“He’s so lucky! He never puts on weight!”

“She’s so lucky! She loses weight so fast!”

I hear people say things like that all the time. If I eat one unhealthy meal, I can see it on my belly. But then even after running a marathon I don’t see that fat go away. Fat goes on immediately and takes a long time and a lot of work to get off.

I’m lucky!

I’m lucky I put on fat fast if I overeat and lose it slowly because it means I have to make fitness a way of life, not something I sometimes do. Doing something sometimes instead of consistently adds choice, which means you can choose not to do it.

Dieting correlates with lack of fitness. Eating healthily all the time doesn’t, which is the behavior I’ve ended up with.

I don’t choose to eat any meal healthy or to exercise any given time. I chose years ago to eat healthy every day and exercise every day. I’ve made that behavior habits that I don’t break. No choice means consistent life structure, which means challenge and personal success. It also means mental and physical freedom in the rest of my life.

When I was younger I was motivated by my older step-brother making fun of me for my extra fat. Now I’m motivated by the feeling of a fit body, enjoying sports, and how delicious I find vegetables now that I eat so much of them.

• ← Op/Ed Fridays: Drugs have won the drug war. New and different education can stop us losing.
• Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Can I Wear Jewelry If I Don’t Support Its Origins? →