Deflabbify

It’s my own fault that I’m fat

Written by admin on August 21, 2008 – 12:28 am -

A report issued this past Tuesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health blamed a bunch of things for the rising obesity rate in thirty-seven states, including:

• Federal, state, and local governments
• School cafeteria meal planners
• Long commutes
• Longer work hours
• Exclusion of obesity treatment from health coverage
• High cost of health club memberships
• Lack of grocery stores in lower-income areas
• Sedentary entertainment
• Stress
• "Relentless advertising" of unhealthy foods
• Shortage of safe walking routes to school
• Mochas with steamed milk and syrup
• Sedentary desk jobs
• Lack of bike racks and showers
• Lack of employer support for employees’ exercise time
• Weak top-level leadership at the state legislature level
• Lack of legislation requiring restaurants to provide nutrition information on menu boards

Wow!  I sure am glad it’s not my fault!

Yeah right.  Just like nobody cares for my finances as much as I do, nobody cares about my health as much as I do.  Everyone else cares (a) about making money off of me, (b) expending as little as possible to get me to continue expending energy to benefit their own interests, or (c) making money off of other people by not impeding their ability to make money off of me.  If I’m fat, it’s because I didn’t care about my health as much as I should, and nothing else.

I know that I can be normal weight; I’ve done it before.  To do that, I have to overcome odds stacked against me.  I have to exercise on my own time, without my employer’s financial assistance.  I have to pony up for a gym membership (which I did) or find cheaper ways to exercise.  I have to resist heavily-advertised fast foods.  I have to pay for my own obesity treatments out of pocket.

If I don’t, nobody else will care, I’ll still be fat, and it will still be my fault.  It’s my problem to fix.

Related Posts

• Seven things I've already noticed since I began exercising again I'm very thankful that the positive feedback that comes from beginning an exercise program comes quickly. Here are seven little things that my wife, myself, and others have noticed already about me since I began exercising again: I feel better. This happened almost immediately. Just the act of finally doing......
• I hate fundraisers Well, maybe I should be a little more specific:  I hate fundraisers at work where they just leave a box of candy bars and an envelope in a high-traffic area. I fell off the wagon over the past week or so and became a really, really good customer of this......
• One ounce at a time Someone passed on a copy of Fred Brooks' software classic The Mythical Man-Month to me. The introductory page to the chapter on progress tracking has this question and answer: Question: How does a large software project get to be one year late? Answer: One day at a time. Small slippages......
• Hundred Pushups, Week 1, Day 1 Tonight was a bit of a strange time to start the Hundred Pushups program, but I did. Since I only did eight pushups on the initial test I started in Column 2. Day 1 of Week 1 calls for five levels (sets) of pushups: 7, 7, 5, 4, and max......

Related Websites

• The 7-Day Turnaround, Day 5: Start Saving for Retirement This is the fifth article in Frugal Dad’s week-long series, The 7-Day Turnaround: One Week to Change Your Family's Financial Destiny. Each day brings a new step to implement and help you get control of your finances. Now that you have moved beyond the half-way point in your 7-day turnaround,......
• Monthly Bill Checkup – Are You Using the Memberships You Pay For? Many of my monthly bills are set up on direct or auto-pay. I’m a big proponent of these types of conveniences. These recurring bills either come directly out of my checking account or are charged to my favorite rewards card. (This way I get to make one monthly payment to......
• Build a Home Gym for Less than $200 Last year I justified the expense of a year-long gym membership as an attempt to get into better shape. I did pay cash for the expense, and because I paid up front I received a few additional months as a bonus. Unfortunately, that membership is coming to an end in......
• Is the Bistro MD Diet Right For You? For many people, having to prepare diet foods and counting calories can be a lot of work. If you’re looking to get healthy the easy way and you don’t have time to mess around with complicated recipes or measurements, sticking with a special food plan diet may be just the......

Posted in On Being Fat |