Why am I Fat?

Why am I fat? It's a depressing question for someone to have to ask themselves but one that is better confronted early rather than later when a myriad of health-related issues can arise (beyond just egocentric image issues).

I am just going to look here at the very basics of this issue. Different people react in different ways to different stimuli and what makes one person fat may not have the same degree of effect on someone else. Stress, for example, can cause weight gain by slowing our metabolism, altering our blood sugar level and / or increasing our cortisol level which affects our ability to lose weight. But what creates stress for one person may not be the same for another.

So yes, the issue can become a complex one and I am sure an informed reader can raise various points to further complicate the matter.

Why am I Fat?

The most basic consideration is calories in vs calories out. How many calories do you consume on a daily basis compared to how many calories you use in the same period of time?

A calorie is a scientifically created term that allows us to measure how much energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celcius. In more simple terms, calories in indicates how much energy we draw into our body by eating and drinking while calories out gives us a figure of how much energy we use in our day to day life.

We all use calories to do things as simple as breathe and digest food. Running uses more calories than walking. Athletes use more calories than average as they use more energy. Depending on one’s age, sex, height, weight, level of activity and other factors, we all need a certain number of calories to either gain weight, maintain our weight or lose weight.

So, in theory if a person needs to consume 2000 calories a day (the average for an adult male) and he meets this caloric target, he should neither lose or gain weight if all other factors remain the same. If he raised his caloric consumption to 2500 a day then over a period of time the excess food (represented by excess calories) would be converted into fat and stored as such, causing weight gain and a loss of muscle definition.

On the other hand, if the same man reduces his caloric intake from 2000 to 1500 then in this case he would begin to lose weight as his body begins to burn stored fat (and possibly muscle as well, depending on the actual food consumed).

Here’s the thing though. While you can start with a daily maintenance level of 2000 calories, if you consistently consume say 2500 or 1500 calories a day then given enough time these new levels will become your maintenance levels. Therefore in order to gain or lose weight you will have to make your calculations from your new maintenance level.

This is a basic answer to the question Why Am I Fat?, but also very important to understand. In many cases losing weight (or bulking up to build muscle) may not be any harder than varying your caloric intake. Note though that different foods provide different nutritional values. There may be little to no difference calorie wise between a glass of whole fat milk and a glass of coke but the nutrition provided by both beverages is vastly different.

Advice for hard gainers

Advice for hard gainers is often much needed. A hard gainer has an ectomorph body type; that is someone who tends to be skinny and finds it difficult to put on weight and build muscle. This is compared to the endomorph (prone to weight, and more specifically fat, gain) and the mesomorph (the ideal athletic build; someone who builds muscle quickly and with comparative ease).

The problem facing a hard gainer is that he or she can put in a tremendous amount of effort and get little in the way of visible results. This isn’t to say strength gains are not made (you can always improve your ligaments) but the bulk and, let’s be honest, the ‘cool factor’ of looking ripped is missing. In certain non-weight regulated sports this can end a career. It would be very difficult for an ectomorph to make it in the NFL. For other endeavors it may be seen as an advantage (skiing or horse riding for example). Then there are the sports that promote competitions between people of similar weights (boxing and MMA being two).

From the point of view of a hard gainer who just enjoys training to become stronger and look better though I want to offer a couple of points of advice.

Be Realistic. ‘Know thyself’. If you are a hard gainer and know yourself to be one you have to accept that there is going to be a limit to how much you can bulk up and get ripped (if you are training naturally). The magazines and other media promote an idealized image that is a worthy goal but which is unachievable by the majority (even for mesomorphs). Be inspired, yes, but don’t fall into the trap of expecting similar results and then beating yourself up and becoming disappointed and even quitting because you yourself can’t get to that level.

Monitor Your Daily Total Energy Expenditure. Building bulk and muscles isn’t just about eating a large quantity of food, it is about avoiding burning those extra calories off and keeping the weight gain on. If you are constantly rushing around and / or living a stressful life then however much you think you are eating, it may not be enough to keep you in a caloric surplus. If you are younger then your metabolism is no doubt in overdrive and that can also hinder your ability to gain weight and build muscle.

Take the time to track your daily caloric intake and then try to raise it. Moderately at first, but build up to more and more. Remember that shakes are especially good for getting lots of calories down in liquid form, but should not be taken in lieu of regular meals.

These are a couple of pointers. They may seem simple, but they are easy to forget and provide good advice for hard gainers.