I think that would be a very difficult question to answer, the reason being that “fat” as an adjective isn’t very clearly defined. Something like “dead” is pretty clearly defined and easy to objectively assess, “Fat” isn’t. As with most things in life, it’s more complicated than that.
Dysmorphia (by my internal definition), is seeing things in yourself that are objectively not there, for example non-existent love handles, or a distorted views of where you stand relative to an objective standard.
I’m exploring this a bit myself at the minute, so I’m not sure on my opinion here. Plenty of smart and successful people believe it to be true.
Anecdotally, for me, it’s true and I see self-deprecating patterns and word choices that aren’t benign with regards to self-description in unhappy people all the time. Can’t generalise to everyone but I don’t think there’s harm in opting for the least negatively loaded word-choice unless there’s a specific purpose to it.
I do feel this is context driven. I’ve been “strongman lean” which is still “bodybuilding fat” before, in much the same way an average dude can be “strong” because they deadlift 225 and would be called weak if they were a strength athlete.
Linguistically in tune is a good observation. People tend to be incredibly hyperbolic with language. It’s a conversational arms race. Something can’t just be funny: it’s hilarious or hysterical. Something can’t be yummy: it’s delicious. Something can’t be sub-optimal: it’s garbage. This mentality becomes pervasive. Life exists in the grey, but thought exists in black and white.
This was definitely the main point of my post. The word “fat”, in and of itself is fairly meaningless. It only takes meaning when you add context.
I also see them in some seemingly extremely happy people too.
I’ve always operated under the assumption that words follow thoughts rather than vice versa. I’m starting to question that assumption at the minute though.
Totally separate. I’ve always been very happy to take the piss out of myself, and the narrative I’ve always used for that is that I naturally take this piss out of everyone, I’m just the one who’s least likely to be offended and therefore the easiest target. I’m starting to question that quite a lot
Yeah I think you are touching some good points. like Pwn said, people (and I) tend to be hyperbolic. Like we say in my country, “you are Marseillais”
A teacher asked me to see a pic of me when I was 110 kgs and calling me a fat blob and he said “oooh you were just chubby”.
I mean I don’t invent love handles, I know they are there, even if they are tiny, I just want them gone, like a few months ago. Because I can. So why not? After all, being 10 or 15% won’t probably change anything to my life, or very little, but if I can, without too much trouble, why not?
I guess yeah I’m distored in that regard. I tend to admire so much beauty in art or other bodies, I want to do it as well you know
Some yes but not all of them. I think being lighter will help me for my cardio. And here strength is relative not absolute so no point in going too high, as my precise bodyweight will be used in determining the weights used for tests.
And I think that at 12% I’ll still be able to perform without trouble (we’ll see about that though)
Well, one potential drawback is if there’s a mental toll to keeping that restrained. You’re under so many new training stimuluses at the moment I think it makes sense to allow yourself to eat properly. I get that you’d want to be modest with it but 200-300 grams of weight gain per week until you have to tighten up for the tests make sense to me.
What if eating this has the toll of making me feel guilty ahah? Nah I jest but I see what you mean guys. Though, losing slowly 3 kgs is not slicing my wrists. Yesterday I ate a big fat McDonalds and my mom’s birthday cake (sure I had skipped my third meal but still) and the day before that, restaurant…
It’s just I feel I need to put some restraints on me. After lockdown, for 3-4 months it was 75% of the time 2 McDonalds a day, + pizzas and shit, going out and getting drunk 4 times a week easily etc etc
Didn’t destroy too much body comp even though I gained 4-6 kgs maybe, and yeah strength went up but it was a given after lockdown. But that’s how I am, I like to party, talk to people, be social etc I love it when people call me all the time to do stuff like this week ahah I guess I too have a daddy issue from him leaving me when I was a kid and need attention lol?
Anyway, in what, 4 years my lift have barely moved. i want to be a bit strict and get out of these plateaus. If I don’t go all in I just won’t comply. I went out again friday, but was reasonable. Saturday I really really wasn’t, and after a 55 hours week. So yeah
Go all in with WHAT though? Moving your lifts up may not be compatible with the removal of the love handles that you don’t really have. Eating McD twice a day is probably more aligned with that goal (not that I am advising that).
Sure but during that period I bulked twice, one counting calories, one without. Up to 93 kgs. Last time was last winter. Yeah my squat went up a good amount last time, but was it because I was doing legs 4x a week? And muscle wise, barely improving. Though last summer while cutting I gained a good amount of muscle, more than the last 3 years. Was it because I was strict or because I was actually doing BB stuff?
Anyway I want to cut down then very slowly increase.
So, building muscle. But also increasing the lifts? These are not necessarily the same thing, which of course you know.
I am not trying to give you advice, I just wonder if you are yourself clear on what you’re aiming at. Like for myself, I am prioritizing strength with the idea that if I gain enough of it, some muscle will probably appear (narrator: It won’t.). Makes it way easier to figure out behaviors and assess what I am doing right or wrong.
But yeah for the next 8 months I’ll say increase strength and cardio overall. So that’s why I’m doing jacked 31. Low volume, high frequency for neural adaptation and strength gain without much weight gain
I’m sure it does. Last year’s photoshoot had some kind of the same effect ahah. Suddenly you’re not so hungry anymore or don’t want that beer that much ahah
Yeah I’ll have to. I don’t see myself coaching people who want to compete withour having tried it