One Extra Way to Prevent Future Weight Gain

With obesity being incredibly common in America, it should be every man's best interest to stay in good shape and prevent excessive weight gain. One startling epiphany I had is that most of the overweight men that you see today were not always overweight. Most likely, everyone of us knows a good man that is very overweight but was very trim back in his college days. Some men may claim that obesity just kind of happened.

There are several contributing factors that lead to obesity. Fast food is all over the place so it is easy for a man to slam down a triple whopper with a 32 ounce Coke. Several office jobs require a man to sit still for 8 hours or longer each day. Sitting still while doing drudgery work will tire a man to the point where he just wants to watch tv when he gets home. This contributes to a lack of physical activity outside of work. Lastly, excessive drinking at bars or clubs on the weekend do no favors for a man's body.

Several years of this can transform a 150 pound cross country runner into a 245 pound Pillsbury Doughboy. In order to prevent this slow transformation, a man has to eat healthier meals, lift weights, get some cardio, and try to cut back on the drinking. There is one extra way to prevent future weight gain. Make sure to always buy the same sized pants.

One of the best lessons I learned in Microeconomics was that people make decisions on the margin. In other words, people don't worry about an issue becoming a problem. People worry about a resulting disaster after it is too later. My professor gave us the example of drinking beer. You drink the first few because you know you won't vomit. After 10 or so beers, you aren't quite sure if you can hold down another beer. That 11th beer could go down just fine or it could cause a mess in your house and a hangover the next morning.

When it comes to gaining weight, a man might feel completely comfortable at 150 pounds. After a few years of work, his weight increases to 170. He doesn't look too bad but not as good as he did back in college. Another few years pass and he is up to 200 pounds. This may be when he starts to notice a problem. Another few years when he reaches 240 pounds, he looks at himself in the mirror and thinks "Dear God what happened?"

A simple change in behavior might be able to prevent this situation. As a man gains body fat, he will eventually need to buy new clothes. In particular, he needs new pants as the waistline has become too tight and uncomfortable. A 30 waist becomes 32 which then becomes 34 and eventually 38. Each time the pants increase in size, some relief and comfort is regained.

In order to notice a problem and react accordingly, it is important to suffer some amount of pain. By simply buying the same waist size of pants each time, you introduce that pain and suffering to your life. If you pants don't fit well, that is tough. That is something you have to deal with now. Each morning when you get dressed and feel that initial discomfort, the problem will be on your mind. The discomfort will make you feel like more of a fat slob.

With the issue on your mind, it may provide you a little more motivation or incentive to not over eat, get water instead of soda, and go run a few miles when you get home from work. On a conscious or subconscious level, you will take the actions to at least maintain your current weight level. In maintaining your current weight level, you will prevent future weight gain. Just make sure not to buy larger sized pants.