Few things recently (won’t go into specifics) have gotten me to thinking about the moral dimension of obesity.
The long and the short of it is, it’s my humble (albeit accurate) opinion the causes of overweight and obesity are primarily moral, not medical and ought to be treated as such.
Yours Baldly’s remedy?
Shame.
Something sorely lacking in the West nowadays.
For instance, the other week Jess and I went on a coach trip to the beach (we are still without a car since the engine in ours exploded last month).
What struck me about our compatriots was not their size (which was eye-popping, in many cases) but the total and complete lack of shame our porcine travelling companions had, not only in their dress (many a sagging belly was on full display) but also their mannerisms (standing in the way, oblivious or uncaring about how much space they took up, pounding down crisps, chocolates, sweets, and whatever else they could get their greasy fingers on), and so on.
The smell wasn’t great, either.
Now, when I was a kid in the 90s, obesity was relatively rare. As a result, those few fat kids and people were relentlessly mocked by society at large.
I should know, because I was on the receiving end of that mocking.
It did me a lot of good, too. Because without it, I’d still be fat, miserable, and lonely.
I certainly wouldn’t be the strong, happy, and loved married father of three that I am today.
You might argue that fat people aren’t hurting anyone else so should be left to eat themselves into an early grave in peace.
Not so.
The burden these people place not only upon society but also those they profess to love is tremendous.
It is financial, physical, and emotional. Weight related conditions are straining the health service to ruin, both through the cost of treatment and harm to the workforce via time off and early retirements from back injuries caused by moving and handling those who weigh far more than they should.
Families are impoverished by parents who are too fat to meaningfully play with their children, and who set a terrible example by complaining loudly about how “hard” it is to find the time to exercise and eat right while lounging on the sofa in a soiled tracksuit. And the pain felt by a child forced to watch their parent become disabled and then die from an otherwise preventable illness doesn’t bear thinking about.
I’m not too sure where I’m going with this.
Although I will say that while the road to getting stronger and more in shape is a long, winding, and, at times, perilous one, and this is doubly the case if you’re on the larger side, there are morale boosting “quick wins” to be had along the way.
Like, for example, the pleasing changes you can make to your physique by focusing on certain areas that dramatically improve the way you look while wearing clothes.
One such area is the arms; a little love here will potentially create the illusion that you’re in much better shape than you actually are. Yes, I know it’s technically “cheating”, but the boost you’ll get to your self-esteem through complements and catching yourself in the mirror can do wonders for your ability to keep plugging away while the rest of your body catches up.
Enter the September 2025 issue of The Phil Tyreman Letter. It talks all about my unconventional approach to training arms for maximum aesthetic impact.
The deadline to subscribe in time to get this issue cometh fast. So if you want in, make haste to the below URL and subscribe.
A subscription is just £20 per month and you can cancel any time and for any reason.
Moreover, unlike basically everything else I sell, there’s an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee on this one, so there’s no risk if you want to give it a shot (unless you don’t trust me to give you your £20 back if you ask for it, but if that was the case, I doubt you’d still be reading).
Enough.
Here’s the URL I mentioned:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/information/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman