In the words of Chris Rock (as best as I can recall), “You know who the only fat people that are happy?? Fat black women. Them bitches just don’t care. They be like, ‘Girl I look good. There’s some good pussy under this gut.’”
I have relatives who are very obese and I have to say that when I’m home for holidays they are the funnest people there and they have a great time always. As far as I’m concerned they have a habit. Some people are alcoholics some smoke and some have cravings for carbs and junk food that they cant control. Maybe there systems are all screwed up and they just keep craving more and more crap food. Are they happy? They sure seem like they are - I know they are not going to change there eating habits because it’s there only habit. One of the only things they truly enjoy. If fat people are unhappy enough they will change.
Maybe some of them are NOT disgusted with what they see in the mirror!!! Maybe they think the opposite, that for people who spend a lot of time worrying about diet and exercise, that THEY are the ones who are stuck in a prison, and are slaves to their body. For some people, the physical aspect of life is only one part, and they prefer to emphasize the other parts to a greater degree, like say, cheetos and twinkies.
I’m really surprised at some of the comments I’ve read here. There must be 20x the prejudice about over-fat people as there is towards any other group. Of course, nowadays over-fat people are the majority.
As an over-fat guy (40% BF, according to Omron) I’d like to make a few comments. Body fat and happiness are NOT directly related. Yes, over-fat people can be happy, especially if their obesity does not affect what they consider the important aspects of their lives. And yes, over-fat people can be very unhappy, especially when it does affect their lives. You just can’t make the assumption either way.
If the over-fat person is unhappy from his/her obesity, then at the very least you should feel pity for them. Why? Because, as I’ve learned specifically from this site, our society as a whole does not provide either the proper information or resources for over-fat people to correctly manage their bodies!!! Even if they do try to help themselves, they’ve got the wrong or incomplete info. For example, I’ve been seeing a doctor for years, whose best advice was “eat less, exercise more, and fat loss will come when you make it happen.” An MD no less! OK, the advice certainly sounds sane, but as I’ve learned by hanging out with the smart people (here at T-Mag) it just ain’t quite that simple. It was after reading the info here that I decided to check my T-levels (and E, and cortisol, etc.) ON MY OWN, only to discover that I’ve had subnormal T and high estrogen probably for 10-15 years. Do you think that a hidden problem like that might have had an effect on past diet and exercise programs? My MD sure didn’t know. In which diet magazine would I find that info? Heck, even Atkins doesn’t talk about hormone levels in his diet plan, which is wildly popular. (It’s also highly effective for many people, but look at how it always gets trashed.)
So, what’s my point? Let’s see. You need to know the person before you evaluate their happiness, and even then it might not be a body-related factor. (OK, for me it is.) But don’t transfer your disgust onto somebody else. And remember that the obese have as many cultural / societal / educational disadvantages and stigma to overcome to be successful (ie. “fit”) as any ethnic group might claim. Worse yet, most people don’t even understand what those obstacles are or know they are there.
One factor always described in books on success is that you have to hang out with successful people in order to learn how to be successful and establish successful habits. It sure would nice if you successful people were a little more sensitive to the fact that there might be lurkers on these boards who come to learn. Please don’t drive them away with rude comments and baseless prejudices.