This is why you're fat.

I'm not gonna lie - I've had a perverse obsession as of late with thisiswhyyourefat.com. If you haven't surfed over there, it's essentially a collection of photos featuring disgustingly caloric edible creations which, if a made a regular part of your diet, would provide a clear explanation for why you're fat. Having a couple deep-fried beerritos a week can't be too good for the old love handles.

But this site, gross and comical though it may be, really made me think - it really isn't that hard to tell why we're fat, is it? Whether you wear them on your sleeve or carry them deep within your subconscious, people struggling with their weight have at least a couple obvious causes of their robust waistline, and addressing these must be key to slimming down. Stated simply, I think we should try to figure out why we're fat, then figure out how to be skinny. We can do this through simple observation.

Ever watch skinny people eat? Most of them don't eat like folks with food issues do. My sister is one of these slender freaks that eats half of what's on her plate, savors every bite of her fave foods, and won't eat dishes that aren't that satisfying. Eating in moderation, tasting every morsel, and choosing foods wisely, huh? That must be why she's skinny!

Myself, at my old weight, was the polar opposite. Why would I want to leave perfectly good, uneaten food on my plate at the end of a meal? Why bother to taste and chew when I could shovel food straight into my throat? And as for just eating foods I like? EVERY food was my favorite food! Why was I so big? Probably because I was eating like a fat guy - that's why I was fat.

So I guess that's something to think about - if (to a great extent, anyway) our eating habits our connected to our physique, then what does your eating style say about YOU? My transformation from fat to slim was accompanied by an ESSENTIAL eating-habit-shift from "fat eating" to "skinny eating." It's not magic; our weight is determined by our calorie intake and expenditure, effected to a great degree by our style of eating.

I know the shift can be made - I did it. And YOU CAN TOO!