1 - I’m Too Fat

Summary

I have met few adults who are happy with their own bodies, at least in Western societies. But even in non-Western societies, many people are unhappy with their bodies. The exact nature of this unhappiness varies, but what overwhelmingly dominates is the thought, whether objectively true or not, that they carry too much weight, and following that, the thought that they really should lose weight. I have met very few people who actively want to put on weight, and they have almost all been of athletic disposition, and the weight gain sought is usually (but not always) in terms of muscle. Some people are entirely ‘fat-phobic’ and not persuaded that some types of body fat might actually be good, healthy even. Many people don’t know that there are different types of fat deposit, and that some deposits of fatness carry limited or no negative health consequences – around the buttocks, hips and thighs, for example. Body fatness is a ‘hot potato’ issue for many people; I like hot potatoes.