10 Genuine Reasons Fat People May Be Exhausted That Aren’t Fatness Or Laziness
One of the things I hate most about being fat is the assumptions made about me. Chief among them is that because I’m fat I must also be unhealthy, stupid and lazy. I’d like to hope that my blog is sufficiently well written to prove that I’m not stupid. I have dealt with the health topic numerous times on this blog. So, today I’m going to list reasons fat people may be exhausted that aren’t being lazy.
1) They May Have Done An Intense Workout
Yes, that’s right. A fat person might have worked out! Gasp!! Believe it or not, fat people do workout, even though many fear being judged or laughed at. Jessamyn Stanley is an advanced yoga practitioner that does things many thin yogi cannot. Her size does not restrict her at all. Jessie Diaz-Herrera is a fabulous dance instructor as well as doing CrossFit. Louise Green is a triathlete. One of the reasons a fat person may be exhausted is maybe they’ve done a big workout.
2) They Might Be A Carer
My mum has epilepsy, and after a grand mal seizure she is completely crazy. She repeats phrases constantly, can’t remember her own name and has an insatiable desire to move around. Sadly, her moving will likely result in a bad fall meaning we have to watch her like a hawk.
Add to that the difficulty of persuading her not to bury herself in blankets because she always has a raging fever, and getting her to take her medication, by the time she is fully aware of who she is I am exhausted! I genuinely don’t know how full time carers cope. I normally have my stepdad and sister to help, I can’t even imagine how people cope alone with relatives with sever mental or physical disabilities.
In addition to being exhausted, research shows that carers have poorer physical and mental health than other people. Carers frequently don’t have much time for themselves meaning they may eat convenience food or takeaways which may actually be responsible for any weight gain. They are also likely to be under a lot of stress. Stress produces the stress hormone cortisol and if you are constantly stressed you produce an excess of cortisol. Guess what an excess of cortisol does? Yep, it causes weight gain, particularly around your abdomen and face.
Being a carer has to be one of the most exhausting jobs there is, people who do it are definitely not lazy. It is one of the reasons fat people may be exhausted and it’s totally understandable.
3) They May Be Ill
Believe it or not, fat people get ill for reasons that have nothing to do with being fat! They may have cancer, anaemia, adrenal insufficiency, thyroid problems, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, mono and many others. All of these illnesses cause exhaustion and have nothing whatsoever to do with weight.
4) They May Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
I developed it ten years ago following two very bad chest infections I contracted back to back. I have had asthma since I was four, possibly due to my mother and stepfather smoking around me. Since those infections, I never got better. I am exhausted every minute of every day. Sleep does not help, whether I sleep for one hour or fourteen. Nor does exercise, healthy diet, vitamin D, CBT, or anything else. Please believe me, I could be half the size I am and I would still be tired! CFS is one of the reasons fat people may be exhausted, myself included.
5) They Might Have Type 2 Diabetes
Yes, I know! Everyone says people develop type 2 diabetes because they’re fat. That is not the whole story by a long way. The Fat Doctor UK is a fantastic source if you want to debunk all of the fat blaming. Firstly, if type 2 diabetes is caused by being fat, why do thin people develop it? Type 2 diabetes is preceded by the body becoming resistant to insulin and so it doesn’t process glucose effectively.
Diabetes UK says It is linked to living with overweight or obesity, but insulin resistance can affect some people of a healthy weight or BMI. It then goes on to say, the exact cause of insulin resistance isn’t fully understood and may be different from person to person. So, if they don;t know what causes it, and thin people get it too, why are we blaming fat?
The assumption is that because insulin resistance is frequently found in fat people, fat causes it. However, correlation and causation are not the same thing! Fatphobia is so rampant in our society that there appears to be no research into whether fatness actually causes insulin resistance and therefore type 2 diabetes, or whether a different problem causes both weight gain and insulin resistance.
6) They Might Have Long Covid
Long Covid has been linked with a slew of health complaints, including
- Extreme fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Loss of smell
- Sore muscles
- Dizziness
- Pins and Needles
- Persistent headaches
- Fever
- Rash
Almost everyone I know who has long covid reports exhaustion, regardless of their weight. According to reports by the Office of National Statistics, by January 20223, two million people in the UK have been diagnosed with long covid. It affects all demographics and is considered a public health crisis. As long covid is so prevalent it’s definitely one of the reasons fat people may be exhausted that are not related to fatness or laziness.
7) Depression
When my depression is bad I can barely summon the energy to dress or brush my teeth. At any one time it’s estimated that 5% of people in the world are suffering from depression. This figure has only gotten worse since the fear and isolation of the covid pandemic. Thee severity of it differs greatly, but even mild depression can cause feelings of listlessness and exhaustion. Believe me, if someone you know is feeling depressed the last thing they need is to be called lazy or be judged.
8) Medication
I have bad allergies and so I have to take an antihistamine every day. All antihistamines make you sleepy and so do countless other medications. Unless you’re acquainted with the contents of a person’s medicine cabinet you have no idea what they may be taking.
9) Undiagnosed Food Allergies
Yes really! Research suggests that fatigue can be caused by undiagnosed foot allergies and intolerances, including coeliac disease. Unless a food allergy is severe the symptoms are non-specific and subtle enough to make it difficult to diagnose.
10) Insomnia
For some people, bedtime is not the blissful oblivion it is for the rest of us. My grandmother had severe insomnia and it was like torture for her. She’d be exhausted while watching tv on the couch, but the minute she went to bed her eyes pinged open. She’d been that way most of her life. It’s estimated 1 in 3 people experience insomnia at some point and so it definitely makes the list of reasons fat people may be exhausted.
Takeaways
There are lots of reasons fat people may be exhausted that aren’t because they are fat or lazy. If you met a thin person was exhausted you’d assume something was wrong, please bear in mind that is likely true for fat people too. Of course, some fat people are lazy and I am too sometimes, but so is everyone! The body needs downtime and sometimes it will force us to take action. This is not a bad thing.
If you take one thing away from this article it’s that fat people are the same as everyone else so please don’t perpetuate stereotypes and be hurtful. Every person deserves respect.
