Being Fat

[caption id="attachment_2503" align="alignnone" width="300"] I worked out today, so I'm not fat.[/caption] I don't like the word "fat." I don't call anyone fat, and I don't refer to overweight people as fat; it's a mean word that serves little purpose other than to hurt people. However as a concept, it definitely exists. To me, "Fat" has nothing to do with body composition and everything to do with attitude. Anybody training at Krav Maga Raleigh or any gym, or watching their diet, or taking any steps to improve their health, is not "Fat," regardless of their B.M.I. This has been on my mind because the other night, after eating a cake dessert to follow my cupcake dessert, I had to admit to myself that I am, in fact, Fat. I haven't had to buy new clothing (yet), but it's been all over my lifestyle choices lately: Eating junk food, and then eating more with the first batch leaves me unsatisfied; finding excuses to skip workouts instead of using workouts to skip dessert; and sitting around idly kneading my growing waistline and pouting. I might still be able to outrun most people, but compared to someone who is making the effort to hit the gym after work, or wake up early for a run, or leave the potato chips on the shelf at Harris Teeter, I'm fat. After two paragraphs of repeating the word "fat," this post can feel negative, but it's actually quite optimistic. The last two days I've trained hard and eaten well, and now I'm not "fat" anymore. And that's true for anybody. You don't have to lose 50 pounds to stop being fat, you just have to move that direction. Instead of taking months or years, you only need one day; one day where you go train, or eat a little less, or go for a walk, and you aren't fat anymore. And while it might take some time to reach your optimum weight or desired fitness level, you can be "not fat," today. And that's something to feel good about.