Tip: To Lose Fat, Stop Being a Pantywaist

This may hurt your feelings, but it'll also solve your fat loss problem. Step away from your safe space and check it out.

Wimps Get Fat

Ninety percent of the answer to losing fat is to simply choose better foods and be consistent in the gym. So why do people get overweight and stay that way for years when the common-sense answer is right there? What's the root problem?

Answer? Being a pantywaist. Or as we'll define it here:

  • Lack of self-discipline and self-control.
  • The unwillingness to plan because planning workouts and meals isn't a bowl of fun.
  • The inability to suffer just a little to get a great reward.
  • Aversion to work.

It wasn't too long ago that being tough and mentally strong were considered desirable traits. The last thing a man wanted to be called was a wimp, a weenie, weak, or lazy. Where has that gone? Why do people choose to wallow in their weaknesses instead of overcoming them (which they're very capable of doing)?

Excuses, Excuses

"Oh, but Chris, I have a medical condition that makes it hard for me to stay lean and/or work out!"

That can happen. But the strong-willed person adjusts his or her diet to compensate for that back injury, "thyroid problem" or prescription med that's making things harder. It's not easy, but easy is for pantywaists. And pantywaists get tubby waists.

And what about those with the same problems that do hit their fat loss goals? How can they overcome their issues while others can't? Answer: They're just tougher. And getting tough is a choice.

But the excuses pile up anyway:

  • "I'm an endomorph."
  • "I'm too busy."
  • "I don't know how to prepare my own meals because I'm basically an adult toddler."
  • "I'm broke and don't know where to buy inexpensive, healthy foods because I've never tried."

Yes, in first world societies it's easy to get fat. I did myself back in the day. (Yep, I was a wimp, for a while at least.) It's hard to get lean and stay that way. Takes work. Takes planning. Takes discipline and determination. But that's what we do best. That's what YOU do best when you decide not to be a pantywaist.

No other diet or training tip will "work" until you remember that you're a predatory animal with massive brain power... and not a weak-willed weenie.

Chris Shugart is T Nation's Chief Content Officer and the creator of the Velocity Diet. As part of his investigative journalism for T Nation, Chris was featured on HBO’s "Real Sports with Bryant Gumble." Follow on Instagram