If you’re new to the (so-called) “lifestyle” of being a gay man, open or not, one of the first things you’ll learn is how much appearance and looks play into how you navigate your journey.This shouldn’t be surprising. Men in general are visual, superficial creatures. When you look at the lengths and pressures women endure to remain attractive to men, that same pressure carries over when it comes to gay men. This is especially true when it comes to masculinity and weight. “No Fats, No Fems” is what you’ll see blasted on 85% of online profiles and chat lines. Masculine men with low body fat are the coveted group for a lot of people.

As I’ve stated in the past, I used to be out of shape, but I started working out and got it together. But even in my sloppiest days, I was never really that “fat”. I maybe gained 10-15lbs max (most notably around the mid-section), which I lost pretty quickly after getting my lazy ass used to a jogging routine. Why was this?

Recently I can across this British documentary called “Why Are Thin People Not Fat?” and it demonstrated some very interesting explanations to the reasons why some people are heavier than others, why some eat more when already full and why some of us find it hard to gain or lose the amount of weight that we want.

This was probably the most interesting section of the documentary in which they demonstrate that our eating habits are set within us as children (as possibly are even with us genetically at birth).

Over-Eating is Genetic
 
If you watched the video, you probably were amazed at the results. I know I sure was…I definitely fit into the “snacker” category. I’m constantly putting something into my mouth (no homo…okay, maybe a little homo).I should be a really fat dude because I’m always eating junk food. However, when I claim that I need to lose some weight, people laugh at me. Sure enough, this documentary gives a TOTALLY logical explanation for the reason I’m not overweight.
 
Hold up, before you see the mind blowing explanation for why some of us thin people are not fat and why some fat people find it hard to stay thin…let’s look at what “fat” really is because it kinda gets a bad rap. Fat is actually good for us in many ways:
 
 

PictureOkay…a little full disclosure. I wasn’t a “fat” kid when I was younger…but I was kinda chubby. Then I hit a growth spurt, shooting to 6-feet-tall, spreading my excess “chunk” all over my new lanky teenage body.

But as stated in the video, those excess fat cells I had as a kid are still with me to this day. And they’re programmed to CONSTANTLY fill up with fat no matter how much cardio or weight lifting I do to shrink them.

[Also, from what I understand, the fat cells in your midsection are the hardest to shrink. Its usually the last area to go.]

So that brings us back to the question before the break. Why does a slim guy like me find it hard to get fat…And why do heavy guys find it hard to stay slim even after dieting and exercise?

 
 
Our Bodies Are Programmed
 
The explanation sounds unbelievable yet makes so much sense at the same time. Of course there are other factors involved like eating habits and upbringing.But I personally know thin people that eat nothing but junk and drink alcohol like fish, yet they remain slim, even if they were trying to gain weight. And I know heavier guys that tell me they have to count calories and slave away in the gym for hours a day just to remain down to a certain size, otherwise they’d gain all that weight back. One formerly skinny/now muscular friend tells me that if he skips the gym even for just a few days or so, he quickly loses up to SEVEN POUNDS! Its as if his body is trying to quickly get him back down to his “normal” weight.

Are we really fighting our bodies’ programming? What’s your take on the theories proposed in the documentary?

– Nick D