T Nation

I Was Fat, But Damn. (Sympathy for Fat People?)

K the deal with me was I allowed an injury to depress me to a point that I didn’t care much about my health, and stayed in that mode for years.

After having multiple PE’s and nearly dying, plus refocusing on why TF I exist (take care of family), I got my shit together and dumped the fat.

What I learned was sympathy for fat people. However, sometimes when I see someone who is morbidly obese like I was or worse, I want sooo bad to tell them what they need to do to stop having to waddle or ride across the parking lot.

There was a time when it did nothing but disgust me, like “Stop chugging that shit fat boy,” but now I find myself empathetic instead.

That brings me to my real issue.

When I see such people in the gym, even though it’s good they’re trying something, it’s typically them doing stuff way wrong with a machine, and they rarely bother with free weights.

I don’t know whether to give them input or keep my mouth shut, but damn it I was fat too and wish to hell I could somehow give advice.

But unsolicited advice IMO is rarely taken whether welcomed or not.

I remember my wife getting pissed at me for disappearing to the Waffle House in the middle of the night - I get eating for the wrong reasons, and I get how to stop doing it. The fact is ya have to know you need to stop and then frickin do it.

Oh well, thank the 400lb woman using a seated leg press machine today for kicking that thought process off in my poor brain!

Advice about lifting can’t be given in a vacuum. You don’t know why the 400lb woman was using the seated leg press and you don’t know why she wasn’t doing something else.

Don’t tell them, show them. Be a positive presence in your gym.


Yeh I reckon that’s really best in a lot of things when setting an example could be the best help we can give.

Oh well, I just feel very bad for the very obese cause I “get” how it can happen, and all the psychological crap that could can cause someone to not care enough to help themselves.

I’ll just take your advice on this one, but don’t get used to it :stuck_out_tongue: !