How to Lose Weight When You’re Fat

Yep, I was fat. Now I am overweight. Progress, apparently. Before getting into weight-loss tips, let’s talk about the word fat.

The Forbidden Word: Fat

I remember watching a TV show where someone was laughing at a fat person and used the phrase “fatty boom-boom.” I was fat at the time, and honestly, I found it funny. I did not collapse emotionally. I did not need a support group. I just laughed, because sometimes things are funny.

These days, people get hurt very quickly.

So, can you say to someone, “You’re fat”? Technically, yes. Should you say it to a stranger on the street? Probably not, unless your life goal is to look like a complete idiot. I cannot imagine walking up to a random person and saying that. It would be weird, rude, and pointless.

Online, of course, people say it all the time. Under YouTube videos, social media posts, interviews, and public appearances, comments like that appear occasionally, especially if someone is very fat. If someone makes a wide public appearance, negative comments are part of the package. That does not mean every comment is useful, intelligent, or necessary.

Personally, I still do not go around telling people, “You’re fat.” I do not care that much.

Fat Is Not Just a Look

But let’s not pretend the word is some mysterious forbidden spell. Being fat is not just a visual thing. It can come with real medical problems: heart and blood vessel disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, sleep apnea, breathing problems, joint pain, mobility problems, fatty liver, gallbladder disease, and a higher risk of some cancers.

Yep. Very easy to ignore when pizza or cookies exist.

What amuses me is the usual reaction, which often feels like: “How dare you say something that is true?”

Stating the obvious is sometimes interpreted as bullying. Personally, I would expect the reaction to be something like, “Yes, I know.” That was actually my reaction. I knew I was fat. I owned a mirror. I owned pants. I had evidence.

But now we have the fancy phrase “body shaming,” which sometimes seems to mean: “Please do not mention reality, it makes me uncomfortable.”

Cookies, Candy, and Reality

I like cookies. I like candy. I like fatty, salty cheeses. I like fried food. So let’s be realistic. I cannot eat like a raccoon at a garbage festival and expect to have the shape of a ballerina.

I was not offended by being called fat. It was true. I just did not care.

Until one day, I stood on the scale.

I rolled my eyes.

Then I used a blood pressure monitor, and I was not happy.

At that point, I had two options. I could start taking pills, or I could lose weight. Naturally, I picked the more annoying option: losing weight.

The Annoying Solution

I hate exercise. I really hate it. It requires effort, discipline, sweating, pain, and pretending that suffering is somehow “energizing.” No, thank you.

So I thought about it for a minute. The solution was obvious. I had to stop eating the things I loved most: cookies, candy, fatty salty cheeses, fried meals, and other delicious junk food.

It was annoying. It was frustrating. It required some discipline. Then I waited.

Within a year, I lost 20 kg, going from 95 kg to 75 kg.

No gym. No heroic transformation video. No personal trainer shouting at me. No inspirational music. Just cutting out junk food and not eating like an idiot every day.

I moved from the fat category into the overweight category. Nice.

But honestly, I was happier about my blood pressure going back to normal.

No, I Did Not Become a Gym Person

There was a moment when I briefly hallucinated about joining a gym, but then I thought about my joints, the cost, the effort, and the fact that I hate exercising. So, no. That fantasy died quickly.

For me, losing weight was simple. Not fun, but simple. I selected what not to eat, and then I stopped eating those things.

The Stupid Part

But here comes the stupid part. I am getting fat again!

I have been working on projects. They are not producing the results I would like to see. Some people are messy. Some technologies are messy. Some days feel like a slow emotional slap in the face. So, as a “nerve supply,” I started eating cookies again.

It has been a long time since I stood on the scale. Hmm.

Maybe I have slipped into the loser category. Or maybe, like many other fat people, I am simply ignoring the fact that I am getting fat again instead of accepting the obvious truth: it is not healthy at all.

The Honest Weight-Loss Advice

And that is probably the most honest weight-loss advice I can give. You do not need magic. You do not need drama. You do not need to pretend that being fat is healthy.

You need to look at what you are eating, admit which parts are junk, and stop eating so much of that junk. Easy? Technically, yes. Pleasant? Absolutely not.

The fact is: being fat sucks.