(Cue BGM: Let's get physical by Olivia Newton John)
*Insert intro with clips from Rocky series, work-out shows and whatever else kind of stuff I can come up with that involves lots of physical work*
(Cue BGM: Skills [instrumental]- Gangstarr)
"Guess what? I used to be a great big fatass, just like you! But after taking this new miracle pill before every meal, I went from this to this in just 2 weeks!"
"Tired of old-fashioned push-ups, crunches and other exercises? Tired of gym payments and waking up sore in the morning? Then just use the new Quack-Tech P.O.S. Just sit on your ass doing the usual crap while this baby is hooked up to your spinal cord and using it for thirty minutes a day will be the same as doing 500 crunches! In just two weeks you can go from this to this Call now to buy the amazing Quack-Tech P.O.S for just ten easy payments of all your money!"
Though exaggerated, what I just wrote above are two examples of the kinda of crap you'll see constantly on t.v., magazine ads, billboards and other places. It seem everyday, some new asshole trying to cash in on the "Obesity Epidemic" and the fitness craze that's been going on since the 80's if not longer, and some new "Miracle Pill", "Miracle Diet" or some new fangled exercise or other fat burning/muscle building machine and not to mention the popularity and dropping cost of plastic surgery operations such as tummy-tucks, stomach stapling (Unless that and the former are the same thing), liposuction and probably some others I don't know about.
Of course in the commercials that push this shit, they'll abuse the line "If you've tried everything..." and/or "Why do*diet and exercise*", and of course say something like "The reason it's not working is because of*insert bullshit*". And basically discredit good ol' diet and exercise in favor of their product.
Now, I know what some of you are about to say: "If it's easier, then why rant about it?" "Some people don't like traditional diet and exercise 'cause it's too hard". First of all, shut up and let me finish. Secondly, as a martial artist (I practice Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu, Judo, Aikido, Boxing and Muay Thai, and no I'm
not exaggerating), and the son of a man who has enjoyed the benefits of traditional exercise and had past down his knowledge to me and finally read my fare-share of fitness stuff that actually works as well as watching a Penn and Teller episode on this subject, I know a thing or two about what works and what's bullshit. I'll separate my stance into categories so it won't be a text wall
-Diet pills/Supplements: The reason I suggest against using these, is the same reason I wouldn't take
any medication/pill. There are
major risks that come from using them such as strain on the heart, risk of dependence, there is even a case of someone dying of a blood clot because of one such pill. There are other
sources that believe that diet pills work and list the ones that work best. But, when you think about it, these things are more likely to kill you faster than your fat
-Bullshit exercise machines: Don't get me wrong, not all of these are useless. You can use traditional machines such as stepping machines, row machines, treadmills, bikes, etc. Hell, I even suggest using products from bow-flex which is more or less a new take on old machines, such as making them adjustable without too much work and hassle. But, there are several machines that don't work that people are pushing nowadays like
this piece of shit
-Diets: Really, many new diets out there don't really work because the person who came up with it is full of shit. One of the top suspects for this is the
Atkins diet, or
"Fatkins" diet as lovable squirrel likes to refer to it. Basically some diets either don't work, or they want you to do something you really shouldn't be doing, such as shedding structural fat, which your internal organs need to sustain themselves.
-Finally plastic surgery: These include liposuction, stomach stapling and others. The reasons I suggest against this should be obvious, but if not let me put it like this: it extremely dangerous for the same reason any surgery is danger for two reasons; A. Something can go wrong during the procedure. B. Something can go wrong after the procedure. This will cause either severe health complications, or death. But, should you be lucky enough to survive unscathed, then get ready for weeks or even months of a painful recovery process.
But if these are so damn dangerous and/or ineffective, then why are people paying money for that rather than just using proper diet and exercise or going to a gym or seeing a dietitian for help? Because, people care more about
looking healthy, than actually
being. Notice the last sentence I used. Lots of people are pushing the promise of looking good and being sexy, but not one of them will every mention health risk, or even talk about getting healthy. Hell even the news is in on this shit.
if you want to know, it's actually possible to be fat and healthy. You heard me, you can be fat
AND healthy. But why say being fat is unhealthy then? Because somewhere down the line someone changed the view of "Fat=unattractive" to "Fat=unhealthy". In other words, this is not an issue of health, it's really all about image.
Now, let me get back to the fat
and healthy thing I just mentioned. For some people, weight loss is not as effective because of one of two factors(from what I've observed): genetics, or a medical condition. For the latter, these people are fat because of one or a few medical disorders
as listed here. Further more, there are some people that don't mind a bit of body fat, and even think it looks good on them, and there are many
people who agree. So why condemn them? But in my personal opinion, if that weight's not natural, I'd suggest losing some of it for the sake of good health.
But, my stance is not limited to just people who are too fat, but also people who are too thin, specifically women. These people buy into this weight-loss bullshit to the point where it becomes dangerous. For those people, becoming thin isn't enough, and they keep dieting and exercising to the point of
Anorexia and end up looking like
this or
worse. From what I've observed, this is for the most because of all the ads with those "Pretty and thin" models everywhere, overly thin people tend to think of themselves as hideous because they have even a little body fat, or because they don't look like the models they see. In plain English, it's an issue of self-image and self-esteem and I think those people need to stop before they hurt themselves.
Here's the point I'm trying to make here; take a look in the mirror for a moment and ask yourself a very important question: "Am I okay with this?"
-If the answer is yes, then that's fine. It means you love and respect yourself and are not easily swayed by other people's opinion of you.
-If the answer is no, then ask two more questions: "What do I plan to do about then" and most importantly "
Why do I think there's a problem? Is this about image, or health?" I then advice you to seek friendly and professional (i.e. your doctor) help before you do anything, just because you don't like what you see in that mirror, doesn't mean there is. Secondly, if there really is a problem; again with proper guidance from a professional and help from loved ones, create a plan and stick to it.
It's easy to quit or cut corners because what you're doing is difficult, but just keep your final goal in mind and keep going. Finally, your final goal should also be your limit, no more, no less. Let's not go crazy with your image here, you need to remember to love and respect yourself, and your following this plan because you want to take care of yourself.
-And both those people, I again suggest getting professional and friendly opinions to see what works for you. Keep in mind, you know your body best.
Final verdict: People really need to stop worrying about image, and worry about health. If we did that, the world (of America) will be much better.... If it weren't for the other problems *cough*crappy*cough*economy*cough*stupid asshole bush & admin.*cough*war in Iraq*cough*rising oil costs*cough* Excuse me.
P.S. If you want to know, I don't like fat women, or women who are really thing. I like a balance like for example,
this young lady