some people use their weight to avoid taking risks in their life or to keep the world out. I can’t go dancing I don’t have anything that I could wear.  Often their may be other insecurities that are deeper and stronger so to prevent digging into them we put a wall up first.  Some people might gain weight when they are insecure in a romantic relationship because then the person might reject them for their weight instead of some other reason.  Or at least weight can be blamed for the reason.  Our extra weight can sometimes be a protective force field. 

 

9.)  It takes work –

To not be heavy in 21stCentury American Culture takes work.  Physical and Psychological work.  The path of least resistance is to gain several pounds every year.  To fight that pull requires conscious effort. Many of us are so hurried, stressed, and beat down that we don’t have energy to fight it.  You have to choose different food.  Perhaps plan and cook meals instead of last minute choosing which restaurant in making dinner.  Waking up a working out instead of sleeping in.  If you are overweight the work compared to reward doesn’t seem worth it quite often.  I see people lose weight all the time and they get there and realize there were more benefits of being healthier than they initially thought. 

 

I hope I didn’t sell you too hard on the benefits of being overweight.  I do want you to be aware of factors that are at play in this endeavor.  I of course believe that the benefits of being leaner are more and greater than the benefits of being overweight.  For some of us that will take some convincing.  I often wish I had a time machine and could travel into the future where someone lost weight and exercised regularly and bring them back to the present to tell themselves what life is like.  The best I can do is video other people who have made the effort and done great work and see if they inspire you at all.  Here is a playlist from youtube with many of our success videos watch it if you need some encouragement to keep at this. 

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