Y R U FAT?

Richard Simmons had a license plate ("a tag" to my Southern folks) that read Y R U FAT. In the overwhelming majority of cases, this is a fair question. A fair and very valid question.

For my younger set, Simmons was/is the flamboyant fitness personality who lost more than 120 pounds. He developed quite a following three decades ago and, in his 60's, he's still doing it; helping and inspiring people to lose weight. Simmons lost all of his weight the good, old-fashioned way - through diet and exercise.

I've been called insensitive, an exercise elitist (and worse) because I don't readily accept most people's excuses for being overweight and not exercising. It's pretty simple: exercise regularly and burn more calories than you consume = weight loss. Sit on the couch, eat fast food, doughnuts and M&M's = weight gain. Einstein's Theory of Relativity it is not.

People at the gym often ask for diet advice. I give them some guidelines, but the fact is that they know exactly what they should and shouldn't eat. Yet in many cases they continue to make poor CHOICES. But in today's society - on a number of levels - few people want to own up and take responsibility for their actions, or more precisely the results of them (e.g. rather than be accountable, an increasing number of people continue to gorge themselves and then opt for gastric bypass).

According to the CDC, 68 percent of the U.S. population is overweight. That figure includes 33 percent defined as obese, with a BMI above 30. (Note: BMI is NOT a true indicator because it only factors height and weight, totally discounting whether it's muscle or fat.)

So obviously, with obesity being an epidemic, losing weight is not easy, far from it. To make matters worse, fat cells multiply and then as we age our metabolism slows down and we lose muscle mass and gain fat (a term called sarcopenia). It gets harder and harder. It's a constant battle that requires a lot of sacrifice and discipline. I am bullish on excuses but I do recognize that as a trainer who works in a gym, it's a lot easier for me to stay in shape. And I'm different than most: I actually enjoy working out. Plus, being fit, in my opinion, is a prerequisite for my job - although some other trainers apparently disagree. Being single with no children helps, too, because I don't have the commitments that many do.

While it might be easier for me, no one can tell me that they can't find 4 or 5 hours a week to exercise. Let's break it down. We'll assume you have a full-time job. With travel time included, we'll allot 9 hours a day, leaving 15. Dinner and chill time in the evening with the kids and spouse, 3 hours. That leaves 12. We'll minus 8 hours for sleep. Now, in those four hours remaining, you can't find 45 minutes three or four days a week? I know, I'm not factoring in little Johnny's two-hour softball game. Well, can you walk around the park before the game starts? Can you ask another parent to take Johnny to the game while you walk to the park. Can you do some step-ups or squats on the bleachers?

Some people don't work a full 40 hours a week or they at least have flexibility in their schedule, which allows them to go in at 10 a.m. or take 90 minutes for lunch. Again, you can't squeeze 45 minutes in SOMEWHERE in the day? And then sprinkle in another hour or two over the weekend. I used to open the gym at 5 a.m. On many dark mornings, people would be lined up and waiting for the doors to open. That is some serious dedication. That is being committed to a goal, wanting to do something so badly that maybe you surrender an hour of sleep. Yes, that's a major sacrifice, but you wouldn't have to do it every day. Try rising early twice a week and getting that workout in. Believe or not, over time you'll probably want to do it more often.

In my view, it's all about priorities. The same people who five years ago would've said that they didn't have time to work out miraculously have found an additional 30 minutes a day to be on Facebook. They find an hour to watch American Idol, Entertainment Tonight, The Bachelor or some other mindless reality show. Heck, with the dumbed-down content of most TV shows today, it shouldn't bee too hard to work out and watch at the same time.

But I digress. The biggest part of losing weight is not physical but mental. It starts there. It's not much different than a cigarette smoker trying to quit. First and foremost you have to WANT TO do it and then you need to develop a plan with short-term goals, an exercise regimen, a support system, etc... and stick to it. And I think it's extremely helpful to keep a food diary. That way you know exactly how many calories you're consuming and it helps to keep you accountable. In almost anything you're attempting to do, you'll fare better if you have a plan, one that is written down with specific checkpoints. A former client of mine once shared with me an adage that stuck with me: A fool with a plan is smarter than a genius without one. That's so true. Coincidentally, that former clients has dropped almost 50 pounds (yes, that would be you, Susan!).

I don't minimize the effort it takes to lose weight. Genetics can make weight loss more difficult. Medication, child-bearing and raising kids, injuries, the job, etc..., yes, all that can derail the best of plans. TEMPORARILY. Sometimes life gets in the way. It's bound to because exercise and a good diet is not a three-week or even a three-month process. It is, as we always hear - a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. And until you're ready to make that change, you'll end up on a frustrating, fluctuating cycle of weight loss and weight gain. As I see it, people will make time for virtually whatever they WANT TO do, for whatever they deem too important to miss, for whatever vices they have. I recently started a new job at a gym. The motto there is: Choice not chance determines your destiny. I like that.

So, as Richard Simmons asked: Y R U FAT? It's your choice.